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Covering the GoPro HERO and other small Point-Of-View video cameras.

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Old August 27th, 2012, 04:03 AM   #1
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External mic arrangement

You may be interested in the arrangement I've made for using an external mic with myGoPro
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External mic arrangement-go-pro-external-mic-jack.jpg  
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Old August 27th, 2012, 04:59 AM   #2
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Re: External mic arrangement

That's neat Renton

It, of course, wouldn't be totally waterproof any more but would certainly protect the camera in a light drizzle...What mic are you intending to plug in there??

Chris
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Old August 27th, 2012, 05:34 AM   #3
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Re: External mic arrangement

Hi Chris.

The case is totally waterproof...though obviously not for underwater (though it could be - I won't try it!), and the mic will not be protected. The right angle jack is a tight fit in the rubber gromit.

Just ordered a couple of elcheapo mics off ebay ...be interesting to see how they go...

Sony ECM-DS70p Mini Microphone Mic for Skype iChat MD | eBay

Mini 3.5mm Flexible Microphone Mic For PC Laptop Skype MSN Internet Telephony | eBay
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Old August 27th, 2012, 07:26 AM   #4
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Re: External mic arrangement

Hi Renton

Just make sure the mics are self powered!! I bought a neat el-cheapo from Jaycar here and it doesn't work as it's a dynamic mic ..I have always been under the impression that only condenser mics need either a battery or phantom power and dynamic mics work without powered inputs...the Hero didn't like it at all!!!

Let us know how those work?? I shot a wedding 2 weeks ago and used the Hero in the Church and the audio was quite good ..I guess it was because they had a speaker bank about 3 m from the floor and I had the GoPro on a stand just a tad lower and it was in the skeleton case.

Chris
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Old August 27th, 2012, 10:34 AM   #5
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Re: External mic arrangement

I've yet to hear a decent audio recording from a GoPro. The bitrate is so low that no matter what I did, the audio was pretty much useless.
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Old August 27th, 2012, 02:42 PM   #6
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Re: External mic arrangement

I'm not look for top notch audio from it. Just better audio...from a mic just outside the case, or a lot closer to the sound source...
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Old August 27th, 2012, 02:47 PM   #7
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Re: External mic arrangement

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Harding View Post
Hi Renton

Just make sure the mics are self powered!! I bought a neat el-cheapo from Jaycar here and it doesn't work as it's a dynamic mic ..I have always been under the impression that only condenser mics need either a battery or phantom power and dynamic mics work without powered inputs...the Hero didn't like it at all!! Chris
If they don't work, there's little loss. I've seen some others suggested...but they cost more...
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Old August 27th, 2012, 03:04 PM   #8
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Re: External mic arrangement

Yes, good luck in your experiment. I tried six different mics ranging from $30 to $80 to no avail. You'll discover that unless the audio is constantly LOUD, you're going to get hiss and static. The Hero's preamp, coupled with an AGC that's impossible to control, is always the insurmountable problem.
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Old August 27th, 2012, 03:41 PM   #9
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Re: External mic arrangement

Quote:
Originally Posted by Warren Kawamoto View Post
I've yet to hear a decent audio recording from a GoPro. The bitrate is so low that no matter what I did, the audio was pretty much useless.
That's right, you need a separate audio recorder to get usable audio .. especially if you're going to match and mate it to 'good' audio from your real camera.

Cheers.
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Old August 27th, 2012, 05:08 PM   #10
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Re: External mic arrangement

Who knows, maybe the ProTune upgrade will address this problem?
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Old August 27th, 2012, 06:54 PM   #11
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Re: External mic arrangement

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lynne Whelden View Post
Who knows, maybe the ProTune upgrade will address this problem?
Nope, poor audio is hardware based.

Best audio I've had from a GOpro with mic socket is a powered lav, battery is inline.
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Old August 28th, 2012, 03:37 AM   #12
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Re: External mic arrangement

I modified a "skeletal" housing by making an adhesive gasket out of 3M's VHB, then covering the openings with transparent packing tape.

The result is a housing that's splash-proof yet allows sounds to get to the GoPro's built-in mics.

Had a problem when inserting GoPro's dessicant strips. I made the mistake of putting them on the sides. They got stuck to the adhesive packing tape, and blocked the sound. So if you do this mod, be sure to keep the dessicant strips on the top and bottom -- not on the sides.

The audio qualtiy overall isn't great. But all I need is a sync reference. The production audio comes from wireless mics feeding a 4-track recorder and the main camera.
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Old August 28th, 2012, 02:36 PM   #13
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Re: External mic arrangement

I plugged a Rode NT3 into my GoPro for a quick test. It doesn't sound that bad to me.

GoPro with Rode NT3
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Old August 28th, 2012, 04:08 PM   #14
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Re: External mic arrangement

The test I'd really like to hear with that Rode NT3 is to simply record "room sound" or "room tone."
See what the AGC does then. Room tone is such a valuable sound to have on hand for editing but it's also very hard to capture. (Same goes for "natural sound," that pervasive outdoor sound of faint wind, or rustling grass, or distant birds and insects. Beautiful audio but oh so hard to get.)
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Old August 29th, 2012, 01:25 PM   #15
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Re: External mic arrangement

Ian...can you mention the brand lapel mic w/ battery that worked for you?
What's your take on why it worked better than others? An inherent noise level that inadvertently served to tamp down the Hero's AGC? A better impedance match?
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