Posted by dcasperson on 10/26/07 20:36

On Oct 25, 11:52 pm, "Richard Crowley" <rcrow...@xp7rt.net> wrote:
> "Doc" wrote ...
>
>
>
>
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> > I've got a Sony Digital8 camcorder, there are a couple of mode
> > settings on this cam that are unclear to me. In VCR mode there are 3
> > settings - Stereo, 1, 2.
>
> > There's also an "Audio Mix" setting with a graduated setting between
> > "ST1" and "ST2".
>
> > To me the manual is cryptic regarding these topics.
> .....
> > Here under "playing back a stereo tape" it references Stereo, 1 as
> > monaural, and 2 as "unnatural" (?) sound. Then it references playing
> > back a Dual Sound track tape with Stereo as being Main Sound and sub-
> > sound, 1 being Main Sound, 2 being Sub sound.
>
> > Can anyone clarify any of this? It further confuses the issue by
> > specifying that you can't record dual sound programs on the
> > camcorder. Is there some kind of pre-made "dual sound track" tape
> > that I've just never seen?
>
> It sounds like they are talking about the alternate audio
> mode for DV where you can record four channels of 12-bit
> sound (vs. the "normal" mode of two channels of 16-bit).
>
> Be thankful that you cannot record "dual sound" on your
> camcorder. The 12-bit limit causes the sound to be quite
> sub-standard in quality and everyone who has accidentally
> used that mode has been sorry.
>
> Some camcorders would allow you to record 12-bit sound
> on channels 1&2 or 3&4. But I never saw any equipment
> of any price that would let you record all four channels at
> once. For playback since most equipment has only two
> channels output, they had a way of letting you "mix" the
> 1&2 with the 3&4 tracks.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

I believe the ST1, ST2 & Mix settings only apply the 12 bit, 4 channel
recordings. No D8 camcorder could ever record 4 channels at one
time so there was no point in ever using the 12 bit setting.

The only way you could ever create a 4 channel D8 recording was to
firewire dub it from a Canon XL1 which had already created the 4
channel recording. There may have been one or two other MiniDV
camcorders that could dub audio to the ST2 channels but I think the
XL1 was the only one that could record 4 audio channels at one time?

There probably isn't 1 person in a million that needs to concern
himself with all that nonsense. Just set your D8 camcorder to 16
bit, the day you buy it and leave it there. Unfortunately Sony made
the 12 bit mode the de facto standard when they shipped all D8
camcorders from the factory. So a lot of people used the 12 bit
setting on all of their recordings. What a waste of space on the
tape because you could never come back and add audio to those 2 unused
12 bit audio tracks. Everyone should only use the 2 channel, 16 bit
setting, for everything.

Dave

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