How is the mic for the GL2? at DVinfo.net

Kyle Ross · May 11th, 2007, 12:32 PM

I'm considering picking up a GL2, it seems to be the perfect camera for my intentions. However, I'm a little worried about audio. It's hard to find out the quality of the on-board mic for it, and although I see from many reviews it is omni-directional I would like to still know how well it captures sound.

Anyone have any problems with theirs? For instance, is the sound tinny or anything, or fairly realistic? I know I could always pick up a shotgun mic and do the sound externally like that, but I'd like to use the on-board mic if possible.

Thanks for any answers!

Benjamin Hill · May 11th, 2007, 02:04 PM

Just about every resource for professional videography and sound says don't rely on only the on-board mic, regardless of the camera...

It is what it is, an inexpensive on-camera mic. It won't sound nearly as detailed as a properly aimed shotgun mic or a nice lavalier mic, but the mic on the GL2 is nice and loud with plenty of highs.

Dale Guthormsen · May 11th, 2007, 10:08 PM

Kyle,

If you are just having fun then the on board is not all that bad.

If you want clean audio of a higher caliber then you need to get another mic.
Grazie recomended a rode mic to me almost two years ago and for 179.00 dollars it is surprisingly good and has a mount that wont pick up motor noise and such.

I used it on my gl2 as second camera at a wedding shoot and it was better than the on board mic of my xl2, of course I had a wireless at the same time, but it was revealing to say the least!

Michael Westphal · May 11th, 2007, 10:21 PM

Kyle,

The onboard mic is good at capturing ambient sound. It is stereo and does produce a good stereo field.

But it is not good for dialog. It is not truly directional. It will pick up your hands on the camera and the motor noise of the lens as well as the sound of your son's first words.

As always, it depends on what audio you are trying to record as to how well you can consider it does.

I do not use mine for anything other than non-critical ambient sound. For everything else, I use a shotgun on a boom, or a wireless hand-held, or tied into a house mixer... it depends on what kind of audio I'm trying to capture.

Kyle Ross · May 11th, 2007, 11:15 PM

Alright, thanks for all the info!

What I've gathered is that the on-board mic isn't what I should be using for recording conversations. It does have an adapter for an external mic though, right? I suppose a good shotgun mic would be an investment then.

Robin Davies-Rollinson · May 12th, 2007, 08:05 AM

The XM2/ GL2 mic is certainly a lot better than most other on-board mics, but you should be thinking about a separate mic perhaps.
I can recommend the Audio-Technica AT 897 that certainly won't break the bank, but sounds like a mic that costs a whole lot more...

Graham Bernard · May 13th, 2007, 03:56 PM

Well, hullo' Robo!

Good to see you about Robin.

Grazie

Rich Woodrick · May 13th, 2007, 10:52 PM

The on board mic is OK but far from great. I get better audio from my old panny PVDV-600. I bought the Canon shotgun mic for my GL2 and I'm not happy with it. If you get an external mic don't get the canon DM50.

Don Palomaki · May 15th, 2007, 06:15 AM

The GL series built-in mic is a stereo mic, essentially a cardoid pattern, so pick-up of sound from the rear is substantially reduced, but there still is pickup, especially sounds close originating close to the mic. As built-in mics go, it is a good mic and works well for ambient sound. As noted by others, for best sound you need to have a quality mic close to the source, especially if it is dialog.

Kyle Ross · May 15th, 2007, 09:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich Wood

I bought the Canon shotgun mic for my GL2 and I'm not happy with it. If you get an external mic don't get the canon DM50.

Ok, will do :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Palomaki

As noted by others, for best sound you need to have a quality mic close to the source, especially if it is dialog..

If you get a second mic, the wire to it plugs directly into the Canon GL2, right? I know it has a slot or two for external devices, I suppose a mic could be one of them?

Benjamin Hill · May 16th, 2007, 07:28 AM

It is a 1/8" "mini-plug" input so keep that in mind when you look for a mic. A good audio solution for the GL2 is to get a Beachtek adapter that allows you to use balanced XLR inputs.

Matthew Robertson · May 20th, 2007, 06:03 PM

surprisingly good for a on-board mic. Has two controls for left and right sound volume. Then again, its an on-board mic...

Len Imbery · May 23rd, 2007, 08:33 AM

I just shot a show last weekend in an auditorium.....I was way back in a balcony. It was a large bellydance review and fortunately they had a very good sound system. I forgot my Audiotechnica 822 so had to get by with the onboard mic....(I could have patched into the soundboard but I wanted to capture a lot of the audience sounds like clapping and cheering etc. and also wanted to preserve the stereo image)
The results are surprisingly good!, at least good enough for the majority of tv viewers who usually aren't concerned enough about sound.....I'm also a musician and consider myself somewhat of an audiophile so I'm always making a big deal of the sound in my videos.....
I think video, generally lends itself to much more forgiveness from the viewer because they're so absorbed in the visual aspect of things....OTOH, it never hurts to have great sound....
Len

May 11th, 2007, 12:32 PM	#1
Kyle Ross Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Surrey, British Columbia Posts: 48	How is the mic for the GL2? I'm considering picking up a GL2, it seems to be the perfect camera for my intentions. However, I'm a little worried about audio. It's hard to find out the quality of the on-board mic for it, and although I see from many reviews it is omni-directional I would like to still know how well it captures sound. Anyone have any problems with theirs? For instance, is the sound tinny or anything, or fairly realistic? I know I could always pick up a shotgun mic and do the sound externally like that, but I'd like to use the on-board mic if possible. Thanks for any answers!

May 11th, 2007, 02:04 PM	#2
Benjamin Hill Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Iowa City, Iowa Posts: 670	Just about every resource for professional videography and sound says don't rely on only the on-board mic, regardless of the camera... It is what it is, an inexpensive on-camera mic. It won't sound nearly as detailed as a properly aimed shotgun mic or a nice lavalier mic, but the mic on the GL2 is nice and loud with plenty of highs. __________________ youtube.com/benhillmedia linkedin.com/in/benhillmedia

May 11th, 2007, 10:08 PM	#3
Dale Guthormsen Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Saskatchewan Posts: 3,048	Kyle, If you are just having fun then the on board is not all that bad. If you want clean audio of a higher caliber then you need to get another mic. Grazie recomended a rode mic to me almost two years ago and for 179.00 dollars it is surprisingly good and has a mount that wont pick up motor noise and such. I used it on my gl2 as second camera at a wedding shoot and it was better than the on board mic of my xl2, of course I had a wireless at the same time, but it was revealing to say the least! __________________ DATS ALL FOLKS Dale W. Guthormsen

May 11th, 2007, 10:21 PM	#4
Michael Westphal Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Baton Rouge, LA Posts: 166	Kyle, The onboard mic is good at capturing ambient sound. It is stereo and does produce a good stereo field. But it is not good for dialog. It is not truly directional. It will pick up your hands on the camera and the motor noise of the lens as well as the sound of your son's first words. As always, it depends on what audio you are trying to record as to how well you can consider it does. I do not use mine for anything other than non-critical ambient sound. For everything else, I use a shotgun on a boom, or a wireless hand-held, or tied into a house mixer... it depends on what kind of audio I'm trying to capture. __________________ Michael A Westphal

May 15th, 2007, 06:15 AM	#9
Don Palomaki Wrangler Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Northern VA Posts: 4,489	The GL series built-in mic is a stereo mic, essentially a cardoid pattern, so pick-up of sound from the rear is substantially reduced, but there still is pickup, especially sounds close originating close to the mic. As built-in mics go, it is a good mic and works well for ambient sound. As noted by others, for best sound you need to have a quality mic close to the source, especially if it is dialog. __________________ dpalomaki@dspalomaki.com

May 11th, 2007, 11:15 PM	#5
Kyle Ross Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Surrey, British Columbia Posts: 48	Alright, thanks for all the info! What I've gathered is that the on-board mic isn't what I should be using for recording conversations. It does have an adapter for an external mic though, right? I suppose a good shotgun mic would be an investment then.

May 12th, 2007, 08:05 AM	#6
Robin Davies-Rollinson Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Gwaelod-y-garth, Cardiff, CYMRU/WALES Posts: 1,215	The XM2/ GL2 mic is certainly a lot better than most other on-board mics, but you should be thinking about a separate mic perhaps. I can recommend the Audio-Technica AT 897 that certainly won't break the bank, but sounds like a mic that costs a whole lot more...

May 13th, 2007, 03:56 PM	#7
Graham Bernard Old Boot Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: London UK Posts: 3,633	Well, hullo' Robo! Good to see you about Robin. Grazie

May 13th, 2007, 10:52 PM	#8
Rich Woodrick Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: La Porte, IN Posts: 43	The on board mic is OK but far from great. I get better audio from my old panny PVDV-600. I bought the Canon shotgun mic for my GL2 and I'm not happy with it. If you get an external mic don't get the canon DM50.

May 16th, 2007, 07:28 AM	#11
Benjamin Hill Major Player Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Iowa City, Iowa Posts: 670	It is a 1/8" "mini-plug" input so keep that in mind when you look for a mic. A good audio solution for the GL2 is to get a Beachtek adapter that allows you to use balanced XLR inputs. __________________ youtube.com/benhillmedia linkedin.com/in/benhillmedia

May 20th, 2007, 06:03 PM	#12
Matthew Robertson Tourist Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 4	surprisingly good for a on-board mic. Has two controls for left and right sound volume. Then again, its an on-board mic...

May 23rd, 2007, 08:33 AM	#13
Len Imbery Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Nanaimo, BC, Canada Posts: 106	onboard mic I just shot a show last weekend in an auditorium.....I was way back in a balcony. It was a large bellydance review and fortunately they had a very good sound system. I forgot my Audiotechnica 822 so had to get by with the onboard mic....(I could have patched into the soundboard but I wanted to capture a lot of the audience sounds like clapping and cheering etc. and also wanted to preserve the stereo image) The results are surprisingly good!, at least good enough for the majority of tv viewers who usually aren't concerned enough about sound.....I'm also a musician and consider myself somewhat of an audiophile so I'm always making a big deal of the sound in my videos..... I think video, generally lends itself to much more forgiveness from the viewer because they're so absorbed in the visual aspect of things....OTOH, it never hurts to have great sound.... Len