Sony HDR-FX1E Auto sound very Low!

[Marco-Dias]

When I use the Automatic sound option on my Sony HDR-FX1E, I find that the sound is quite low compared with other camcorders that I have worked with.
Now, I know that this is a consumer model and not a professional model with an external mic, but I find that camcorders less expensive with better sound quality than the Sony Camcorder.
I would like to know if someone has compared the sound of the FX1E with other camcorders out there.
I use the Camcorder mostly on DV, to film weddings.
Because things happen quickly, I don't want to fiddle around with the Auto or Manual settings the whole time.
If I forget to change from Manual to Auto the sound might distort.

I have used other Camcorders to film weddings before, but this is the lowest sound I have heard on a Sony Camera (Auto mode).

1. Are you happy with the Sound (Volume) on your Sony HDR-FX1E?

2. Has anyone used the Sony ECM-MSD1 Stereo microphone with their
HDR-FX1E?

3. Was the sound volume improved using the Sony ECM-MSD1 Stereo microphone on Automatic?

Kind Regards!

[Robin Davies-Rollinson]

Just to put the record straight, there's nothing at all wrong with the audio quality of the FX1 - if you use an external mic/mics.
It's the built-in mic that is c**p...
We're shooting broadcast material on our FX1 , alongside the Z1, without any problems whatsoever.

Robin

[Marco-Dias]

Robin, I am reffering to the Built on mic on the Camera itself. The sound volume is quite low compared to other camcorders.

Robin, what external mic are you using on your FX1E?

Thanks!

[tom hardwick]

And how are you connecting them? Beachtek?

[Robin Davies-Rollinson]

Sorry for the delay in replying - been out on a shoot in Chepstow all day today and yesterday.
We were using the Sennheiser 416, as well as a couple of radio mics via the sound recordist's mixer.
And yes Tom, via a Beachtek.
This was a documentary shoot for BBC Wales.
For my own basic stuff though, I get good results with the Audi-Technica 897.
It all depends on the job as to the choice of mic - if its for broadcast, then there is always a recordist booked as well - and he or she will bring all their own kit...

Robin

[Marco-Dias]

Thanks Robin for the Reply!

I presume that theses mics (Audi-Tescnica 897 & Sennheiser 416) are mono mics.

I am thinking of buying the Sony ECM-MSD1 High Grade Stereo Microphone.

Has anyone used this Microphone with great results with the Sony HDR-FX1E?

Kind Regards!

[tom hardwick]

I know the idea of a stereo mic is appealing if only because the mic input is labelled as stereo, but I'd not recommend it at all. It's ok if you plan to shoot an interview, say, and you'll have the mic on the table between the talking heads, but as an on-camera mic it's a no-no.

Remember that for most of our shoots having the mic on camera is the worst place possible for it. OK, as a one-man-band we accept this as a compromise, but in reality the lens and the mic sould be in two completely different places for the best A and V quality.

Go for a mono mic as all pros do and pan in post if you really need the stereo feel. You can then buy a semi-shotgun such as the Senheisser K6/ME66 and have it selectively listen to what your lens is looking at. If you go for a stereo mic on camera it'll be listening to the sounds left and right of your shooting position, and generally this isn't what's in your viewfinder.

tom.

[RayL]

The Z1/FX1 has the selection between internal mic and external mics buried in menus, rather than as an easily-accessed hardware switch - what a pain! This means that you have to have SOME sort of mic attached to the camera to avoid making silent recordings when in XLR mode.

Of course, I'm talking about event shooting where one often has to put the camera in a bag or case at short notice (in which situation a rifle mic has to be detached because it won't fit) and then get the camera out quickly and start shooting (no time to set up an external mic).

My solution has been to undersling the Z1's external mic holder (to reduce the camera profile) and fit it with one of those little Sony lightweight stereo mics (ECM-MS907) which has been sitting in the mic cupboard for some years. This mic has an unbalanced output with L and R as tip and ring of a stereo 3.5 jack. By wiring an adaptor from stereo jack socket to XLR plug as Sleeve-1, tip-2, ring-3 I turn an unbalanced stereo mic into a sort of balanced mono mic. This means that the camera will always be recording sound in 'XLR' mode and the second mic can be added as required.

Ray Liffen

[Marco-Dias]

Thank you Gentlemen, for all the advice.



As a “one man band” videographer, I film mainly weddings on DV. I bought the Sony HDR-FX1E because of the picture quality, which I am very happy about. Unfortunately the sound quality is very low, when on Automatic. Now because things happen quickly on a wedding shoot, I don’t want to fuss around with the Manual & Auto settings on the sound part of the wedding shoot.

Now I will tell you why I think I need a Stereo microphone instead of a Mono mic.

When you film a wedding, there are certain times that you have to film the couple or guests at the church service, while the priest speaks off camera, or when you are filming the guests dancing and your DJ speakers are playing on your right or left.

There are plenty parts where you are filming a subject, but your sound source comes from behind, left or right of you.

Therefore I think that a Stereo microphone with a 3.5mm jack would suit me better for what I need.



I would like to know if someone has used the Sony ECM-MSD1 High Grade Stereo microphone with good results on the Sony HDR-FX1E camcorder?

[infocus]

[There are plenty parts where you are filming a subject, but your sound source comes from behind, left or right of you.

Therefore I think that a Stereo microphone with a 3.5mm jack would suit me better for what I need.

Not sure I agree there. By and large, you expect to hear what you are seeing, except in th case of cutaways, but there you would be unlikely to use their sound recorded at the time anyway.

But it still doesn't argue for stereo mics. Imagine the priest directly ahead in your example, then scene A to the left, B to the right. Film A and the priests sound will be right on the stereo track, film B and he will be left on the track. Edit them together and the effect will be for his voice to jump from one side to the other, and believe me that can be truly awful. (I've never forgotten the hopping fountain on one TV drama when it first started to experiment with stereo!)

[tom hardwick]

If you cold look at the front of your FX1 and see the invisible 'sound pick-up pattern' of its built-in stereo mic it would look like a pair of Mickey Mouse ears. It listens to left and right of the camera - which is what the 'stereo' is all about. If you put on a semi-shotgun such as the K6 ME66, you'd see a funnel extending forwards, parallel to the lens' axis.

Unless you're very close to the noise, stereo mics (from a distance) usually tend to blur the distinction anyway, and give you what's effectively mushy mono on the audio track. The 'hi grade' Sony stereo mic won't alter this fact - though it might well sound better than a 'lo grade' one. I'd go with infocus on this one.

tom.

[Marco-Dias]

It’s has been awhile, but I eventually bought the Sony ECM-MSD1 microphone for my Sony HDR-FX1E camcorder. Firstly this microphone is small compared to what I saw on the Sony website, it’s about 7cm long.

Secondly there’s no LED to indicate if the microphone is on or off, if you forget to switch it off, it will make the battery go flat very quickly.

I compared the sound quality with the onboard camera mic switched on automatic, and I must say that this External mic is slightly better in a “Crisp” sound of way, but the volume is not much different to the camcorder’s mic.

I wanted the volume to be higher then the camcorder mic, but this mic hasn’t solved this problem. Yes, it is a little more “Clearer” but definitely not louder.
I am disappointed, I am going to take it back and get my money back.

I guess I will have to keep on looking for another Stereo mic, which will sort out the problem with the FX1E sound.

Kind Regards.

Marco Dias.:(

[Alan Roberts]

Are you sure the sound level actually is low? I suggest you get some footage into NLE and export the sound to a wav file, then open that in Sound Forge, Cool Edit, whatever, and have a look at the waveforms. If no-one else is reporting this as a problem, then you should start investigating the rest of your system before blaming it all on the FX1.

[RayL]

Marco

Are you aware that in the FX1 menus you can set the gain of the mic (int or ext)?

The default setting isn't particularly loud but go to the AUDIO SET menu and you'll find INT MIC SENS.

For an external mic on a FX1 I can't be sure, as I have a Z1, but on the Z1 the trim control varies the input sensitivity from -18dB to +12dB in 6 dB steps.

I get the strong feeling that all you need is to increase the mic gain.

Ray Liffen

[Marco-Dias]

I put my FX1 on a tripod, pointed the camera at my Hi-Fi, and played a CD at a certain volume. Then I placed my other camcorder, the Panasonic NV-DX100 (3 times less the cost of the FX1 and an older model), onto the tripod from the same distance, pointed the camera at my Hi-FI, played the same CD at the same volume.


I took theses 2 clips into Nero wave editor and that proved to me that the automatic sound volume on the FX1 is much lower than other camcorders that I have worked with.


I am sorry to say that the FX1 doesn’t have “INT MIC SENS” option under the AUDIO SET menu. I think this belongs to the Z1 only.:confused:


I have also checked other forums, and there have been a few people who are disappointed with the on camera mic of the FX1.

My only solution is to buy an external mic and connect it onto the 3.5mm mini jack on the FX1. Now the question remains which one???



Kind Regards!



Marco…..

[colin rowe]

It is impossible to capture wedding service / speeches audio using any cameras onboard mic. Try a Sennheiser K6/ME66 mic or better still radio mics, a lav mic on the grooms jacket will go where the action is, another transmitter placed where the readings will take place will also capture any ambient sound. You will need a beachtek box (DXA-4 or DXA-8) to use any XLR mics on the FX1. You can easily raise the level of the onboard mic by going manual and monitoring the sound with headphones or the level meter that appears in the viewfinder and adjust accordingly