juicedLink: Tutorials - Reducing Camcorder Hiss

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Solutions for Camcorder/Location Audio

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Tutorials Home

MUST SEE VIDEOS

• Camcorder Selection for Audio

• Shotgun Orientation Example

• Reducing Camcorder “Hiss”

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Location Audio Principles

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• Indoor Reflections

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• XLR Adapter/Preamp

• Reducing Camcorder “Hiss”

• juicedLink Setup

• Camcorder Selection for Audio

Microphone Placement

• Distance/Orientation

• Shotgun Orientation Example

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• Reducing Camcorder “Hiss”

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Transcript

We’re going to do a little experiment and listen to how noisy and hissy camcorder amplifiers can get when the camcorder are trying to pick up fine audio detail and those amplifiers are cranked up all of the way. So, I’m going to turn off the juicedLink, and manually turn up the gain on the camcorder (LOTS OF HISS!!!).

To understand the principles of this, let’s understand a little more about camcorder amps.

The camcorder will usually have 2 settings: AGC/AUTO or MANUAL. AGC stands for automatic gain control. When the camcorder is presented with high input levels, the amplifiers automatically adjust by turning down the gain. When low input levels are present, then the AGC adjusts by turning up the gain.

Here’s the problem. Camcorder amplifiers are generally not very high quality. So, when the gain is cranked up, it produces tons of noise or hiss.

The AGC setting is good in scenarios where you have unpredictable signal levels. It prevents the distortion that occurs when the analog-to-digital converters get overloaded inside the camcorder. So, the AGC setting is good for things like birthday parties, and the like. Fortunately, these environments typically have relatively high signal levels, so you won’t notice much additional noise by leaving the AGC on.

The manual setting on the camcorder means just that. You have the control to set the gain where you want.

In all of these cases, we’re assuming mic level signals into the camcorder. So, the input attenuator into the camcorder should be OFF.

Here is the principle for reducing the camcorder noise. You want to throttle back the noisy camcorder amplifiers, and replace their noisy gain with clean gain. Clean gain means that you'll be using professional quality low-noise preamplifiers.

Here are the rules of thumb. Use juicedLink XLR Camcorder Adapter/Preamps. The juicedLink products were designed specifically for this purpose. Use, the AGC setting on the camcorder when you are in an unpredictable environment for the signal level. For lowest noise operation for capturing fine audio detail, set the camcorder to manual and have the gain setting at roughly 1/3 level. You’ll have to experiment with your particular camcorder for the optimal setting. Remember, turn the volume control all of the way down on unused channels of the mixer. This will block any noise from a preamplifier that doesn’t have a source impedance connected to it.

Explanation of the principle of using low-noise preamps to reduce camcorder hiss/noise.