Are there any useful forums for video camera folks, ideally one thats well-trafficed for a prompt reply. Got a bit of a bothersome intermittent sound fault with a Sony Z1.

Google the description of the fault – I found a sony tech blogging on av forums? with the fix for a false moisture warning on an A1. Techy thump!

I’ve done a bit of that without much success, it might be the fault (or my description of it) isn’t common enough to come up in conversation.

It’ll be the XLR mic connection. If the mic is phantom powered and you’ve got a dry joint somewhere then you’ll get all sorts of intermittent sound issues.

#bestguess

Could be. I think we’ve discounted any of the mics / cables themselves by swapping between channels when the issue is present (which is never when we test the camera and often when we’re relying on it). When its a occurring its a hiss / white noise the steadily increases in volume the pops/clicks out and builds up again. The sound is recording to tape so it’s not the earphones either.

That sounds like an earthing issue to me. I’ve also seen simillar when the battery is on the way out. Is there anyway you can send me a sample of the hiss so as I can investigate further? mp3 will do.

eddelag@yahoo.co.uk

Sound Engineer with 20years under me belt

I think I can! You’ll be hearing (hiss) from me soon!

Are there any useful forums for video camera folks, ideally one thats well-trafficed for a prompt reply

This one? 🙂

This one?

Eggzakerley

YGM Mr Hoops

audio received and forwarded to the studio for much tinkering

results to follow

In my apron and for what tits worth it could be a dodgy receiver but if it’s still happening on the boom mic then the problem screams of a duff battery.

Interesting…

Theres more than one battery with the kit (the receiver for the radio mics has its own battery but the boom mic on channel 1 runs off phantom power even though it also has its own battery), what we’ll do (in the absence of anything to hand to test the batteries with) is number the camera batteries and see if the intermittentness corresponds with one of them.

Thanks for that – it gives us something to eliminate before considering surgery

G

test the radio mic receiver battery as well…..doesn’t hurt to rule everything out and prevent further arse ups. Also are you sure the boom mic requires it’s battery AND phantom power at the same time???? turn the phantom off and see what happens.

The radio receiver runs an duracells and they are replaced frequently

Also are you sure the boom mic requires it’s battery AND phantom power at the same time???? turn the phantom off and see what happens.

No it has a battery in it – but it functions without. However if we get a re-occurance of the hiss (its being annoyingly fine just now) we’ll try it with phantom on and off and with the mic battery on and off.

Just a thought – you mentioned a possible earth issue with the XLR – is that something that can be tested without getting the camera’s guts out?

Having heard the problem I can say it’s not a flakey connection in the XLR. However, when the problem is happening it won’t hurt to give it a highly technical wiggle.

Ta