Ursa mini pro, zoom h6

[Polaroid22]

Hello guys,

I am doint an interview with a zoom H6 as a mic. But was thinking about recording it into the Ursa mini pro. So I dont have to sync the audio up in post. But the zoom h6 only seems to have 3,5mm jack out? Is that correct. So I will need to buy a 3,5mm jack to xlr. What about the quality? Will the quality be as good as recording internally on the zoom H6 better/worse?

Thanks,

 

[Noiz2]

Generally I would say bad idea. You can't just get a 1.5mm to XLR cable. You need to get some version of a converter/adapter. The 3.5mm is going to be stereo -10 line level unbalanced and the XLR is going to want balanced mic or +4 line level mono. So they will need some conversion to be compatible. "Quality" is pretty subjective. The zoom is not going to be a great "mic" but might be OK, but it is designed to pick up a pretty wide stereo spread and that is not what you want for an interview. That wide stereo pick up is not the "quality" you are going to want for an interview. With the right adapter/ converter the recorded "quality" should be about the same in the zoom as it is in the camera. There will naturally be a slight hit because you will be passing through more electronics and altering the gain up and down and possibly going through an additional A/D-D/A pass, but it is probably pretty un-noticable.

The bigger question is why after spending $10K or so on a camera and lenses etc. you feel the need to cheap out on sound? If I asked you if I would lose any quality by using a $300 camera and then going out composite video to a Ursa mini what would the answer be?

 

[Run&Gun]

The bigger question is why after spending $10K or so on a camera and lenses etc. you feel the need to cheap out on sound? If I asked you if I would lose any quality by using a $300 camera and then going out composite video to a Ursa mini what would the answer be?

Because that’s everyone’s MO today. How many(semi-rhetorical question) threads do we have on “I need a $50 mic” or “I need a $200 wireless” or “I need a $400 tripod”?

People’s priorities are misplaced and I’m reminded of it all the time on here and other boards. There is another forum that has a group buy currently under way for carts. There’s nothing wrong with the carts themselves(and they’re really well made), but they are several thousand dollars apiece, just to get in the door and the thread is 14-15 pages deep with people ordering them, but just like here, there are also threads on $200 wireless, dirt cheap tripods and the like.

Although I do have a second theory. It’s ‘conspicuous consumption’, much like some of the people in the world who buy BMW’s and Rolex watches. Audio and support are kind of invisible, but people are going to see and take notice of the camera and lenses and expensive flashy cart that you push them in on.

 

[Noiz2]

:~) I have to admit I have a pretty cheap tripod. But then I'm not a shooter and have no delusions that it is close to a good tripod. Actually the sticks themselves are not bad but the head leaves a bit to be desired. But I don't shoot for any real projects and the camera is a T2i.

The conflict I have of course is I love bargains and the quality level of some of the cheap stuff on the market is amazing these days. But I tend to be the opposite of what you are talking about. The area I am most likely to try something really cheap is the areas I know the most about. I kind of know the limitations of a cheap wireless and where I might get away with using one (high likelihood of destruction comes to mind). I knew most of the issues with the tipod and I have a small machine shop so some of them I knew I could fix.

Anyway OP don't mean to rag on you. I don't think it's a great idea for the reasons I said but if you go that route make sure that you get the right adapter and make sure you have phantom power turned off on the camera (having it on could blow the recorder or the camera when you plug them together. Do not use a through wired TRS 3.5mm to XLR cable because you will get weird phase issues and possibly near total cancelation, depending on the orientation of the recorder.

 

[mrveronn]

>The zoom is not going to be a great "mic" but might be OK, but it is designed to pick up a pretty wide stereo spread
>and that is not what you want for an interview. That wide stereo pick up is not the "quality" you are going to want for an interview

Zoom H6 has a range of microphone accessories...shotgun, etc...so you would have a good choice of what type of mic pickup pattern you are looking for...