On location music video with NEX7 + Rode videomic PRO

[Rafael Lopes]

Guys,

As a favor for a friend who is a piano player and a singer, I will shoot her playing the piano and singing. She doesn´t have any recordings, so we cannot shoot playback like I would when normally shooting a music video. The sound that will be used will actually be the live sound from all the different takes from differet angles.
The shooting will be in a living room where the piano is. What tips do you have sound wise for the NEX7 with the Rode videomic PRO? What settings should I use?

I´d specially like to know what DB should I set the Rode videomic PRO to to capture the live voice and piano sound (taking in consideration it´ll be recorded in a living room).

[Richard Crowley]

I would first go out and get an extension cable for the microphone. Leaving it on top of your camera will NEVER get you a decent sound perspective, and even worse if you are moving around. And next, I would experiment to see where to place it to get the best blend of the vocal and the piano. A microphone stand with a small boom is a pretty inexpensive thing to find at a music store, etc.

Audiences have been conditioned to hear perfect audio tracks (typically mixed-down multi-track studio recordings) even if they are seeing shaky-cam "grunge" video (thanks to MTV, et.al.) If you can't lip-sync to a good studio recording, then you have the double job of trying to get good audio while simultaneously getting good video shots. At least plan on shooting multiple takes. One good medium/"cover" shot all the way through that will form the audio "master" track, and then several more takes through the song from different angles that you can edit in for variety.

Remember also that the "auto-level" in most camcorders is DEATH to music and it seems possible that you will NEVER get a decent recording of music with that camera. The sensitivity setting for the microphone seems like the least of your problems.

[Rafael Lopes]

Since last time I´ve posted I´ve got an H4N and a NTG3. I´ve got a mic stand and a long XLR cable and I´m planing to leave it over the piano pointing the singers face. Here are my audio noob doubts:
- Should I be concerned that the vibration from the piano will somehow interfere?
- By default DB is set at zero. Since I will be working with loud sounds should I decrease the DB values?
- When I look at the sound meter on the H4N where should the bars be while recording?

Any other tips will be welcome too.

[Trevor Dennis]

If you are shooting multiple angles, then it would make sense to use the big close up of the singer as the master sound track, and cut in the other takes as video only. Perfect lip sync where you need it most. I guess that was kind of obvious... I'll get my coat. ;-)

[Rafael Lopes]

Originally Posted by Trevor Dennis

If you are shooting multiple angles, then it would make sense to use the big close up of the singer as the master sound track, and cut in the other takes as video only. Perfect lip sync where you need it most. I guess that was kind of obvious... I'll get my coat. ;-)

She improvises, so that is not an option. These is no way around cutting sound as well as video...as hellish as it may sound.

From a technical point of view I´d really like an input regarding these two questions

- By default DB is set at zero. Since I will be working with loud sounds should I decrease the DB values?
- When I look at the sound meter on the H4N where should the bars be while recording?

[Trevor Dennis]

Does this help?
Peak Levels w/Oktava MK102 + Zoom h4n Question

[Rafael Lopes]

Can anyone tell me how to turn on the feature that cancels DSLRs auto audio gain?

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Rafael Lopes

Can anyone tell me how to turn on the feature that cancels DSLRs auto audio gain?

A feature of what device? As far as I know there is no such feature on the Rode Videomic. As far as the camera, how to disable its auto level control should be described in the manual, if indeed it has such a feature (not all cameras do).
.....(edit).................
Tracked down the manual online and it makes no reference about the camera's audio level controls one way or the other that I have been able to find. There's a menu setting that lets you turn audio recording on or off but that seems to be it. No mention of level controls at all, either manual or automatic. So it seems safe to assume that the camera has automatic level control of its audio recording and there is no way to turn it off

[Rafael Lopes]

Originally Posted by Steve House

A feature of what device? As far as I know there is no such feature on the Rode Videomic. As far as the camera, how to disable its auto level control should be described in the manual, if indeed it has such a feature (not all cameras do).
.....(edit).................
Tracked down the manual online and it makes no reference about the camera's audio level controls one way or the other that I have been able to find. There's a menu setting that lets you turn audio recording on or off but that seems to be it. No mention of level controls at all, either manual or automatic. So it seems safe to assume that the camera has automatic level control of its audio recording and there is no way to turn it off

Sorry, I was not specific at all. I´ve meant the H4N. I though it had a way to disable the cameras' AGC but I think only the beachtek can do that.

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Rafael Lopes

Sorry, I was not specific at all. I´ve meant the H4N. I though it had a way to disable the cameras' AGC but I think only the beachtek can do that.

Nope, there's no such feature on the H4n either. If you're sending audio to the camera from the H4n, the only function it serves would be as a scratch track in post helping to sync the H4n's audio to the camera video and then being discarded. Auto level control isn't a problem with that application since you don't actually use the camera audio for anything anyway.

[Rafael Lopes]

Just to check out how decent of a sound I could recording directly into the camera I´ve tested this: NTG3 - XLR - H4N - Mini Jack cable - NEX7 . The sounds actually came out worst than the NEX7's stock mic. There is a lot of noise and I think it may have something to do with the camera's AGC. I suspect that when I lower the DB on the H4N the NEX7 must be boosting the cameras' AG.

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Rafael Lopes

Just to check out how decent of a sound I could recording directly into the camera I´ve tested this: NTG3 - XLR - H4N - P2 cable - NEX7 . The sounds actually came out worst than the NEX7's stock mic. There is a lot of noise and I think it may have something to do with the camera's AGC. I suspect that when I lower the DB on the H4N the NEX7 must be boosting the cameras' AG.

The H4n monitor output sends a LINE level signal. The camera's audio input expects a MIC level signal. You're overloading the camera's audio sending it a signal that is much too hot. You'll need to put an attenuator in the cable from the recorder to the camera if you plan to go that route. (PS: What do you mean by "P2 cable?")

[Rafael Lopes]

I´ve meant a mini jack (the technical specification in Brazil is P2).
The attenuator goes between the H4N and the NEX7, right? So I supose the attenuator has a regular mic input and output?

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Rafael Lopes

I´ve meant a mini jack (the technical specification in Brazil is P2).
The attenuator goes between the H4N and the NEX7, right? So I supose the attenuator has a regular mic input and output?

Ah there's the problem. I'm not aware of any "plug-able" attenuators with minijack inputs and outputs. You might need to solder your own or get a cable like this one ... Sescom LN2MIC-ZOOMH4N 3.5mm Line to Mic 25dB Att. 9 Inch DSLR Cable for Zoom H4N and Zoom H1 They also have a 6foot long version of it.

[Rafael Lopes]

The more I find out the more I think I will be compromising the sound quality...I mean I would have to put the attenuator between the H4N and the NEX7 and get 2 jack to mini jack adapters....