to Attenuate or not to Attenuate ~ that is the question. :-)

[ShannonRawls]

Ok my DSLR experts, got a quickie for ya...

We all know the Sescom cable is $35 bucks. Not allot of money.
However, if I can spend that $35 bucks @ Rush Street bar tonight for a few drinks, I'd much rather do that.

So my question is this. Say you're using a Zoom H4n or Tascam DR-40 recorder and you want to record audio directly to your 5D3 and use that audio as master audio (no sync in post) then I already know you can...

OPTION A:

1. split the recorders line out with a cheap radio shack headphone splitter cable
2. set the recorder levels to 55 (sweet spot)
3. put the 5D3 at 1 notch above 0 (best spot)
4. plug in headphones to the other end to monitor audio and pray your ears are good enough because you can't do any adjustments.
5. and go!

From what I understand this is the universal setup. However, don't dare raise the levels on either unit or the sound goes bad from being too hot.
However, this is ideally done because with the 5D3 level being at 1 notch above 0, you aren't using ANY bit of the cameras pre-amp, therefore getting you cleanest sound you can get.

However my curiosity is...
OPTION B:

1. split the recorders line out with an attenuated/paded (-25db) Sescom splitter cable
2. set the recorder levels to ????? (sweet spot)
3. put the 5D3 at ????? notch above 0 (best spot)
4. plug in headphones to the other end of splitter.
5. and go!

Ok #1... what are the best settings for recorder and camera
And #2... more importantly... if you go this route, with a padded line out cable from Sescom, then won't raising the audio levels in the camera simply introduce the problem you wanted to get rid of to begin with? (the camera pre-amps). Anything above notch 1 on the camera will kick in the camera's pre-amp, won't it?

What ways do you do your DSLR recordings?

 

[drapeama]

What ways do you do your DSLR recordings?

I'm not one of those experts you've listed in the first line, but what I usually do (and works fine) is:
1) Microphone (XLR) to the JuicedLink.
2) JuicedLink (3.5mm) to the Tascam DR-05 mic input.
3) Tascam (3.5mm) headphone's output to the camera (Canon T2i with MagicLantern installed: AGC off and Analog gain to 23dB).
4) Then, normalize in post and you have clean audio.

I usually set the levels on the Tascam by "clapping" my hand near it, to set the peak. While I read the peak on the levels bar, I monitor using headphones on the recorder as well. Once it's set, I simply connect the recorder to the camera, as mentioned. Then, I'm sure it won't peak in the recorder and if the headphone's output isn't too hot, you'll record nice audio with the DSLR itself.
That's my way. I've been using it since I got the camera and I never got "bad" audio since.

 

[ShannonRawls]

Got it, so you're using method A, taking a chance not to overload the mic level input with line level feed. No pad cable at all. Gotcha.