Some Audio Testing Results

[Kenn Michael]

I only have CH1 enabled. Still hissy.

Good to know they are aware of the DC offset.

[Elizabeth Lowrey]

I reported the DC offset to Red last week, the hiss is gone on my camera w/ Build 13 if I only enable CH1 and CH2.
Do you have all 4 channels enabled? Try enabling only the channels you are recording to and you should lose the hiss.

This might explain why I don't recall hearing this much hiss on Tonaci's clips of the beauty contestants. digitalfx, could you upload some audio only samples of recordings done using the camera's mic pres with only channels 1 and 2 enabled?

ETA: Nevermind, I guess kenn michael's last post makes this moot.

[zak forrest]

I have the same problems. I just posted some quicktimes with uncompressed audio as a new thread.

Only channel 2 is working for me.

[Fergus Meiklejohn]

The preamps are unbelievably noisy. I have my preamps set at 20db and the hiss is still very much there. Audio is clean with the line inputs as eclaire has pointed out.

It'll be interesting to see if they can get rid of the hiss as another software fix instead of swapping out the hardware.

I'm a post audio mixer as well, and I'd call this amount of hiss disastrous on a mix stage.

Kenn, as a audio mixer, how do you rate the RED fan noise? Is anything above Silent usable?

[xdissolve]

One additional question. When you were using the 302 mixer, was there a high pass filter (low cut) engaged? There is a noticeable shift in LF portion of the noise spectrum compared to the NGSX2 mixer

No, the low cut was set to neutral on both mixers. I tried to level each one of them out to match as best I could.

[zak forrest]

You can hear the fan of the camera in the final take of the audio tests.

[Kevin Halverson]

Hello xdissolve,

Thanks for the clarification on the configuration. The levels were in fact fairly close, it was the change in the LF characteristics that is of interest to me. Can you please give me the exact brand and model information on both mixers?

Thanks,

Kevin Halverson

[A. Bastaki]

Can you choose to set all four channels of audio in the camera to record from one of the inputs?

Advantage here is you can set someones lav mic or the boom to record on 4 channels and set each channel at a different level. That way if the subject gets quieter or louder then expected you will still likely have a clean good level recording on at least one of the channels and can select in post. I have used this system very successfully before on other cameras and it will be great if you can do it with the red.

that is an awesome idea!
________
K1200gt

[Len M.]

I only have CH1 enabled. Still hissy.

Have you terminated the enabled inputs or are you leaving the inputs open/unconnected?

If you're leaving them unconnected (unterminated, i.e. seeing an infinite impedance) then the test is not an accurate one, and the hiss you're hearing will likely be much lower in level when you connect a microphone.

For a more informative result, try the hiss test again with a mini-XLR that has 200 Ohm resistors across pins 1 & 2 and pins 1 & 3 plugged into the enabled input.

[tomcassetta]

For Cine Users:

I think we can all agree that sound is 50% of the experience, right?

I think we can all agree that you don't know what bad sound is until it's ruined your film, right? Until you're sitting in post and go, "What the...?"

I personally think a properly trained sound engineer is just as important as having a freakin' lens. It literally pains me to hear filmmakers (not ENG folk) suggest they can't "afford" a sound engineer / mixer.

Let's give these guys at RED a break while they work. I mean, it's not like we sound recordists haven't been recording audio to separate media for the last 70 decades!

I never ever ever record location audio ONLY to an HVX or a DVX, and I will never record audio ONLY to a RED - I'm sorry, but I like my ultra high-resolution digital capabilities...and I adore a good ol' Nagra when it's called for (a flavor RED just simply can't touch).

We love the guys at RED - let's give 'em a break while they work on a fix. Or just record audio in the tried, true, and (opinion) better manner :)

Oh, by the way, FINNER, your redundant channel idea is excellent. Many years ago, when I was a recording intern, an engineer showed me that trick, and lemme tell ya: It works wonders! Just recently finished recording a teen horror film (lots of whispers and screaming), and it covered all the bases! :)

Cheers!

P.S. All the ENG / Pro-sumer users on here. Mount any mic to your tape-based video camera and tell me if you can hear a 12-14K "ringing" emanating from the moving parts of your camera. Also, tell me your highest cost Lectro wireless unit, properly gain-structured, doesn't have a nice and noisy floor. My heart goes out to ya - ENG style shooting without a sound tech is TOUGH...even with the cleanest signal chain.