independant channels of audio

[Steve Barazza]

Hello out there!

Does anyone know if it's possible to use the on-board canon mic that came with the camera and a shotgun mic to get 3 independent channels of audio, one stereo as the on-board mic is omni stereo, and the other a single channel. If so what is he XLR configuration and switch settings if this is do able.

Thanks

[Jonathan Jones]

To do what you are describing, I guess the simplest process involves the following procedure:

By default, the camera shoots with audio settings at stereo left/right 16 bit/48kHz. It captures this audio via the stock stereo mic mounted onto the camera.

To retain that stereo input while capturing a 3rd (or even 4th) channel of audio, you will first need to access the onscreen menu options to change this settings to 12 bit/32kHz.

In the "Audio Setup" section you will see the audio mode set to "16 bit". Pressing the input rocker on that option will display the options therein. "16 bit - 12 bit CH 1/2 - 12 bit CH 1/2,3/4."

Your desired setting will be the 3rd option (12 bit CH 1/2,3/4)

You can now exit the menu settings and return the screen to normal viewing function.

You will now need to access the audio control settings under the access door panel at the left rear of the camera. You will notice that the settings pane shows settings for Audio 2 on the top, and Audio 1 on the bottom. The settings for Audio 1 should be set at their default input selection "Front Mic" (You can set your rec. level and attenuator to suit your specific needs.)

Assuming your shotgun mic will utilize the standard XLR connection, you will want to set the input selection for Audio 2 to "Rear" and then plug your shotgun mic into one of the 2 XLR ports at the rear of the camera. The left port is CH 3 and will be monitored on the left, the right port is CH 4 and will be monitored on the right (but these can easily be centered in a mono field in post if your NLE audio settings don't already do that.)

Finally, there is the final part that many folks miss. There is a small button just below and to the left of the mode dial, labeled "Audio Monitor".

When you plug in your earphones to monitor your audio, by default, you will only hear the left/right audio of channels 1/2 - even if set to 4 channel input. You can press the Audio Monitor button to switch audio monitor modes - the settings are CH 1/2, CH 3/4, and CH 1,2,3,4 Mix. If you are not hearing any audio from your CH 3 shotgun mic, be sure to check your audio monitor settings before you panic. (Also, do not forget to set your 48v or ATT. settings on the rear of the camera, if necessary, depending upon your specific needs. - The operator manual has more info on these settings and options.)

As a final note - this is not an audio mode that is accommodated by default with most NLEs. Unless you change your audio capture settings, you will likely find that you imported only CH 1/2 of your audio. There are a few different ways to overcome this, but that is for another post or another thread.

Hope this helps.

-Jon

[Jonathan Jones]

I was looking over some of your other posts and noticed that you had been using iMovie. Unless I am mistaken, iMovie won't easily let you designate channel separation for CH 3/4 audio from your capture. If you are stuck at that point, post back and we can explore what options are available to you for accessing the separate audio channels.

-Jon