Hi,
I know that it probably isn't revolutionary...and there are probably better ways to do this...but after messing with many wires I've found a way to monitor on camera audio. Of course my setup is me using devices that you probably don't have, but i'm sure the same basic functions can be applied to other digital recording devices such as the H4N that everyone seems to have. I'm simply using old equipment that has no use to me anymore, and seeing what can be done with it.
I have a beacktek dxa-2s adapter that plugs into the 7D, but for some reason when it's plugged directly into the camera and i plug my headphones into the "aux" input, i still can't hear what's going on in the mic.
So, I decided to get my little Sony ICD-PX820 digital voice recorder and see if it could be utilized here...
Here's my setup:
7D > beachtek plugged into it > XLR cable plugged into the beachtek on one end, and the NTG-2 mic on the other end.
Then, on the other side of the beachtek, through the "aux" input, I used an auxilary cable (7 bucks at target) and plugged it into the mic input of the Sony DVR. Then I plugged my headphones into the headphone jack of the DVR.
At first you can't hear anything, but once you push the "record" button on the DVR you can start hearing all the sound through the microphone.
It sounds terrible, though. It seems no matter what you plug into the 7D there's a massive amount of hissing. And, despite the beachtek being a middle man in all of this, it seems to have no use when i turn the nobs in any direction. Even when i turn the nobs to zero the sound doesn't change for the shotgun mic.
This isn't necessary, of course. You can simply detach all of this from the 7D and use it solo if you want to be portable with a boom pole or something. Then you can record it all straight into the Sony DVR slipped in your pocket and be recording separate sound from the 7D.
But, this setup, i guess, is for those people who want to record the audio on camera and don't want to go through the trouble of having to synch it up later.
And still monitor the in camera audio.
I'm sure you could do a similar setup with an H4N as well without having to use the beacktek. I wouldn't see why not, seeing as how they're all similar devices. I'm sure you'd get better results with the H4N. After all, I don't see the point in monitoring audio from a device such as the Sony DVR when it doesn't give off any better sound than the 7D itself.
I've only seen pictures of the Zoom H4N, but I'd assume to pull off a similar process you'd have to simply get an auxilary cable, plug it from the "external mic input" jack of the H4N, into the mic jack of the 7D. Then, plug your headphones into the H4N headphone jack, push record, and vuala.
I could be wrong, though.
I've been making much use for this Sony DVR and using it as a cheap replacement for a lavalier system. I bought a cheap lav mic and plugged it into the Sony and record sound separately. It's very noisy, seeing as how the Sony is not that great quality of a recording device, but once cleaned up in Soundbooth it is useable sound.
I'm sure this can be fixed by simply purchasing a higher end DVR. The sony i bought was $54. I wouldn't go as far as to buy an H4N, but I would think about getting closer to the $100 price range before considering this setup. The lavalier plugged directly into the 7D also makes for a good temporary replacement for a lav system while you save up for that pricey Sennheiser lav system.
I wouldn't buy the H4N for many reasons, one being that I have no use for its built in microphones. And that is practically the entire device, so I rather save my money and buy something that I only need to use as a middle man to plug in a lav or other XLR microphones into and use for portable sound.
I'm posting this messy setup also so that it can just better help you all figure out better ways of monitoring audio, since it's a pretty big problem with the 7D.
Anyway, hope this helps. And hopefully it leads to some better setups and whatnot
Listed below are the links to all the devices I've listed in this post so you can have a visual representation of what I'm talking about:
Beacktek DXA-2S:
http://64bitfilms.com/2010/06/19/beachtek/
Aux Cable:
http://www.amazon.com/AUDIO-3-5MM-JACK-AUXILIARY-CABLE/dp/B001T4SNQO
Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICD-PX82...8&s=electronics&qid=1292700085&sr=8-1-catcorr
Rode NTG-2:
http://www.amazon.com/Rode-NTG2-Con...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1292700115&sr=1-1
I know that it probably isn't revolutionary...and there are probably better ways to do this...but after messing with many wires I've found a way to monitor on camera audio. Of course my setup is me using devices that you probably don't have, but i'm sure the same basic functions can be applied to other digital recording devices such as the H4N that everyone seems to have. I'm simply using old equipment that has no use to me anymore, and seeing what can be done with it.
I have a beacktek dxa-2s adapter that plugs into the 7D, but for some reason when it's plugged directly into the camera and i plug my headphones into the "aux" input, i still can't hear what's going on in the mic.
So, I decided to get my little Sony ICD-PX820 digital voice recorder and see if it could be utilized here...
Here's my setup:
7D > beachtek plugged into it > XLR cable plugged into the beachtek on one end, and the NTG-2 mic on the other end.
Then, on the other side of the beachtek, through the "aux" input, I used an auxilary cable (7 bucks at target) and plugged it into the mic input of the Sony DVR. Then I plugged my headphones into the headphone jack of the DVR.
At first you can't hear anything, but once you push the "record" button on the DVR you can start hearing all the sound through the microphone.
It sounds terrible, though. It seems no matter what you plug into the 7D there's a massive amount of hissing. And, despite the beachtek being a middle man in all of this, it seems to have no use when i turn the nobs in any direction. Even when i turn the nobs to zero the sound doesn't change for the shotgun mic.
This isn't necessary, of course. You can simply detach all of this from the 7D and use it solo if you want to be portable with a boom pole or something. Then you can record it all straight into the Sony DVR slipped in your pocket and be recording separate sound from the 7D.
But, this setup, i guess, is for those people who want to record the audio on camera and don't want to go through the trouble of having to synch it up later.
And still monitor the in camera audio.
I'm sure you could do a similar setup with an H4N as well without having to use the beacktek. I wouldn't see why not, seeing as how they're all similar devices. I'm sure you'd get better results with the H4N. After all, I don't see the point in monitoring audio from a device such as the Sony DVR when it doesn't give off any better sound than the 7D itself.
I've only seen pictures of the Zoom H4N, but I'd assume to pull off a similar process you'd have to simply get an auxilary cable, plug it from the "external mic input" jack of the H4N, into the mic jack of the 7D. Then, plug your headphones into the H4N headphone jack, push record, and vuala.
I could be wrong, though.
I've been making much use for this Sony DVR and using it as a cheap replacement for a lavalier system. I bought a cheap lav mic and plugged it into the Sony and record sound separately. It's very noisy, seeing as how the Sony is not that great quality of a recording device, but once cleaned up in Soundbooth it is useable sound.
I'm sure this can be fixed by simply purchasing a higher end DVR. The sony i bought was $54. I wouldn't go as far as to buy an H4N, but I would think about getting closer to the $100 price range before considering this setup. The lavalier plugged directly into the 7D also makes for a good temporary replacement for a lav system while you save up for that pricey Sennheiser lav system.
I wouldn't buy the H4N for many reasons, one being that I have no use for its built in microphones. And that is practically the entire device, so I rather save my money and buy something that I only need to use as a middle man to plug in a lav or other XLR microphones into and use for portable sound.
I'm posting this messy setup also so that it can just better help you all figure out better ways of monitoring audio, since it's a pretty big problem with the 7D.
Anyway, hope this helps. And hopefully it leads to some better setups and whatnot
Listed below are the links to all the devices I've listed in this post so you can have a visual representation of what I'm talking about:
Beacktek DXA-2S:
http://64bitfilms.com/2010/06/19/beachtek/
Aux Cable:
http://www.amazon.com/AUDIO-3-5MM-JACK-AUXILIARY-CABLE/dp/B001T4SNQO
Sony ICD-PX820 Digital Voice Recorder:
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-ICD-PX82...8&s=electronics&qid=1292700085&sr=8-1-catcorr
Rode NTG-2:
http://www.amazon.com/Rode-NTG2-Con...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1292700115&sr=1-1