Sound and XLR

Sound and XLR

To achieve the best results for sound in our project we chose to use the XRL microphones. The Sony Z1 has two XLR sockets. We used one microphone only as we didn’t need surround sound; if we had needed surround sound then we would have used both sockets. We didn’t need surround sound because we were doing interviews and with interviews you only need the voice of the contributor.

The XLR microphones, the industry’s standard, lock into the camera to keep the connection secure and to ensure that they aren’t accidentally pulled out. The XLR cable has three pins, one positive pin and one negative pin with the third pin as ground. The ground pin (Earth) helping to ensure the recording isn’t vulnerable to noise interference.

The XLR name doesn’t relate to what the cable actually does, it’s more of a description of the cable itself. The X is from the original series name from the manufacturer; the L stands for the Latch, as the connector has an latch on preventing it from accidentally coming out of the socket and the R means Rubber, referring to the rubber that surrounds the female leads with three holes in it so that the male pins will only go in one-way and thus preventing damaging the equipment.