How do you control the levels going into the 5D from a Zoom H4N?

[andrew00]

Hey,

I was just thinking about audio and the 5d and something stuck out for me, I wonder if anyone has an answer.

From a pre-amp pov, the reason we use Magic Lantern is b/c the 5d's pre-amps suck and the agc sucks and the combo gives us varying, hissy sound.

So we use ML which allows us to plug in external pre-amps, which allow us to control the levels on them, the same pre-amps which are of high enough quality to not introduce noise also.

But with the Zoom H4N, we are setting the levels on the zoom for the audio source we are recording.

However, what levels are we then sending to the 5D w/ML?

If memory serves we plug the zoom's headphone output into the 5D. Therefore we should be controlling levels by the volume dial in the H4N. Is this right?

So in other words the chain essentially becomes:

1 - Mics into H4N pre-amps into H4N levels into H4N SD Card
2 - Mics into H4N pre-amps into H4N levels to H4N headphone output to 5D w/the volume dial controlling the volume send to the 5D - useful if the 5d is receiving too quiet audio.

OR - Are the levels the 5d receive the same as the levels the H4N records b/c the volume at this point will be the same regardless - i.e. if we end up with audio at a, say, -18db level, we'll get -18db on our SD cards and on our 5D regardless of the volume setting of the H4N headphone jack. This latter suggestion would be most useful for identical dual system sound, and also for monitoring the output w/a splitter.

 

[andrew00]

As a follow up to this, I was thinking.

The current problem with the H4N/5D combo is if you run dual system sound, i.e. run the headphone output into the 5Dmk2 you can't monitor the audio.

Well why can't you just use a headphone mini jack splitter instead? I.E. H4N's output to headphone splitter. Then one side connects to the 5d cable, the other goes to a headphone.

This would surely be useful because you can then plug in, say, the plnk noise pad cable to get reasonable and attenuated sound to the 5d, but still keeping higher volume sound w/monitoring.

 

[Alpha Beta Omega]

I made a attenuating cable going from line level to mic level. Cost me noting to solder and I already had connectors and cable. But I use a Sony D50 with a dedicated line out so monitoring is not a problem when having two outputs.