Equipment Question (in car mounts and audio)...

[Bloitus]

Afternoon All, I'm after some advice. I've done a couple of driving holidays and have created a couple of video's using GoPro's and DSLR's (D600) with mixed results. While the video looks good using the standard suction mounts to get the right shots, the audio has always been disappointing (wind noise or muffled).

Firstly, with a couple of track days coming up i've read that i can't use suction mounts in or on the car (996 C2) and wondered if anyone can recommend a mounting system capable of holding a dslr/camcorder/gopro (i can't use headrest mounting solution as my seats prevent it) so i can record the days events.

Secondly, to resolve the audio issue I'm aware an separate mic setup would be best and with addition a separate audio recorder so i can overlay the output in post, but i have absolutely no idea what products i should be looking for. Can anyone recommend a decent microphone and mount with an appropriate wind sock to should i wish to capture exhaust noise without too much wind interference, as well as a standalone audio recorder that i can connect the mic to.

I'm happy to spend a few pounds to get something decent so any recommendations would be greatly received.

[JustinP1]

Where's the mic going to go, and what do you want to pick up?

[andy-xr]

Whenever I've used either my DSLR or GoPro it's been much much better with an external mic, and it hasnt been picky on which one. I think the last one I used was one from an old bluetooth car kit, I was only bothered about the jack size matching up and it did, so that's what I went with

Compared to onboard mic it was night and day

[Bloitus]

JustinP1 said:

Where's the mic going to go, and what do you want to pick up?

For the audio there's three uses I've in mind...
1) In car on the rear parcel shelf for general noise (expect to use while on track days for example);
2) Outside mounted on car for exhaust pick-up;
3) Outside on roadside for the all important passing shot.

[Bloitus]

andy-xr said:

Whenever I've used either my DSLR or GoPro it's been much much better with an external mic, and it hasnt been picky on which one. I think the last one I used was one from an old bluetooth car kit, I was only bothered about the jack size matching up and it did, so that's what I went with

Compared to onboard mic it was night and day

Hi Andy, thanks for the info. might be a good cheap possibility. I tried a simple stereo dogcam mic once on my gopro without much luck as it was getting a bit overwhelmed causing clipping on the recording hence wondered if it was worth getting something better and separating the audio recording as i wasn't sure if the gopro or the mic was at fault. My hero 2 seems to have issues all the time anyway!

[Bloitus]

if anyone was interested... I've decided on the Zoom H4N as the portable audio recorder after doing some research over the past few days. This video shows the the difference in the quality of the audio between the gopro3 and the h4n on a motorbike with the audio exposed to the elements (h4n in the riders backpack compared to gopro in the waterproof housing).

In addition there's there are some ingenious methods of mounting the H4N to a DSLR and feeding the input into video you may recording (line out/mic in)shown here.

So that looks like 1 part of my problem solved... just need to figure out how to mount the thing which may prove tricky to pass the trackday inspectors (velco/duct tape ok!?)

[Jazzy Jefferson]

Bloitus said:

if anyone was interested... I've decided on the Zoom H4N as the portable audio recorder after doing some research over the past few days. This video shows the the difference in the quality of the audio between the gopro3 and the h4n on a motorbike with the audio exposed to the elements (h4n in the riders backpack compared to gopro in the waterproof housing).

In addition there's there are some ingenious methods of mounting the H4N to a DSLR and feeding the input into video you may recording (line out/mic in)shown here.

So that looks like 1 part of my problem solved... just need to figure out how to mount the thing which may prove tricky to pass the trackday inspectors (velco/duct tape ok!?)

I wouldn't suggest trying to mount the Zoom H4. Use an external mic, The added benefit is you can put the recorder anywhere in the car, and then mount a decent mic that's cabled back to it. Much easier, and also allows you to record properly. If you are recording outside, decent (Decent means a proper one, not thin foam) windshields are a must.

There is far more to recording than just hitting the button. Mic type and placement will have more of an affect on your finished product than the recorder itself.
Depending on what you want to record, Beyer dynamic Mics will give you something decent. Rode will offer similar, at a cheaper price. For outside "drive pasts" A rode NT4 would be my choice. For direct exhausts, I'd use a shotgun mic, MCE86 or Rode NTG2.

Edited by Jazzy Jefferson on Wednesday 1st October 15:49

[Bloitus]

Jazzy Jefferson said:

I wouldn't suggest trying to mount the Zoom H4. Use an external mic, The added benefit is you can put the recorder anywhere in the car, and then mount a decent mic that's cabled back to it. Much easier, and also allows you to record properly. If you are recording outside, decent (Decent means a proper one, not thin foam) windshields are a must.

There is far more to recording than just hitting the button. Mic type and placement will have more of an affect on your finished product than the recorder itself.
Depending on what you want to record, Beyer dynamic Mics will give you something decent. Rode will offer similar, at a cheaper price. For outside "drive pasts" A rode NT4 would be my choice. For direct exhausts, I'd use a shotgun mic, MCE86 or Rode NTG2.

Edited by Jazzy Jefferson on Wednesday 1st October 15:49

This is exactly the type of information I was after. I've not ordered the H4n yet as i noticed a couple of mediocre reviews when using the NTG2 due to the mic's low sensitivity combined with the h4n's low preamp levels. This looks to have been resolved in the H5 so that combined with the NTG2 would be the way to go to begin with...

Appreciate the feedback, I think i need to get a pickup a recorder (h5) and start experimenting with different mics. Decided to rent a few devices first to get a feel for what i want from http://www.hireacamera.com/.

[Klippie]

Also check out the Sony PCM-M10 recorder its inputs have no noise and produces very clean recordings, I bought one to use on my bike and overlay the sound onto video from a Drift Ghost S ( which itself produces good sound when a external mic is used) but no where near as good as the Sony.

[Jazzy Jefferson]

Bloitus said:

This is exactly the type of information I was after. I've not ordered the H4n yet as i noticed a couple of mediocre reviews when using the NTG2 due to the mic's low sensitivity combined with the h4n's low preamp levels. This looks to have been resolved in the H5 so that combined with the NTG2 would be the way to go to begin with...

Appreciate the feedback, I think i need to get a pickup a recorder (h5) and start experimenting with different mics. Decided to rent a few devices first to get a feel for what i want from http://www.hireacamera.com/.

The challenge is, as you say, getting stuff that is sensitive enough. If you simply turn up the gain, then you get noise. On the zoom recorders, this is fairly noticeable. Less so on Tascam recorders. I got a DR100MkII ;-)
The H5 and H6 are a good choice, but they are quite pricey for what they are.

[Jazzy Jefferson]

Come back to add - You're welcome to try out my Tascam DR100 if you are local (Hertfordshire)? At least you can cross it off the list if nothing else.

I also can most likely help you when it comes to buying a new unit. Obviously I can't go into too much detail due to forum rules, but drop me a line once you know what you need. ;-)