Dumb phantom power question...

D

dumile

Member
Just got my H4n. I'd planned on ordering the AT875r tomorrow, but am now having second thoughts...

As I understand it now, that mic runs solely off of phantom power. This means that it is being powered solely by the batteries in the H4n, correct? This will kill batteries in the H4n very quickly, won't it?

If so, can you guys offer me any advice, i.e., alternative powering options, or another decent short shotgun that has the option to be powered by its own batteries?
 
Doc Bernard said:
The search function found this and many more threads.....
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...inline-Phantom-power-supply&highlight=phantom
Click to expand...

Most of the options in that particular thread (and others, I read them) are not feasible for people who are not tech-savy (many) and those who do not want to pay the extra $100 for something they could be spending on something else.

My suggestion regarding the H4N is to either sell it and purchase the Tascam DR100 or to find two batteries (lithium rechargeable) that you can pop in there and get a good three to four hours for each one before replacing it with the other one.

The Tascam makes this easy for me (which is why I bought it) and I grabbed an extra battery and charger to top it off (which was like ~35$ more bucks).

I'm sure the H4N has an equivalent battery+charger, and I would just try to find it. Phantom Power Mics are a lot crisper from my experience than battery powered. If you don't want to waste time replacing batteries etc, just go with Rode, they work just as well and are around the same price. Hope this serves you well.
 
I find that the H4n burns through batteries quickly in general, so using Lithium AA's are always the way to go. The Rode NTG-2 is likely the best choice for a shotgun with a built-in battery option.
 
How much of an impact it makes on your battery depends a bit on the recorder and a bit on the mic. I've heard the H4n takes a pretty heavy hit with some mics so.... YMMV.

Not to discount the post above but if you don't want to be "tech savvy" then maybe sound isn't the field to go into. There is a lot of "tech" involved and if that isn't your thing then you are probably in for a lot of frustration. And if your not willing to spend $100 to improve your sound/ work life... well?

But part of this may also come back to the wide variety of posters. Some are professional, some want to be professional, some are very serious and some are just making films for the fun of it. Where you fit in that spectrum has a lot to do with which answers are a good fit. On one end you get a mic with a battery or a recorder with more power or rig something from scratch on the other you get a mixer that can provide phantom power. And it's even softer than that because as a professional you might build the power supply from scratch or get a new mic that has the option of battery power and I know some total amateurs with much more expensive mixers than I use.

Most of us even if we try to be more universal are going to give advice based on where we are in the spectrum, so it's important for you to know where you are so you can weigh advice and see if it applies to your position.
 
rickaction said:
Most of the options in that particular thread (and others, I read them) are not feasible for people who are not tech-savy (many) and those who do not want to pay the extra $100 for something they could be spending on something else.

My suggestion regarding the H4N is to either sell it and purchase the Tascam DR100 or to find two batteries (lithium rechargeable) that you can pop in there and get a good three to four hours for each one before replacing it with the other one.

The Tascam makes this easy for me (which is why I bought it) and I grabbed an extra battery and charger to top it off (which was like ~35$ more bucks).

I'm sure the H4N has an equivalent battery+charger, and I would just try to find it. Phantom Power Mics are a lot crisper from my experience than battery powered. If you don't want to waste time replacing batteries etc, just go with Rode, they work just as well and are around the same price. Hope this serves you well.
Click to expand...

Ya, I'm just going to buy some rechargeable Sony AAs and see how they work with the H4n and AT875r. Thanks for the advice.
 
Doc Bernard said:
The search function found this and many more threads.....
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...inline-Phantom-power-supply&highlight=phantom
Click to expand...
I learned a lot from that thread. Mainly that the me66/k6 combo, which I was looking at today, can sound shoddy. Not that I expect to get amazing results from the AT875r, but at least I won't have spent $500 on it.

And since someone asked, I am by no means trying to get professional results from my gear. I'm a student trying to get the most bang for my buck, as all of my University's gear was stolen (we still have an editing lab, thank god). I see a kid like Ien Chi produce an amazing short with a camera mounted mic (that he bought himself :cheesy:) and I think "If he can do it, so can I."
 
I use an NTG1 because it is very short and light compared to mics that can use internal batteries. I power it through my Juicelink DT454. A 9V battery gives a max of 3 hours power to the mic. I have 4 rechargable 9v batteries and have never managed to get through all 4 on a shoot.

Can't speak for the H4n though. I see it uses AA batteries, how long do these last on phantom power?
 
Well interesting, not sure I would say amazing but hardly any of the sound was production sound. You have some backward voices but most of the "sounds" though backward are not what your seeing. I guess my point is that the sound works because someone thought it out and built it not because he recorded it. So the mic on board (I new window sticker!) is pretty immaterial in that film. If your doing films with essentially no production intelligibility requirements use an onboard mic. Especially with all those following shots.

In your shoes I would recommend spending as little as possible so you can teach your self filmmaking.
 
Noiz2 said:
Well interesting, not sure I would say amazing but hardly any of the sound was production sound. You have some backward voices but most of the "sounds" though backward are not what your seeing. I guess my point is that the sound works because someone thought it out and built it not because he recorded it. So the mic on board (I new window sticker!) is pretty immaterial in that film. If your doing films with essentially no production intelligibility requirements use an onboard mic. Especially with all those following shots.

In your shoes I would recommend spending as little as possible so you can teach your self filmmaking.
Click to expand...

Really? I thought the story was tremendous. For a kid with a 2k budget (including all gear but the 5dmkII) I would call it amazing. And it wasn't even presented in HD.

But I'm glad you brought up the point about most of the sound being backwards. That aspect makes the sound quality a non-factor. Something to keep in mind.

And I absolutely agree with your idea of forcing myself to learn filmmaking by spending as little as possible. So much so that I almost sold my GH1 w/ 20mm pancake so that I could force myself to shoot on an 8MP smartphone. ALMOST.
 
analog_addict said:
I use an NTG1 because it is very short and light compared to mics that can use internal batteries. I power it through my Juicelink DT454. A 9V battery gives a max of 3 hours power to the mic. I have 4 rechargable 9v batteries and have never managed to get through all 4 on a shoot.

Can't speak for the H4n though. I see it uses AA batteries, how long do these last on phantom power?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure. That was really the question I was trying to get answered. I just happened to ask it in a much more winding manner haha.
 
Well it may have to do with amount of films I have seen. Once you see a LOT of films it takes a lot to qualify as "amazing". It was an interesting story and very well done, but in the end it's not something I haven't seen before, hence well done but not amazing - for me.

Don't get me wrong if I had made that film I would be very happy. I would have made some different sound choices but... He did get that a short is like a one line joke - one idea. So it's nicely focused and he avoided bad acting by essentially having none. I'm sure they worked at it but since it's all backward and subtitled who can tell?

I wasn't advocating anything too extreme. You should work with something with a lens so you can get some exposure to what lenses can do for you. What I was trying to say was put the money where your interest is. For most directors that is picture then way down the list sound. For you it could be different. But film as a rule is a visual medium and sound supports the image. So starting out it makes sense to focus on the visual language.
dumile said:
Really? I thought the story was tremendous. For a kid with a 2k budget (including all gear but the 5dmkII) I would call it amazing. And it wasn't even presented in HD.

But I'm glad you brought up the point about most of the sound being backwards. That aspect makes the sound quality a non-factor. Something to keep in mind.

And I absolutely agree with your idea of forcing myself to learn filmmaking by spending as little as possible. So much so that I almost sold my GH1 w/ 20mm pancake so that I could force myself to shoot on an 8MP smartphone. ALMOST.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top