Really silly idea: Rode NT-4 with HV-30

[Colin McDonald]

Reading a recent thread on the XH forum http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xh...nt4-xh-a1.html started me thinking. I already use a variety of external mono mics on HV-30s (Senny G2 wireless kit and/or Rode NT-G2 etc) but have occasionally needed stereo ambient sound which the built-in mic just wasn't up to.

I do know that the NT-4: is huge, heavy and needs a proper shockmount, doesn't have a high pass filter, picks up everything round about it and needs a custom XLR 5 to 3.5 TRS short cable made up. Please tell me I'm mad, or alternately that it might just be worth it.

I have other cameras and mics for most jobs, but I find the small size of the HV-30 lets me take a camera where a larger one would attract unwelcome attention. That seems to hold even when the HV 30 has various protuberances attached.

[Michael Wisniewski]

The NT4 is directional, so it will give you "better" sound because it's rejecting sounds from the side and back, which is what I think you're trying to do. Technically, if you were recording ambient sound, you would want it coming from all directions, so the on-camera mic might be "better" for that.

Whichever way you go, it's still a mic mounted on-camera - and that's probably the main problem with your setup. A better solution for ambient sound might be something like the Zoom H1. The idea being you could get the recorder closer to certain subjects while using the ambient sound from the mic as reference and backup.

[Colin McDonald]

I have a Zoom H2 which is fairly small and light and could be mounted on the camera as an option, or placed somewhere better where possible. While the sound with the H2's internal mics is OK, it is not as good as the Rode I suspect.

I also have a Zoom H4n which is used for separate audio recording, but that's getting a bit big for camera mounting. Still, I'll experiment with both.

After actually getting my hands on a Rode NT4 today, I saw what I knew already really - it's just too big and heavy.

Thanks for the input.

EDIT: OK I tried fitting on the Zoom H2 with a Rode SM3 shockmount plus bits from a Rycote Hotshoe Extender. It looks rather awkward but is quite light and it gives a choice of 90 or 120º stereo settings by selecting front or rear mics, rotating the H2 if necessary. I haven't done a test recording yet but I would need to find the optimal settings to reduce noise on the camera audio tracks. I'm using the line out on the H2 and the mic in on the HV-30, not the ideal match. Of course a recording from the H2 could just be synced on later, but it would be good if I could avoid having to start and stop both Zoom and camera every time. Here's some photos (apologies - just from an iPhone) The last one shows details of the mounting.

[Lee Mullen]

Originally Posted by Colin McDonald

I have a Zoom H2 which is fairly small and light and could be mounted on the camera as an option, or placed somewhere better where possible. While the sound with the H2's internal mics is OK, it is not as good as the Rode I suspect.

I also have a Zoom H4n which is used for separate audio recording, but that's getting a bit big for camera mounting. Still, I'll experiment with both.

After actually getting my hands on a Rode NT4 today, I saw what I knew already really - it's just too big and heavy.

Thanks for the input.

EDIT: OK I tried fitting on the Zoom H2 with a Rode SM3 shockmount plus bits from a Rycote Hotshoe Extender. It looks rather awkward but is quite light and it gives a choice of 90 or 120º stereo settings by selecting front or rear mics, rotating the H2 if necessary. I haven't done a test recording yet but I would need to find the optimal settings to reduce noise on the camera audio tracks. I'm using the line out on the H2 and the mic in on the HV-30, not the ideal match. Of course a recording from the H2 could just be synced on later, but it would be good if I could avoid having to start and stop both Zoom and camera every time. Here's some photos (apologies - just from an iPhone) The last one shows details of the mounting.

How do you sync the Zoom to the Canon? I have the H4n and its superior quality as a recorder and would love to use it with my camcorders.

[Colin McDonald]

How do you sync the Zoom to the Canon?

Should be very easy to sync manually if you run an input from the Zoom's headphone output to the camera's input as a reference track. It doesn't need to be brilliant quality as it will be replaced by the audio files from the Zoom. I usually don't bother though, as the audio from the built in mic is near enough the same unless the Zoom is located quite far away from the camera.

A handclap or similar event in appearing in shot will help give an initial sync point for each shot. There may be some audio sync drift over time with long shots.

There have been some threads about syncing audio using Plural Eyes - worth a search here on DVinfo.

My point was about using the Zoom as an external mic for the camera though, not about using for double system which I do anyway sometimes.

[Lee Mullen]

So basically you would adjust the syncing in post then would you? As you say specific audio to visual movements like a clap would be a starting point.