New with the Tascam H2 and some questions
 

I just got my Tascam H2 P2 and a Oktava MK12. I have been doing some tries with that micro and a Sony shotgun and I have some questions.
The sound I got it is quite clear but very low, it is always around -20db with the input volumen around 7 or 8 /10. I don´t know if I am missing something but it is too low. (my settings are 48khz and 16 bits)
Second question, it is quite ridiculous question but I am afraid to push the pieces too hard so I prefer to ask first. The volumen input has two wheels. How do you move the interior wheel?

I have to used on monday for a docu so I would be very happy to get any advice.
Thanks in advanced
Pablo

Pablo, I'm not experienced with the Tascam, but here are some potential setup issues:
1) Is phantom power turned on? The MK012 needs phantom.
2) Is the input of the recorder switched to line or mic? Should be mic.
3) Is there a pad switched in to the input? (eg. -10 or -20db). There should be no pad applied.
4) Is there an input trim setting? If so, this should probably be set to 0.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Seth,
The three first advise I had already in account, about the last one, I cannot find any input settings.
Please any tascam user know that or the origin of the problem.
Thanks

Pablo,

two possibilities if you have ruled out everything else (I saw the thread on DVXuser, but don't have a screen name there, yet.) The Tascam HD-P2 has decent mic preamps compared to cheaper recorders, but does not have as much high clean gain as some more expensive models, such as Sound Devices recorders. For example, the HD-P2 specifications show a maximum gain of 46.2 dB on the mic inputs, while the Sound Devices 702 specifications show a maximum gain of 67.4 dB. Sound Devices preamps are quite clean, so you can use a lot of that gain.

So maybe a temporary fix would be to run the Oktava through an external mixer with quality preamps and then input the mixer signal into the HD-P2. Whether that is what you want to do in the long run, I don't know. Some people use a mixer with recorders, some use the recorder alone, but the HD-P2 may not work out well being used alone. I ended up buying a SD 702 instead of the HD-P2, even though I could get the HD-P2 for less than half the price. It was the issue of gain and controls and that I really like their 302 mixer and how it is built and functions. The 702 is arriving tomorrow.

The second possibility is the distance of your mic from your talent. In the book "Location Audio Simplified" by S. Dean Miles, he mentions that a hyper cardiod should be used at a distance from 6" to 2' (0.15 m to 0.6 m). If you are further away than that, you probably should be using some form of shotgun.

Let us know how things work out on Monday.

Thanks David,
I will try to put as near as possible the micro to the people.
So far We are not thinking to buy a mixer to go with it and the Tascam, too many things to carry on. In fact we thought that the recorder was enough and for us the investment on the Tascam Hd P2 has been important. We are a small firm.
By the way, what do you mean with screen name in DVX?

Pablo, what I meant is that I have "lurked" at the DVXuser site, reading many threads, but I have not yet signed up to the site and been assigned a screen name so that I can post replies at DVXuser.

Hi again,
Welll, yesterday I used finally together. At the end it was OK, the sound come between -12 and -6dB, but I had to have the input volumen around 9.

The Oktava works OK, but it is too sensitive to any hand move on the boom. I got also the new shock mount SM20. It does not work perfectly as I said any move of a finger it is transmited to the micro.

Thanks anyway to all of you.
Regards
Pablo

Pablo you also may try booming with those cotton gloves you use for gardening. It helps with handling noise (boom).