GL / XM assorted posts, 2003

[Michael Murray]

You may have read my previous post about my DOA GL2. Well, thank goodness the Zotz crew came through! The replacement arrived yesterday and works like a charm. [Thanks Brian & Tom at Zotz.] We're leaving Monday for vacation and it would have been a flop without the camcorder.

What do I think of the camcorder so far? Well, take our cat for instance. I personally think he's the best looking feline on the block. Last night I saw how the GL2 portrays him on TV. Good looking?. Heck, no -- he's a staggeringly magnificent beast.

Even the wife now thinks the camcorder was a good 'investment'. Now that's bonus I didn't expect.

[Nigel Moore]

It's always useful to get the spousal unit to see how valuable your hi-tech toys are, it helps when it comes to getting permission for more!

Enjoy your vacation...and cam! :-)

[Michael Murray]

You're right Nigel. Nothing worse than a disapproving spouse. It can definitely take the fun out of life.

Thanks for the good wishes.

[Mike Lugton]

Have read posts about connecting GL2 to Sound sytems, sound boards when taping dance recitals, events etc.. How is this actually accomplished as in what gets plugged in where etc. This is probably a dumb question but I am a complete rookie. Also if i get hooked up to sound board am I correct in assuming that I will only get the sound from the stage performers but not the audience reaction??

[Chris Coen]

I will respond to the audience sound portion. It depends on what's mixed. If the performers are using 'In Ear' monitoring systems, the sound tech, and most notably the monitor engineer will have audience ambiance mixed with the stage mix. This is very important for the performer as it gives them a more real-to-life mix in their ear monitors. With that said, they would have to have mic's picking up the audience reactions and will probably have them on a separate bus. If they have multiple routing possibilities on their board, they might have an extra 4-channel output that you could use. For example:

Bus1 output for Main Audio Left Channel
Bus2 output for Main Audio Right Channel
Bus3 output for Audience Left Channel
Bus4 output for Audience Right Channel

This would be a total for 4 channels of audio to record. My suggestion would probably be just to capture the Main audio into the camera at full audio resolution and rent/borrow a DAT that can get the Audience channels that you can later mix into the Shot.

I've never done this, but if I were to guess at how I would do it, this would probably be the way I would approach it.

[Don Palomaki]

It all depends on the setup at the sound board and how sophisticated the system is. Assuming a modes mixeer such as the Mackie 1402 There are many variations. On the some systems there will be RCA tape output jacks. These are probably consumer line output level so you may need to reduce the level before connecting to the mic input jack. A box like the Beachtek or Studio One can work nicely for this.

Best approach may be to contact the technician who runs the sound baord aand ask him.

[Ken Tanaka]

Hi Tom,
Well, nobody's taken a swing at this yet, so I will get the ball rolling.

Audio Q: Yes, you'll need to select a wireless system and a shotgun mic seperately. An XLR adapter, such as the BeachTek or Studio One would be the way to connect both mics to the GL1 simultaneously. Each would be recording to a separate channel. (There's an encyclopedia of info on mics in "Now Hear This", so I won't try to get into that detail here.

Lighting Q: On-camera lights are, by their nature, "invasive" but sometimes necessary. You can, indeed, use some diffusing material to provide a more even light. Rosco and GAM make many such gels. But many folks use a much simpler material for such small lights, such as kitchen baking paper clipped or tapes to the light. Just be sure the material is somewhat heat-resistant and will not scorch or melt on the light.

I'd also recommend getting the hang of using manual exposure control on your GL1. Yes, it's more work and takes practice but it avoids amatuerish-looking auto exposure shifts (ex: the bride's white dress suddenly fills the frame) and unintentional grainy gain hikes.

Good luck!

[Will Nuttall]

Does anyone know if there is a reset button or reset setup for the Xm2? Thanx

[Chris Hurd]

What is exactly is it that you're trying to reset? What's wrong?

[Will Nuttall]

Just a continuation of a general colour preset fualt. Just wondered if anyone had come across a reset setup I could check before I send the camera back.

[Ken Tanaka]

There is no resest button that I know of. Removing the main battery and the back-up battery for several minutes may have the effect you're looking for. (You'll lose your time settings, also.)

[Stewart McDonald]

On my PC. Is this normal? It only seems to happen when the camera is moving, but you can see horizontal lines like what a TV broadcast is made up out of.
I use Vegas 4 to import my footage.
Are there different settings?

Thanks

[Zac Stein]

That is interlacing artifacts you are seeing.

When you output to tape and view on a tv, it will not be there.

Zac

[Peter Moore]

If you use frame mode, this won't happen. Frame mode gives you a lower but steady frame rate good for watching your movies on a PC or for mimicing the motion appearance of film.

[Graham Bernard]

Stewart,

I too use V4. "On my PC", please follow Zac's suggesstion & do a test before you become any further "worried" as to the quality of your setup. Print To Tape a small section and then view this on your TV.

You are correct to question all stages of your process - it's the way I've learnt - if you notice something "strange". Certainly, be aware of how to improve your process, this is a good thing. I know the replies given by Peter and Zac are offered by way of support & understanding. However, making changes to V4 settings or the mode in which you film, without truly appreciating why, personally wouldn't AND hasn't assisted me in understanding why or how I could necessarily improve my process. Being more precise, it has confused me even more!

So, do the test. Come back and tell us how you got on. If it is still there then maybe others here or on the SoFo Vagas Forum could possibly assist. V Forums - there are now at least 4 I can name - have valuable discussions on very technical and creative issues.

I have noticed and have rectified another type of line striation artifact, relating to zoom and Pan/Crop within V4. Sooo... are you noticing this type of "effect" after you have used the P/C or zoom? Or are you seeing this effect from pure uneditied and unchanged V4 work? - Hmmm....

Let's hear back from you.

Best regards,

Grazie