Gh1 audio

Well..I have to say double rolling is a pain the arse in a one man band situation. Maybe no one is thinking along those lines? Even for interviews? I think having to go double system route with what is supposed to be small form factor shooting is defeating some of the purpose. To have onboard digital audio that you can't really work with is a lingering problem with these hybrid-cams. It wouldn't take much to make this situation much more workable. I doubt the lacking here is an accident. If it's true that there is no video monitor out during shooting, that seems like a problem too. I would like to know about the audio line out posibility but it seems unlikely based on how it handles video.
 
The H4n and DR100 are pretty small and can fit in your pocket (is there a holder?). So they aren't that bad. And if you're mic'ing yourself you would just wear a lav.
 
Well..I'm talking about miking an on camera subject, not myself. You won't have rolling confirmation or meters in the viewfinder. So every start and stop in a doco situation means remembering to roll audio. And in post you will have to conform/keep track of audio only files. Maybe it's worth it for the imaging options, even without live external visual monitor. It's just irritating when a product gets so close to what really makes sense. At least there is an external mic in...hampered as it is.
 
Eddy Robinson said:
Quite. It has limitations (particularly as a mixing device), so the thing to do is treat it as an awesome budget recorder. Think of the camera's onboard sound capability as a handy bonus rather than an end in itself.

Unless you're trying to be uber-stealthy, a $50 slate with the clapper on top is still a great, great investment. It worked for years on end with film cameras and analog tape recorders, long before we had powerful computer systems. It still works - if anything, better than before. If you get one with a color-striped clapper rather than a black-and-white, you can even use it as a reference card for your color correction on every shot, like the old Macbeth color cards shot at the beginning of a roll of film.

If you are being uber-stealthy, you can either record audio and sync up using the waveform from the camera and the recorder in your editing software (for some reason, every NLE I've ever used has waveform display turned off by default...which is idiotic) but it's much easier and faster if you have a click or a peak to align to. don't use a handclap or finger snap, because it's not consistent and if you're trying to match up image-only with the audio, it's not always obvious which frame the sound is on if the hands aren't at the right angle.

A good quality retractable pen has a decent click and won't attract any attention from passers-by, and you can easily see on which frame the button is all the way down. Alternatively, hold a cellphone up in front of the lens and press a button - it'll beep and a number will appear on the display, and you're set. there is actually a virtual slate for the iPhone if you are an apple afficionado.
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Awesome advice, Eddy. There'll be some real workarounds for audio or some real spending, choose one.

I'm STILL slating with the RED ONE and running reference sound into camera. That's just how it is, man. The Pen and Phone tricks are really nice solutions!

You could potentially put a color chart on the iPhone and tweak it so it reads properly.

Tried and true methods still work til this day. I'm going to look into the DXA-5d from Beachtek and the H4N Zoom as my audio option, not just for this camera but for disreet RED shooting as well.
 
I guess this sums it up pretty well. If you have a Red type operation, double system workflow probably is de rigeur. I just think a sub $2k video camera that basically pushes you to shoot like film is annoying. Maybe next version Panny can add another $500 to the price and properly handle audio and skip the mess. Or offer a breakoutbox/component that can disable ALC with XLR ins and adds audio (and video?) monitoring. This would make it a teriffic video journalism tool for reporter crews.
What do you think, Panny?
 
Don't forget JuicedLink adapters.

http://www.juicedlink.com/index_files/CX_camcorder_XLR_microphone_adapter_audio_mixers.htm

I have one for my Canon HV20 and used it with wired lavs (AT803 and Sony ECM77). The results are great for interviews. Very low hiss and plenty good dynamic range.

If you can turn off the auto-gain on the GH1 and monitor the sound with the line-out, my guess is that a JuicedLink will be plenty good to compensate the crappy on-camera preamp.

Otherwise, I can see JuicedLink or BeachTek coming out with a unit that includes VU meters, a headphone jack and the "inaudible" tone to keep levels constant.

- Xavier
 
beachtek has something like that for the 5D. I suspect it works with the GH-1 as well. Might be an interesting alternative.

It'd be cool to shoot GH-1 B camera with the Beachtek 5D module boxed in for all audio.

Then again, might just be better to grab the H4N and some lavs. Who knows.
 
it's not the camera forcing us to shoot like film most of us just prefer it that way. The zoom has a lot more to offer than even a 10k video camera.
 
Hopefully someone will post whether there is a line out for audio..during recording. And maybe the stealth signal beachtek can tame any ALC weirdness.
 
Some kind of line out during recording would be a must really, otherwise how do you monitor what's being recorded? One point on using the Zoom/portables with a lav on talent is you can't monitor what's being recorded.

Adrian
 
AdrianF said:
Some kind of line out during recording would be a must really, otherwise how do you monitor what's being recorded? One point on using the Zoom/portables with a lav on talent is you can't monitor what's being recorded.

Adrian
Click to expand...

why not?
 
I think he meant that when you use portable recorder on talent you can not monitor the audio. Like you put an iRiver pocket recorder with a lav on your talent and let it roll.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's exactly what I meant. It's a viable option though in some situations.

Adrian
 
Hmmm...never thought of putting the recorder with the talent. Kind of what the Zaxcom transmitters do with their built-in backup recording. It's an interesting idea if the environment is hostile to generic wireless mics. Maybe split the mic and set one channel lower as a backup against overload. Not what I woudl want to do gernerally but in certain situations, a good trick for the back pocket..literally.
 
Yes you can. The only problem is that, in this situation, the on camera talent would have to have a sound man permanently attached to them, which could be a real problem for the script writers.
 
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