hi8 camcorder - awful distorded audio when recording

[HidenSeek]

English is not my first language, but I'll try and explain my problem the best I can

I bought a new hi8 cassette a couple of weeks ago because I wanted to film on a weekend I was going to spend away, and the only camera I have at the moment is a old hi8 camera. The problem is that when I watched what I have filmed, there was this loud distorted "industrial" sound that came in the beginning of each new take. At first it slowly faded away after a few seconds and then you could hear normal sounds. But after a while the sound lasted longer and longer until it became constant. I have to scream into the mic to hear my voice over the distortion, and even then you can barley hear what I'm screaming.

I'm a newbie when it comes to cameras but I guess there is a problem with the record head (A hi8 camcordes does have a record head yes?) Because when I connect the camera to my TV and use it as a passthrough the audio is fine. It also has no audio problems when I playback old tapes.

this may sound like a dumb question but could it help if I used a cleaning tape in record mode? or would that damage things even more?
Is there something I can do or is it busted?

btw there is no problems with the picture, just the audio

[edDV]

English is not my first language, but I'll try and explain my problem the best I can

I bought a new hi8 cassette a couple of weeks ago because I wanted to film on a weekend I was going to spend away, and the only camera I have at the moment is a old hi8 camera. The problem is that when I watched what I have filmed, there was this loud distorted "industrial" sound that came in the beginning of each new take. At first it slowly faded away after a few seconds and then you could hear normal sounds. But after a while the sound lasted longer and longer until it became constant. I have to scream into the mic to hear my voice over the distortion, and even then you can barley hear what I'm screaming.

I'm a newbie when it comes to cameras but I guess there is a problem with the record head (A hi8 camcordes does have a record head yes?) Because when I connect the camera to my TV and use it as a passthrough the audio is fine. It also has no audio problems when I playback old tapes.

this may sound like a dumb question but could it help if I used a cleaning tape in record mode? or would that damage things even more?
Is there something I can do or is it busted?

btw there is no problems with the picture, just the audio

A cleaning tape might help.

But the Hi8 format records audio as AFM as part of the video signal, not as a separate track. So it doesn't make sense that video would be ok but not the audio. This points to a problem with the camcorder itself, not the format. You might try an external mic if the camcorder has a jack.

[HidenSeek]

will there be any difference if I use the cleaning tape in play or in rec mode?

I think I used to have a old mic some where. I'll see if I can find it

[edDV]

will there be any difference if I use the cleaning tape in play or in rec mode?

I think I used to have a old mic some where. I'll see if I can find it

It would improve general performance but I don't think it will solve garbled audio. Try to find another Hi8 camcorder or playback deck to see if the problem is recorded to tape.

[HidenSeek]

I went to the store today and bought a new tape just to see if the tape was the problem, it wasn't
actually I was wrong when I first said it was just the sound that was the problem. everything was in black and white now. but the color would get back after some minutes with filming. the first minutes there was a grey picture with two vertical stripes of yellow and two vertical stripes of blue and then suddently there was full color(but no sound), but when I stopped and continued filming again it was black and white again.

but playback of the old tapes that was recorded in the 90's is still ok. no problems with either sound or picture

I also tried a cleaning tape and pressed record. but the tape would just stop

[aedipuss]

cleaning tapes work by pressing play.

[edDV]

If old tapes play, it would seem the problem is on the record electronics side.

That is the best kind of failure because you can still play the old tapes.