(Update: This deal is no longer available from B&H. But keep reading for info about how to use this gear for awesome audio on your videos).
Initially, this article was about a deal where you could get a free mobile handheld audio recorder if you purchased a Sennheiser Wireless Mic System. that deal is no longer available. But you can obviously still buy these two products separately, which I recommend for getting the best sounding audio on you videos.
I’m always talking about how rare it is – in this day of easy HD video – to hear decent audio on otherwise great-looking videos. See our post How To Get Good Audio On Your Videos for several ways to to fix this problem.
Two of my suggestions involve using a lapel mic (to solve the all-important issue of getting the mic close to you mouth), and recording the audio separately from the video (since even when a camcorder DOES have an external mic input, it records pretty noisy audio).
So in order to get the best quality audio, you record it onto a device that is specifically designed to record pro audio, such as a digital mobile recorder like the Zoom H4n. Then when you are editing/producing the video, you simply import the audio from the Zoom into the video program, just underneath the audio recorded by the camcorder’s built-in mic (which will almost certainly sound bad, with a far away, echo-y or reverb-y quality).
You can then sync the “good” audio up with the camcorder audio track and then mute/delete that camcorder audio, and presto! You’re left with a good video AND good audio.
With a wireless mic system combined with a Zoom H4N, you can do exactly as I describe above. The lapel mic will transmit to the wireless pack at the camera, which you then can record into the Zoom H4n. You won’t need to hunt for a camera with an external microphone input because you’ll have all you need to capture pro audio on all your videos.
Click here for more info on the Sennheiser wireless system and click here for the Zoom H4N.
audio for video
Wireless Microphone For iPhone: How to Use Any Wireless Mic With Your Phone (Video)
Looking for a wireless microphone for iPhone? Here is how to make any wireless mic work with an iPhone.
Recently, a friend asked me how he could use an external microphone on his iPhone to shoot video.
Why Would I Want To Use a Wireless Microphone With An iPhone?
The basic reason for using an external/3rd-party mic is pretty easy, since any number of companies now have good mics available specifically for iPhone/iPad use (like the Zoom iQ6, the Rode iXY, and the Blue Mikey Digital, to name a few).
All those companies, however, assume you will be close to the mic, using it as a mobile field recorder or in the studio to record music.
Why Does The Mic Need To Be Close?
Shooting video when your subject is many feet away from the mic usually yields pretty poor audio. See my article, along with a video, which shows you how to solve this problem, here: How To Get Good Audio On Your Videos.
My friend wanted to do just that: use his iPhone to record video of himself from several feet away. And to make things just a little bit more difficult, he wanted to be able to move around. So he needed a wireless microphone for his iPhone.
How Do You Make That Happen?
Now, if he were using a regular video camera / camcorder, I would refer him to the advice in the above article.
If it has an external mic jack, I would say to use that camcorder with a wireless lapel mic Azden WMS Pro).
If that camcorder does NOT have an external mic jack, I would say to simply record onto either a good handheld digital field recorder (like the Zoom H6) or directly into a computer through a decent audio interface (like a Focusrite Scarlett).
In all those scenarios, you’d want the microphone as close to your mouth as possible.
The Challenge For My Friend’s Video Needs
But he wasn’t using a camcorder, he was using an iPhone. At first, I thought it might be possible to plug the 1/8th-inch pin on my Azden wireless receiver directly into the iPhone’s dual headphone/mic jack – it certainly fits in there. But nope, that doesn’t work as a wireless microphone for iPhone, primarily because Apple built their jack to accept very specific types of plugs which carry just the right kind of signal.
So though it might fit in the hole, an external mic will not work like that with iPhones – it needs a little help.
The Solution For Using a Wireless Microphone for iPhone
That help comes in the form of a humble-looking little cable about 12 inches long. Technically it is a 4-pole male connector (they have 3 strips on the pin) on one end and a female adapter on the other. There are a few out there. The one I tested in the video below is the KVConnection KM iPhone Microphone Adapter. But that doesn’t appear to be available any longer. So here is one by Rode: Rode SC4 3 inches Microphone Cable.
This little puppy (which costs $14.28) converts a normal microphone plug into the type that an iPhone wants in order to recognize the mic – a 4-pole “TRRS” (tip-ring-ring-sleeve).
You simply insert your mic’s plug into the female end of the Rode adapter, and THEN plug the Rode’s 1/8th-inch pin into the iPhone jack, and “hey presto,” “Bob’s your uncle,” etc.
You can stand across the room with the Azden lapel mic stuck to your shirt and walk around to your heart’s content. The lapel mic will beam its wireless audio signal to the Azden receiver, which is plugged into the KM adapter.
Is There A Video Demonstrating This?
Why yes there is:). I didn’t have a special “wireless mic for iphone.” But I did have an Azden WMS wireless lavalier. In the video below, I compare the audio with video shot with my iPhone 5S, first using just the built-in mic, then with the audio that came through the wireless mic attached as described above.
If you have headphones, I recommend using them to get the full effect of how different the two audio samples sound.
[jwplayer mediaid=”18146″]
By the way, there are other products that allow you to plug external microphones into iDevices. One that is a fantastic all-in-one solution is the Samson Go Mic Mobile Smartphone Wireless Microphone.
Another one that looks really useful is the Tascam iXZ Instrument/Mic, which you can plug XLR and 1/4-inch microphones – basically, most standard mic cables – into.
I’m glad my friend asked that question. Now I know how to plug a wireless mic into an iPhone, and so do you!
New Portable Audio Recorder For DSLR Video Shoots
The Tascam DR-60DmkII 4-Channel Portable Recorder has just been released and is perfect for recording high-end audio while shooting video. The product description says that it caters to the needs of DSLR (“digital single-lens reflex,” or just “digital SLR”) cameras. But it will work great for any video recorder, of course.
So what makes the DR-60DmkII so awesome? Lots of things. But that’s not very helpful is it? OK, let’s start with the important thing. It allows you to record very high-quality audio so your videos can sound professional, which is something that is lacking in so many videos these days. Just about every day I see a video that looks great, but sounds awful. You can solve that problem with this recorder.
The DR-60DmkII captures audio up to 24-bit/96 kHz WAV/BWF (broadcast wave format) files. It also has 4 audio input jacks – 2 combination XLR/TRS for standard microphones, and 2 1/8″ (3.5 mm) input plugs. You can record 4 audio sources simultaneously (which is better than typical home recording audio interfaces, I might add). It also has built-in phantom power (for your highest quality microphones), A-D converters and mic preamps.
A few other things worth knowing about:
- Attaches to a tripod and has a tripod screw on top of it so you can attach your camera on top of the recorder.
- Slate tone generator for easy track marking when shooting, and easy recognition
- Multiple stereo outputs allow you to monitor the audio in headphones as well as send reference audio to your camera (assuming it has a microphone jack)
- Built-in Mixer allowing you to control over panning and levels for each of the 4 tracks.
- Records onto SD/SDHC up to 32GB
I had not looked at the price of this recorder while writing about it. In the back of my mind, I was expecting it would be somewhere between $500 and $1,000. I’ve seldom been so happy to be wrong:). This awesome piece of kit costs only $199.99!
There are a lot more features on this incredible new device, which you can read about in the more detailed description. CLICK HERE to go check those other details out or to order one of you own.
New Audio Recording Gear
Brand new inventory arrived today (August 14th, 2014) at B&H Photo-Video-Audio! I love new stuff:). Below are the new goodies:
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| Sanken CSR-2 Rear Rejection Shotgun Microphone |
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| Audio-Technica System 10 – Camera-Mount Digital Wireless Microphone System |
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| Audio-Technica System 10 – Camera-Mount Digital Wireless Microphone System with Handheld Mic |
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| Mackie Thump18S 1200 W 18″ Powered Subwoofer |
What Is The $63,000 ZRX90 Video Camera From Suits?
Here is another “audio-stuff-on-TV” post inspired, once again, by the USA Network show, Suits. In the season 3 episode that aired on March 20th, “Moot Point,” there is a scene where the main characters take a camcorder to one of the technical guys to try and get some audio for a case. When the tech says he can’t find ANY audio, even after the most powerful and extensive audio restoration editing, he (the tech) says he cannot “enhance sounds that weren’t picked up by a used camcorder, because the firm is too cheap to go with my recommendation of the $63,000 ZRX90.” He later says that the camcorder he recommended is also good for making independent films on the weekends. So apparently this super expensive camcorder is much better at picking up audio. I don’t know because I would have to mortgage my house to afford something like that:).
I thought I had spent a lot of money on my camcorder – a Canon Vixia. But to hear that there was one that costs $63,000 blew my mind. I did a search on the internet for what that camcorder could be, but nothing – at least in 2014 seems to cost $63,000, like the mythical ZRX90.
“Suits” has used made up model numbers for real products before. In June, 2012, Louis Litt’s famous XJS 5000 Dictaphone made its debut. It turned out to be the Sony ICD-SX712 digital recorder. Read more about that at my post – The XJS 5000 Dictaphone From Suits. So it got me wondering if there was also a real camera behind the ZR-X90. I asked on the Sony forum, since the dictaphone was a Sony product. My replies were interesting, stating that it could be a package of multiple things adding up to $63,000. For example, it could be the Sony HDW-790 HDCAM High Definition Camcorder, which runs about $58K, with $5K worth of accessories. Or it could even be a Panasonic GH2 (an incredible DSLR camera that beat out a bunch of “professional” video cameras in the Zacuto Shootout) which costs a mere $1,000, with a really expensive lens. Yup, there are lenses THAT expensive. For example, the Fujinon 18-85mm T2.0 Premier PL Zoom Lens cost $87,000 clams! Amazing.
So my guess is that it is a Sony product, based on nothing more than the fact that they used a Sony product for the dictaphone. And right now, the only Sony camcorder I could find that costs in the same neighborhood as the ZRX90 seems to be the Sony HDW-790 HDCAM as I mentioned above.
I’d be interested in your opinions. Please leave a comment below if you think you have a better idea what the ZRX90 is.
Cheers!
Ken