Camcorders are everywhere! Weddings, children's programs and Easter cantatas are frequently recorded to preserve the important event forever. Unfortunately, often the audio of the camcorder does not match the video quality. More and more videographers ask to "plug" into the church's sound system to solve this problem. If you haven't been asked yet, you will. Don't worry. You may already have the equipment necessary to provide this valuable service.

Camcorder recordings don't sound as good as they look because of their internal microphone. The audio for the birthday party video in your living room may sound great. But, use the same camcorder in a church service and the audio may seem distant and hollow. This is due to the location of the camcorder and also to the style of the camcorder's microphone.

How is it possible to achieve quality sound on your videos? This article will give you some ideas.

AVAILABLE OPTIONS

There are basically two ways to get sound into your camcorder: wireless or hard-wired.

WIRELESS:

The wireless approach has two major benefits:

1) Freedom of movement. You can be anywhere you need or want for great video pictures.

2) You can accommodate numerous requests from camcorder owners by giving each of them their own receiver. There are no interference problems with using several receivers and one transmitter.

HARD-WIRED:

There are several things to consider with the hard-wired method. You can either install an output connector jack near the location of the camcorder or stretch long cables from the mixer along the floor to the camcorder, assuming you can "get there from here" with cable.

If you want several locations with available connections, you should seriously consider using a distribution amplifier. You will also need special adaptor cables with appropriate connectors on each end. Call us for more help.

The major benefit to the hard-wired method is achieving very high-quality audio.

THE WIRELESS APPROACH

Wireless hearing assistance systems are primarily for those who need the tool. However, additional receivers can be used to feed camcorders. For the price of an additional receiver and an adaptor cable, you can provide a wireless audio feed to a camcorder.

Figure 1
Replace the earpiece cable with an adapter cable.

If you don't have a hearing assistance system, call us for more information. The benefits of a personal hearing system are tremendous.

Besides the wireless hearing assistance system, there is another type that can feed a camcorder sound. Good quality VHF/UHF wireless systems will provide high-quality sound, often indistinguishable from hard-wired feeds. There are several manufacturers that make VHF/UHF systems specifically for camcorder or video applications. But there are drawbacks to this type of system. Frequency coordination is necessary to avoid interference problems. You don't want to interfere with the church's wireless microphones.

THE HARD-WIRED APPROACH

The hardwired approach requires "plugging" into your mixer. Your mixer will be one of two styles: 1) A simple 4, 6 or 8 channel shelf/rack-style with a volume control for each microphone input channel and a master volume control. 2) A multi-channel, tabletop, console-style mixer with multiple knobs per channel.

If yours is the first simple style mixer, there should be an output jack on the rear panel labeled AUX OUT or TAPE OUT. If you are not sure, or cannot find this output, call us with the make and model number of your mixer and we can help.

In most basic mixers, the signal you get from the AUX OUT is identical to the sound "balance" or mix feeding the main loudspeakers. However, this mix may not be optimum for your camcorder. Since the main loudspeaker mix can't be adjusted independently from the camcorder, the sound to the camcorder may be compromised. But remember, this is still going to sound better than just using the microphone on your camcorder.

Figure 2
Use the Right output to feed the camcorder.

If you have the second style, a multi-channel mixer, it is possible to adjust the main loudspeaker mix separately from the camcorder. One method of getting a separate mix for your camcorder is to use the LEFT and RIGHT MASTER outputs. (See Figure 2.) The left master adjusts the main loudspeakers and the right master adjusts the recording feed. Each channel's PAN control can vary the mix between the main loudspeakers and the camcorder feed.

Figure 3
This mixer has six Aux outputs.

In addition, on most of these mixers the camcorder audio can be sent from another jack. Look at Figure 3. Each microphone input channel has a volume control or fader that feeds the main loudspeakers and at least one other volume control that is labeled AUX, EFFECTS (EFX) or MONITOR. There should also be a corresponding master volume control for this mix labeled AUX SEND, EFFECTS MASTER or MONITOR MASTER. Each of these mixes can be adjusted separately from the main loudspeaker mix.

OVERCOMING PROBLEMS

1) Uh oh! You found the Aux Send jack and something is already plugged into it. Now what? Not to worry! Most mixers have more than one Aux Send output. Try to find an unused output.

Figure 4
A distribution amplifier splits a signal to multiple outputs.

If all the Aux Sends are used, then an audio distribution amplifier can be added. This device takes one input and isolates and splits the signal to multiple outputs. A distribution amplifier is shown in Figure 4.

2) If you are experiencing distortion on the camcorder audio recording, you will need to use an attenuator cable between the Aux output and the camcorder microphone input. Another way to reduce this distortion would be to use a "direct box" which converts a higher "line" level signal from a mixer to a lower "microphone" level.

3) Do you hear any "hum?" It's likely caused by a "ground loop." If you use an audio isolation transformer or a direct box, this ground loop should be eliminated or at least reduced in level. The last resort: use battery power.

4) Prevention is always the best way to overcome problems. In situations like weddings or special events, it is very important that all equipment is set-up and tested during a final rehearsal. Last minute Oh-by-the-way's can be devastating!