Re: My Best Friend In Dual Audio Hindi
Boots Lucier
Yes, a dual(or more) Bluetooth audio output support is a definitely needed. It will be amazing to share audio with friends without being noisy for the surroundings, just like old times when 3.5mm splitters were available.
Dual audio was one of my favorite features on Samsung Galaxy devices. Nice to be able to share a podcast or movie audio with my girlfriend on flights/trains. Is it possible to roll this out via SW update? Or does it require additional Bluetooth antennas in the device?
Nothing should see through the matter that every little detail makes a Phone stand apart from others. Whole time I was thinking that my Phone (1) has Dual Bluetooth Audio support but after getting here I am now kind of embarrassed.
I love the 1080p video recording capabilities on my D7100, especially in 24p, it really gives it a cinematic, natural look. The arena I'm running into trouble with is that my Shure external microphone doesn't seem to play well with my D7100. I used it on my previous video camera, and kept it because it has the necessary 3.5mm connection that the D7100 uses. I've tried it several times now, and even with an external audio-balancer, there seems to be no "sweet-spot" for balance, very hot & cold. When it's low, it's almost inaudible, but once it gets higher, it automatically switches to beyond peak level audio. Like I said, I even have an external audio-balancer that I use to try and eliminate unnecessary background noise & provide the right level-calibrations for each situation. I even tried it without the balancer, and it's actually worse than with it (slams head into desk).
I've tried switching to 30p, didn't really make a difference sound-wise. I'm looking for a general purpose mic, I have specific mics that I use for acoustic video performances/interviews, specific mics for live electric instrument performance videos. It doesn't even have to be a camera-mounted mic, it can be a free-moving mic since I have someone who usually does video with me. So long as it can be connected via the 3.5mm jack in my D7100.
So...I'm just wondering if anyone with a D7100 could recommend a decent, high quality external mic that they use? One with a 3.5mm connection, and one that can maintain a decent balance that doesn't immediately jump too low or too high when the levels need to be switched. Thanks in advance for any & all recommendations.
That sounds like AGC (automatic gain control), where when the camera mic detects less noise, it increases the gain to pick up sound, then when sound is detected, it lowers it trying to maintain level, but it never really works well. You want a mic that can disable the camera's AGC. The Rode VideoMic Pro (new version just came out, model 'VMPR' instead of 'VMP') can do this; it also has an integrated Rycote shock mount now, and other nice features. I haven't used it, but I've read a lot about it. If you're stuck with a 3.5mm jack, and you're not willing/able to use an external recorder and a balanced XLR mic setup, this seems the best way to go.
Unless your Shure is literally broken, it wouldn't matter which mic you replace it with as long as your audio levels are set to Auto. Use the headphone jack and the audio meters of your camera to monitor audio before and during recording.
Other than that, given your preference for a 'cinematic' look and especially your having an AP at your disposal, why would you not start doing dual audio? That would be my recommendation, anyway, given your opportunities. Regardless of the chosen recording mode in your camera.
Manual audio level is enabled when I use the external mic, and I do monitor the levels before & during recording as well. I tried dual-recording once before, but I wasn't keen on the sound, had a very echoey/reverb-ish effect, which would've been fine had I been recording in-doors, but doesn't make much sense for outdoor recording. I'm, more than likely, going to be switched to a Rode VMPR very soon, and once I do, I will try the dual-recording mode again. I do think there is something wrong with my Shure, I tried it on my friend's Panasonic HC-X1000 the other day, and compared to the XLR mic he uses, it just didn't seem to be working properly, so I'm thinking something is wrong with it. Appreciate the advice, I'll put it to use when I get the new mic.
Thanks for the advice, Tim, you're the 3rd person to recommend the Rode VMPR, so I'm giving that mic some serious consideration. I do believe something is actually wrong with my Shure, I tried it on my friend's Panasonic HC-X1000, and it's doing the exact same thing, and especially compared to the XLR-inputed mic he uses on his camera, it's like there's no mic connected at all. I am, also, looking into an external, XLR-connective recorder to pair with my camera. I prefer XLR over 3.5mm any day, but at the moment that's what I have to work with. As far as AGC, I do believe the external-balancer (which I thought was the problem, but it's not since it works on my buddy's HC-X1000 perfectly) disables the AGC feature in my camera, but now that you mentioned it, I'm not 100% sure & will check on it. Either way, I think my Shure has finally taken its last breath, so the Rode VMPR will be my next course of action, that is until I acquire an external recorder with XLR-connectivity. Thank you for the suggestions & for the mic recommendation, it's much appreciated & I am definitely looking into it. Thanks again.
Doing dual audio simply means that you record master audio with some separate audio device, like a field recorder (Tascam, Zoom, etc.), or with a combination of a field recorder and a separate microphone, depending on the project at hand. You could use your chosen mic, whatever mic you'll end up buying to replace the broken one, but instead of plugging it onto the camera, you plug it onto a separate recorder.
Then you record your video normally with your camera, letting the in-camera microphone record the sound, with warts, ticks and all. Doesn't matter if it's good or bad, as long as you can use it to sync the master audio recorded separately. The crappy audio track will be replaced with the master audio track in post.
Then you replace the in-camera audio track with the better one you recorded separately. You synchronise the separate audio track with the one that was recorded by the camera, and then you simply mute the crappy audio track.
It's much simpler IRL than it looks when described in writing, and the audio quality will be as good as your audio gear and your recording skills will allow. Your camera won't have any effect to it. If you're doing your recordings with an assistant, anyway, your assistant could handle the audio recording whilst you concentrate on getting the shots you want, without worrying about sound. That's how the big boys in the film industry do it, too.
It seems intended to do roughly the same job, but:
- has a stereo option
- is powered by an AA cell, which is probably a lot more convenient for most people than 9V PP3
- comes with its own dead critter
I appreciate the advice....but I do know what dual-recording is. I meant to write "I'll switch back to the dual-recording method", but I wrote "mode" instead. Grammatical error on my part. I use the dual-recording method all the time when filming my best friend's percussion performances, from which I usually end up mixing the 2 separate audio tracks (one from a mic hooked up to an external recorder, and the second from a mounted mic hooked up to the camera) together for a well-rounded sound. Once again, appreciate all the info, but I wasn't confused as to what it was. I was merely expressing my disdain for dual-recording in the instances that I filmed outside, it just didn't work for me with the current mic I have, hence why I was inquiring about a different mic to (possibly) try out / throw into my gear collection.
It's the Shure VP83F LensHopper Shotgun mic. It's a great microphone for certain purposes (interviews, musical performances, indoor settings), but outdoors it just doesn't seem to work well enough in-terms of being mixed with the other audio track I record simultaneously, using another mic that's connected to an external recorder separate from the camera.
If your dual recording has ended up sounding echo-y or reverb-ish, that has nothing to do with dual recording. It's all about how you are producing your audio (and handling acoustics) in general. If your dual recording sounds crappy, it will sound crappy whether you recorded directly onto the camera or separately.
As suggested before, your reply indicates that there's probably something wrong with your sound recording methods in general, whether it's a dual recording or a straight into camera one. Like said, it is possible that the mic you've got is broken, but chances are there's nothing wrong with it per se, after all.
Hard to tell without any real-life samples. It is also possible, given the lack of evidence, that you're simply expecting a bit too much from an inexpensive microphone but, I tend to think it's probably a combination of expectations and the aforementioned issues. Nothing that some researching, experimenting and practising wouldn't fix.
Once again, appreciate all the info, but I wasn't confused as to what it was. I was merely expressing my disdain for dual-recording in the instances that I filmed outside, it just didn't work for me with the current mic I have, hence why I was inquiring about a different mic to (possibly) try out / throw into my gear collection.
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