PD170 Sound Quality
 

Hello,

I recently puchased the PD170. So far Iv'e used it on 2 weddings and have noticed what I consider pour sound quality with ambient sound. I'm using a stock mic attachment that came with the camcorder. The sound in both weddings sounds like it's in a car. No bass what so ever. My partner uses a vx2000 and his ambient sound has much more bass. What can I do to get better ambient sound from my PD170.

Troy

You will have to replace the microphone. It isn't very good for much.

Find a nice Cardiod to replace it and you will be much happier.

Troy, what do you mean by "ambient sound?" What sounds in particular are lacking bass?

The way you said it implies that the ceremony and vows sounded fine, but that other room sounds lacked bass. Is that right?

Fred,

Sorry it took so long to get back with you. You are right the vows sound fine with the wireless lav I used. However, the reception sounded like it it needed a lot of bass.

I've been looking at the Senn me64. I've gotten mixed reviews on that. I've been told I cannot overcome the onborad sound problem and that I have to use a set mic near the sound source. That won't work for me.

My second cameraman uses a vx2000 and he's getting better ambient sound than I do. Much more bass. How can I match his?

I'll try to be more responsive from now on with replies back.

Thanks,
Troy

If most of the sound you want to cover is in front of you a good cardioid will sould better, as Mike said. The AT3031 at $170 might be a good choice. I have two of them. I often use one for ambience when shooting stage productions from the back of the hall (I use the two together for stereo).

If you want to cover situations where the sound is all around, like cruising around at a reception without having the sound change as you pan, then an omni would be better. The AT3032 is such an omni.

Thanks for the advice Fred

Quick dumb question:
If im recording from 2 separate mic’s plugged into Channel 1 and 2, could I have two separate sound waves dragged into my NLE system?

Thanks

Yes. You can.

I just switched my stock mic on the pd170 to an at835b. After doing a comparative test at a reception, the at83b sounds the best with sweet bass that rolls through the speakers. The only problem is the mic is too big for the camera and looks awkward.

Does anyone know if the at897 sounds the same as the at835b?