camcorder mic not working

[laurencewithau]

Hi everyone. I have a Panasonic HC-V700 camcorder with internal microphone. I also have a new Sennheiser MKE 300 microphone, which attaches to and plugs into the camcorder. And a new LR 44 battery for the Sennheiser.The Senn is supposed to show an Led light when the power is on, but it does not This makes me wonder whether the Senn is actually working.
My problem is that I do not know how to test it. There's audio when I record with the camcorder with the Senn attached, plugged in and switched on; but this could be the internal microphone for all I know. Can anyone tell me how to test whether the Senn is in working order?Thanks,
Laurencewithau

[smrpix]

Rub or gently scratch the tip of the wnidscreen with your fingers. If you hear a scratching sound it's working.

[laurencewithau]

Hi smrpix. Thanks for your reply.Did you say windscreen? Not sure what to scratch. In any case, Do I plug the Senn into the camcorder first, or just switch the Senn on? Laurencewithau

[smrpix]

Yes, plug it into the camera, using headphones if you have them to monitor. Turn it on. Scratch the foam around the mic and see if it is loud. Then scratch the built-in mic and see if it sounds any different. Whichever is louder is the mic you are using.

(oops, earlier typo on windscreen.)

[julitomg]

Also check if the mic´s battery is correctly installed ( check the - and + symbols)

[laurencewithau]

Hi smrpix and julitomg. Did as you both suggested but none the wiser.Could not hear any noise from Senn or from internal mic when I scratched them. Undaunted, I did an experiment. I recorded twice in video mode exactly the same audio, the first part of a song CD. The first time was with the Senn, the second was without, just using the internal mic.
When I just used the internal mic, in other words when I just used the camcorder in the ordinary way, but without the Senn, the music was very loud when I played it back on the PC, using the camcorder memory card, because the camcorder was near the pc speakers.
But when I attached, plugged in and switched on the Senn, recorded the same part of the same song in exactly the same way and played it back on the pc, the same as the first time, all I heard was a very faint song, barely audible.
I have no idea what the explanation is, or whether or not it indicates that the Senn is working. But if not working, how does it affect the sound from the internal mic?
It may mean something to you if I add that when I plug in and turn on the Senn, the camcorder monitor displays an acknowledgement and a row of black roundish shapes appears on the bottom of the screen.
Is there not a reliable way of testing whether the Senn is working?
Thanks again,
Laurencewithau

[smrpix]

Sounds like the Senn is working but you have it turned way low. Go to page 69 in your panasonic manual.

[julitomg]

Sounds like the Senn is working but you have it turned way low. Go to page 69 in your panasonic manual

But if the volume (or audio gain) was turned down, it´d still affect the camcorder´s internal mic, wouldn´t it? but it was loud enough during laurencewithau´s test so I don´t think it was turned down to begin with.
@laurencewithau
I´d put in a new fresh battery and try again, if that doesn´t work either, I´d tray to check the sennheiser with another recording device with a miniplug input (like another camcorder, portable audio recorder, etc) and even if you don´t have access to one, you can connect your mic to a PC or laptop´s mic input and with windows (or other) sound recorder see if there´s a signal, you should be able to record sound from your microphone to your PC.
If that also fails, I´d suspect the cable, I was reading some reviews about your specific model and some reviewers complain about the cable breaking down (the flaw may not be evident externally, the damage could be inside the cable itself)

[laurencewithau]

Hi smrpix. I did as you suggested and altered the input level, I think it's called, though it did say that it was on auto adjust. when I looked first it was on +2; I increased and decreased it several times but still there was only an extremely faint sound when I recorded and played back with the Senn fixed up. Thanks for your help,Laurencewithau

[laurencewithau]

Hi julitomg. Thanks for your reply and for the advice. I'll act on it today and try the Senn in the PC. I'll report the results. Thanks again for all your help.Laurencewithau