Need help with laviler setup for use with Behringer XENYX 802

[Chrispy]

Hello ever-so-helpful MacRumors community I was hoping you could help me out. Here is what I'm looking to do:

I have a video blog (cuisinemadequick.com) and right now I have been using an AKG Perception 200 cardioid condenser mic hooked to my Behringer 802 via XLR. The mixer is set to the appropriate levels and hooked to my Canon Vixia HG20 via the 3.5mm stereo mic jack using the 1/4 main outs.

I purchased some Azden WLX Pro wireless lavs but the output was really low. I even opened them up and turned up the volume out to the receiver module. Alas, I had to turn up the level 1 mix and main mix to about half causing the camera to record a very audible hiss (I can keep at less than a quarter on both using the AKG XLR on phantom power). If I record at lower levels then the hiss just becomes apparent in editing when I up the volume.

I tried using a ground loop isolator out to the camera to reduce the hiss but it did nothing to clean up the sound. It seems the only way to avoid this is to keep the mixer levels at 1/4 or so. This was not problem with the AKG. My question is would I be better going with a wired XLR lav like this one http://is.gd/jCcx or with a UHF wireless lav that costs a bit more suchs as this http://is.gd/jCcG.

I just need something that outputs at a high enough level to my mixer to avoid having to crank it up so much that the camera pics up a hiss. Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[zimv20]

i've not used these lavs, but i went to the B&H site to read the reviews. this one caught my eye:

I was nervous at first recording because the audio volume was too low, and I lost quality by boosting with software. I'm sure I voided my warrenty, but I opened both the receiver and tranmitter to see if I could make adjustments... there is a tiny screw labeled VR101 (trans) and VR2 (rec) that adjust pick up. I basically maxed both of them out because I'm soft spoken, but it works like a charm now. Works to reduce pickup as well if needed. Just be careful of cheap plastic connectors when opening.

is that what you did when you opened them up?

the other question i would ask you is: how are you connecting it to your mixer? are you going line-level in, and is there any kind of input trim on that mixer for line level?

 

[Chrispy]

is that what you did when you opened them up?

the other question i would ask you is: how are you connecting it to your mixer? are you going line-level in, and is there any kind of input trim on that mixer for line level?

Thanks for the input zimv! That is indeed what I did. It helped but if you took them up too far the sound got distorted so I still could not achieve the volume level needed. I'm worried that it may be my mixer that is causing me trouble as well. Even with nothing plugged in and just headphones plugged into the monitor I can hear some hiss when levels are set to 50% and gain to zero (input 1 all other turned all the way down).

I'm guessing the problem comes down to needing to attenuate the signal since I'm trying to go into the camera at line level. I knew the signal was hot but since the other mic allowed me to keep levels so low the hiss was not nearly as audible. What would be a good option for me as far as getting a clean signal into the Canon HG20? Are there good mixers designed for mic level output to a camera with only a 3.5mm in? Maybe I need to just forget it and grab this http://is.gd/jE1F to plug directly into the camera? Only problem then is getting two lavs into the unit...