The Canon DSLR Audio thread

[heuffel]

I got myself one of those Fiio adapters, have been using it to amp my headphones to listen to monitors during filming. Haven't tried using it as a mic amp yet, will get to that one of these days and post my results.

Meanwhile, I updated the first post to include the recommended ways of doing things in my opinion.

Hi, I would like to ask - have you actually tried this setup?
I am considering buying the Audio Technica Pro 24CM and connect it through the Fiio E6 to my Canon 600D. My plan is to record ambient sounds (like birds in a forest) but also use it for some family vacation videos (this is also the reason I don't want my gear to get too bulky so I can still carry it in one bag) and I would like to reduce the noise which is still present in the recordings even if I am using the internal or an older external microphone. Do you think that the Fiio preamp would be "strong" enough to accomplish this?
Thank you!

[TomGetty88]

The mic on the t3i stinks! It's only good for gathering 'reference' audio if you're going to link up with PluralEyes. The audio on the 5d is pretty good though. I don't understand why the t3i got gipped. I think it's because of the lower price.

With the t3i, you're going to have to move to some sort of external audio solution—the zoom H4n, one of the external recorders. I deeply wish the DSLRs would have XLR inputs. But that's just me.

[Chadfish]

There is no built in mic on any camera that is usable, so you may as well figure on using an external mic every time, and in the cases where the camera's preamps crappy (which us usually with DSLRs) you must use 2nd system sound.

[M. Gilden]

The mic on the t3i stinks! It's only good for gathering 'reference' audio if you're going to link up with PluralEyes. The audio on the 5d is pretty good though. I don't understand why the t3i got gipped. I think it's because of the lower price.

With the t3i, you're going to have to move to some sort of external audio solution—the zoom H4n, one of the external recorders. I deeply wish the DSLRs would have XLR inputs. But that's just me.

The T3i started with a different chipset than the 60D, 5D and T2i before it. I believe they continued with that chipset going forward into the 70D and T4i, but everything before that had more-or-less the same audio quality.

[justaddcoffee]

Okay, so my wife's company just bought a Canon 70D for shooting promotional web videos and stills. They asked me to set it for them, and I cannot figure out how to switch the audio in the camera from mixed stereo to dual mono. They're running a wireless mic and a Rode shotgun into a Beachtek mixer. The mixer is showing separation between L and R channel (and in the headphones). But the audio on the final recorded files is all mixed.

I can't find it anywhere in the menu settings on the 70D to switch from mixed audio to dual mono. DSLR video is still pretty new to me. Am I missing something completely obvious?

[Chadfish]

I doubt there is "dual mono" on any DSLR.s That term refers to 2 separate mono tracks. But you say the camera audio monitor shows that the 2 channels are registering left and right during recording? Sometimes when you import footage into an NLE, it plays both sides of the stereo file panned center. How are you listening to it when you hear it all mixed mono? Are you just double clipping the video file to play it in the default player, or are you opening it in some editing software? If so what NLE are you using? There's usually a way to click on the audio of a clip and separate the two tracks.

[8string]

Just...Chad is right. there is no 'dual mono' setting on these little consumer cameras (I see you have been using a professional level camcorder). Chad is correct. Both Adobe and Vegas for example can split the audio signal into separate mono channels.

[justaddcoffee]

I doubt there is "dual mono" on any DSLR.s That term refers to 2 separate mono tracks. But you say the camera audio monitor shows that the 2 channels are registering left and right during recording? Sometimes when you import footage into an NLE, it plays both sides of the stereo file panned center. How are you listening to it when you hear it all mixed mono? Are you just double clipping the video file to play it in the default player, or are you opening it in some editing software? If so what NLE are you using? There's usually a way to click on the audio of a clip and separate the two tracks.

The audio meter on the Beachtek mixer has separate left channel/right channel meter. The audio shows clear distinction between the channel, and I can hear it in the headphones so I know it's dual mono going into the camera which (according to the specs) has a stereo audio (and that requires two tracks). The audio is currently set up to run a wireless lav mic on the left channel and shotgun mic (mounted to the camera) on the right channel.

The video is all in .mp4 on the SD card in the camera. I'm importing the video into FCP 7 where I get two channels of audio in a stereo pair. But even when I turn off the stereo pair to make them independent channels, the audio is still the same (meaning channels 1 and 2 still have both the lav and shotgun audio mixed). Basically, I end up with two identical channels of mixed audio.

So then I thought, maybe it's an .mp4 encoding issue (since .mp4 sometimes embeds the audio data into the video data) so I ran the raw video through Mpeg Streamclip to convert it an .mov. I tried it with h.264 and Sony XD Cam EX, but it made no difference.

SO... the only conclusion I've come to is that the Canon 70D is mixing the channels instead of recording them separately. I mean, why market your camera as having stereo audio when it's really only mono that's cloned into two channels? Why not clone the audio five times and call it surround sound? Sorry, this camera is making me cranky.

I could probably live with it if I was the guy using the camera everyday and just turn off and on the shotgun mic as needed. But this camera is going to be shared amongst everyone in a marketing department who will be expected to shoot videos for their website so the more variables I can sort out for them, the happier they will be (and the happier my wife will be - that part is important).

[Chadfish]

Do you have any other stereo source you can try to make sure? Do you have a stereo mic you can plug straight into the camera? Or plug in an ipod with a song that has obvious stereo stuff happening. Also, mp4 doesn't look as good as .mov FYI.

[justaddcoffee]

Solution for Canon 70D audio (stereo vs dual mono)...

This little detail is not mentioned in the user manual, but here is what I discovered: If you shoot video in Green Zone (full auto everything), the audio will be mixed by the camera. If you shoot in Program (or TV, AV or M) then the camera will keep the left channel separate from the right channel. If you do not see the in-camera audio meter on the view screen, you are in full auto. When I switched to Program mode, the viewfinder provides more info and a audio meter showing L and R, and you have more options in the main menu (including the ability to set levels, though the level setting applies to both L and R - individual level changes need to be made in an external mixer).

Sigh. Wish Canon had been a little more clear about this in their technical material.

DSC_8546.jpg
1. Viewfinder in Green Zone

DSC_8544.jpg
2. Viewfinder in Program Mode with left channel only active (wireless lav mic)

DSC_8545.jpg
3. Program Mode with wireless lav and Rode shotgun active

DSC_8547.jpg
4. The set up: mixer is the Beachtek DXA-SLR Mini, Sony UXB wireless and Rode Shotgun

[jegoldston]

I am just now coming to this thread and it is pretty much what i've been searching for... i have a Canon 7D that has 'sound coming out of both sides' in my earphones when recorded straight from the camera. But when i use a 1/8" lav mic input directly into the camera , the sound only comes through one side of the earphones. since the SennG2 is now discontinued, will it provide 'sound in both sides'? and will the SennMKE 2 do it also? i'm really struggling with this since i have to use a wired lav mic.

my situation: i'm a headshot photographer, but i also tape auditions for actors using my 7D, an in expensive lav mic, and iMovie. there is more hiss with the mic as well. i don't need more than those, but i do need sound on 'both sides' (someone on another forum pointed out to me that my problem was not 'stereo,' but that i was not getting sound out of 'both sides,' and i am not an audio genius, so i guess that's what it is).

any help is appreciated!

[prexdealer]

Just a heads up the Tascam DR 60D is on sale, free shipping also I believe. $149. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...inear_pcm.html

I would like to film as a one man show, but it seems hard for me to boom and dp, lol. I guess this is good for interviews with a shotgun on the dslr hotshoe. Or if I had lavs.

I have googled a bit and watched some videos, it seems like a good product.

Anyone successfully use this and make shorts as one man crew of sorts?

Thanks.

[bonkerz]

I have a question about an issue I'm having.... I have a new Rode NTG2 mic ...I bought it to use with my Canon T5i camera... But the mic does not work with it... I tried a new battery... Still nothing... I tried a different cheap Chinese mic and it works fine....I am using a Hosa angled 1/8 Stereo to Female XLR Cable to connect it to my camera...Why will the cheap microphone work but my Rode will not?? I tried both with the same cable and same battery .... Any suggestions?? What am I missing here?

[Michael Carter]

Just a heads up the Tascam DR 60D is on sale, free shipping also I believe. $149. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...inear_pcm.html

I would like to film as a one man show, but it seems hard for me to boom and dp, lol. I guess this is good for interviews with a shotgun on the dslr hotshoe. Or if I had lavs.

I have googled a bit and watched some videos, it seems like a good product.

Anyone successfully use this and make shorts as one man crew of sorts?

Thanks.

I've used it often, but without an op, you can't do walking-around stuff. Seated interviews with the mic on a boom stand. I mount it to my rails with a cross-bar at the back, keeps the rig reasonable protable (but wouldn't want to shoulder mount it). I power it with an Anker USB battery, that's an all-day solution for, like, $30 or less. I've come up with a far better battery mount since this photo though.

rig3.jpg

[Gweilo66]

Hi folks,
I occasionally work with someone who uses a T6i. Is there a setting to make it display audio metering during recording?