What does the meter tell you as to level?
Do you have the monitor selector set appropriately and for an appropiate balance between ST1 and ST2 at the output?

Is the MA-200 RCA connected appropriately. If the levels are 50+ dB lower than you would expect, almost sounds like you might be hearing cross talk only, and that the mic might be really patched to a different input.

One more Idea.....Have you set the earphone port to have ST-1 and ST-2 monitor....it could be that. I have never used 12bit..so not entirely sure, but I think you can choose between the two. So perhaps its the sound not getting to the earphone port from ST-2 thats the dodgy bit. Have u tried the mic purely in ST-1 only???

If that does not work, but the build in mic does work..then it could either be your MA-200 faulty, or that your AT835b is knackered!!

Hope you solve your problem soon!!

Hi Chris/ Don

Think I've solved this one due to your help.

I've invested in some better earphones, Sennheiser MX500, which has improved the level of sound I'm hearing. I've also split the AUDIO 2 cable to left and right, so although Don mentioned the signal may be reduced slightly, the AT835b seems more audible as it's now across both channels. I've had to crank up the Audio 2 output to get a more balanced output, but it seems to have done the trick.

Thanks again.

What am I doing wrong?

I can hear everything I expect to hear via headphones but when playing back recording I appear to have only recorded from the onboard mic!

Here's how I have everything set up.

In the XL1 menu, Audio Mode is 12 Bit ST-1,2 and Audio 2 In..Mic

The Audio 1/Mic Input Selector is set to Mic

Sennheiser receiver is plugged into Audio 2 in R channel on the MA200

The Audi 1 out leads on MA200 are plugged into Audio1 on back of XL1

Audio 2 leads from MA200 are plugged into Audio 2 on side of XL1

Using the Audio Monitor on ST-1 I can hear through headphones sound being picked up by onboard mic & on ST-2 I can hear sound from the Sennheiser clip on mic

When playing back a recording I do not hear any sound from the Sennheiser clip on mic, only from the onboard mic

I 've read the instructions again & again and I'm just going around in circles.

I'm sure I can't be that far from getting it right.

Can someone please help me out here and tell me what I'm doing wrong?

Many Thanks

Gareth

If monitoring the analog output of the XL1, do you have the playback configured correctly so that the Audio2 output is sent to the amplifier/speakers?

If listening to firewire captured in a NLE, does you NLE support 4-channel audio capture?

do the XLR inputs supply phantom power or is an external power supply needed?

If you are monitoring on the camera make sure the audio monitor is to either mix or ST-2.

Your NLE may not support 4-track audio. Try getting a copy of Scenalyzer (www.scenalyzer.com). Its cheap and comes highly rated.

Hi There,

I have been playing it back on NLE using Premiere 6 with DV Storm.

I've just played part of the tape back through the XL1 and listening through the headphones it is recording from both mics.

Does this mean Premiere 6 with DV Storm doesn't support 4 channel?

Thanks

Gareth

No phantom power is supplied by the Canon MA-100 or MA-200.

Hi,

Have just read another thread in the post production forum by Ross Watson which has nailed the problem.

With premiere I need to make sure settings capture the 3rd & 4th channel and drag both the avi file and separate audio file for channel 3 & 4.

Thanks Don & Nathan. Both your comments about 4 channel audio capture and reading the other post has sorted it.

I thought I wasn't to far from the solution because I was sure I had set the equipment up right, which I had.

Thanks again.

Gareth

4-channel audio is a really neat feature on the XL-1, but it can really cause you some grief your first few times you use it.

weak :(

thanks for the answer though -- looks like i wont be able to use any of my condensor mics unless i buy and external power supply :P

I have a few questions about the MA-200 if anyone can answer them...

1) How do you adjust the audio levels for the 4 different channels? I don't see 4 audio controls on the XL1S.

2) DV magazine said the MA-200 feels "loose" and the sound of it jerking around can be picked up by the on-camera microphone. True?

3) Does the MA-200 help balance the front heavy XL1S?

Thanks!

The MA-200 gives my camera a much better front, back balance. I've never picked up any noise from my MA-200.

If you set the record level to auto, the levels are all adjusted automatically. The manual level adjustment is covered in the manual. The levels are adjusted in pairs. Stereo 1 is adjusted the same as 2 channel. Stereo 2 needs the REC LEVEL switch of the Audio 2 controls set to M. Turn L and R dials to adjust the respective channels of the Audio 2 RCA inputs.

I recently bought a used MA-200 off of ebay.
While it is in excellent condition, the wireless microphone bracket that mounts to the back of the MA-200 was not included.
Does anyone know if this bracket can be bought separately? I have not been able to find it listed as a separate part at Canon.

Thanks!

Try telephone Canon and ask (1-800-OK-CANON, navigate to parts & service).

Ok, dumb question, I'll admit it, but I'll ask it anyways.

Just picked up the sennheiser evo 100, with the camera pack. I own the MA200 as well.

Now, how the hell does the receiver plug-in, or "hold on" to the MA200.

Ok, get your laughter out.

Thank you.

Hi Joshua,

I attach mine two different ways, depending on whether I'm using any additional accessories or not.

If the accessory plate is not installed on the MA200, simply slide the rails on the MA200 out to the first stop and with the belt clip attached to your receiver, clip it over the horizontal piece that connects the two rails together. By moving the rail to the first stop the receiver clears the XLR connectors on the MA200. Fits perfectly and looks like it belongs there.

If I have other accessories attached to the MA200 such as CH910 or on-camera light battery, I remove the belt clip and velcro the receiver to the battery holder or accessory plate.

Just a couple of ideas that might get you started.

Anyone have the little "tab" on an MA200 that slides into the notch on the back of the XL-1 break off? Find any good ways to fix it? I'm assuming it's dangerous to just let the screw hold it on without the extra support from the tab (especially if it holds the wireless receiver). Hate to spend an extra $200 to replace the whole thing over a small broken piece of plastic.

I don't think the plastic tab really supports much weight, but is meant to keep the screw from loosening by not allowing the MA-200 to rotate. I would clean up the break and glue (styrene cement or epoxy) a new piece of plastic in place.

I still have the piece. We glued it on once (about 1 hour before taping so it only had about 30 minutes to dry and didn't really have time to set) but it broke off again. So, you think just cleaning that off, gluing it back on again (and giving it time to set this time) and all should be well?

I think I'll just leave it permanently attached to that camera from now on. I used to remove it to put it in a case and we had another one without a case. I think they may have just gotten switched!

I leave mine on all the time, even when I travel.

This is another unfortunate flaw in the Canon line as once again, the engineers that designed it made it very pretty but failed to reinforce certain stress areas on it.

We have had to replace 2: MA-100s and 1: MA-200 due to the failure of the "tab".

One of them failed in the middle of a shoot as the camera was rolling. No undue force or craziness, just tilting down over the side of a building when the whole thing went to S**T!

If you have not yet experienced it, the next weak link in the system is the dovetail on the eyepiece where it attaches to the camera. All those little screws attach to some of the most brittle and flimsy plastic you can imagine. We have had to send in two for repair (replacement of the plastic assembly), very frustrating.

If you are transporting your camera in a soft case, I would strongly urge you to detach the eyepiece to avoid straining the mount.

RB

<<<-- Originally posted by Rick Bravo : We have had to replace 2: MA-100s and 1: MA-200 due to the failure of the "tab".
RB -->>>


So, did you just purchase new ones?

We also tried everything from expoxy to Krazy Glue with no real, long term success.

Fortunately, we have an open repair contract with a local vendor.

They tried to fix the problem, as did we, failing that, the next step is to just order another unit. Not very cost effective for a piece that should last the life of the camera.

I realize that this is not an acceptable alternative for someone who is paying out of his or her pocket, which makes it even the more dissapointing that Canon has not addressed and corrected these problems.

RB

This discussion is giving me the shivers.

During a shoot last year someone's foot caught on an XLR cable attaches to the MA-200 on my camera. Because the camera was low and the tripod was splayed it did not tip the camera. But it certainly must have stressed that little tab. I checked it at the end of the shoot and it appeared to be unharmed. But I have long since wondered what would happen if that tiny plastic detail broke.

Now I know. Yeesh.

As far as I know, this one was not even put under any undue stress! Guess I'll probably just end up buying a new one.

Edward had you considered reconstructing that part . Lets say with a metal piece?

AV

The question is how to attach it to the current unit. I'd love to "repair" this unit in some way.

Repairing such a small piece can be tricky, but here's how I'd do it:

Drill a small hole in the broken piece, and drill a matching hole in the part from which it came. The holes should match up fairly closely but it doesn't have to be perfect.

Then make a steel pin that will fit in the hole. Doesn't have to fit perfectly, but fairly close. You will probably need to allow for a slight mismatch of the holes you drilled.

The steel pin should be rough. Use a dremel tool or something similar to give it a definite texture.

Next, find some slow-set epoxy. The quick set epoxies won't cure as hard as the slow-set type.

Use the epoxy to set the pin in place as well as adhere the broken pieces. The epoxy will fill any void so that the pen will end up being a perfect fit, of course.

Once this is set in place, and secured with masking tape or something similar to keep it from shifting, leave it alone for at least 24 hours. Epoxy actually takes a couple of days to come to full strength, although most of its strength generally develops in the first 24 hours.

This should work. The steel pin is what will give it strength and the epoxy, besides being a really good glue, will tightly bind the steel pin to the plastic.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions.

Thanks for the suggestion. However, there's no place to drill "matching holes". Think of the capital letter "L" where the part of the "L" that sticks out has broken off. The try to reattach that.

"Think of the capital letter "L" where the part of the "L" that sticks out has broken off. The try to reattach that."

Yep, I have an MA-100 and it's quite small, but it's doable. You'll need to use modeler's tools such as a Dremel to drill the holes. As for a steel pin, you'll need something about the diameter of a paper clip. But I wouldn't use paper clip wire. I'd use piano wire or something fairly stiff.

Another approach is to clean off any leftover adhesive from the broken parts and glue it with slow-set epoxy. After the epoxy sets, drill through the broken piece and into the main part of the mount, then insert the steel pin and secure those with epoxy. I would recommend at least two pins as that little piece gets shear stress and even the best adhesives won't tolerate that kind of force, not for something that small.

Doing it this way will take a little longer, being a two-step process, but it'll make drilling the holes easier.

The trick is to use a slow bit speed and constantly draw the bit out to avoid building up any plastic filings in the hole you're drilling. Attempting to drill it in a single pass will cause the bit to bind and it'll mess things up pretty quickly.

Another option: After initially gluing the plastic part back into place, hollow out most of that tab along with an equal portion of the MA-200. Drop in an L-shaped piece of steel and seal it in with epoxy. You'll end up with the steel piece taking all the stress, and the plastic will serve only to provide the bulk needed to fit the slot in the XL1.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions.

to get canon to fix this? I have the same problem with a ma-100 and called canon they said send it in gave me a address to mail it to. I just have not got around to doing it....(its on a bcam so no rush for me) but reading this it sounds like they may not fix it, it was just a guy on the phone I talked to....or no one tried to send it in for repair?

M

Actually, no, I have not called Canon and asked them about fixing it.

Hi folks.

Does any one know if I can plug any type of 4 pin XLR light into the MA-200 audio adapter for the XL1s.


I know the MA-200 is for audio only but can it be done thought?

You can't do that. The MA-200 have 3 pins XLR inputs and doesn't provide power.

Just to echo Jean, those 3-pin XLR inputs on the MA-200 are for audio only. You'll need a 4-pin XLR power source such as a battery belt, battery pouch or on-board power system such as an Aspen, IDX or Anton Bauer pro battery pack... which you can mount on the MA-200's accessory bracket. Hope this helps,

As a followup, the repair was successful. It had to be taken apart in order to get to the back of the tab but three small holes were drilled, filled with metal, and thoroughly glued into place. The outside was then smoothed down and it now feels very solid.

Edward...

Congratulations on the repair. Epoxy is amazing when appropriately applied. I've used it for a lot of things including boat repair, furniture repair, rifle accurizing and part fabrication.

One of my friends built an entire airplane with it (Rutan Long-EZ).

Sometimes it beats spending hundreds of dollars in replacement parts.

Dean Sensui
Base Two Productions

Can anyone recommend a decent 48v phantom power supply that will mount to the MA-200?

I couldn't find anything in my MA-200 lit that says it supplies power so I'm assuming it doesn't.

You're right, the MA-100/MA-200 doesn't provide phantom power.

You can try this little box:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=288123&is=REG

It does not mount to the ma-200 but it is portable and should do what you want at low cost.

I am familiar with the technical and size differences of these two adaptors but is the mounting tab better on the 200?

Jim, in my opinion, no it ain't. It's pretty much the same plastic tab.

I have just purchased an MA-200 adapter, as I am hooking up an external mic on a boom pole for interview recording. Audio quality is fantastic, but here's the problem. I have the mic plugged into the Audio1 jacks, but I only get audio on 1 side. On the back of the MA-200, it says L for one plug-in and R for the other. So if I plug in the mic to the L jack, I get audio on the left. If I plug the mic into the R jack, I get audio on the right. But I don't want one side or the other, I need a stereo signal. With the left and right jacks on the MA-200, it would appear that you could only plug in 2 mics, and I know I can plug in 4! So it just doesn't make sense to me. There must be some way to get a stereo signal from one mic jack, and I know I have not seen a mic on the market whose wire has two plugs at the end of it. Is it a camera setting, or what am I doing wrong?

To get stereo you need two directional mics (or a single point stereo mic). Typcially one mic (or element) picks up sound from the left of center, the other from the right of center.

With one mono mic, you can get the same signal on the left and right channel - but that is not stereo, it is just two channel mono signal.

If you want the same signal on both channels, you can mix it in post, or you can get a "Y" splitter/adapter and feed the same signal both Audio 1 inputs.

If you want actual stereo, consider getting a single point stereo mic, such as the AT825.

Your right to think you can get four channels on the XL-1/1s/2 camera in 12 bit, but you can only get two in thru the MA200. The other two channels come from the input normally attached to your on camera mic which IS a STEREO mic. Note the two sets of connector pins on the mic cable from the on camera mic that is for channel one and two, the other two inputs are derived from the connections on the MA200 or lacking that the RCA connectors on the back or side of the camera (depending on model of course).

Hope this clears it up for you and anybody else with this question.

Matt,
The MA-100 is limitd to two audio inputs.

However, as I understand it, you should be able to get 4 channels from the MA-200 by connecting its output to the Audio 1 and Audio 2 input jacks. You have to select Audio 1 as the input with the Input switch behind the door. as well as settng up the record mode and Audio 2 and audio 1/2 sensitivity from the menu.

Hi, I've been trying to find the specs of the ma200. Does it have phantom power? I'm using a Ma100 but would there be any advantage in using a porta dat instead of using the onboard sound processing of the Xl1?

I've renamed the thread to better reflect what you are looking for.
If I remember correctly the MA-200 doesn't have this, but I'm not
sure on that.

Hopefully someone else who is in the know will chime in.

Nope, it (unfortunately) doesn't.