OT Constant Voltage Regulator

I have recently started to get noise in my captures and I wonder if line fluctuations might be the problem. Do the "pros" condition voltage someway? I was thinking I might need Constant Voltage Regulators like I use to use in the darkroom to keep my enlarging times consistant.
Jack

How you capturing? FW? Probably not is most likely the answer here.

Michael Horton
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Jack,

Are you meaning noise in the video or audio portions or both of the capture?

Steve

Noise in both video and audio, thru Firewire. Clicks and pops in audio and video is not as clear as usual.
I may have tracked it down to my deck, changed it out with some improvement but still some noise in audio
Jack

Jack,

That sounds more like record/playback head issues than electrical issues. Possibly dirty record head? Just out of idle curiosity, have you tried to move the system to another circuit just to check?

Steve

You were using a constant voltage (Sola) transformer in the darkroom because enlarger light sources are extraordinarily sensitive to power fluctuations. A couple of volts here and there during the paper exposure is the equivalent of a half-stop or so during the camera exposure. Most noticeable, particularly if you were doing color. Conventional enlarger lamps change color as they dim.

All this is lovely and nothing to do with your problem. You are getting data errors/dropped bits.

<<<I have recently started to get noise in my captures >>>

Recently? Are you capturing to an external FireWire drive? Do all the drives on your system--including the System Drive-- have at least 10% free space?

Did you recently upgrade your machine or software? Do you have Virus Protection Software running?

Koz

<<<record/playback head issues than electrical issues. >>>

Certainly that, too.

Is there any way to view the playback of your tape without involving Final Cut? Monitor or viewfinder?

Koz

One more. Is the tape Extended Play? It's not unusual for Extended Play tape to only play successfully on the camera that made it.

Avoid EP.

Koz

Plenty of free space on the media drive as I clean it regularly and the system drive is only about half utilized. The media drive is not a firewire drive.
I have changed plugs but I think it is all probably the same circuit. We are in a huge building and if something changed in another part of the building I wouldn't know (like some new machine) that's why I was wondering about the Constant Volt Regulator. No upgrades or new software.
All this is recent as well, like last week it started.
Jack

As far as EP goes, the tapes are EP and it is common for our lab to have really poor quality tape submitted for processing. The problems I am seeing are beyond the regular defects I usually see.
Jack

Monitoring the tapes outside of the edit program-they look better than the capture.
Jack

hmmmm..... have you tried a simple ground lift adapter on any of your devices? You know... the 3 prong to 2 prog jobbie? Always worked in the audio world and has cleared up a few projector issues.

Steve

I'll give it a try, thanks all
Jack

Do you keep a known, good, working tape in your briefcase as a control? Something you personally shot at the beach and you know it works OK? I keep a tape of the neighbor's windmill with me and another I shot at the airport (back when you could do such things).

How full is your System Drive?

Did you change the cable?

Is the machine doing anything else? Do you get the Spinning Beach Ball Of Death? Any error messages?

It sounds like you just got a very unstable tape and different pathways are different unstable because digital is so darn clever that way.

Koz

I did test a known good tape, still some problems but I am thinking it is more deck related as a 3rd test deck did work better with significant less problems.
Actually, no spinning beach ball of death, same cable, system drive is 160 with about 90 free.
Jack

Can you borrow your mom's camcorder, run it on batteries (to avoid power problems) and capture your SP tape just to clear it finally? From your system description, that should work perfectly--no noise or problems at all.

It appears to me you solved your own mystery, but we will, of course, be taking credit for it anyway.

Another Winnah!!

Koz

The actual set-up is that these are vhs tapes that are being played on a Panasonic 1980 which is going out to a sony dsr 11 to be dvc'd, fire wired out of the dsr 11 to the editing program capture. I think it is my deck, I have a total of 4 panasonic 1980's. 3 need to go into service and I think the last one may have also just taken a dive.
Jack