hmc150 audio questions

[Mike Butir]

I am about to purchase this camcorder and i have some question regarding the audio features this camera offers..

if i heard correctly this camera does not have an auto mode for the mic levels, has this ever been a problem for anyone? are there any modes that prevent the audio from peaking?

im also confused how the whole audio features work, if i understand correctly; if i have and external mic set on input 1 and i want to have my internal mic on channel two does that mean that only the right channel would be recorded for the internal mic? is that what the int(r) means?

Thanks,
Mike

[Guy McLoughlin]

Cameras that have auto mic-levels are always horrible and should be avoided like the plague.

The HMC-150 has 2 good XLR audio inputs than can be individually set to either MIC or LINE level and you have separate controllers for mic pre-amp gain to adjust the proper level. Each audio channel also has it's own phantom-power switch, so you can use high quality condenser mics that are powered by 48v phantom-power.

The HMC-150 also has a good audio level display that enables you to keep an eye on audio levels while shooting. The built-in mic on the HMC-150 is junk. I only use it for reference audio, or when I want to make notes during a shoot.

If you want a better on-camera mic ( not the best place for a mic, but sometimes you have to shoot ENG style with everything bolted to the camera ), the AT875 short-shotgun mic is very good and costs about $200 US.

...Beyond this, audio production for video is a whole other world, where you can easily spend several thousand just to buy a basic audio kit. ( You are only limited by how big your budget is )

[Denny Lajeunesse]

Originally Posted by Mike Butir

I am about to purchase this camcorder and i have some question regarding the audio features this camera offers..

if i heard correctly this camera does not have an auto mode for the mic levels, has this ever been a problem for anyone? are there any modes that prevent the audio from peaking?

im also confused how the whole audio features work, if i understand correctly; if i have and external mic set on input 1 and i want to have my internal mic on channel two does that mean that only the right channel would be recorded for the internal mic? is that what the int(r) means?

Thanks,
Mike

Traditionally pro cams have not had an "auto" audio setting. They do typically have a limiter setting.

As for the last question. Yes. You are correct. The on camera built in mic is a stereo mic and if you have int (r) set you will receive the sound from the right side of the internal mic to that channel, while your external mic will be on channel 1 (based on what you described).

You could also assign the external mic to both channels and set one pot (volume control) lower than the other in case volume level get excessive.

Outside of run and gun situations, auido typically goes through an external mixer ran by a location audio person and either back to the camera (Calibrated at -20db to the mixer) or to an external recorder. In the case of single channel audio form the mixer, often the cam operator will assign an additional external mic (ie shotgun) to the extra channel for back up.

If the audio is being recorded to an external recorder then the camera op assigns the built in mic (if the cam has one) or on cam mounted external mic to the audio channels in camera for syncing purposes (makes it easy in post to line up the audio tracks).