2 Lavalier Mics

[Elex360]

In another post, someone recommended the purchasing of a ATR-35S Lavalier mic. This looks like the option I will most likely take when purchasing a mic. My question however is in regards to multiple mics. Is it possible to plug 2 or more of these mics into the hv20? Would you need to have any type of splitter to do this ... if so what are your favorite choices?

[24Peter]

You can probably go to your local Radio Shack (if you're in the US) and get a mini-jack Y adapter for $4. Just make sure it's got a stereo jack on the part you plug into the camera.

[Rikki]

This is what I am going to do, running each mic to their own audio channel

[Elex360]

When you say running it to each audio channel ... do you mean the camera allows you to specify different channels for the input from a y adapter or is this something you will be doing with your editing software? ... sorry I'm still new to all of this. Thx!

[bluegrass]

When you say running it to each audio channel ... do you mean the camera allows you to specify different channels for the input from a y adapter or is this something you will be doing with your editing software? ... sorry I'm still new to all of this. Thx!

I think the only mic in is stereo. With two mics, one would be setup through the proper cable to go to the left & the other to the right. My concern would be mismatching audio levels & impedences with the mic input on the camera. I think you will need to use an adpator such as the Beachtek or XLR Pro.

You can try the Y cable to convert the two mics to a stereo connector, plugging it into the stereo mic in on the camera and see. Your wireless receivers may have a level control. I'd set this all up and use a headphone on the A/V out of the camera and see how the audio sounds. Get it to where it sounds good and than capture some and play it back directly from the camera to your monitor if you can. I've just been bitten to many times by mismatched impedence and over drivin' signals into that mic in not to have an audio converter box sitting under my camera. It will give you a lot of versatility to handle most situations. The box will take line or mic level in and provide mic level out for your camera. A good investment for anybody thinking about using external mics on the camera other than the shoe mounted mics.

[Erik Bien]

The trick is getting an adapter that takes two eighth-inch mono inputs and has an eighth-inch stereo output. You will probably need two stereo-to-mono plug adapters plugged into that. By now, you've got about two inches sticking straight out the side of the camera body and you haven't even plugged in your mics! So you'll probably want to get a stereo right-angle plug while you're at the 'Shack, and improvise some sort of strain relief with a rubber band or some gaff tape.

It sounds awkward (and okay, it looks pretty awkward too) but I often use this setup to use my Rode VideoMic (mono shotgun outputting on both channels of a stereo miniplug) and Samson AirLine wireless lav (same mono-over-stereo miniplug output as the Rode) together. The shotgun ends up on one of the stereo channels, the lav on the other.

If you already have the self-powered mini-jack mics, it's only a few dollars worth of odds and ends at Radio Shack (but it took me several trips to get it all sorted out).

[Lunchbox]

Erik, that's a very smart setup. Having an additonal audio track can save the day!

[24Peter]

I think the only mic in is stereo. With two mics, one would be setup through the proper cable to go to the left & the other to the right. My concern would be mismatching audio levels & impedences with the mic input on the camera. I think you will need to use an adpator such as the Beachtek or XLR Pro.



A Beachtek would make this easy (I use the DXA-2s with my HV20) though you'd need XLR to mini-female adapter. I think the Y-adapter from Radio Shack will work with the ATR35s. And Erik's points are well taken but I think it might work fine with a female mini-stereo jack on the input side. The big thing is making sure it's male stereo on the output side.

[Erik Bien]

Hi Peter,

The only problem with using a stereo-to-stereo Y is you don't end up with channel separation, you end up with BOTH signals on BOTH channels.

[Rikki]

Well...

This morning I bought this :

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?TabID=1&ModuleNo=43086&doy=20m7

And it works a treat with a pair of ATR35s'

I thought it would be ok and it is, just run a small test there and its great. Means I can now use the camera and interview someone using both channels and in post can play around with the seperation, volume etc :D

Rikki

[Erik Bien]

Hi Rikki,

I'm glad your setup is working, but in my experience eighth-inch stereo plugs don't always fit snugly in mono female connectors; you might need to go to the same store for a pair of eighth-inch stereo female to eighth-inch mono male plug adapters if you start to have problems with intermittent contact where the lav receivers plug into your cable.

[Rikki]

Hi Erik, the ATR35s' have mono 3.5mm male jacks on them so they fit the 3.5mm female sockets on the splitter perfectly mate.

[Erik Bien]

Yep, should be good to go! :hv20-smilie77:

(worth noting perhaps you'll want to use your adapter cable even if you aren't trying to run both mics for the same reason: the mono lav plugs won't make reliable contact with the stereo camera jack)

[Rikki]

Yep, should be good to go! :hv20-smilie77:

(worth noting perhaps you'll want to use your adapter cable even if you aren't trying to run both mics for the same reason: the mono lav plugs won't make reliable contact with the stereo camera jack)

Got that covered already, I have a 3.5mm mono to stereo "plug" convertor already :D

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-5mm-mono-jack-socket-to-3-5mm-stereo-jack-plug_W0QQitemZ110146620810QQihZ001QQcategoryZ295QQ rdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

:D

[scsz]

Question then about the mini-jack Y adapter. If I have a stereo mic (AT25) on the camera, and a wireless mic on a bracket, with both plugged into the adapter, can I just have one on at a time (stereo for ambient sound, wireless for interview)?

[Erik Bien]

AFAIK, scsz, you only have two channels of "live" audio to play with: if you plug your AT25 into one side of the Y adapter and the lav into the other, you'll end up with lav on one channel, and one channel from the stereo mic on the other (assuming you're set up as per my earlier posts).

You'll want a stereo-to-mono minijack plug adapter for the AT25 (I know, I keep harping on this, but in this size, the "wrong" plug almost fits ... but 'almost' doesn't count, 'cept when it comes to horseshoes and hand-grenades ...)