Onboard mic as backup?

[Clayton Hairs]

Hi all

Wondering if anyone might have figured this one out if in fact it is unfigureoutable...

On the old XL1 there was a neat trick which allowed you to shoot using the old XLR (screw-in magodie) connected to the Audio 2 ports (on the handle) to record, say, 2 radio mics during an interview AND also to record onto the first two channels of Audio 1 the onboard mic...effectively giving you a back-up or guide track...it seems the XL2 doesn't allow you to use the onboard mic if you're occupying both XLR ports with your radio mics/whatever...so coverin' yer butt is not quite so easy as it was...has anyone else found this, and more importantly, have they found a workaround besides BUYING more gear like the additional XLR ports (which BTW are not phantom powered)?

Thanks many
Clayton

[Chris Hurd]

Hi Clayton,

There should be no difference here at all, it should work exactly like it did on the XL1 / XL1S except that the switch combinations are a bit different. Still, 12-bit four-channel recording is just the same as before... two channels through the XLR jacks, and two channels via the onboard stereo mic. Right?

[Clayton Hairs]

yep, you're right Chris - let me give you more detail on what I'm doing with the XL2...I'm using a MKH416 as a 'boomed' mic for shooting 'uncontrollable' type events. It's important that I record this across two channels (it's not essential but saves a lot of bother in the edit - having to duplicate one channel to other tracks in multiple interview situations can be time consuming and 'sweaty') ...the trouble with the XL2 (as I understand it) is that in order to do so on the XL2 there is only ONE XLR port which allows you to choose to record across two channels i.e the XLR port marked Ch1/3 allowing you to select either Ch1 OR Ch1.Ch2 - in the REC CH SELECT portion of the audio controls...so in being 'forced' to use AUDIO 1 - I'm left without an onboard mic as backup since AUDIO 2 doesn't have a 'FRONT' option to select teh onboard mic in the INPUT SELECT toggle...unless there is another way I guess I'm just going to have to do 'backberaking' copying and pasting one track to another in the edit...maybe I'm just lazy ;) trying to get around this but it would be great if it were poss.

[Chris Hurd]

Checking page 51 of the NTSC XL2 manual, it appears that you're absolutely right. When you choose the rear XLR jacks as the first stereo pair (Audio One), you have the option of porting audio from Ch. 1 to record simultaneously on both Ch. 1 and Ch. 2 which is what you want to do.

However, if you want to use the onboard mic as well, this changes things a bit. The on-board mic is only available through the first stereo pair. This means you'll have to assign the rear XLR jacks to the second stereo pair (Audio Two). Alas, here you do not have the option of porting audio from one jack to record on both channels. You're stuck with one channel only.

There is a work-around that I can think of: use an XLR splitter (a Y-cable) in order to plug your mic into both jacks at the same time.

Thanks for discovering this.