Problem with audio on one channel
 

I must be losing my marbles but I seem to only be getting audio in one channel now with my shotgun. I've played with some settings but nothing seems to change it. Has anyone experienced something similar? Is there a setting that lets you record from a shotgun into one channel? One channel as in left only.

Z1 btw

Check the XLR CH SEL settings in the IN/OUT REC menu.

Also check the volumes controls (if in manual mode).

It's set to CH1. If I set it to CH1, CH2... CH2 is about 1/4th as loud as CH1.

Then make sure your monitoring the "right" channel.

I'd say you're only "listening" to CH1.

Also, try a different pair of headphones to make sure the one you've got aren't faulty.

No no... it's definitely recording to one channel. It's visible on the LCD audio level meter, on the FCP level meter and if I capture a clip, the clip has two channels with one being silent.

If the meters on your camera show that audio is being captured, and you can monitor the levels using your headphones fine, then it must be an issue with your NLE and NOT the camera.

Sorry I should have been clearer. "It's visible" being one channel is visible. At no time does it show audio in two channels.

OK... then ignore my last message. It's the camera and NOT the NLE.

Make sure you got it set to XLR and not internal mic. Put the XLR CH SEL to CH1, CH2. Check the XLR settings (both Mic level not line level, wind reduction, Pad, etc.) Set both channels to Manual. Set both channels to a "good" audio level. Make sure you are monitoring in stereo.

That should work.

My guess is that you've got the left channel on manual and the right channel on auto.

Opps! I never properly read your second post.

XLR CH SEL
CH1 - means that anything that plugs into XLR 1 will go to Channels 1 + 2
CH1, CH2 - means that XLR 1 will go into Channel 1 and XLR 2 will go into Channel 2

For your purposes you need it to be set to CH1.

The reason the volume level is different could be because:

1. You're using a mixture of manual/auto.
2. You have a pad on one of the channels
3. You have a mixture of line and mic levels
4. You have the manual volume controls at different levels

I'm 100% sure it's not a camera fault at this stage.

Thanks for your help Chris. I'm doing some tests now to try and figure out what's goin on here.

1. Tried full manual and full auto. Same thing.
2. I'm not sure how to pad a channel on this thing.
3. Both set to mic.
4. I played with the manual nobs on the back but it didn't help. I also tried setting both channels to manual and both to auto.

... Still testing.

Try resetting the camera, if you don't have any Picture Profiles that you care about losing. You'll have to reenter the time and date, I think, but at least you'll be back to square one....

If your shotgun is plugged in to channel one, setting the XLR CH SEL to CH1 sends its signal to both channels (seems illogical, but think of the menu as asking "which channel has a mic plugged in?"). Youc an see from the little diagram on the menu that the signal spits to both 1 and 2.

Check to make sure phantom power is on if you need it for your mic. Put both channels on auto for the test.

Cross fingers, knock wood, and pray to the rain gods. Couldn't hurt...

Thanks for the help Vito.

I tried resetting the camera but that didn't help. I'm starting to think it might be the shotgun. Is anyone using a Rode NTG-2?

Yeah, that's the same mic I have.

In AUDIO SET make sure that:

you have MIC SELECT set to XLR

XLR CH SEL set to CH1, CH2 (I think I may have told you the opposite before. Sorry for the error. I wasn't with my camera at the time).

Plug your mic into XLR input 1, phantom power set to ON.

Put both channels on AUTO for your test (at the back of the camera).

It really should work!

If you can hear audio coming through one channel then it's not the microphone.