Howard Wilczynski
May 28th, 2008, 08:35 PM
Just after I got my A1 last year, I got a Rode NTG-2. The first couple of times I used it everything was fine. Then during one shoot I started hearing a buzz in my Sony headset. But the buzz wasn’t continuous; it only happened once it a while, but it was always the same. Sort of a “Buzz, Buzz, pause long Buzz”.
I was very dismayed as it ruing the taping for that night. Luckily the next night it didn’t happen so I did get a good copy of the show. I spent hours search forums and web sites for what could be causing it. The best I could come up with was the XLR cable wasn’t very good. So I went out and bought a new, very expensive, XLR cable.
The next few times I recorded things, everything was fine. Then one night it happened again and I almost screamed right there while I was recording the show. I checked all my connections and made sure they were tight and it didn’t happen again that night.
I almost called Canon, but since it was an intermittent problem, what were they going to do or tell me? I guess I could have sent an audio of the problem, but I didn’t.
It didn’t happen again in the next six months. Then, when I was at a company meeting and they were using wireless mics, I heard “my buzz” of the speaker system. It is very recognizable and it was exactly the same as when I recorded.
After the meeting I went to the sound board and asked the guys, “Did you hear that buzz over the speakers when so-in-so was talking?” Two said no, one said yes. I asked him if he knew what that was and he said no. Then their boss walks up behind all of us and says I know what it is.
Please tell me, I said. It is the sound when a PDA phone, usually a Blackberry, but it can be an iPhone or Palm, automatically checks for email. “If that device is within 30 feet of the electronics, we hear it over the speakers.”
So if you have every heard that sound and you know what I’m talking about if you have. You now know what it is.
So in the future, I plan on placing my camera as far away from people as I can get when I record show.
I was very dismayed as it ruing the taping for that night. Luckily the next night it didn’t happen so I did get a good copy of the show. I spent hours search forums and web sites for what could be causing it. The best I could come up with was the XLR cable wasn’t very good. So I went out and bought a new, very expensive, XLR cable.
The next few times I recorded things, everything was fine. Then one night it happened again and I almost screamed right there while I was recording the show. I checked all my connections and made sure they were tight and it didn’t happen again that night.
I almost called Canon, but since it was an intermittent problem, what were they going to do or tell me? I guess I could have sent an audio of the problem, but I didn’t.
It didn’t happen again in the next six months. Then, when I was at a company meeting and they were using wireless mics, I heard “my buzz” of the speaker system. It is very recognizable and it was exactly the same as when I recorded.
After the meeting I went to the sound board and asked the guys, “Did you hear that buzz over the speakers when so-in-so was talking?” Two said no, one said yes. I asked him if he knew what that was and he said no. Then their boss walks up behind all of us and says I know what it is.
Please tell me, I said. It is the sound when a PDA phone, usually a Blackberry, but it can be an iPhone or Palm, automatically checks for email. “If that device is within 30 feet of the electronics, we hear it over the speakers.”
So if you have every heard that sound and you know what I’m talking about if you have. You now know what it is.
So in the future, I plan on placing my camera as far away from people as I can get when I record show.