Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Register Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

Komodo -Audio

Onboard mic? - How did I not see it???
That's super convenient!

But, yeah, for more advanced run 'n' gun audio options, you can't go wrong with an XLR to 3.5mm :)
 
Jarred Land said:
Onboard mic plus mini 3.5mm input ( 4 channels total )
Click to expand...

Onboard Mic, that mean internal Mic, correct?

That would be great as that's all I ever use is reference sound on any camera and leave audio to the sound guy / girl.
 
Maybe the Sound Devices MixPre-3 II is a good solution: Dimensions are close ( 1.40” x 5.68” x 4.35”), Record up to 5 tracks to an SD card, Internal LTC timecode generator. Timecode In/Out via Aux In/Stereo Out, Bit depth up to 32-bit float, (only problem is that Timecode and record are triggered via HDMI only...).

Almost perfect?

1567098420_1503004.jpg


http://https://www.sounddevices.com/product/mixpre-3-ii/
 
Hey guys I have 2 questions,

1. Do any of these external recording solutions support automatic record triggering? What I'm trying to say is, do any of these recorders start to record when you press record on the camera?

2. If you use an external device with better pre-amps etc and feed it into the camera will the audio quality improve or will it be limited by the internal pre-amps? Sorry if this is a silly question I dont have that much knowledge when it comes to Audio.
 
Bart Oerbekke said:
2. If you use an external device with better pre-amps etc and feed it into the camera will the audio quality improve or will it be limited by the internal pre-amps? Sorry if this is a silly question I dont have that much knowledge when it comes to Audio.
Click to expand...


You can feed clean audio to the minijack but having better preamp and use the mix menu where you can use a limiter/compressor to avoid clipping and use a greater dynamic range but to accomodate the lower DR (signal to noise ratio) of the camera.
 
My solution with the Mixpre on the Epic is to leave it recording all day and feed Timecode into the camera from the recorder, that way you can sync it up in post.

I also feed the headphone out into the camera audio jack for redundancy.

Otherwise it needs a specific HDMI trigger for recording, which this camera is very unlikely to have unfortunately.

And yes, the audio does sound better using the Mixpre output than using a mic plugged directly into the camera.
 
For compact audio recording on the go, +1 for the Zoom F6.. sounds great and is very compact, with a line-level feed for the 3.5mm input of the camera if needed. I've really enjoyed using it for solo run-n-gun type work. I don't miss XLR on a compact camera.. a Red this size with a Deity D3 Pro will be a blast to run around with. I don't see Komodo replacing my DSMC2 cameras for production work with crew
 
Concur that feeding the camera a strong signal from an external pre-amp is preferred. Ideally you want the internal pre-amps doing as little as possible. Every db of gain in camera brings a bit more hash into the signal. FWIW, I've found that when I can keep the in camera gain under 5db by using solid external pre-amps the delta between sync and 2nd system sound quality is meaningless for most projects. The times I've cringed at the sound quality recorded in camera was when the gain was over 20db. YMMV.

Cheers - #19
 
On a related note, have the capabilities of the EXT port been revealed? I like the idea of feeding audio into camera as a data file rather than an analog signal. No idea if it would be possible, but having used XLR to USB DAs (Apogee) for VO, it's an attractive option.

Cheers - #19
 
Blair S. Paulsen said:
On a related note, have the capabilities of the EXT port been revealed? I like the idea of feeding audio into camera as a data file rather than an analog signal. No idea if it would be possible, but having used XLR to USB DAs (Apogee) for VO, it's an attractive option.

Cheers - #19
Click to expand...


+1 Audio over USB-C (or AES) would be killer. M2D2 would be the perfect match.
 
Blair S. Paulsen said:
Concur that feeding the camera a strong signal from an external pre-amp is preferred. Ideally you want the internal pre-amps doing as little as possible. Every db of gain in camera brings a bit more hash into the signal. FWIW, I've found that when I can keep the in camera gain under 5db by using solid external pre-amps the delta between sync and 2nd system sound quality is meaningless for most projects. The times I've cringed at the sound quality recorded in camera was when the gain was over 20db. YMMV.

Cheers - #19
Click to expand...
Good to know!
 
Jarred Land said:
Onboard mic plus mini 3.5mm input ( 4 channels total )

No XLR ports. No room for XLR's and I am not making Komodo bigger to accommodate such a thing. again...not what this camera was designed for.

But you all can make it something it is not supposed to be by adding a xlr input to 3.5mm breakout box /cable if you really want as many here have suggested :) . In terms of sound quality.. you are not gonna hear much difference between a balanced XLR and a mini jack with cable runs as short as this.
Click to expand...

Is this the Mic location on the side near the M4 screw and mic/headphone input?
https://www.instagram.com/p/B07kK5wBbN3/
67068922_2068550836584566_4959211549755390447_n.jpg
 
No, I think this is a small speaker.
The microphones are these tiny holes on the front (barely visible, so small).
(one next to the power/rec status LED, the other one on the opposite side in the shade)
 
Last edited:
Thomas B. said:
No, I think this is a small speaker.
The microphones are these tiny holes on the front (barely visible, so small).
(one next to the power/rec status LED, the other one on the opposite side in the shade)
Click to expand...

Thanks, I sort of thought the same but wasn’t sure. That would make more sense.
 
So what are people going to use? It’s time to start accessorize the camera. The Beachtek for DSMC2 is good but $500. Anything smaller but not over $1,000?
 
Jeremy Torrie said:
So what are people going to use? It’s time to start accessorize the camera. The Beachtek for DSMC2 is good but $500. Anything smaller but not over $1,000?
Click to expand...

I'll likely use an existing Beachtek interface I have for an old Canon camcorder at first. But a prime choice consideration would be one of the newer mini-mixer/recorders that can feed the camera and do high quality double system recording.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/sear...pre3-ii|tascam-dr60dmkii|tascam-dr70d|zoom-f4
 
Patrick Tresch said:
Not quite an M2D2 from Sonosax but under 1000$

https://www.shop-ftt.de/de/vcp-m2-mini-arri-alex

PS: I don't understand the cheap audio concept. Better don't bother with external microphones. Or use this.
Click to expand...

Hardly cheap Patrick! I’m talking about how to get good quality audio into Komodo. External mics like you’ve suggested are fine for B-roll situations, but not for dialogue recording. In the coming weeks for our testing we will be shooting actors on pickups in a very small run-and-gun situation (along side our 8K Ranger). But still want a solid pre-amp with XLR inputs, which can then feed the mini plug into Komodo.

We’re in a post-COVID world, and finding ways to be nimble is going to be the fun part.
 
Jeremy Torrie said:
Hardly cheap Patrick! I’m talking about how to get good quality audio into Komodo. External mics like you’ve suggested are fine for B-roll situations, but not for dialogue recording. In the coming weeks for our testing we will be shooting actors on pickups in a very small run-and-gun situation (along side our 8K Ranger). But still want a solid pre-amp with XLR inputs, which can then feed the mini plug into Komodo.

We’re in a post-COVID world, and finding ways to be nimble is going to be the fun part.
Click to expand...

I'm convinced, after trying many other options for on board audio (and not boomed or transmitter audio quality) that the M2D2 from Sonosax is as of today the best solution out there.
XLR for such a small camera are overkill, they choose to go TA3. This mini preamp has a ton of features and has also the ability to use a MS configuration and use a MIX menu where you can limit overloaded signal with a Limiter/compressor. I use it on my RED Weapon and Sony A7mkIII and never have to worry about sound level. The 132db of the M2D2 and the limiter give me freedom of mind. I set a limiter when it goes beyond -9db and then send the signal to the minjack of the camera.

Cleanest camera sound ever in a small package.


Patrick

PS: I could be biaised because my friend is the founder of Sonosax ;-) but I bet you know this company if you are in the sound industry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top