I want to be able to connect two Rode mics I have to the one video camera so as to give sterio sound. How do I go about this in the simplest, cheapest way?

That all depends on the connections on your camera. Most consumer cameras have a 3,5 mm stereo jackplug. (Semi)professional cameras have XLR connectors. The latter would be easy: just use two microphone cables. That you would have found out for yourself I guess, so I suppose you have the 3,5 mm jackplug in your camera.

In that case you have to check if your microphone needs phantom power or can be battery operated. If it is battery operated you can just buy a simple Y-cable that splits the stereo connection into two mono (left and right) connections. If not, you will need a phantom power unit or a mixing device with phantom power.

Let me know the type of camera and microphone for a more specific advice.

That all depends on the connections on your camera. Most consumer cameras have a 3,5 mm stereo jackplug. (Semi)professional cameras have XLR connectors. The latter would be easy: just use two microphone cables. That you would have found out for yourself I guess, so I suppose you have the 3,5 mm jackplug in your camera.

In that case you have to check if your microphone needs phantom power or can be battery operated. If it is battery operated you can just buy a simple Y-cable that splits the stereo connection into two mono (left and right) connections. If not, you will need a phantom power unit or a mixing device with phantom power.

Let me know the type of camera and microphone for a more specific advice.

Thanks Mario.

The camera is a GS 500. It has a 3.5mm jack.
The Mics are a
- Rode VideoMic - Manual says power (Supplu voltage) is 9v battery, Current 5 mA
and a
- Rode NTG-2 - Manual says power is 1.5v (alkaline) or P48 Phantom

nope! not gonna happen unless you get a mixer or something that outputs to a 3.5mm jack or whatever input the camera has.

I do not agree. It is possible to connect both these mics to your camera using a Y-cable. You will have to have one custom made because one of the leads will have to be connected to the left channel of the 3,5 mm jack plug that goes into the camera and the other lead will have to got to the right channel.

But, and this is a big BUT, I would not advise two different mics to get a stereo sound. You should use two mics of the same type (e.g. two NTG-2 mics).

or . . get one of these. Marvellous!

Rode Stereo Videomic - Proactive (http://www.proav.co.uk/Audio-Equipment/Microphones-&-Microphone-Kits/Shotgun-Microphones/p15431_sc965.aspx)

Grazie

You need to get on of the units from Beachtek:
Welcome to the new BeachTek website! (http://www.beachtek.com/)

Renton, if you want instructions for making your own pigtail, check out this thread:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/all-things-audio/54677-wiring-challenge-keeping-channels-separate.html

I have made several and they work great with my VX2000.

Thanks everybody for your thoughts. I'll have a go at that wiring Curt.

I don't really want to buy another mic and so I'll just have to mix them...

This might work

Hosa YMM-261 1/8"TRS-2 1/8"TS Y Cable. Hosa YMM 261 1/8"TRS-2 1/8"TS Y Cable. Hosa YMM261 1/8"TRS-2 1/8"TS Y Cable. (http://www.jacksmusicfactory.com/default.asp?productid=3131)

I hate the word 'stereo' - if you have a stereo microphone, you have two matched mics, in one housing, and as an alternative you could have two identical mics mounted externally.

What most people end up with is two channel sound, and there's nothing wrong with that, apart from it not being stereo. Stereo sound is supposed to allow the listener to perceive locational information - like with a classical orchestra. You listen to the CD and can locate the violins, the violas, cellos and basses - and then pick out the instruments in the desks behind. Or - identify the position of the players in a big band, or make a drum kit seem 20 feet wide! Early stereo Beatles recordings were two channel, not stereo, despite the labels, with very hard panning of the sources because of equipment limitations of the day.

Real stereo for video is difficult. Use the orchestral example above. On the wide shot it works, but focus on the flute, full frame - where should it's sound go? or should it stay in the same place?

If you have different types of microphones, stereo is wierd. With different mics in a spaced pair configuration, or an X/Y setup (usually what one-piece mics do) their different frequency response introduces image shifts - however, as on board mic placment for stereo recording is usually compromised by camera noise anyway, and the nasty sickening/dizziness effect when the camera is panned - you'll probably not even notice the slightly odd sound.

With two mics on the camera, aligning them at an angle to each other with a stereo bar is difficult, and using them remotely introduces yet another set of problems.


In most cases, having two essentially mono tracks you can blend in post is more useful - if you are doing a music event and need real stereo recordings, do them separately and add them later on proper audio kit.

Thanks Paul.

I wasn't aware of the difference between 'stereo' and 'two channel' sound. I thought two channels, each from separate mics was stereo.

It is two channel I was thinking of but used for a single speaker. One mic each side, about an arms length away (arms 30 degrees either side out the front, aimed towards the mouth and just above head height.

I have just done a shoot using two cameras for such a setup, with one mic going to each camera. My intention was to use both sound tracks. As it turned out, I only used the video and audio from one camera, after discovering for this particular sort of shoot, I only want one camera.

Then I thought -"Why not shove both mics into that one camera?"

Thus my question...

Thanks Paul.

I wasn't aware of the difference between 'stereo' and 'two channel' sound. I thought two channels, each from separate mics was stereo.

It is two channel I was thinking of but used for a single speaker. One mic each side, about an arms length away (arms 30 degrees either side out the front, aimed towards the mouth and just above head height.

I have just done a shoot using two cameras for such a setup, with one mic going to each camera. My intention was to use both sound tracks. As it turned out, I only used the video and audio from one camera, after discovering for this particular sort of shoot, I only want one camera.

Then I thought -"Why not shove both mics into that one camera?"

Thus my question...Using two mics is not a bad idea at all but I'd suggest using them in a different way. Two channels does not per se make stereo, as has been pointed out, but for a speaker stereo is kind of pointless anyway. Even when the final film has a stereo track for music and effects, dialog is mono and placed in the center, fed equally to both left and right channels. What makes more sense is to use your two mics side by side to record dual mono, with one channel level set 6 or 8 dB below the other. In post you decide which one has the better sound and use it, discarding the other. Recording with different levels gives you a safety net in case an unexpected extra-loud peak causes distortion or clipping in the higher channel, it'll probably be okay in the one recorded with the lower level.

Thanks Steve, that makes sense...

Many years ago I tried the hard wire solution and ran into trouble.

The Beachtek under camera mixer is designed for this type of hookup.

Mixing a Rode MT-2 with a XLR plug and a Rode Video Mic with a 3.5mm mini-jack output into a 1/8 inch plug (3.5mm jack) camera input requires a conversion that the Beachtek was designed for.

What's a Rode MT2?

Regards,

Ty Ford

Another way to use two mics in a situation like that, is to have one on the speaker and one aimed at the audience. This one could be used to add a bit of ambiance, laughter, questions and audience comments.

I went to the local 'Dick Smith' store - NZ/AU RadioShack equivilent - and the guy put me onto a 'two female RCA (mono) > single male stereo minijack' connector, accepting two 'female Minijack > male RCA' connectors, to accept the leads from the two mics. Cost $NZ12. Should work.

If you use a Y-adapter to combine the signals of two microphones, the mics will load down each other, and you'll get a low level signal, possibly with distortion and weak bass. A better solution is to use a small mixer.

When connectiing 2 different microphones it is also important to match the impedance and only a mixer can do the job.

It will work if one of the leads goes to the left channel and one to the right channel.

"It will work if one of the leads goes to the left channel and one to the right channel."

You are right if the mics are the same and use a 3.5mm mini plug (1/8 here in the USA)

You are wrong... when you mix a XLR input mic and a 3.5mm input mic(1/8 here in the USA).


Here are the 2 microphones he is trying to mix:

The camera is a GS 500. It has a 3.5mm jack.
The Mics are a
- Rode VideoMic - Manual says power (Supplu voltage) is 9v battery, Current 5 mA
and a
- Rode NTG-2 - Manual says power is 1.5v (alkaline) or P48 Phantom

If the cable DOES work, you'll still be in a situation where you only have one gain stage. If one mic has higher sensitivity than the other, that one will be loud and the other will be soft. Again, a Beachtek or other mic mixer with 1/8" out will help.

deleted...

The SignVideo XLR-Pro should work. It has XLR and mini inputs. It outputs to a single stereo male miniplug.

XLR-PRO XLR adapter (http://www.signvideo.com/xlr-pro_xlr_adapter-audio-mixer.htm)

This thread has been very helpful and pointed me to XLR adapters. I have checked three out, the Beachtek, JuicedLink, and Sign-Video. I read an extensive discussion going back to about 2003 on various adapters.

Just wonder if anyone had done a comparsion of these lately. The Sign Video looks good because of the 2x XLR and 2x minijack ports. Juicedlink has good reports. Beachtek seems the most widely used.

Renton,

BTW, the classic use of two mics for one person speaking is to put both mics in front of the person speaking and angle each one somewhat left and right so that when they turn their head to speak they remain "on mic." Keep the capsules as close as possible to each other.

In effect, it's a way to widen the pattern (or coverage area) of two directional mics. You still benefit to some degree from the directionality as compared to an omni, but you lose a bit of ambient background.

Speaking of ambi...The new Audio Technica BP4025 stereo mic is really quite nice. Not for you but for others. I did some nature recording with it recently and was very impressed by the stereo image and how quiet it was. I can frequently hear the selfnoise of mics like this, but due to the larger capsules, the selfnoise is relatively low.

Hear's one of the tracks. http://idisk.mac.com/tyreeford-Public/ambi08.wav

Regards,

Ty Ford

Thanks Ty. I've had my two mics more or less as you suggested, but above the mouth by about 350mm and pointed down at the mouth. During one recent filming, I dropped my head to read off some paper and I noticed that the voice clarity was affected slightly when I did so. It seems in such a situation the mics need to be lower. As I understand it, it is standard practice to point mics down towards the mouth so as to minimise extraneous sound.

In the video world, we point 'em anywhere they'll let us get near. In some cases we mic from below, but mostly booming from above. Hats with brims are a pain when booming from above. They block the sound.

Regards,

Ty Ford