onboard mic and other mic questions
 

hello,

sorry if any of these questions are really dumb, but...
for narrative/dramatic movie making i'm getting the idea that an onboard mic for ambient sound and a boomed mic for dialogue/talent is the way to go? i was thinking there would be two choices to set this up, them being:

1. using a mixer or some adapter convert the onboard mic to mono, then using the ma100 have the boomed mic going to that to get 16bit 2 ch.
or
2. get 2 mono mics and run them both off of the ma100?

my plan is to get the me66/k6 combo and the ma100. the part i'm unsure of is if the onboard mic is good enough for an ambient mic or get a 2nd mic (something cheaper than the me66 but a bit better than the onboard) and run them both from the ma100?

these are the first of, i'm sure, many questions regarding audio i'll have. any help would be great and appreciate the time and effort of anyone helping out. thanks.

matt

Either way will work. The onboard mic is good for a camcorder mic in this price range, and many folks find the results acceptable for ambinet sound.

I have not read of any commercial stereo-mono adapters for the onboard mic, but one would be elatively easy to make from components (plugs, jacks, some wire). Just be sure to provide power fromthe camcorder to the onbord mic (the smaller jack/plug).

Also, be aware that because the Audio 1 levels controls are a ganged level and a balance control, riding levels can be a bit tricky.

Hmmm, wonder if anyone has looked into a mod to make the Audio 1 controls individual channel level controls rather than the current level/balancee combination.?

thanks for the info Don. doesn't radio shack sell little wiring kits or do they just have the components? i remember now back on another forum people talking about converting mics on the gL1. i don't know if this makes any sense, but i'll ask. does using a mixer at all with the ma100 make it cut out? i was looking back through this board, but wasn't clear if it's using a mixer in conjunction with the ma100 or hooking it up to the ma100. thanks again for your help. really appreciate it :)

matt

Radio Shack does sell components, and some pre-made cables, but stock varies with the store you visit and I've not seen all the needed cables at a RS store.

You can send use an external mixer with the MA-100, just be sure to send a mic-level output to the MA-100. If you send line level (e.g., +4 dBU) it will saturate the MA-100's internal amp and clip the signal causing significant distortion.