I am recording audio for a documentary in the next few weeks. We are
using the Canon 5D and my crew wants to use a field recorder instead
of going straight into the camera. (Which is definitely understand,
haha). They suggested the Zoom H4N audio recorder.

Any opinions on this recorder? Or a different suggestion?

THANKS!

I am recording audio for a documentary in the next few weeks.  We are
using the Canon 5D and my crew wants to use a field recorder instead
of going straight into the camera.  (Which is definitely understand,
haha).  They suggested the Zoom H4N audio recorder.

Any opinions on this recorder?  Or a different suggestion?

THANKS!

The Zoom H4N might be OK for
redundancy backup but not for primary audio.  ........
Do it properly, stand
your ground, and you will advance in your career.
John Rowley

I agree 100% with John. ......................
-Dave- Hide quoted text -

I am recording audio for a documentary in the next few weeks.  We are
using the Canon 5D and my crew wants to use a field recorder instead
of going straight into the camera.  (Which is definitely understand,
haha).  They suggested the Zoom H4N audio recorder.

Any opinions on this recorder?  Or a different suggestion?

THANKS!

I often use a Zoom H2 as a backup recorder and had to solve the
following issue before I was happy with the result:

Fed using a tape level out from my mixer (alphamix) into line input of
H2 the level is too hot for the H2 though this is not obvious at
first. It seems ok, because tone will sound fine, albeit a little
hot, but not clipping, so you reduce gain at recorder until tone lines
up where it should, everything cool right? Wrong. The peaks will
still overload the H2

I figure this is because the "gain" control of the H2 is simply a
software based volume control, and nothing is done to reduce analog
signal at a hardware level.

Go mic-in you say? Sure that works but then your program goes through
the fairly awful H2 pres and lots of hiss is added.

Solution: Radioshack brand in-line headphone volume control. This
has 1/8" female on one end and male on the other with a small pot in
the middle. Put this in-line between tape out and H2 and rolled down
the level some, gaff-taped the control when I found the sweet spot.
Worked great, now the H2 is a pretty decent quality Backup Recorder.

Just an example of how consumer level gear can be used in a
professional setting but usually requires a fair amount of end-user
fanagaling, it's up to you to decide what's right for a particular
production.

You are saying of course that the Canon 5D is consumer level gear, correct?
I had to feed three last week.  I was embarrassed how awful they sounded.
Would have been better off feeding sound to three oatmeal boxes.  The sound
was not usable in any way for a finished product.  I am told, and have seen
but not plugged into a pretty sophisticated third-party firmware that
defeats the AGC, adds level control and has metering but my guess is that
not too many 5D owners care enough to pay for and install it.

Good thing I brought a recorder.  Next time I get to a job without a real
camera, I am going to charge the client an extra $50 a day for the 788T or
he can go to air with the sound off the 5D. Ugg!  What a way to make a
movie!!

D.

On 11/14/09 3:25 PM, in article
b105b2c5-d711-4fa7-94f5-9ad2da487... at (no spam) m38g2000yqd.googlegroups.com, "Derek"



derek.dhan... at (no spam) gmail.com> wrote:
I often use a Zoom H2 as a backup recorder and had to solve the
following issue before I was happy with the result:

Fed using a tape level out from my mixer (alphamix) into line input of
H2 the level is too hot for the H2 though this is not obvious at
first.  It seems ok, because tone will sound fine, albeit a little
hot, but not clipping, so you reduce gain at recorder until tone lines
up where it should, everything cool right?  Wrong.  The peaks will
still overload the H2

I figure this is because the "gain" control of the H2 is simply a
software based volume control, and nothing is done to reduce analog
signal at a hardware level.

Go mic-in you say?  Sure that works but then your program goes through
the fairly awful H2 pres and lots of hiss is added.

Solution:  Radioshack brand in-line headphone volume control.  This
has 1/8" female on one end and male on the other with a small pot in
the middle.  Put this in-line between tape out and H2 and rolled down
the level some, gaff-taped the control when I found the sweet spot.
Worked great, now the H2 is a pretty decent quality Backup Recorder.

Just an example of how consumer level gear can be used in a
professional setting but usually requires a fair amount of end-user
fanagaling, it's up to you to decide what's right for a particular
production.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

On Nov 14, 8:35 pm, Douglas Tourtelot <dtourte... at (no spam) comcast.net> wrote:
You are saying of course that the Canon 5D is consumer level gear, correct?
I had to feed three last week.  I was embarrassed how awful they sounded.
Would have been better off feeding sound to three oatmeal boxes.  The sound
was not usable in any way for a finished product.  I am told, and have seen
but not plugged into a pretty sophisticated third-party firmware that
defeats the AGC, adds level control and has metering but my guess is that
not too many 5D owners care enough to pay for and install it.

Good thing I brought a recorder.  Next time I get to a job without a real
camera, I am going to charge the client an extra $50 a day for the 788T or
he can go to air with the sound off the 5D. Ugg!  What a way to make a
movie!!

D.

On 11/14/09 3:25 PM, in article
b105b2c5-d711-4fa7-94f5-9ad2da487... at (no spam) m38g2000yqd.googlegroups.com, "Derek"



derek.dhan... at (no spam) gmail.com> wrote:
I often use a Zoom H2 as a backup recorder and had to solve the
following issue before I was happy with the result:

Fed using a tape level out from my mixer (alphamix) into line input of
H2 the level is too hot for the H2 though this is not obvious at
first.  It seems ok, because tone will sound fine, albeit a little
hot, but not clipping, so you reduce gain at recorder until tone lines
up where it should, everything cool right?  Wrong.  The peaks will
still overload the H2

I figure this is because the "gain" control of the H2 is simply a
software based volume control, and nothing is done to reduce analog
signal at a hardware level.

Go mic-in you say?  Sure that works but then your program goes through
the fairly awful H2 pres and lots of hiss is added.

Solution:  Radioshack brand in-line headphone volume control.  This
has 1/8" female on one end and male on the other with a small pot in
the middle.  Put this in-line between tape out and H2 and rolled down
the level some, gaff-taped the control when I found the sweet spot.
Worked great, now the H2 is a pretty decent quality Backup Recorder.

Just an example of how consumer level gear can be used in a
professional setting but usually requires a fair amount of end-user
fanagaling, it's up to you to decide what's right for a particular
production.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"...not too many 5D owners care enough to pay for and install it."

Magic Lantern is free. You just download it to a Compact Flash card,
power up the 5D and it loads the firmware into the camera. To
uninstall, I believe you just remove the card and the battery, and
reboot the camera, and the factory Canon firmware is back. A CF card
with Magic Lantern on it might be a handy thing to have in your bag.