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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Why can't Phantom power stay on????

H

HD Hildebrand

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Exactly as the title states: Why can't Phantom power stay on????

I engage Phantom power on one channel for a mic. Then the camera shuts down, battery dies, or what ever and the phantom settings never sticks. After I reboot, I have to go through the menus, turn on again, and piss and moan to myself that I just missed some great audio because I was in the middle of some sort of run-n-gun situation and forgot to turn on phantom power "again" for a previous shot or more.

Can a change be made with this?
 
As I understand it, it's a safety feature so that it doesn't inadvertently get left on. There definitely needs to be a quicker way to access the on/off. But I really haven't played with it much, except a bit on someone else's camera, as my camera still hasn't been upgraded with the new audio board.
 
You can program your user assignable buttons to to directly straight to your phantom power menu. I have done this and it avoids digging around in the menus. Just assign some of the buttons on the back of the camera to go to the audio functions you most use.

Rob
 
Rob Castiglione said:
You can program your user assignable buttons to to directly straight to your phantom power menu. I have done this and it avoids digging around in the menus. Just assign some of the buttons on the back of the camera to go to the audio functions you most use.

Rob
Click to expand...

Good idea - now I just have to figure out how to do this.

ANy other camera (I can think of) can assign Phantom and keep it on. Not sure what the "safety feature" would be preventing.

Should simply stay on if you assign it though.

Also, why is sound (levels and selecting tracks/phantom) in 2 completely different areas. Such a pain to be toggling though all kinds of menus on set.
 
I too would like to see it stay ON!

I keep forgetting setting it up everytime I switch batteries, and during the first take I realise that the audio bars in the display aren´t moving, I have to stop the recording, excuse myself, and reset the cam, annoying...
 
I fifth this request. I've been bitten by this "feature" several times now and really want to be able to keep p-power on between power-ups.
 
Joe Bruncsak said:
I fifth this request. I've been bitten by this "feature" several times now and really want to be able to keep p-power on between power-ups.
Click to expand...

I've been "bitten" by this as well, and has caused me MANY hours of grief in post.

I'm not sure there's really an acceptable reason for why it turns itself off, no matter what it is. Other cameras keep it on, the Red needs to as well. Kinda of a "basic".
 
I think it turns off after power down as a way of preventing someone mistakenly plugging a line level device into a powered audio input. You have to turn it on and are therefore reminded it is a powered channel.
 
...although I can see your arguments and I don't mean to criticize anyone, but it is amazing to me the number of people that are hooking up microphones directly to the camera.
 
I have trained my brain to remember to switch Phantom power on.

What I can't do is train my brain to trust that the correct channels are still enabled after a reboot, which they always are, but still it always results in two checks being made..

I think I have OCD..
 
Tom Visser said:
...although I can see your arguments and I don't mean to criticize anyone, but it is amazing to me the number of people that are hooking up microphones directly to the camera.
Click to expand...

The purpose in my case was for scratch audio for syncing. Cheap, fast onboard audio on camera can save time in post.
 
The standard phantom power "on/off" state elsewhere in the pro audio world is that when a user switches phantom on, it stays on until that user intentionally switches it off.

"Auto off" on power down is the opposite of what an experienced audio guy would expect to see........which likely makes it even more confusing for both audio guys and video guys.

The premise that 48V can do some damage to things that have XLR connecters on them but that aren't condenser mics or D.I.'s is quite well known to any who make use of the technology........and most guys just remember to turn it off if need be.
 
NateWeaver said:
The purpose in my case was for scratch audio for syncing. Cheap, fast onboard audio on camera can save time in post.
Click to expand...

Understood, a good reason. How about using a cheap wireless hop from the mixer's feed? I also agree with others, though, it is odd that any setting should change by a power cycle.
 
Tom Visser said:
Understood, a good reason. How about using a cheap wireless hop from the mixer's feed? I also agree with others, though, it is odd that any setting should change by a power cycle.
Click to expand...

In my case it was a unique music video job where the band insisted on playing live instead of playing to playback. No mixer, no hop. They were of the stature that they could insist upon such things.
 
There is another option that, in my opinion, that will make the end product sound better. I come from a sound background and what I suggest is picking up a Phantom Power DI box. The cheap ones start at 20bucks, and if you wanna get crazy with your sound, a preamp could cost you 100bucks for a nice tube one. This may not be useful to all of you but for those of you that condenser shotguns, like I know some of you are, this might be an option well worth thinking about.
 
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