Matallic-type noise coming from recording

[Vigilante]

I have an Xacti HD1010 camcorder and I attached an Audio-technica Pro 24-CM to it.

The problem I'm getting is two-fold. One is that the volume coming from the 24-CM is pretty quiet. The camera can adjust external mic gain, but going up much past the lowest level inserts static noise. However, on the lowest setting, possibly more, I also get this bizarre metal alien sounding thing. I don't hear it (on my speakers) when the volume is low, but of course, then the volume is too low! I have to crank up the speakers to hear because of the gain issues, and the background noise and this metal sound become all to apparent.

I used Audacity to record the audio that was playing from my video player, and then increased the volume about 60db so that the background noise is very apparent. You can hear what it sounds like and me saying some random word.

What is this sound, it's getting inserted somehow. It is not there with the camera's own mic, only that mic has a lot of background noise, but that's normal hiss noise, not that alien stuff.

So I guess the question is, how do I bump up the gain? (Probably no way to do that anyhow). And what about strange alien noise?

Download the MP3 clip here:

Any ideas?

 

[tmix]

That noise you are hearing I believe to be digital artifacts caused by some onboard noise reduction system your camera uses.

i assume it is a digital camera and for what ever reason it has a noise reduction system that is trying to work overtime on what it percieves to be a lot of background noise.

If there is a setting to turn it off, I would try that first.

 

[mjbphotos]

If you are real concerned with good sound, get a portable digital audio recorder and dub the videos with the sound from it.

 

[miroslav]

If you are real concerned with good sound, get a portable digital audio recorder and dub the videos with the sound from it.

Audio on consumer camers usually sucks.

I too get that metallic tone when I use the onboard mic on a Sony camera...but I'll just toss a real mic out in front of my source, and track that to my DAW, while also recording the audio to the camera from the camera mic.

Then I pull the video & audio and DAW audio into Sony Vegas, line up my audio tracks, delete the camera audio track, and I end up with a really nice video and audio combination.

 

[tmix]

Miroslav,
That is an excellent suggestion.
I had thought about that too, because I have had folks come into the studio to record some video and the camera audio only served as a sync point for the studio audio I later gave to him.

 

[Vigilante]

The sound is produced from the Audio-Technica mic, not from the onboard mic. There is a noise reduction option but it's off. I suppose I can't hear it when I keep my speakers at their normal volume for everything else I do, like watch movies or listen to music. But then I open one of my vids and it's so quiet I have to crank it up, and then I hear it. I wouldn't mind that because I can always boost the volume on the video, except that it will boost the artifacts too.

I have to film a wedding in like 15 days, I won't be able to use any other external mic system, I have to walk around and what not. I thought having an external mic like this, shaped like a shotgun mic, would help pic up noise from farther away. But jeeze it's real quiet just with me talking 2 feet away! I don't want to use the onboard mic cause it has much more background noise (not the metalic sound), but it's much louder though.
I guess I'm afraid if I use the external mic, I won't even HEAR anything more than a few feet away, defeating the purpose of putting a shotgun up there. I wanted a directional mic so I could point it at people and hear them while not catching too much noise to the sides.
I was about to buy the Rode Videomic but this one had good reviews and was cheaper and smaller size (good for this small camera). I don't have time to return this one and get the Rode. I'm pretty stuck now with the audio situation. Gar!

 

[tmix]

I am sorry you are up against a deadline without any real sure answer.

I wish I was more familiar with the audio of video cameras.

If it were me and I had to choose between hiss and alien artifacts I would choose the hiss.
Most audio programs have noise reduction algorhythms that work well on a static sound such as hiss, the warbling sound is nearly impossible to get rid of.

 

[Vigilante]

ya I'm going to do some more tests outdoors and see what the audio pickup is like. If all else fails, the pastor will be mic'd so if anything I'll pick up sound from the PA speakers.