Dedicated GH Camera Audio Accessories

[Sam Mallery]

I thought it would be a good idea to start a thread dedicated to listing audio accessories dedicated to the GH cameras. We need to make a point of avoiding using audio adapters for the 2.5mm audio input on these cameras, so the more dedicated 2.5mm accessories there are, the better.

You may be wondering what the PA-FZ1 is all about. Well, I found it recently- along with a few other doo-dads that were made with Lumix cameras in mind. I was hoping that the PA-FZ1 was a juicedLink/Beachtek like adapter box that gave you a mini-XLR mic input to the camera. Unfortunately, that is not what this is.

It's made by Sonic Studios, and it's designed specifically to power their stereo microphones (which physically look more like headphones than microphones). It was such a tease! It looks perfect:

What was even sweeter was that they make a smaller version that doesn't have a box, just a little battery powered module that hides under the camera:

But the fact is that these were not designed for plugging in and powering professional shotgun mics and other audio signals. They were designed specifically for their own stereo mics that look like this:

I emailed Leonardo, the owner of Sonic Studios, and asked if he would consider making a Beachtek type box specifically for GH cameras. He wrote me back and said that he would make custom cables that go from XLR to 2.5mm, but he wasn't into making a real XLR adapter box.

So that being said, I'm going to try to compile all of the dedicated 2.5mm audio adapters for GH cameras in this thread. So far it's a pretty short list. There are these products from Sonic Studios, and, of course, there is our old friend, the Hosa GMP-467.

But the point is to avoid the GMP-467! Hopefully juicedLink will officially put a dedicated 2.5mm to 3.5mm accessory output cable for sale on their website so I can list it here.

There is the Panasonic DMW-MS1 microphone too.

Anything else?

 

[rubberbandito]

great new post. audio is so key and everybody here is more like a DP and does not really care much about it. I shot a doc on gh1 with secondary audio and am editing now. its a pain having secondary audio with 1000s of clips, singular software not always working that well and many times shooting with cam and forgetting to start recoriding with audio recorder.

i am so far really happy with internal dolby audio on gh2 and will get rid of dual sound system after more testing of all my audio: sennheiser mke 400, the new rode video mic pro (come tomorrow!), and a sony uwp wireless lav system. i will test both in camera and with my 24 bit audio recorder in 48 hz.

my question for you: why is a 2.5 to 3.5 mm adapter so bad. I was using a different one before that had some wire to it. this was bad because it would knock on the camera making a nosie. this one, the gmp 467 is great as it does not knock. i just don't think the difference of going first thru a mixer then into camera direct to 2.5 is really that great. maybe a dog can hear the difference on those higher frequencies but the human ear just can't tell.

seems to me the best thing you can use your money on right now is the new rode videomic pro with the 20 db boost that is designed for use with dslrs. this coupled with the adapter, and walla, no need for all the bulky accessories and you get amazing sound good enough for any production anywhere.

 

[Shawn Philip Nelson]

wouldnt this be ideal? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/674344-REG/Beachtek_DXA_SLR_DXA_SLR_Active_Audio_Adapter.html

 

[stip]

I emailed Juicedlink and he told me to use the gmp 467 3,5mm --> 2,5mm adapter. Juicedlink's preamps are top-notch and this guy knows what he's talking about if it comes to audio, if using the adapter would sacrifice that much quality he probably wouldn't recommend it I guess.

 

[Ram S.O.S]

I think we need to make sure we include the juicedlink dt454 although the vast majority of the people on this forum will recommend and use a dual system I don;t want to go that route. I understand the benefit of doing so like higher sample quality direct headphone monitoring etc. I've mentioned the juicedlink dt454 in a couple of threads and got shot down because it allows you to use headphones to monitor the mixer and not the camera itself, I get that. I've tried the dual system as well as plural eyes and it's just not right for me due to the volume of work that I do as well as number of takes. I just got my GH2 yesterday and I love having audio monitoring on the screen while shooting, I know the weakest link in all of this is the 2.5 mm connector and or adapters used.

I've seen some very promising reviews of the audio quality from the dt454 and I plan to get one for sure as well as a good cable to use with no 3.5 to 2.5mm adapter. I will set up the preamp correctly and match the metering lights on the preamp with the Mic level adjustment in the GH2 menu. I realize this is not full proof but I also know that I need to buy an AF100 to have a fullproof on camera solution. My biggest issue with the juicedlink is I guess the price. But in reality the HVX/Letus Setup I used to use was over $10,000 this camera will be great for a whole lot less.

 

[stip]

Juicedlink is absolutely worth the money, the preamps are fantastic. I just found the metering lights to be quite vague and jumpy, you won't be able to entirely rely on them. But again, those preamps are fantastic.

 

[Ram S.O.S]

Juicedlink is absolutely worth the money, the preamps are fantastic. I just found the metering lights to be quite vague and jumpy, you won't be able to entirely rely on them. But again, those preamps are fantastic.

Thanks, I would not totally rely on the metering lights, but those and the on screen meters will be useful for reference. It's not a perfect solution but certainly seems doable to me. And you, cool!

 

[Sam Mallery]

why is a 2.5 to 3.5 mm adapter so bad... maybe a dog can hear the difference on those higher frequencies but the human ear just can't tell.

Audio adapters do degrade the sound quality, but that's not my main concern. The big problem is the size of the 2.5mm input, and how much physical contact the audio connections can make with one another. When you stack an audio adapter onto your 2.5mm input, you are significantly decreasing the amount of physical contact between the audio source and the mic input.

Basically, when you use an adapter, there's a much higher chance the audio will lose its connection with the camera. If you can use a dedicated cable, you're much better off.

wouldnt this be ideal? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/674344-REG/Beachtek_DXA_SLR_DXA_SLR_Active_Audio_Adapter.html

The Beachtek DXA-SLR is a good option, but it's not a dedicated accessory for GH cameras. When you buy one, you then need to figure out a solution to plug it into the 2.5mm input.

QUICK SIDE NOTE: My favorite thing about the DXA-SLR is its RCA inputs. This allows you to plug the A/V output cable from the camera into the DXA-SLR, which enables you to listen to the playback of the camera through the Beachtek's headphone outputs. It's not as ideal as being able to listen to the camera's audio while recording, but it's a nice feature to have to review your audio immediately after you've shot it.

I think we need to make sure we include the juicedlink dt454...
I plan to get one for sure as well as a good cable to use with no 3.5 to 2.5mm adapter.

I've used the DT454 and it's good for what it is, but again, there is no dedicated 2.5mm accessory for it. If juicedLink offers a dedicated 2.5mm output cable for sale on their website, then it will get included in this thread.

 

[Sam Mallery]

These Sescom cables are a good option for plugging the headphone output of a portable audio recorder directly into the 2.5mm input on GH cameras. They have a -25dB pad which attenuates the line-level signal of the headphone output down to mic level for the camera.

1) This one is just a direct 3.5mm to 2.5mm cable with the -25dB pad.

2) This one has the male 3.5mm connector, with a female 3.5mm input too, and the 2.5mm connector to plug into the camera. The female 3.5mm let's you monitor the audio in the digital recorder.

 

[Ron Rodenmeyer]

Thanks! This is a great idea for a thread. Adapters seem like the obvious, easy idea, but you are right that they can be problematic. I've used a couple different adapters to connect my Sennheiser short shotgun (ME66/K6) to the GH1, and every time I've had periods in the shoot where the audio simply went silent. It's fine. It goes away. And it comes back. I'm pretty obsessive about checking my connections, so this has been beyond frustrating. I've used the little Panasonic microphone designed to plug into the GH1 numerous times, however, and never had one shot lose audio. Of course, the Panasonic mic's pickup pattern is greatly inferior to the Sennheiser, so it's not a great solution. All that to say I'll be following this thread closely for information.

 

[woodcarver]

Love this thread. Great idea.

 

[JackBayer]

These Sescom cables are a good option for plugging the headphone output of a portable audio recorder directly into the 2.5mm input on GH cameras. They have a -25dB pad which attenuates the line-level signal of the headphone output down to mic level for the camera.

1) This one is just a direct 3.5mm to 2.5mm cable with the -25dB pad.

2) This one has the male 3.5mm connector, with a female 3.5mm input too, and the 2.5mm connector to plug into the camera. The female 3.5mm let's you monitor the audio in the digital recorder.

Can anyone tell me if the AGC hack (inputting a highpitch loud sound via a mp3 player to on channel) works with the GH1/2? If yes together with the sescom cables and a H4N for mixing and preamping would work great while getting video clips with synced audio...

 

[memphishills]

Can anyone tell me if the AGC hack (inputting a highpitch loud sound via a mp3 player to on channel) works with the GH1/2? If yes together with the sescom cables and a H4N for mixing and preamping would work great while getting video clips with synced audio...

AGC hack is not needed on the GH2 as has manual audio levels.

 

[rubberbandito]

I still don't quite understand. If you take some black tape and wrap the 3.5 male to 2.5 female it will not ever come unplugged unless you force it. So why would audio drop unless you unplug from camera itself. With the gh2 and no more agc why use a recorder? unless: 1) you need dual sound; 2) you need to use xlr ports; 3) you absolutely need to monitor sound. otherwise why? a mic like the new rode video mic pro has a preamp boost of 20 db.

as for monitoring, most wireless lav systems has a headphone jack so you can monitor for pops etc, and then watch the monitoring lines on the gh2.

for people doing run and gun doc work, you can monitor, but there is not a lot you can do with preventing external sounds, because you are shooting on the moment.

i can only see this complicated mixer and recorder system for someone doing narrative work. where the camera is pretty stable all the time.

i'm going mixer and recorder free with my new gh2 and use some black tape to make sure the 2.5 to 3.5 does not come undone.

i wonder if the dolby digital process on the audio codec is better than most current recorders like the h4n etc. I did one test last night that led me to belive that. I will do more tests.

dolby is a great company and each new product is better than the last. here is a link to their website for dolby digital stereo creator. which is the technology used for the gh2. i think they don't give it justice in the link, bitrate is low compared to full CD quality (but we all know bit rate is not everything--gh2 better than gh13), but you decide (too bad no Dolby TrueHD). i think the best thing to do is compare your recorder with the in-camera sound and see what you like best.

 

[woodcarver]

With the gh2 and no more agc why use a recorder?

Clearly there are times when dual is better--but overall it often seems like the effort to cram as much gear in the right configuration onto a shoulder brace defeats the purpose of using a small camera for run and gun work. I'm curious to hear more about your tests.

 

[JackBayer]

Can anyone tell me if the AGC hack (inputting a highpitch loud sound via a mp3 player to on channel) works with the GH1/2? If yes together with the sescom cables and a H4N for mixing and preamping would work great while getting video clips with synced audio...

Ah, good to know. Any idea though concerning my GH1?

 

[rubberbandito]

Maybe I am wrong about gh2 audio being all that. Seems there may be some compression going on that can be ugly. Take a look at this thread: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...tical)-GH2-rig-with-SmallHD-DP6-monitor/page2

 

[alignment1]

Any updates on this Sam?

also- with regards to the DT454 if you run 2 audio channels into juiced link - into GH1 or 2 without the use of AGC disabler...do you get iso tracks in cam or is everything muxed to both channels. In other words can I have dedicated channels of audio in GH cam at all?? (My thought is no)

thanks- z

 

[Sam Mallery]

with regards to the DT454 if you run 2 audio channels into juiced link - into GH1 or 2 without the use of AGC disabler...do you get iso tracks in cam or is everything muxed to both channels. In other words can I have dedicated channels of audio in GH cam at all?? (My thought is no)

Yes - you can get isolated tracks in the GH1 and GH2 with the juicedLink DT454, and pretty much every XLR adapter box. They have panning switches on them which allow you to assign the inputs to Left or Right. If you assign input 1 to Left and input 2 to Right, they will be isolated from one another.

Updates? Well, nothing really. I just took a quick look and found some more adapters like the GMP-467, but nothing really interesting. But, I guess for the sake of being completest I'll list them here:

Comprehensive 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter (like the GMP-467, but not right-angle)
Comprehensive 2.5mm connector part (for making your own custom stereo 2.5mm cables)
Hosa GMP-471 (a non right-angle version of the GMP-467)
Hosa CMM-503 (a 3 foot or 0.91m stereo sub-mini male to stereo sub-mini male cable)
Hosa CMM-505 (a 5 foot or 1.5m version of the CMM-503 cable)

I also found a few headset and lav mics that terminate in 2.5mm, but they're likely designed for specific wireless transmitters, so I wouldn't list them as compatible with GH cameras until it could be confirmed by testing each of them out.

 

[Sam Mallery]

Tonight I discovered that the Beachtek DXA-SLR active XLR adapter includes a 3.5mm to 2.5mm output cable (as well as a standard 3.5mm to 3.5mm output cable). This makes it an official "dedicated" GH camera accessory. Thanks for thinking of us, Beachtek!