Sync audio while filming with GH2???

C

cuervo.taylor

Active member
Is it possible to sync audio with something (don't know if lav, shotgun, zoom, rode, etc) while filming so I don't have to do it in post??? It's for interviews.
 
There really are just three ways to sync stuff.

1) Run the audio into your camera and let it record the audio while it's recording the video.
2) Use an old school clapperboard, then sync in post. Just having the talent make a big hand clap works too.
3) Use SMPTE timecode capable equipment and sync in real-time.
 
Thanks Bruce, do you know of any equipment I could use for recording audio (sync with video) while shoooting with the gh2? I have read about the BeachTek XLR adapter, do you know any other equipment?
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Dingo:

Will it work with a glidecam? will it sync while filming?

I read the following:
Combining the two (Zoom h4n and sescom cable adapter) you will now have the ability to use professional microphones via the h4n and not worry about syncing! Thanks to this cable design you can still monitor audio from the h4n but Depending on the microphone you use, on board mics, or externals you will have to readjust your levels (volume) to match but that’s just about as complicate as it will get.
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This seems too good to be true, aint it? Is this the best way for run-n-gun documentary with low budget?
 
cuervo.taylor said:
Will it work with a glidecam?
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The issue with a glidecam is that you can't balance your camera with XLR cables connected, which means that you either live with on-camera mics ( a terrible place for mics unless your talent is less than 24 inches from your camera ) or you have to use a UHF system like the Sennheiser G3 units. ( these work really well with the GH2, I use them all the time when shooting interviews )

cuervo.taylor said:
Will it sync while filming?
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I would opt for a Tascam DR-100 MK2 which is a better recorder than the Zoom H4n ( 16 dB quieter noise-floor with better MIC pre-amps ), and purchase the Sescom cable that's made for the Tascam.

I've never had a problem synching sound, and will often opt for letting the camera and the audio recorders run continuously ( "wild" sound ) and then synch one long video track with one long audio track. ( you will have to adjust the timing of the audio to get a frame accurate match with the video, but this is not difficult to do ) Just make sure your camera's built-in stereo mics are recording a reference audio track which you will use to determine how to modify the digital recorder's audio track to match it exactly.
 
when shooting on a gimbaled stabilizer, pretty much everything on the sled needs to be secured. all wires have to be taped/strapped down or at least not apt to move. ANY variable will unbalance the rig. as a general rule, you cant be tethered to anything not attached to the camera or carried by the sled

if you have audio and video recorded as separate files. there is a program called "plural eyes" that will sync them for you:
http://www.singularsoftware.com/pluraleyes.html
 
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Thanks again Dingo:

Is this the cable? http://www.amazon.com/Sescom-LN2MIC...AGFG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338919399&sr=8-1 it doesn't look like a 3.5-2.5 adapter, couldn't find any other sescom cable for tascam on amazon.

Do you connect anything else into your tascam? or you just simply record with the tascams built in mics?

So there's no way to record and sync at the same time while shooting (sorry I'm a newb)

Many thanks Wgzn, I've heard lot's of pluraleyes, I will use it when I get my gh2 :D
 
Yes, that's the cable. It has a 35 dB inline pad in the circuit, which brings the normally way too strong signal from the DR-100 down to a signal level that the GH2 ( or most other DSLRs ) can handle.

You can either use the built-in mics ( provided they are close enough to your subject ), or you can connect professional mics to the Tascam's built-in XLR inputs. Keep in mind that this is NOT when you have the camera mounted on a glidecam ( or other stabilizer ). The Tascam powers and amplifies your pro mics connected via XLR cables, and the Sescom cable connects the Tascam to your GH2 camera. ( or you can use the Tascam built-in mics instead of adding pro mics )

Normally, people will use the camera audio for reference, record proper audio with a separate unit like the Tascam, and then synch everything in post.
 
So there's no way to record and sync at the same time while shooting (sorry I'm a newb)
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just mount the recorder on the cameras shoe. you can either just record the recored or line into the camera
 
Hey so I record audio directly to the camera using this cable.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/755857-REG/Sescom_LN2MIC_ZMGH_MON_3_5_Line_to_2_5.html

This allows me to both monitor the audio and record it to the card. So there is no syncing involved. I think this works really well. I use a variety of mics the go into the Zoom H1 then to the sescom cable out to the GH2 and headphones. So far I have not had any issues with this set up.

Here are some photos of my set up.

http://www.crossbowfilms.net/102/

I need to post more of just my camera set up. But there should be a few pics on there that show you how it works.
 
Would you kindly explain this, "you can just record the recored"?? huh
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ha. that would be a typo on my part. no idea how i typed that : (

what i meant by all that is with the recorder mounted on the camera shoe you can either capture and sync from the recorder in post OR run the line out of the recorder into the camera live (with the cable folks have mentioned)
 
cbohlender said:
Hey so I record audio directly to the camera using this cable.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/755857-REG/Sescom_LN2MIC_ZMGH_MON_3_5_Line_to_2_5.html

This allows me to both monitor the audio and record it to the card. So there is no syncing involved. I think this works really well. I use a variety of mics the go into the Zoom H1 then to the sescom cable out to the GH2 and headphones. So far I have not had any issues with this set up.

Here are some photos of my set up.

http://www.crossbowfilms.net/102/

I need to post more of just my camera set up. But there should be a few pics on there that show you how it works.
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Will this work with a Tascam dr100 mrkII? or with the Zoom h4n?
 
cuervo.taylor said:
Will this work with a Tascam dr100 mrkII? or with the Zoom h4n?
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It should with the Tascam DR-100 MK2, but you don't need the monitor cable as this unit has a separate headphone jack.

i.e. LINE out goes to the GH2 via the special Sescom 35 dB cable, and you just plug your headphones in to the headphone jack of the DR-100 MK2
 
OK, this is very helpful. I record among other things church events where people are up front and I am 100 feet back in a gallery. I figure Tascam with a feed from a sound board to an SD is the way to go under this scenario but what is troublesome is that even if you synch the camera and the recorder and let them free run, there are reports of the Tascam drifting when recordings go longer than 10 mins. (see http://www.pauljoy.com/gear/camera-accessories/tascam-dr-100mkii-vs-zoom-h4n-review/). I assume products like PluralEyes are intended to help re-align.

Next, if am closer, and can run a cable, I presume the best option is no Tascam and just run a cable from the sound board to the camera. Here, i would record one audio channel to an on-camera Rode VideoMic with the other coming from the sound board and i would take the best audio channel. I would expect to skip a lot of the crowd noise by not using the Rode audio track so it ends up just being a backup in case the direct feed is bad.

I lost an entire concert one time by relying on a direct feed but this was before I bought a camera that lets me monitor the in-sound via a headset.
 
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kwkeirstead said:
what is troublesome is that even if you synch the camera and the recorder and let them free run, there are reports of the Tascam drifting when recordings go longer than 10 mins.
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The synch with pretty much all non-pro audio gear will drift, which is fine as long as the drift is consistent, and most of the current low cost digital gear produces a consistent drift. The trick is to know how to correct for drift, which is actually very easy to do with the right software. I use the "Time Warp" function that is built-in to the low-cost GoldWave audio editing software. GoldWave Audio Editor : $19 US with One Year of Updates

The "Time Warp" function allows you to adjust the length of an audio track down to 0.0001 seconds, so if you know how to calculate how much you need to stretch or shrink your audio, you can synch hours of audio in less than one minute. The trick is to synch your audio track at the beginning of your video, then shift your audio track to synch it to the end of your video, then calculate how much your audio needs to change. So if I was shooting video at 24 fps ( 23.976 IVTC Film ) and my 2 hour audio track is out by 17 frames, then I would divide 17 by 23.976 to get 0.7090 seconds of change I would need to modify my audio track by to get it to match my video track. ( you would know if it was 17 frames long or 17 frames short, in terms of whether you add or subtract the 0.7090 seconds to your audio track to get it to match your video track ) This may sound slightly complicated, but it's SO EASY to do once you have done it a few times.

kwkeirstead said:
Next, if am closer, and can run a cable, I presume the best option is no Tascam and just run a cable from the sound board to the camera.
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Myself, I would connect a digital recorder directly to the sound board and let it run wild. I can always adjust the audio timing afterwards to match my video. This is also why I like to let my camera run continuously, so I have one long audio track and one long video track to match just once, and then I can go to town with my video editing because everything is in perfect synch at this point. Yes, you end up with a lot of waste footage, but I would rather have too much than risk missing a shot because the camera was paused.
 
Dingo do you think the Lumix 45-200mm lens is a good choice? in other thread people told me it's better the 14-140mm. Don't know what to think
 
cuervo.taylor said:
Dingo do you think the Lumix 45-200mm lens is a good choice? in other thread people told me it's better the 14-140mm
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I originally bought my GH2 with the 14-140mm lens, and ended up selling the lens one month later. I did not like the zoom action on the 14-140, it wasn't smooth enough for me, so I switched to the 14-45mm ( optically better than the 14-42mm ) and 45-200mm lens. I guess a lot will depend on what you like to shoot, how you like to shoot, and what you can afford. The two low cost zooms work well, but they are still very slow lenses. ( I use the 14-45mm in bright light when I want shoot hand-held with an image-stabilized lens. I don't use the 45-200 very often. )

I hope to switch to the 12-35mm f/2.8 and 35-100mm f/2.8 in the future. ( these will be expensive ) I like constant aperture zooms ( no exposure shifts when you zoom ), and the image-stabilization should help with hand-held work. These lenses should have been out when the GH2 first came out, and will make a big difference with what you can shoot in low-light and hand-held. They are also weather sealed, which will be one reason to upgrade to the GH3 when it comes out this Fall. ( it has to be weather proofed )
 
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