Are headphone splitter cables that bad news?

[andrew00]

Hey,

So one of the issues with filming with the Canon 5dmark2 is that the 5d has rubbish sound, so many are using a double system recording solution, often the Zoom H4N. In this case, you'll record on the H4N and run a cable from the headphone output into the 5D and record the audio there also. This is mostly for syncing, however you can get a attenuating pad cable that reduces the signal by -25db to calm the 5d's pre amps a little.

However, the problem is if you plug this cable from the Zoom's headphone slot into the 5D, by definition you can't monitor the audio from the Zoom b/c the headphone slot is taken. This makes it pretty pointless to me, I shoot a lot of music, often away from the stage - aka urban environments - and I need to know I'm getting good audio.

Sometimes I have someone doing that specifically, but if it's just me then I need to know I'm getting what I need.

I've brought up using a headphone splitter in the past, but everytime I do people shoot it down and say it's a bad idea and so on and so forth.

I was wondering if this is true and if so why? Surely there are high enough quality splitters out there that won't degrade the signal going to the 5D?

If plugged into the Zoom's headphone slot, you can then plug in both the cable going to the 5d and also the headphones, which would seem the perfect solution to me.

Can someone clear this up to me as it seems to obvious, but I'm no audiophile!

 

[Glen Trew]

You can use a headphone splitter, with one side going to your headphones and the other going to the camera, probably with no problem. Just remember that the level to the camera will change (get higher) if you unplug your headphones.

Glen Trew

 

[DrDave]

The levels will be affected depending on the load the HP puts on the circuit. However, unless you are using a read back system like on a DAW/Laptop combo, chances are you won't be listening to the audio but the live feed. Interesting question as to whether the HP would act as a very soft mic, try talking into it and let me know. Since the audio is for tracking it won't matter.

 

[andrew00]

Aye the main usage is syncing to the 5D - after all, if I'm recording to the H4N, which I'll do in 24bit and all nice and so on, then I don't need to use the same recording from the 5D, it's just a copy of the original in 16bit 44khz when I can have 24 bit 96khz etc.

Now you want a high quality recording (as high as you can get) as a 'just in case' copy if you lose your H4N SD data for some reason, and as stated for syncing you need an acceptable waveform, if it's too distorted software like pluraleyes can't read the nuances enough to sync - hence the pad cable.

Other people are using something like the Magic Lantern hack which disables the on-board 5D pre-amps, letting you plug in an external device and so boost the levels yourself to the desired level. But that's more expense, more bulk etc etc.

Regarding the splitter changing the signal - I get that it affects the volume of the output, in fact I remembered when I was at school years back I used a Boostaroo I think it was called to split the signal of my (awful at the time!) music choices. In fact it was prob on my tape then CD player, which is dating myself heh.

But does it have a tangible effect on the quality of the recording? I've been googling and there's a suggestion if rf interference being introduced and a general sense of introducing a weak link into the chain. Can I not go to a high end store and pick up a nice gold played splitter and work off that - or is it still likely to be hit and miss - and so I should treat it as a 'try it and see' rather than a saviour of sorts.

(Turns out gold plated isn't the expense I thought heh - http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/...m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=151Z2K6316X4TPWGJH6C)

One last point - if the signal is being reduced coming out the splitter going to the 5D, is this doing the same job as the attenuating pad cable? After all, if the splitter reduces the signal by, say, 1/4, then doesn't that mean the signal going to the 5D is quieter, which is exactly the job of the pad cable in the first place.

However, it also makes me wonder if using the pad cable & the splitter will cause too much of a volume loss and leave a too quiet signal in the 5d. I have an old microtrack 10db attenuator thing from back in the day, might be worth experimenting with that too.