DigiBeta 5 pin distortion
Charles Tomaras
from video cameras with 5-pin outputs. I'm currently on an extended job where I
am feeding a Digibeta and am getting some minor distortion on my return audio,
especially on any peaks above -10. I'm setting 0 at -20 from my Sound Devices
442 to the digibeta and I hear this distortion on the 5-pin return in both line
and mic level settings and I'm sure I'm not overdriving the Sony inputs. Even
when listening to 1k tone at 0 = -20 I still hear some distortion on the live
return. Interesting thing is I don't hear this distortion on straight
playback...only when I'm both feeding audio and monitoring, either in stop or
record.
Any ideas?
Charlie
Steve Ravich
I have been hearing the same thing for a long time now. Its all fine though
and only happens on some cameras. I believe there is a mod they do here but
am not sure what it is.
Regards,
--
Steve Ravich
Sound Recordist
Sydney, Australia
"Charles Tomaras" <tom...@comcast.net> wrote in message
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Glen Trew
news is that it affects only the return and not what is being recorded.
Sorry to be vague, but I have not heard it myself; only heard of it.
It seems like the same thing Chris Kellet (Philadelphia) encountered and
solve recently. If Chris is lurking, I'm sure he'll post what he found out.
If not, look for a menu option that affects returns.
Glen Trew
"Charles Tomaras" <tom...@comcast.net> wrote in message
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Charles Tomaras
"Glen Trew" <gl...@trewaudio.com> wrote in message
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> This could be from a hidden (little-known) camera menu setting. The good
> news is that it affects only the return and not what is being recorded.
> Sorry to be vague, but I have not heard it myself; only heard of it.
>
> It seems like the same thing Chris Kellet (Philadelphia) encountered and
> solve recently. If Chris is lurking, I'm sure he'll post what he found out.
> If not, look for a menu option that affects returns.
>
> Glen Trew
Thanks..I'll spend some "downtime" with the lovely little Sony manual tomorrow.
Philip Perkins
balanced return) or just
the ground and the "high" pins? Since my mixers all have unbalanced
returns I'm doing the latter, and haven't heard what you are talking
about on Dbeta or HD cams.
Philip Perkins
Oleg Kaizerman
Oleg Kaizerman
same cable for hd and didn't hear any distortion ,only hiss and limitter.
Cines almost all the work here is straight to camera and not double system
,the 5 pin output is better reference choice then the mono headphones out
that distorting on every high pick .
I used that output with almost 200 feet ( 4 extensions of 15 meters) cable
and had the same results.
The only one thing that I discovered , the sd 442 dosn't have enough gain to
drive un balance returns when it used from -10dbv outputs ( dsr 570 or
pd-150) ,I cant get equal level for my headphones , maybe some one will come
with some suggestion for this issue also and rca to mini pl plug that can be
placed on the side,I really tired to do tails for my snake I have 7 right
now (2 pl mini ,2 5 pin xlr,2 rca and one beta sp plug)
Oleg Kaizerman(gege) Hollyland
"Philip Perkins" <phi...@jong.com> wrote in message
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Charles Tomaras
balanced. (Doug Tourtelot who is a very fine cable maker make mine for me). I
used the same cable last week with the new Panasonic SDX-900 and it sounded
great. With the Sony Digibeta (not sure which model) it sounds a little thin
with some distortion on peaks and a good deal of hiss. Anyway...the first couple
of days tapes have already been shipped back to the editors in Atlanta and there
have been no complaints so I'm assuming my only real problem is that "it's a
Sony!" Just got to say, Panasonic has surpassed Sony in the ENG style camera
world by such a wide margin that Sony should just start from scratch on the next
generation of cameras and come up with some new ideas!
"Philip Perkins" <phi...@jong.com> wrote in message
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Jon Tatooles
another device, not the 442 that is feeding the camera.
You might be hearing the non-defeatable limiter kicking in. Take a look at
the notes in our Sony camera test article.
http://www.sounddevices.com/tech/sony_chart.htm
Note that the digibeta and HD900 are essentially identical audio
implementations.
Jon Tatooles
Sound Devices, LLC
"Charles Tomaras" <tom...@comcast.net> wrote in message
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Charles Tomaras
"Jon Tatooles" <jon_ta...@sounddevices.com> wrote in message
news:vmkoi0d...@corp.supernews.com...
> To rule out the mixer as a contributing factor, you can take the return into
> another device, not the 442 that is feeding the camera.
>
> You might be hearing the non-defeatable limiter kicking in. Take a look at
> the notes in our Sony camera test article.
>
> http://www.sounddevices.com/tech/sony_chart.htm
>
> Note that the digibeta and HD900 are essentially identical audio
> implementations.
>
> Jon Tatooles
> Sound Devices, LLC
Thanks Jon, for all the hard work. I don't quite understand where you found
level adjustments that read 1 - 10 as you specify in the charts. The only
settings I have seen are from minus (can't remember) up to 0. I've been setting
0 from my 442 to -20 on all of these digital or HD cameras. I was also under the
impression with the betacams that the mic preamps were always in the circuit
with the line input being nothing better than a padded down mic pre. A Bexel
engineer once looked at the schematics with me to confirm this.
Anyway...great information!
Charlie
Matthew Mayer
> "Jon Tatooles" <jon_ta...@sounddevices.com> wrote in message
> news:vmkoi0d...@corp.supernews.com...
>
>>To rule out the mixer as a contributing factor, you can take the return into
>>another device, not the 442 that is feeding the camera.
>>
>>You might be hearing the non-defeatable limiter kicking in. Take a look at
>>the notes in our Sony camera test article.
>>
>> http://www.sounddevices.com/tech/sony_chart.htm
>>
>>Note that the digibeta and HD900 are essentially identical audio
>>implementations.
>>
>>Jon Tatooles
>>Sound Devices, LLC
>
>
> Thanks Jon, for all the hard work. I don't quite understand where you found
> level adjustments that read 1 - 10 as you specify in the charts. The only
> settings I have seen are from minus (can't remember) up to 0. I've been setting
The numbers are on the actual pots on the side of the camera (at least
on the 700 that I have been working witht he last few days.) 0 on the
442 to -20dBfs on the 700 makes the pots at "7" two clicks right of 12
O'Clock.
<snip>
---Matt
Chicago, IL
Charles Tomaras
"Matthew Mayer" <ma...@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:3F6A6FB1...@nospam.com...
I never thought of looking at the pots. I always thought of them as those little
removable pieces of plastic that fall off and get pushed back on in a different
position each time! :)