Recording/ condenser mics

Infero Exicution · #1 (**permalink**) 10-28-2010, 05:04 PM

Hey guys,
Im sorry i haven't been able to be active recently.. school, life.. you know.
anyway, I was getting frustrated because i could record Panic Attack without my camera shutting down from loud noise.
so I did some looking around and found condenser mics. I guess they go onto your camcorder and condense sound... what I want to know is if they are a good bet to save my camcorder and record again. I would also like to know what these things are used to do.

Also, I need good ideas on over head mikes... also how to install them... like how to put it over head, where to plug it into, and since my camera shuts off in loud situations, what camera should i use??
Thanks in advance.

Bo Eder · #2 (**permalink**) 10-29-2010, 12:10 AM

Is that some kind of weird feature that your camera shut off whenever it gets hit with a loud noise? Something doesn't sound right there.

Condenser mics are cool, but you need to provide 48V phantom power to them for them to work. Usually you have this at the mixing console you'd plug them into.

I can't go any further because I don't know what it is you're trying to do. What kind of camera do you have? What plug does it give you to plug a mic into? I can guess and say you have a standard 1/8" stereo plug for your mic input, but I'm not sure. Real microphones use XLR connectors and real condenser mics need the aforementioned phantom power provided from a mixing console (or some other way).

Please re-state the question and what you're trying to do, and what you currently have to do it with.

Infero Exicution · #3 (**permalink**) 10-29-2010, 04:06 PM

thanks.

I have a camcorder just a basic one and the 1/8 inch socket is right...
i need a way to record my drums without my camera collapsing.
it says Video management file to record/ playback film is broken" on the screen.

Bo Eder · #4 (**permalink**) 10-29-2010, 05:43 PM

Sounds like your camera needs to get looked at first.

In fact, what you're going to want to do, is record your audio separate from the video, and then line them up in a video editing program like iMovie in the mac. that's how I did all my videos and the end result is pretty good for being on an extreme budget.

Infero Exicution · #5 (**permalink**) 10-29-2010, 08:57 PM

how do I separate the audio from video? thanks by the way.

Bo Eder · #6 (**permalink**) 10-29-2010, 09:08 PM

Well, in a budget sense, the reason you separate the audio from the video is because the camera (unless it's a professional level video camera), cannot handle the level of signal that might be coming into it from external mics or a mix from a mixing board (I tried it too, it doesn't really work).

So how I do it, is to have the camcorder recording video at the same time I'm recording the audio to another device. In this case, I have a Kodak Zi8 camcorder for the video, and a Zoom R16 recording the audio. I'm still playing live, it's just now the two are separate from each other.

Once that's done, I import both files (audio and video) into iMovie on my Mac. The video gets it's track, and then the audio goes to it's own track. I shut the audio off on the video portion (so you don't hear what the camera recorded), and then I grab the audio and shift it backward or forward til it lines up exactly with the video, and since it's all digital, it all lines up perfectly for my needs. Then I export the video for YouTube and it's done.

Obviously, once you're in your editor you can do all kinds of things, but that's the basic workflow.

You could go live to the camera, but your audio will never sound good. It might improve if you are able to add a consumer mic to the external mic input, but that's a big "if".

Infero Exicution · #7 (**permalink**) 10-30-2010, 01:38 PM

I know how to do all the iMovie mixing and calibrating.
But now how do I get the camera to not pick up the audio?

Bo Eder · #8 (**permalink**) 10-30-2010, 03:09 PM

You will be recording the audio into your camera too. But you will shut it off once it's in iMovie - the little check box on the right side of the screen next to your video clip allows you to turn on the camera audio or not.

**Tainojim** · #9 (**permalink**) 10-30-2010, 05:17 PM

Infero, it seems to me like there is an impedance match problem between the condenser mic and the camera. Also the mic could have been dropped and causes this problem. I've seen this happen before.

Check the manual to see if your using the right mic.

I use an EVRIO HD Camcorder and I ordered the external mic that matches it.

Sounds like when the mic peaks, it affects your camera. So do a little research in the manual and get the matching mic from the same company.

In this manner also contact the support group for your camera to get the right information before you end up damaging your camera.

Mr. Bo is right about the 48 Phantom Voltage, if your camera is not made for it, it will mess it up.

My suggestion is to get a small mixer and connect the output of it to your mike. For an overhead mike, get an SM-57. Or a few to get the sound right around the kit. I know that money is tight now a days, but it's worth the wait and the sacrifice. A three mic setup should do well.

Read my post on drum mics here at DSC. If you can't find it, PM me and I'll link it to you old friend.