Another Attenuator Question

[mrpink89]

Have another question in regards to my attenuator on my PMD 661, my Mic is a NTG2. in some cases when I record audio my actors will go over in the audio and I have to do another take. Some times for my loud talkers I have to put the attenuator on the highest I had to do it was -18 for either a screaming situation or a very loud talker who I could not get him to turn down his voice.

Anyways I always noticed that when I have the attenuator on that, in my head phones, I don't hear much 'noise" why is that? I am in a good audio range when I record them but I have just been wondering why there isn't much noise when I have the attenuator on?

 

[mrpink89]

follow up question, I remember reading on one of my old posts that some one replyed that my NTG2 records a lower out put "-6" although i risk sounding like an idiot I feel better asking.

since my mic has a low out put, would that mean if my recorder was peaking at lets say -20 that it is really peaking -6db under that because my mic records - 6 db lower?

 

[Alcove Audio]

Let's look at why you are using the attenuator in the first place... because the sounds you are recording are VERY LOUD. This means that there is a greater signal-to-noise ratio, or the there is a bigger difference between the sound you are recording and the background sound.


About the NTG-2 and levels...

What I said was "The NTG-2, AT897 and other mics that use a battery to power an internal phantom power supply have lower outut levels, as much as -6dB."

This means that if an NTG-1 records a sound that shows a level of -10dB on your meters an NTG-2 can be as low as -16dB. It has been reported that the difference grows as the internal battery drains. So a new battery in your NTG-2 might yield -1dB less output than other mics, but when the 1.5 volt battery is down to 1.2 volts will yield -4dB less output than other mics. (These aren't exact numbers, only examples.) So, using the above example, if an NTG-1 records a sound that shows a level of -10dB an NTG-2 with a fresh battery may show a level of -11dB, but with a partially drained battery -14dB and with a drained battery -16dB. Of course, you'll get distortion or seriously low or zero levels with a depleted battery.


There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to audio. This is a part of the paradox of working a professional in a technical/creative craft. There are accepted practices and guidelines that all of us professional audio types (and other crafts, I assume) use as a starting place because they work a large part of the time. However, we frequently run into situations where we must step outside of accepted practices and guidelines, but knowledge and experience - and a bit of craziness, intuition and creativity - act as guidelines for stepping out of the box.

 

[mrpink89]

I never put a battery in my NTG2 I just run the phantom power from my recorder. but I am just curious to know that if my audio levels are showing me peak at -20 does it mean my audio is lower then what is shown because of how the NTG2 is? or am I just completely wrong and what ever db numbers are shown on the level meter is what you are getting?

 

[Alcove Audio]

The meters should show the input level the unit, be it a mixer or a recorder, is receiving. They (the mixer or recorder) are stupid; they don't know or care what mic you are using. They only know what level comes in.