As we all know the video feature on the 5dmk2 is great but the sound recording options are not. I have only had the camera a couple of weeks and have fallen foul of the poor audio. I have a Sennheiser MK400 mic to go on top of the camera for better sound but it needs to be powered, so if you forget to check that battery you have mute sound. Also the auto gain control on the camera is hideous, if something loud is suddenly heard the AGC crashes the audio down to practically zero then brings it back up again and of course it’s just an on camera mic, so best for b-roll really. I have heard the Rode mono mic is very good. Please click on the images below for more info and pricing.
Now there are two solutions for this. First up is the new Beachtek box that not only gives you XLR inputs but it has it’s own method to soften the audio out so when it goes into the 5d you don’t have the same crash in sound if something loud happens. You also get manual level controls and a headphone monitor! BUT…you are only monitoring what is coming into the Beachtek box, not what is being recorded. There is no way of knowing exactly, if anything, is being recorded onto the 5d without playing back the clip after recording, not great, but that is a limitation of the camera itself, not the beachtek. It’s a good solution for recording sound in camera, although I haven’t seen it yet so we need to see how well it works, it has sold out so that is a good sign. But there is another way…
What the best solution currently out there until we have a decent adaptor is really is to record separately, that may sound old fashioned and very “film like” but it’s a lot easier than you think thanks to a very clever piece of affordable kit and a neat piece of software.
The Zoom H4n is a remarkable little device. It records everything from .mp3 48khz to 24bit 96khz. It has built in stereo condenser microphones and two XLR inputs which means you can record 4 channels of audio at the same time. It records onto SD cards and runs on 2AA batteries for about ten hours. It costs about $349.
If the idea of recording audio to sync in the edit scares you, don’t worry. Things have advanced a lot and you don’t even need a clapperboard! Watch the excellent tutorial from Zacuto and then look at the video below for a remarkable plug in for Final Cut Pro that does ALL the sync work for you. It’s never been easier (apart from recording in camera which is as said above, a really dodgy method!)
This is an excellent video and everything is explained so clearly. Scott also does a great job of showing how to sync in final cut pro..but there is something that helps even more!!
Check out this great plug in for FCP from Singular Software …it’s called “Pluraleyes” and it automatically syncs audio and video clips for you without the need for timecode! I does cost $149 so not dirt cheap, but it is affordable, and don’t forget you don’t have to spend ages synching everything up, and time is MONEY!!
For me, recording sound separately is the only way to get great video and audio for the 5dmk2. Cheap, really good kit, that once again makes things way more affordable and usable than ever before. There are many other audio solutions out there like the Marantz PMD661 which is also highly recommended but a bit more money. The Zoom just seems like the most affordable and practical option right now, especially if you are shooting on your own.
Ri Stewart
February 3, 2010 at 04:54I learned a long time ago to run my audio separately thru a good digital recorder where I can control things better. I like my Fostex strapped onto a sound guy.
Other than sync, I feel there is no need for audio features on the 7d.
Sherif
December 16, 2009 at 23:48No one has really covered the technicalities of recording sound with the 7d. Bloom would you oblige? I’m doing my research before I buy one.
Mark Wells
December 10, 2009 at 03:36Hey Phil, I’m in the process of learning how best to use another cheap audio recorder: the Sony PCM-M10. So far I really like the build quality, small profile and amazing battery life (over 20 hours on two AAs). No xlrs but the preamp on the minijack is very good – I can get quite good levels using an xlr to mini adapter to feed a shure sm58 to the unit, which is quite the accomplishment for a dynamic mic being plugged into a compact device. It can be attached to a camera just like the H4n and independents are making dead squirrel attachments for it too, available on e-bay.
Inspired by Life » Blog Archive » Lustrzanka zamiast kamery
November 18, 2009 at 10:38[...] Mikrofon Ten wbudowany w 5D do niczego się nie nadaje. Na szczęście jest złącze mały jack pozwalające na podłączenie zewnętrznego mikrofonu i rejestrację dźwięku stereo. Więcej na temat sposobów nagrywania dźwięku w 5D na poziomie pro znajdziesz we wpisie Philipa Blooma. [...]
Effectively Capturing Audio @ Danita Delimont
November 10, 2009 at 18:55[...] Sound Recording Tips by Philip Bloom [...]
Don
October 26, 2009 at 13:58I’d be very interested to hear if anyone had used a lavalier microphone with the Canon 5d ii. We do a lot of corporate “talking head” interview style videos and I almost always use the lav microphone.
We had an outside firm do a couple of quick interviews in the recent past and the results were great .. except for the sound. They were just using the onboard camera microphone and in one case were shooting outdoors. The wind and bug noises were annoying to say the least.
Steve Marshall
November 16, 2009 at 06:31Hello
I just did a bunch of interviews with a canon 5d mark 2. The best option at that time was the Beachtek mixer with a wired lapel mic. The wireless made too much noise. The wired mic was better but still has hiss in the end.
I think the only way proper is a separate recording source like the Zoom h4n. Its all about the mic preamps.
pbloom
November 19, 2009 at 06:53yeah beachtek box isn’t powerful enough. juicedlink one works well
kerja keras
October 19, 2009 at 05:47thanks for the great article, its very helpful.
mark
September 24, 2009 at 10:28Hi Philip,
Great article here. Have you tried the Juicedlink.
http://www.juicedlink.com/
how does it compare to the beachtek
Saravanan Sahadevan
August 1, 2009 at 06:02Philip,
What’s your take on Zoom vs The Juicedlink setup?
Gary Ayton photography » Blog Archive » Capturing studio quality sound for your videos - the Zoom H4N sound recorder
August 1, 2009 at 03:18[...] Philip Bloom’s video interview on the use of the H4N for creating videos using dSLRs [...]
Clinical photography and video for teaching - an example of new technology | Oz E Medicine - emergency medicine in Australia
July 26, 2009 at 11:08[...] As it does not have a mirror (like digital SLRs have), it is not as noisy, and its relatively compact size means the GH-1 will be more useful for conferences, although ideally, if one is a fanatic videographer wanting the best sound, one should consider purchasing a separate sound recorder (eg. Zoom H4N). [...]
Ben Jacks
July 12, 2009 at 16:52First want to thank you Philip for having such an informed blog and being so on top of your responses. As a Director | DP -your notes on the Mark ii have been invaluable.
Wanted to double check a simple “24P Mark ii workflow” with you and the users to see if I am on the right track:
1) Shoot with Mark ii and double sound using the Zoom H4n recording sound at @ 24 fps – Zoom can do that no?
2) batch convert all dallies from Mark ii – (30p) to 24fps Pro Res through compressor.
3) Import new 24fps Mark ii dallies and native Zoom 24fps sound files into FCP > sync through Singular Automatic Sync
Is this all correct?
Thanks!!! Ben Jacks, http://www.thejacksfirm.com
pbloom
July 15, 2009 at 22:22ben,
just found this buried deep in my spam folder amongst the penis enlargements and russian dating agencies. How weird!!
zoom doesnt record at different frame rates. it just records sound as you cannot sync time code to it.
yes you can batch convert
yes sync through singular or just the old fashioned clapper board way.
phil
Benjamin
July 6, 2009 at 21:02Great! Where did you get the connection piece between the camera and the microphone from?
pbloom
July 6, 2009 at 21:04on the camera mic? it’s part of the mic
John Gordon
June 29, 2009 at 03:12I am confused about the test you guys did with the 5D mark II. The girl who is speaking has a wireless mic clipped to her. I this what is doing the recording and not the Zoom H4n. If so would the same quality not have been achieved with the Zoom H4n mic alone?
pbloom
June 29, 2009 at 20:49the radio mic is not a recording device, the receiver of that mic is plugged into the xlr input of the zoom and that is what is recording the sound. Ignore the built in mics of the zoom, that is not what is being used.
aschin
June 15, 2009 at 16:28Great, great post PB. I think you just convinced me to spend another $5-8k today.
“Phillip Bloom, single handedly stimulating the world economy.”
Howard Sheldon
June 14, 2009 at 00:30All of that sounds well and good but what software do you use if you don’t have a MAC? I use a Windows machine and Windows XP. So can someone suggest an easy to use program for Windows XP?
Howard Sheldon
Zach Wise » Daily Digest for 2009-06-01
June 2, 2009 at 07:19[...] Bookmarked a link on Delicious. Philip Bloom » Blog Archive » How to record sound with the Canon 5dmk2 and a great plug in for Fin… [...]
Great audio options for the Canon EOS 5D Mark II | planet5D - Dedicated to the Canon EOS 5D
June 1, 2009 at 01:15[...] second major contribution to learning about the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is: “How to record sound with the Canon 5dmk2 and a great plugin for Final Cut for audio sync…” – this really is a MUST READ article if you’re wanting help on audio. Go read it now, [...]
James Ogle
May 28, 2009 at 05:13There is a guy who’s hacking the 5DII firmware at the moment, he’s already managed to turn off auto gain control and add onscreen audio meters.
http://www.cinema5d.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2494
very exciting stuff
daniel
May 26, 2009 at 22:46I used a Zoom H2, the little brother of the H4, to record audio at a concert that we filmed with four Sony HDV-cams a few months ago. While editing I discovered that the audio track and the video were drifting apart, ending up with a totally unacceptable mis-match after less than 10 minutes.
I did some googling and saw that I was far from alone in discovering this little “feature”. Apparently the relatively cheap crystals in the Zoom-devices aren’t sampling at a rock steady 48kHz. Instead the actual sample rate can differ quite a lot and while some work as expected many don’t and it affects both the H2 and the H4. NOT sure about the newer H4n.
Anyway, in the end I had to resample/stretch my concert sound track to match the audio from the cameras, using a calculator and a bit of trial and error. Very annoying and perhaps a good reason to avoid the Zoom devices unless you’re prepared to stretch your audio in the NLE.
Christian Nitteberg
May 24, 2009 at 22:23Does the Panasonic GH-1 show you the audio level when recording video?
pbloom
May 25, 2009 at 04:34no it doesnt
Jeffrey Wood
May 24, 2009 at 15:32Hi Philip, how bulky and heavy is the H4N? Would it fit in a grooms jacket pocket?
pbloom
May 24, 2009 at 15:34way too bulky!!
Tom
May 23, 2009 at 16:26You know, if the 5dmkII or GH1 had a remote start function for the video recording (do they?) you could wire up something to start/stop record on both camera and Zoom H4n at the same time, which would certainly make things simpler for sync, and for not having to remember to hit 2 different record buttons.
Kingofpunk
May 23, 2009 at 10:09This post comes perfectely in time !!!
Ron Coker
May 23, 2009 at 09:28Well Philip, The Singular is resting in my rig, Beachtek flying out Tues. 26. Zoom H4n from where? Hehe.
Just a matter of EX1 & 5DMK2 shaking hands, (Gh1 might be interesting also)
You make an old man very happy.
Andreas
May 23, 2009 at 08:57About H4n: The two surprisingly missing info in the manual is Dynamic range and Signal to noise ratio. Without one knowing them no one should consider this recorder, it can easialy be a piece of junk ! Plus this is anyhow a low bitrate recorder. There are many recorders out there with the same money that can do 1563kbps. XLR input is a plus but not a big deal if you use a mixer.
pbloom
May 23, 2009 at 08:59i think a lot of people are looking at his in one man operation with the 5d when a mixer is out of question. But thanks for the input.
Phil Johnston
May 23, 2009 at 06:42Phil I bought a Zoom H4n a while back and discovered if you add external XLR mics you get breakthrough from the on board mics. I do not know if this has been fixed but I think your readers should know this. I sent mine back as I was using it with XLRs exclusively.
This idea is fraught with danger if you forget to press the record button you have no decent sound and if this is the preferred option they might be better using a clapper board for syncing sound if they feel the $149 plug in is too dear. PS. The clapper really makes it film like !
Rob Jackson
May 26, 2009 at 01:10Agreed. The XLR inputs on the Zoom H4N are useless. Better to go with the Sony PCM-D50. Search around and you will find that the Zoom’s sound quality is subpar, definitely not suitable for prime time.
pbloom
May 26, 2009 at 01:37do you really find them useless?
Paul Reynolds
May 23, 2009 at 06:09Awesome and exciting info. Makes a person wonder if this camera can compete. Are we compromising or is the quality sufficent? Time shall tell. Guess I should donate a £ or two. Also wondering when do you sleep?
pbloom
May 23, 2009 at 09:10Hi Paul
Am saving up my sleep for my flight to Boston on Monday…seriously it’s been tough keeping up with my filming commitments and the blog but I love doing both!!
It’s not as easy as shooting with a proper camcorder with in built awesome audio like the ex1, but this is a very good solution…but it does mean getting into the habit of pressing record on two different machines!
Jas
May 23, 2009 at 05:27Thanks Philip,
But with the video being bloody 30fps you have to screw with your wonderfully recorded sound in FCP, ’stretching’ the audio clip to fit a 30fps video timeline? dont imagine thats exactly ideal either?
pbloom
May 23, 2009 at 09:07yeah, hopefully firmware for 5dmk2 will let us do 24p rather than useless true 30p that we have now!
Xavier
May 23, 2009 at 18:30Unless your plan was to have everything move slower (by playing 30p @ 24p or 25p), 10 seconds of action is 10 seconds of action… which means 10 seconds of audio. No matter what frame rate.
allen
May 25, 2009 at 22:59I have been looking at using the zoom for a little while now.
question, I am using ex3 and will also be using the 5d, shooting at 25p and i guess the canon at 30p plus the zoom, have you come up against synching and audio synching issues shooting 25p and 30p, and will the software fix this.
frede
May 30, 2009 at 23:02The camera shoots at 29.97fps but the file headers say 30fps. So you need to conform the 5d footage to 29.97fps then the audio will stay in perfect sync.