Introduction

The V-60HD has multiple ways to connect audio sources:

• Analog XLR/TRS - This is a combo connector, meaning you can connect either 3 pin XLR cables, or 1/4" audio cables
• Analog RCA - These are the red and white phono connectors
• Digital HDMI and SDI - The video inputs also accept audio embedded within the video signal

 

This guide covers 2 different workflows:

• Using the V-60HD to mix all of your audio
• Using an external audio mixer with stereo output to the V-60HD

 

 

Muting Audio Channels

The first thing you want to do when setting up a V-60HD is to mute any audio channels you do not plan to use. In most cases, this is some or all of the HDMI and SDI inputs.

 

When you go to the Audio Input menu, the SDI and HDMI settings are not on the first page, keep scrolling until you see them:

• Audio In 1 through Audio In 4 are for the XLR/TRS inputs
• Audio In 5/6 is for the RCA inputs

Note that you can also use the Audio Mixer in the RCS software to adjust these settings.

 

Here are some examples. Note that you only want to mute the SDI and HDMI audio channels you are not using:

• Menu > Audio Input > SDI In 1 > Input Mute > On
• Menu > Audio Input > SDI In 2 > Input Mute > On
• Menu > Audio Input > SDI In 3 > Input Mute > On
• Menu > Audio Input > SDI In 4 > Input Mute > On
• Menu > Audio Input > HDMI In 5 > Input Mute > On
• Menu > Audio Input > HDMI In 6 > Input Mute > On
  
  
• If you plan to output a camera's microphone via SDI or HDMI to the V-60HD, do not mute that SDI or HDMI input
• If you plan to output a laptop's audio via HDMI to the V-60HD, do not mute that HDMI input
• The Digital Gain setting for each embedded audio input is a pre-fader trim you can use to adjust the level before any EQ or Compressor processing.

Tip: When navigating the submenus, press the EXIT button to go up one level. If you press MENU again, it will exit the menu completely.

 

Even if your SDI or HDMI source does not output any audio, it is recommended to mute that audio channel, because in some cases, the source may generate noise that will be part of your audio mix.

 

Muting unused analog input channels is not necessary, so long as the volume mixer knobs on the V-60HD are turned all the way down for those channels:

 

 

Setting Up Microphones

This section covers microphones that are connected directly to the V-60HD mic inputs. If you are using an external audio mixer, you can skip to the next section.

 

To set up a microphone, first you need to determine what type it is:

• Dynamic
  • These microphones need a lot of head amp (aka preamp) gain
  • They do not need phantom power
• Condenser
  • These microphones need less head amp gain
  • They are more sensitive to noises in the room
  • They need phantom power
• Lavalier
  • These are clip on microphones
  • The amount of head amp gain needed varies
    • Wired
      • These need less head amp gain
      • Can be very sensitive to room and clothing noises
      • They also need phantom power
    • Wireless
      • Head amp gain varies, because the level is also controlled via the mic belt packs
      • In most cases, they do not need phantom power

 

In this example, we connected a dynamic microphone to Audio In 1, and a condenser microphone to Audio In 2:

Once connected, turn the audio level knobs for 1, 2, and MASTER OUTPUT on the V-60HD's audio mixer to the 0 dB dot:

 

 

Next, turn on Phantom Power for Input 2 in the menu:

Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 2 > Phantom +48V > On

 

 

Next, set your Head Amp (aka preamp) gain in the menu. This setting will vary, depending on the microphone, and the voice of the person using it.

 

Here are some example settings for these two different types of microphones:

• Dynamic Microphone
  • Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 1 > Head Amp Gain > 50 dB
  • Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 1 > Digital Gain > 0.0 dB
  • Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 1 > Input Level > 0.0 dB
  • Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 2 > Phantom +48V > Off
  • Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 1 > Pan > Center
    
    
• Condenser Microphone
  • Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 2 > Head Amp Gain > 35 dB
  • Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 2 > Digital Gain > 0.0 dB
  • Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 2 > Input Level > 0.0 dB
  • Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 2 > Phantom +48V > On
  • Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 2 > Pan > Center

 

As a general rule, do not pan microphones that people are speaking into, your dialogue should be centered.

Also, do not adjust the digital gain, this is for advanced setups that need additional headroom for adding EQ and Compression. More info is in the Owner's Manual.

 

 

Setting Up An External Audio Mixer

To set up an external audio mixer, there are two ways to connect it.

 

XLR/TRS Inputs 1 and 2

This method preserves a balanced connection. XLR and 1/4" TRS connectors are balanced.

Balanced cables require balanced connectors and wiring on each end.

 

Note that TRS cables are very similar to TS cables, which are unbalanced:

 

Connect your audio mixer's left and right outputs to inputs 1 and 2 on the V-60HD, using either XLR or TRS cables:

 

Next, bring the AUDIO INPUT LEVEL knobs for 1 and 2 to the 0dB dot, as well as MASTER OUTPUT:

 

Next, enter the menu, and change or confirm the following settings:

• Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 1 > Head Amp Gain > 0 dB
• Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 1 > Digital Gain > 0.0 dB
• Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 1 > Input Level > 0.0 dB
• Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 1 > Pan > Left
  
  
• Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 2 > Head Amp Gain > 0 dB
• Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 2 > Digital Gain > 0.0 dB
• Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 2 > Input Level > 0.0 dB
• Menu > Audio Input > Audio In 2 > Pan > Right

Note that if your external mixer is a single mono output, do not use Audio In 2 and set Pan for Audio In 1 to Center.

 

 

Finally, output a test tone from your audio mixer to calibrate the signal level. You may need to add a small amount of HEAD AMP GAIN in the audio input menus to get the signal level to match.

If you are not familiar with calibrating audio levels, you can skip this step, as the mix level will already be very close.

 

The stereo meters on the V-60HD hardware panel, multi-view, and RCS software are dBFS, a digital scale where the highest value is 0dB, and anything over that is clipping. This is not the same as a VU meter.

So, if you output a 1 kHz sine wave test tone at a +4 dBu reference level, it should appear as -16 dBFS on the V-60HD, and 0 dBu reference would be -20 dBFS.

Note that dBu, VU, and dBFS are all different scales, so the values are different between each of them.

 

 

RCA Line Inputs

You can instead connect an audio mixer's RCA outputs to the the RCA inputs on the V-60HD:

 

Then, simply adjust the "5/6" knob on the V-60HD audio mixer to the 0 dB dot:

 

If you need to run a long cable between the audio mixer and video switcher, consider using the XLR/TRS inputs for a balanced connection, or running XLR out of the audio mixer and into a line converter box, which will convert the output to RCA, and you can then connect a short RCA cable to prevent noise issues from an unbalanced connection.

 

 

Additional Tips

Once you have your final audio settings, it's recommended to create a backup file. This can be done with a USB Flash Drive connected to the V-60HD, or saving a file to your computer using the V-60HD RCS control software's menu.

More information is in this article, and the Owner's Manual and RCS Owner's Manual.

 

If you have a number of people operating the V-60HD, it may also help to enable Panel Lock. This is a feature located in the System menu that allows you to disable specific knobs and buttons on the V-60HD. This is particularly helpful if you have an external audio mixer and do not want anyone to accidentally adjust the Master Output volume on the V-60HD.

More information is in the Owner's Manual.