Sennheiser G2 Wireless lav mic - Line or Mic?
 

I'm having difficulty calibrating my Sennheiser wireless receiver (ek 100 G2) to get rid of the high pitch digital type noise I seem to get on playback.

The operating instruction indicate that the receiver is capable of both line and mic output, but it the doesn't say which is preferable going into pro camcorder (XDCam HD).

Has anyone figured out a good setting? Is there a standard practice (line or mic) for wireless receivers?

Thanks

Dear Kalunga,

You can use Mic or Line inputs on your camera, just set them to one or the other.

Then set the AF Out, in the Sennheiser G2's menu, on the receiver, to a value that gives you clean audio at appropriate levels. Mic Levels will require a low value, while Line Levels will require a higher value.

But, I feel that you problem is probably the "Sensitivity" setting on the G2 transmitter. Go into the menu and try Sensitivity values of -10 dB or -20 dB. The value of 0 dB may be causing your noise problem.

Thanks Dan,

Is there any advantage going hotter into "line" as opposed to "mic"? Is there an industry standard practice?

Dear Kalunga,

I recommend that you try both. Just be sure to set the camera input level accordingly.

Depending on your camera, you mic level preamps may be better than the amplifier in the Sennheiser G2. Or it could be the other way around. It all depends.

Just check both options to determine which gives you the quietest audio.

"high pitched noise" might indicate interference on the frequency you are attempting to use. if the receiver shows ANY rf activity while the transmitter is turned off then something else is on channel. try a different frequency until you find a clear one.

mic or line is more user preference than anything else, as long as they are both set the same on each end. mic out into a line in will result in low or no audio, or a lot of junk noise if you boost the input enough. line out into mic in usually results in lots of distortion.

Dear Greg,

Good Call!

Kalunga could very easily be getting interference.


Kalunga: Do you know how to do a "Scan"? This procedure is descibed in the manual.

If you can not do a scan, try other frequencies.

Line levels are always preferred to mic level. If there is interference in the connection, using mic level amplifies the interference signals 10000-to million times (40-60dB) compared to line level signals, because mic level is that much lower in voltage.

The G2 compact receiver will not output a full +4dB. Boosting the gain on the camera's input to compensate would certainly add noise. You may be able to get -10 out of it, providing the trans. & Recv. levels are set accordingly. I normally send mic-level to pro cameras without issue when using the G2 system. Had I the option of +4, it would be preferred.