Thanks everyone,

The XLR did come with a belt clip and I'll just use that for any longer shoots. I was just curious if anyone found a "magic" solution. Taping to the tripod is another good idea. It is definitley a quality product and now that I have it I'll just work with it.

Thanks again,
Lyle

I've conquered the problem I think.

If you look on our web site at http://www.imageonartworks.co.uk and look in the services then click on video, you can see our XM1 set up and see what we've done with this adapter.

This is my setup exactly, right down to the Mighty Wondercam! I usually put the light on the camera itself though.

I get a bit of Red Eye effect if I do that!

The mic is a Beyer Dynamic MCE86N

Thought you might like to know.... ?

Cheers

Xlr
 

What are some other options as far as XLR adapters go for the GL2? Is the MA-300 the best out there? Is there something that doesn't have to be camera mounted? Any reviews?

Thanks in advance.

The Beachtek and Studio 1 (or whatever its new name is) are the two primary options aside from the MA-300. I like the Beachtek. Solidly built, clean electronics.

Studio 1 is far better. Much lower noise and better construction.

Lower noise? How much lower noise given that both are passive devices? Can you describe how the measurements were made?

BTW: A recent player is Signvideo, the OEM for the original Studio 1 product line. Studio 1 is still in business as well, with a somewhat revised set of products.

Are these adapters balanced? If so there should be virtually no noise.

The MA-100 is an active device (electronics including integrated circuit amplifiers) inside so there will be some electronic noise - but not much. The Beachtek is passive, so the noise willl be the thermal noise of the components plus what ever is picked up form the ambient electrical/magnetic fields, even less. Because both are balanced input, pickup from the leads to balanced sources will be minimal.

The Studio 1 XLR adapter - how does that connect to the GL2? I know the MA-300 goes through the accesory shoe...Does it make a difference?

I believe that, like the Beachtek, it screws into the tripod screw and plugs into your mic jac.

Is there any quality difference/loss between the accesory shoe and the mic jack?

Does Mic Adapter cancel benefits of XLR?
 

I read (in Real World Digital Video by Pete Shaner to be exact) that when you use an adapter to connect an XLR cable to a mini plug, the mini plug only uses two of the three wires/lines that make up an XLR circuit, bypassing the feature of the unused wire, which is noise-canceling (meant to cancel 60Hz hum).

"Avoid using adapters except for stuff like headphones..." he says. "There's no substitute for XLR connectors and cables...if possible make connections at the mixer..."

But I haven't seen any discussion about this on this site. On the contrary, people seem to be pleased with their adapters and experiencing enhanced audio...

What am I missing?

Long runs of unbalanced cable (ie RCA and mini-plug tipped cables) can pick up interference due to their acting as an aerial for radio waves (think about how many mobile phones might be close to your line). The longer the cables run, the more efficient the cable is at picking up background. Balanced cables solve this problem by running twin signals that are 180 degrees out of phase and then recombining them at the other end. This means that the real signal can be recombined and the noise is phased out.

However, for short runs, an unbalanced cable is usually fine. The XLR converter (should) take in the balanced signal, flip it and convert it into an unbalanced signal that can be recieved by the mic input on the camera. The only issue is the length of run from the converter to the camera.

I use the XLR-BP-PRO for mobile work, but I much prefer to use a mixer whenever possible.

Of course, just hooking an XLR plug to one end of a cable and putting a 1/8" jack on the other is not the same as a proper adapter.