how to NOT record audio...

[jrod81]

I have been asked to accompany a team of attorney's to a site where someone died. Both attorney teams will be present and in our initial agreement it has been agreed that i can shoot video but that I cannot record the audio. i am not using anything fancy... i have either a kodak zi8 (basically an iphone) or a canon vixia hf11. obviously those both have on board mics... i will have to show the opposing team of attorneys that i am not recording audio... any advice?

 

[wakayoda]

Turn off the audio recording in video mode?

 

[eiker_ir]

i think you can you set the recording level manually on the Vixia. Set it all the way down and no audio would get recorded

 

[Hawk Teflon]

I don't have that camera, but can you set the mic to the mic in (from an external mic), but just not use an external mic?

 

[Steve House]

Stop at Radio Snak and get a stereo plug the size that fits the external mic jack. Plugging the naked plug into the jack probably will cut-out the internal mics.

 

[Gregg Juke]

Those answers (see above) are correct, but I would do both-- 1) Turn the input volume all the way down (while the appropriate personnel watch for verification), _and_ 2) plug a dummy-plug into the external mike input...

That should do it.

GJ

PS-- You can buy a dummy-plug, but if you have an old set of broken headphones with an 1/8" jack, or an old tape-recorder mike that doesn't work (or a 1/8" headphone adaptor, etc., etc.), you can cut the cable and use that plug to the same effect.

 

[jrod81]

great, thanks guys

 

[Allan Black]

Over many many years doing work for the Commonwealth police here I've seen (and heard) pretty well everythng, including sending us off to the wrong location and on the wrong day.

In case they've reversed their directive and haven't told you, be prepared to actually record useable sound and you don't have to fumble around. Get the invoice in quick too.

Cheers.