GH3 GH3 Audio choices. ZoomH4n vs Juicedlink

S

shipwrecked

Member
Hello,

I've recently purchased a GH3 and need to figure out my audio situation rather quickly.

I'm contemplating going 1 of 2 routes.

Zoom H4n - will allow me to record from all areas vs camera mounted. Cost is rather modest compared to the juicedlink route. I'll have to sync audio in post....

Juicedlink - Nice preamp with very clean audio directly to camera (no syncing and arguably better sounding than an H4N) However, this is mounted directly to the camera.

What are your thoughts knowing that I'll be recording Dialogue as well as a few live music performances?

Appreciate the advice!

Ship
 
I would forget about the Zoom H4n, the Tascam DR-40 does everything the H4n does, accepts LINE level signals ( the H4n does NOT ), it has a lower noise-floor, and it's $100 cheaper.

The JuicedLink Riggy RM222 or RA222 is a good match for the GH3, and will enable you to record high quality audio directly with your GH3. ( provided you use decent mics that are positioned appropriately )
 
TheDingo said:
I would forget about the Zoom H4n, the Tascam DR-40 does everything the H4n does, accepts LINE level signals ( the H4n does NOT ), it has a lower noise-floor, and it's $100 cheaper.

The JuicedLink Riggy RM222 or RA222 is a good match for the GH3, and will enable you to record high quality audio directly with your GH3. ( provided you use decent mics that are positioned appropriately )
Click to expand...

I was thinking of picking up the rm222 and using an audio-technica short shotgun mic to start. Do you think that will suffice for some short film works? I'm kind of run and gunning it for a while so I'll be doing the audio and video work solo.

However, I like to mobility something like the Dr-40 would provide. Especially if I encounter shoots where distance is required between camera and subject. If I were to go the DR-40 route, would you suggest I still use the short shotgun for dialogue?
 
The advantage of something like the Zoom or the Tascam is that you can do both - record dual sound as well as send it out to the GH3 for recording in camera. Dedicated preamps like the Juicedlink only give you the one option.
 
TheDingo said:
I would forget about the Zoom H4n, the Tascam DR-40 does everything the H4n does, accepts LINE level signals ( the H4n does NOT ), it has a lower noise-floor, and it's $100 cheaper.

The JuicedLink Riggy RM222 or RA222 is a good match for the GH3, and will enable you to record high quality audio directly with your GH3. ( provided you use decent mics that are positioned appropriately )
Click to expand...

That's not true, The Zoom accept line level signals. I did not ever compared directly the Teac and Zoom preamps quality, but the H4N always provided very good performance and reliability.
 
Nope. TheDingo is right. The H4n (which I own) has Hi-Z "instrument" level inputs (so you can plug an electric guitar into it and tune it using the built-in tuner, for example). In order to record a true +4 dB line level signal, you would have to run it thru an attenuator first. (OK, technically, since the H4n allows you to set fractional recording levels -- i.e. 0.5, 0.2, etc. -- you could indeed record something, but it would sound like crap.)

This is in contrast to the TASCAM DR100 Mark II (which I also own) (and I'm assuming the DR40 is similar) which has a true professional +4 dB line level input.
 
If you are looking at the h4n I would suggest the Tascam 60D which is also a 4 channel recorder but it's actually made for HDSLR cameras. The unit also has With phantom power as well as a camera feed. I use the Tascam DR-40 (with a 60D in my future) which can be rigged to the camera but it's a little awkward and the h4n is really awkward on a GH2/3 as it seems to be as big as the camera. The 60D can attach to the cameras tripod fitting and a tripod can be attached to the 60D!

http://tascam.com/product/dr-60d/
 
I appreciate all of the feedback!

I watched a video (of course put out by juicedlink)
Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kl-7vmShkgs

The 60d seems very solid, quite a bit heavier than the juiced link, but that's to be expected.

I will say changing the pot on the fly is quite noisy on the 60d

Here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv46-hM3Azk&feature=share&list=UURzX5SzlPgXmPQsOPdNUq8A


Any recommendations on shotgun mics for recording dialogue? I only have a 300ish bucks to play with on a mic right now.

Thanks!
 
logiquem said:
That's not true, The Zoom accept line level signals.
Click to expand...

The Zoom H4n will accept INSTRUMENT level signal through the 1/4 inch inputs in the center of it's XLR sockets. ( INSTRUMENT signal level varies a lot, but is usually considered to be between -20 dB to -40 dB )

If you try and record a 0 dB or +4 dB LINE level signal you will overload the Zoom H4n, so you have to add 20 dB inline XLR pads to bring the signal down to INSTRUMENT level.

I found this out when I first tested the noise floor of the Zoom H4n using LINE level output from my Sound Devices MixPre-D. I was very surprised by this, as I could not believe they would sell a recorder that could not take a full LINE level signal.

The Tascam DR-40 and DR-100 recorders have no problem with a full 0 dB or +4 dB LINE level signal.

logiquem said:
but the H4N always provided very good performance and reliability.
Click to expand...

I know that some people love the H4n, but it's my least favorite of the low cost recorders on the market right now.

There is a new Zoom H6 Handy recorder that can take up to 6 XLR inputs ( and each input has a proper LINE / MIC switch ) which looks pretty interesting, especially at it's $400 price point. I will definitely test one when I get a chance.
 
No no no. Don't fool around with a seperate (cheap) portable recorder. The mic pre-amps on those things are worth about six dollars. Keep your audio and video together in one file. You want the Sound Devices MixPre D. Spend the money it is worth every penny. About $750. I use one with my GH3 and could not be happier. The mixer has an additional input that can be used to monitor the actual audio recorded in the camera via the GH3 headphone out. This is a big deal. It has premium pre-amps, great metering, built in limiting and solid construction.
The MixPre D also works great as a USB interface for computer or iPad. Total Swiss Army audio device. I do not work for them.
I don't know why photographers will spend $1500 on a lens, but not invest in decent audio equipment. It not only sounds better, but makes the job easier allowing you to focus on creativity rather than problem solving.
 
I do a lot of weddings. Love using the h4n. Usually we will set up 4 mics in various places to capture the wedding party, speeches, ect. With the h4n, we can record in "4 ch mtr" mode and mix our levels in post. Its kind of nice to "set and forget", nobody has to monitor a mixing board for recordings: more hands for cameras! And syncing is a breeze with PluralEyes. Long as all your cameras have on board mics, PluralEyes will sync your audio nicely
 
Cavemandude said:
A Mic to line level pad is in the 40-50dB range not 20dB which is a considerable difference.
Click to expand...

Yes, I know this, but the previous Zoom H4n recorder and this new H6 recorder are designed to work with INSTRUMENT level audio, so the 20 dB PAD is sufficient to reduce a LINE level signal to an acceptable input level.
 
I'll throw my vote in for the Zoom H4n. We've used it for 2 years with our GH2s without one issue. It is a rock solid unit, and sound surprisingly good. We do most of our editing in FCPX, and the "Synchronize Clips" feature works 95% of the time, as long as you keep your audio and video clips separated (when you cut on video, cut on audio too).

For a shotgun mic, we use the Audio Technica AT8035 and it has been really great for us. Here's a clip where we use just 1 AT8035, straight into the H4n, positioned below the shot, facing up toward both people.

https://vimeo.com/64979619
 
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