XH-A1: audio tracks.. silly question

pjrey wrote on 12/28/2007, 9:08 AM

im curious about my (new, xmas present) XH-A1...
is it possible to record, from the built in mic (stereo) and have a XLR mic (mono) record to different tracks.. or is all this capable of is one, stereo track?

another quickie...
do you get better quality, shooting in HDV (60i/24F) and rez'ing down to DVD... or just shoot in DV mode and creative a DVD from DV sd video

i will test this out myself, but i always appreciate info from others!

thanks everyone
pj

Comments

Cheno wrote on 12/28/2007, 10:33 AM

As for audio on the XH-A1 - all internal or all external - no ability on this cam to record from both. I thought this would be a bummer at first as every other cam I've had had this option but I forget the XH-A1 doesnt' even do this anymore - I just switch for external mic or XLR

Shoot in HDV even for a DV master - aquisition is the key - better quality the originating image source, better quality the final output (if you're scaling down in resolution)

hope that helps. I absolutely love the A1 and for the price point, it blows the competition out of the water, IMO.

cheno

pjrey wrote on 12/29/2007, 8:03 AM

cheno, thanks for posting back!
i know when shooting in HDV and final output is DV, you can pan and scan which is nice... but you say it is better quailty as well, great, i will shoot in HDV from here on out...

any suggestions on accesorries, must-haves?
wide angle, batteries...?

pj

UlfLaursen wrote on 12/29/2007, 10:01 PM

Hi PJ

I just got one too, and I shure will buy the big battery for it. You never know when you run dry. I have this for my sony's too.

The guys at vasst has actually made a training DVD for this camera. I have it and I think it is good - worth every penny.

www.vasst.com

/Ulf

pjrey wrote on 1/1/2008, 3:21 PM

thanks for the posts.. happy new year everyone...

i guess just one question still exists....

can i only get ONE stereo track captured when capturing tape... is it possible to get more tracks... (possible to record using XLR 1 and XLR 2, and have two seperate, STEREO, tracks)

thanks!

p

pjrey wrote on 1/5/2008, 9:10 AM

anybody know?

p

DJPadre wrote on 1/6/2008, 4:30 AM

No, 2 channels only, be they input from external mic through XLR, OR the internal Stereo jack, but better than this, this cam also allows u to run a different stereo mic. I use a Panasonic VMS2e mini stereo shotgun mic and the frequency response is much better. Nicer low end rumbles, cleaner high ends and it jsut sounds "fuller" than teh stock A1 mic.

Camera noise is gone and i can switch to mono if i really need to as the mic has a mono stereo switch.

Using the XLRs, i use a sennheiser K6 with ME64

In all this, i find that the need to stop recording when switching mics is the biggest downside to the camera. Not only is the audio very weak on teh outset, but the fact that you MUST stop recording to switch between stereo and XLR is a joke.
Also, running the cam in manual has the tendency to blow out, so ensure you use your attenuator. When using auto, you do not have the means to tweak each mono track when shooting. When in auto, the camera will set the level for you. It will behave as a manual input then limit the high end plsoives if they were to occur.

Sadly the audio on teh A1 compared to the DVX is pretty cheap and nasty, but it DOES get teh job done

pjrey wrote on 1/7/2008, 3:36 PM

thanks for posting DJ
what a bummer...
i was hoping i could get stereo tracks from onboard mic (or external mic, plugged in the stereo mini in) and also get an XLR mic for dialog... use both, ch 1 and 2 for internal stereo mic, 3, or 3 and 4 xlr...

only one or the other huh
dang

p