Looks like i have another filming job in the summer but my equipment is a bit old and i alway suffer with sounds problems as i only have one external mic, which is either on or off and no level adjustment i uses a JVC DV3000 and a JVC External MIc, there is no manual record functions , it does well for what it is

Summary of the problem is i want to be able to record sounds much better its a dance music event and i want to be able to get things right as the people i do it for are very up on sound engineering and i had to scrap about 40mins of footage last year because i swicthed to internal mic when using the light on the shoe

So want to do
- External Mic for interviews etc someone will be holding it in the punters face
- No tape transport noise in the distance shots of the event
- Level adjustment for very loud sounds

I am wondering if investing in a DAT recorder with a decent MIC would do the job then save it via optical link to my pC later as a wav and later on use it for editing but that may be more hassle trying to stick it all back togther

Or should i just put the money i would spend on a DAT and just try and get hold of a second hand 3CCD semi pro camcorder as most have good sound options then, bit worried about forking out on something like this which is secondhand . i dont need HD or anything that fancy really

VX1000 looks cheap`ish and usefull
XL1 i think i would struggle to hold , mine get heavy after about 3-4 hours

Any ideas , whats the best camcorder for Audio control

Sound recording relies on an "Audio chain" consisting of:

Microphone - preamp - analogue to digital converter - recording medium

As with any chain, your sound will only be as good as the weakest link. Personally I would start from left to right along the chain and buy a decent microphone. For video work Sennheiser is probably your best bet, followed by Audio Technica. For recording, don't bother with dat, it's rarely used nowadays. Have a look at something like the Marantz pmd660 to fulfil the last three parts of the chain.

I'm with the Guru, avoid DAT, for one thing there may be "some" tape transport noise, for another you can only transfer in real time. A good digital would do you better.If you can't afford the Marantz, have a look at the Edirol R09. I haven't tried one yet but I've read some good stuff.

John