Rode stereo video mic,not one good recording made with hv30

[pepper1973]

Ive had the hv 30 cam for a while now,and as a video camera,its a beautiful thing.I also bought a rode stereo video mic quite a while ago,and regardless of what ive done,ive not recorded anything satisfactory.I have the 10- switch down,and the switch left in original position.Then i go to the menu on the camera and set the levels manually,using the mic att,and it never seems to come out right,even thought the levels seem at a safe level and not going at all into the yellow/red.I cant count how many times ive treid this mic and always been dissapointed,and envious of other people stunning recordings made with this mic and cam.Does anyone else have this cam/mic set up,if so i would really really appreciate some advice/help on how they set the mic up and how they set up the cam.If need be an idiot proof explanation would be more than welcome.I dont want to give up trying,but it seems a shame to have such a great mic and cam and not have them working together to produce a lot more than what ive got from this mic so far.

[Janke]

Can you post a sample, it's easier to diagnose problems if you can hear them....

If the mic isn't close to the sound source, you won't get a good recording.

This goes for Rode as well as any mic.

[pepper1973]

I was roughly 10 feet back from the band,so im pretty sure i was close enough.I just dont understand how i can have the mic set with the 10- switch on and the bass filter( ? ) off and have decent levels and still get bad audio.

[Daniel Rutter]

I doubt you'd need Mic Attn. for the Rode Stereo mic.

Also, those stereo mics don't seem to have all that great a reputation. What kind of bands are you filming? Heavy metal? Well.. then your problem is the music, and no doubt the mixing desk blowing their speakers to sh*t pumping it as loud as possible.

I've had nothing but bad experiences with live rock gigs... I think out of all of the ones I did, only one had reasonable audio quality (for the most part). I stick with easy listening stuff now.
Also, try getting your feed from the mixing desk for something a little more cleaner...

[jet]

http://vimeo.com/26536042
http://vimeo.com/15481584
well i found the RSVM not bad used with a variety of cams and cameras,obviously it wont match pro mics costing a fortune.

[Janke]

I was roughly 10 feet back from the band

Mic overload, then?

[pepper1973]

Thanks daniel,its rock music so its not quite easy listening,also why did you say you doubt i would need the mic att with the mic?.Have i missed something?,seriously if there is something i need to know regarding the use( or not) of the mic att with external mics id really appreciate it.Ive seen and heard so really up close rock music done with the hv30 and the rode smic and it sounds pretty fantastic,so it is capable of doing a good job with loud rock/metal music.

[Janke]

You need to choose mic att if the mic overloads the camera, i.e. you cannot get down to -12 db (which should be the peaks of the sound, not the normal level).

But if you are only 10 ft from a loud rock orchestra, it is entirely possible that the sound pressure is too high for the Rode.

[pepper1973]

So if the levels are reaching the-12 its too much?,or as good as?,when ive set the rec levels maunally its been reaching that -12 mark( through out the performance ),so is it possible thats part of the problem?.

[pepper1973]

Also ive seen some people mention that they have turned it to -20,how is this possible or is this just the rode video mic,as opposed to the stereo version.Im really confused as to what's really possible,and must admit i dont know the complete in's and out's ( obviously that is the case ) of the hv30 as if i had everything communicating correctly,i would'nt be having this issue.All ive been doing is flicking the -10 on,and the other switch leaving as it is.Then adjusting the levels,and thats all i thought there was to it,but im obviously doing something wrong,as after a good dozen times in different venues,its always distorted,some occasions worse/better than others.

[Janke]

If the peaks go close to 0 dB, then it's too loud.

Are you recording acoustically, or is the mic close to some huge speakers? If there'ss a lot of bass sounds, they will probably overload the mic, and you should have it further away...

[cgbier]

The SVM can hold 134dB.... a Rock concert can peak at 150. Might be that that stuff was too loud for your mic... especially 10 feet away.

slvls.jpg

[HueyNRolf]

If your levels are safe and it's still distorted, the mics are getting blown out. So, yes it's just too loud. Condenser mics are very sensative. Dynamic microphones cope better at high-sound-pressure levels.