Sony CX 570E questions on background hiss and extension cable

[SallyLovesFlorence]

When I use an external lapel mic I am getting a lot of background hiss (it's very loud). Can I turn off auto gain on this camcorder? There doesn't seem to be this problem when I use a handheld mic. I have new good quality alkaline batteries installed and have tried recording on two channels but the loud hiss is still there.

Also, I need to buy an extension cable for my handheld mic. I can't find a good quality mono 3.5mm extension cable. Can I use a STEREO extension cable with the mono mic? Will this affect the sound quality? I am also waiting for delivery of a mono to stereo adapter so could I use this with the stereo extension cable?

Thanks for your help.:smileyconfused:

[blaireau_photo]

Hello SallyLovesFlorence - Welcome to the Sony Forums

As far as I am aware, with this camcorder the only microphone adjustment that may help would be to adjust the reference level which can be done in the microphone menu. This is described here:

http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/4416294111/gb/contents/07/03/28/28.html

This should give more of an emphasis to picking up surrounding noise and hopefully this will give you an improvement.

Regarding the extension cable, is this what you are looking for?

Thanks,

Simon

[SallyLovesFlorence]

Hi Simon

Thanks so much. I will try adjusting the microphone level tomorrow and see if that helps. Thanks for the link.

Yes, that is the right type of extension cable but I got caught up in looking for a 'quality' one as it seemed that if the extension cable didn't have a good connector it would seriously affect the sound. Plus, I read that the cable needs to be "shielded" and I can't see whether this one is or not. I saw what looks like a good cable made by Rode: http://www.amazon.co.uk/RODE-Minijack-3-5mm-Stereo-Extension/dp/B0010CP5DY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=13... but it's stereo (not mono as I think I need). However I wondered if I could still use this stereo cable with my microphone and not have any problems with the sound or compatibility OR maybe I could use it with a mono to stereo adapter? Does recording conversation need stereo anyway?

Am I just over complicating things?!! I'm new to this!

Thanks again Simon

Sally:smileyhappy:

[Mick2011]

Hi Sally

I'd definitely use the adaptor for that. If it's a decent one you shouldn't suffer any quality loss or interference. It's always worth using shielded cable for mics if you can, so you're on the right tracks there too.

Debatable whether you'd need stereo for simple narrative recording, but conversation will generally sound quite a bit better in stereo, assuming of course that the intended playback is in stereo

If your recording suits a 'centred' audio (rather than panned left or right) because e.g. the subject is filmed in a central position, then it's probably less critical.

Cheers

Mick

[SallyLovesFlorence]

Fabulous. Thanks so much Mick. : -D