Using a 'new' Panasonic SD 900 Camera, on tripod, and the Rode Video Shotgun Mic., on separate tripod I filmed the School Play.

I used an 3.5mm extension lead to enable me to place the mic away from the camera and everything was as it should be with no extraneous noises on the audio.

I had set-up the previous day's rehearsal with a mixer to provide me with more mic inputs to feed into the camera but a noisy buzz from the stage lighting panel made me remove the mixer and run the camera and mic from batteries. And the results from the rehearsal were perfect.

After I had set up on the actual opening night someone else arrived and fed power to his camera, which was on the same platform as mine.

Listening to the results last night I was alarmed to find that I had a high pitched 'buzz' which I could only hear in the quieter passages of the play and did not hear through the earphones at the time. To be fair I have a typical old age hearing impairment and could only just hear it when it was pointed out afterwards.

I am delighted to report that the AUDIO DENOISE facility on PD9 has clearly analysed the appropriate 'STATIONARY NOISE' and has removed it.

I did run the video's audio track into my Tracer Technologies DC 8 Audio Edit Programme and the 'BUZZ' would appear to be 50hz inspired. I had previously used DC 8 to clean up a very noisy audio but couldn't do it on the 'fly' and found the re-synchronisation a real pain.

I can only assume that there was some sort of induction between the mains cable to the other camera (which was on the same ring as the stage lighting controller) and my mic. extension lead.

I have tried to find out the extent of what PD9 can do with extraneous noise on the audio but there doesn't seem to be much information and I would be delighted to have access to an audio programme that would give me the range of contained within DC 8 and that would enable me to do it on the 'fly' with PD9.

Incidentally, first use in anger of the Rode Video Shotgun Mic. was a real success but it would have been too touchy to have on the camera, even with the 'independent' rubber suspension (basically 'elastic bands') and even made less bouncy.

GR