Canon XA10 and XA20 audio noise

[Clare27]

Hello,

I work with a Canon XA10 and Canon XA20. Both seem to pick up a fair amount of audio noise (like a static shhhhhh), even before I connect wireless microphones. The wireless microphones just intensify it. Is it normal for Canon camcorders to pick up some audio noise? Are there settings to work with to fix this, or should I just plan to continue eliminating the noise in Adobe Audtion, or any other program you would recommend? I greatly appreciate any help you can provide.

[Tim]

Hello Clare27,

With regards to the camcorder picking up audio noise, the answer would be two fold: yes- as it could potentially record any noise which is present near the microphones when recording, and no- as the camcorder should not actively add static or other 'generated' type noise, such as interference.  That can result from things like connections not being plugged in all the way, crossed cables, receivers and transmitters if anything like that is present. 

The camcorder should be set to utilize your external microphone/s only and disabling the onboard microphone.  Having the onboard microphone disabled will cut down on the chances of ambient noise being recorded.  Other than that, simply having your microphones themselves set up and used properly should produce a clean signal which is recorded by the camcorder.   

[Clare27]

Thank you for your advice. How would you disable the microphone on the camera?