Is it safe to plug the headphones out on the H4N into the mic input of the GH1?

F

Filmkid2003

Well-known member
Hey everyone. I want to use the onboard mics of the H4N to record audio into my GH1 for synching up with the XLR audio recorded onto my H4N in post. I just want to make sure it is safe to plug the mini jack cable from the headphones out (which is also the audio out jack on the H4N) on the H4N into the 2.5mm mic input jack on the GH1 (using a 3.5mm to 2.5mm adapter, of course) without blowing out the circuits on the GH1 preamp? Can I just plug and shoot this way or do I have to make some sort of audio gain adjustments on the H4N? Thanks.
 
Might work if you turn down the headphone output really low. Headphone out is usually about line level. Test it.
 
Not a bad idea if it doesn't mess things up. You can probably find a 1/8" Pad somewhere to ensure the levels don't overwhelm your GH1 if you accidently bump it. I used to have a 1/8" 6' extender cable that had a volume adjustment on it, was very cheap or came free with something. Might be an extra level of security.
 
You're talking about sending a roughly-line-level signal into a mic-level input. Without an in-line pad to knock it down to mic-level, you risk blowing out the audio on the GH1 and even doing permanent damage to the camera's audio circuits.
 
Turning down the headphone level to approach mic level will result in horrible signal-to-noise ratio. At the very least, use an attenuator. Good old Radio Shack sells three different attenuating cables: 42-2461 and 42-2152, and 55011007.
 
Thanks, guys. Richard, I will check out Radio Shack this ASAP. Does anyone know where I can buy XLR attenuators in Los Angeles? I need to get two 15db attenuators to hook up to my Left and Right XLR cables running from my Mixpre outs to my H4N XLR inputs. Anyone know where I can find some in Los Angeles? Thanks.
 
You are also likely to have a problem due to the plug-in power of the mic. input shoving a voltage (probably about 5V) into the headphones output.

Nasty - don't do it!
 
Thanks for the suggestion, Guy. But, I can't afford to shell out $45 for a 1/8" cable at this point even though that would be the perfect solution. :( Thanks anyway.
 
Richard Crowley said:
I agree that is absurd for $5-10 worth of parts. Hundreds (thousands?) of people have made their own using the information on my website....
http://www.rcrowley.com/CamAdapt.htm

Adding a pad is pretty simple with a couple of 20-cent resistors.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info on how to build these. Yes, the cable is not cheap, it's costs us over $30 from our supplier when we buy 10+ units at a time. The only reason we started carrying them is because some customers just need them right away and after countless phone calls and having to send folks away, we chose to start stocking them. It's a problem solver item and some people have more money to spend then the time it would take to acquire the individual pieces of the puzzle. For someone with cable building experience and the know how, these must be a cinch. Richard, if you can build them for right around $30 and package them, I'd gladly rather source them from a fellow dvxuser.
 
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