Any new improvements with GH1 Audio and Devices?

Well... if you mean the emotion I get when I finally get it sounding right, then yes, it's an emotional response. I am overjoyed at the quality. About 98% of the readers don't need your hack either. They are shooting flowers and family stuff. You're hack applied to the big screen makes a HUUUUUGE difference though.

98% of the readers here will never see their gh1.3 hack footage on a movie screen.

You still did it anyway. Why? Passion... that's emotion.

I don't have 'brand loyalty' I use research to point, then use my ears and eyes to decide.

The thing about higher end masters is that they survive the multiple degrading as things go down...

The order of quality that is noticable is always this direction

1 - mic
2 - preamp
3 - a/d converter
4 - recorder

3 & 4 can be mixed up as you might be going to 1 inch tape and have no a/d convertor and that sounds awesome, but pretty much everything is digital so I am assuming you're not doing that... unless you're lenny kravitz...

The mic is most important, but it needs to be powered and amplified by a good preamp to bring out it's characteristics...

most people can't tell good or bad a/d converters and recorders are just data storage.. digital is digital... so it's what GOT it to that stage that counts. You can HEAR a good mic and a good preamp.... when people go to movies, they hear everything the actors are saying as if they were right next to them no matter the shot. That's because of high end gear in skilled hands with skilled ears. Just as important as skilled eyes and minds of the director, DP, and editors, and without saying the actors.

For your youtube video blog... are you gonna spend $5000 on a mic, fiber pole, shockmount, blimp, rycote, then another $2000 on a recorder.

Hell No.

But I am planning to make a feature that is of Hollywood quality. I have the audio down... that's a huge thing... I ALMOST have the video down with your hack.... still have some issues with jello and skew but I am working around it, and the quality level is high enough that only DPs will know whats up.. the audience won't, they'll be too busy watching the story.
 
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And your point?

You just must start to be used fact that preamp, adc and recording will be all in one thing.

Do some of recorders have problems in preamps area? Yes they do. Not huge ones, but in some situations and low sensitivity mics.
Next models will fix this.
It is not rocket science. :-)

And, please do not talk for GH1 users, ok? It is bad habit.
 
Vitali! Come on

"Do not talk for GH1 users... bad habit"

YOU are the one who started talking for all GH1 users saying 98% would not get anything I was saying... I just used your quote right back at you.

My point being - the Zoom H4n has quality control problems with whatever preamps they are using. The first two I had WOULD NOT BE ACCEPTABLE for a pro film production.

The third was, but I decided to mod it anyway, and it DID make a difference.

I don't know what it is you are getting upset at here I am agreeing that this little $300 recorder can go up against the bigger boys in some situations, but I am telling you my realistic experiences with it, not running with the hype that it is the greatest $300 audio device ever invented that replaces an entire 'world class studio' according to zoom's literature and paid cronies.

If you think you can do your entire movie on one of those plastic computer mics from Walmart... you might be right too... go right ahead... I am not about "expensive = better"

I am about what I hear, and I am all for value. Thats why I have a zoom h4n AND a sound devices 702.

And if you use my mic, a sanken cs-3e and do a double blind test, I will be able to tell you every time which is which. There are obvious tonal differences from the preamps, and the sd 702 is way quieter and has tons more headroom. The zoom h4n has less headroom and distorts far easier and has a different sound, even with the mod.
 
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If you look back and try to read my post you'll see that all I did is tell you what most people here won't buy such mike (and it is true). I didn't tell that they do not need it or that it is bad in any case.

It is pointless to talk here about "pro film production".
As I didn't see here anyone who proposed using Zoom in such situations.

Especially considering that most of TV series in my country are shot on something like HMC150 using cheap XLR shotguns and camera sound recording.
I don't want even to start about local stations.
 
Hate to bust up this epic fight to the death but side with the Ruskie here in defining "pro film production" whatever that means.

If I may distill this down to run and gun pro sound down here in Africa were I live, I use the GH1 in several setups professionally with no complaints from post production engineers and broadcasters.

For documentary solo work I simply mount the H4N with the GH1, aware of its limitations, wear headphones and try keep close to subjects for best results.

I have rigged a Rode NTG- 1 to my small rigs now a new HOT ROD PL deluxe to a Beachtek DXA-5Da for solo work successfully, but found it overkill for my needs.

Documentary camaraman with a sound guy, GH1/H4N/Beachtek Dxa-5Da XLR to sound dude sporting a Sound devices Mix Pre (mixer)

http://www.sounddevices.com/products/mx2master.htm

.... to Rode NTG-1 or his Okatava MK 12's ( Best Ruskie mics!) and on occasion Sennheiser Lavalier's.

My sound guy ( on occasion brings out his 4 channel Sound device if the set up is more controlled and I need to hide a mic in a flower pot for a dinner table sequence etc.

Gearing up for a low budget feature doc style (think Man Bites Dog) so would use similar configuration with sound guy occasionally on boom running mixing and two actors lavaliered throughout shoot.

Done this before on successful indie feature and any problems (scratching, hissing) either filtered or cut out in post. Protools is amazing.

Nothing much really has changed in run and gun pro sound since the French New wave, maybe stereo but hey I like mono.

Budget for your Vegas shoot: Beachtek $380?, Mix pre $600 new, Okatava's $350, Rode NTG $250? Zoom H4N $300, rent Lav's, boom, xlr's, windjammer, batteries $200?
 
Your mixpre made all the difference in the world. You were using IT's preamps which are sound devices stuff... top of the line.

Plug your mic and headphones into the mixpre and listen.. and do the same with the zoom h4n.

Another universe of quality.
 
I agree. One question about the MIx Pre, I bought it used from my sound guy as he upgraded and he told me don't ever mess with the settings on the device . He had made adjustments either or all on the high pass filter switch, limiter switch or threshold level control. I think...

Does that mean if you bought a new Mix Pre the factory settings would no be correct? Any idea what he did?
 
I'm not an electrical engineer so that's where my knowledge stops.... I know good sound and good preamps versus crappy ones but I myself would not have the bravery to whip out the stuff and start soldering in new pieces. That's when I pay someone else.

I would ask him to tell you exactly the mods he did and what he changed to what so you know. I really don't see a need to mod a mixpre that thing is awesome right out of the box. I can't see what he would possibly do to it is has the same preamps as their high end $2000 and up devices.

The only issue I ever had was with the very first mixpres - the signal was way to hot on the xlr out for some devices even through it's switchable I could not feed my DVX 100s (original ones) from the mixpre it would always distort... but that was more a flaw in how the dvx100 was setup than the mixpre. To their credit, the sound devices engineers stayed on the phone with me and we couldn't figure it out and they had me send my unit in and they figured it out, and made a little mod that would match the issue with the dvx100 for me, free of charge.

You will have a similar problem on the zoom h4n if you try to feed it from a mixpre it will distort no matter how you set the levels you have to get an xlr to quarter in cable or you have to use the headphone amp of the mixpre to feed the h4n and then use the headphone attenuator to control the levels and monitor off the h4ns headphone monitor which in my opinion again are marginal at best and definitely not loud enough for standard sony mdr-v6 cans.
 
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biginvegas said:
.... to Rode NTG-1 or his Okatava MK 12's ( Best Ruskie mics!)
Click to expand...
I find the Elation KM201s to be better than the Oktavas. I prefer them even to the Neumann 184s (which are too bright for my taste). They come up pretty regularly on eBay. But "Dorsey" modded Oktavas, if you can find one that isn't a fake, are a decent choice. Like all Russian mics, if something goes wrong with them, service is an issue. Buy an extra one for parts.
 
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