Where do you keep your Zoom H4N when shooting?

A

awomias

Active member
Hi I have a 7D mainly for weddings. Been using it as B cam and using audio from main cam Panny HMC150. Looking to go all 5D/7D on monopods. Where do you place your Zoom H4N when doing run and gun?
 
get a rig/cage for it and mount it, for other events when recording from mixer then next to mixer
 
On my belt. I made a belt clip with a bolt on the inside. When I'm using a wireless system I clip the receiver right next to it.
 
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Are you using the mics on the Zoom or plug in external mikes to it? I have a Rode Videomic I can plug in.
 
Yeah, I'd shoot on a rig/cage and mount it there, that way the rig becomes the "camera" that you're running and shooting with. More room to add mics, lights, follow focus, handle on top for grabbing quickly and also low angle shots, etc...
 
I mount like this, but I sometimes mount on a stand set close to an acoustic music performance to get max effect from the built-in XY mics. I'll add another mic or two into the external inputs for soloist or MC.
 
Mounting varies.
If I want to use the onboard mics on my rig and feed the "Line Out' into my T2i, then it's mounted on a rig.

I prefer a live mix, so I generally don;t take a board feed.

If I'm doing a wedding or stage show, the H4n is off camera anyway (weather video camera or DSLR). It's mounted near the audio source for constant audio pickup in 4-channel record mode. For a reception, it will be mounted near a PA stack. I feed 2 mics into both XLR ports, micng the PA stack horn and woofer independantly. Then the onbaord mics are faced outwards towards crowd for ambient audience mix. Everything is mounted on one mic stand.

I then send a wireless feed from the H4n to all cameras for sync/monitor/backup audio purposes.
 
bluesgeek said:
Such a good idea. (Am I fawning enough?)
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It's interesting that there aren't more people mentioning this kind of method as a recording option. I mean after all it's not too complicated a setup and pretty straight forward.

I shoot a lot of events, mainly weddings, stage shows and such. But am doing more studio shooting these days as well.

For the last 4 years, for my live events, I have been capturing my audio off camera, and only using my on camera audio for backup/sync purposes. This is mainly using video cameras, but it translates to DSLRs as well.

To me on camera audio is only for ambient usage. That is unless it's run and gun in the field, like for news gathering. In any other situation of camera audio can be used in some shape or form.

Oh, and of note...When you send a wireless feed from the H4n's "Line Out", it's a mono mix. So if you are recording 4-channel audio, it will send all 4 channels of audio as a mono feed.

BTW, I liked your audio field setup.
 
thank you

Have you tried the mid-side option on the H4N? I'm guessing that you have to mount the H4N in a proper orientation to pull that off correctly... on it's side and at a 45 degree angle so that the mic designated as D and S are facing the way you would if you were doing such a setup. I haven't tried messing with that yet.
 
I rented an H4n this weekend to do exactly one of the methods you described.

The plan was to set it to 4 channel mode and run an rca to minijack cable from the DJ's mixer into the mic in on the h4n and the point the internal mics out at the crowd for ambient and background noise.

Too bad I rented it for nothing. The DJ's entourage wouldn't allow me to record any audio and booted me off the stage. He even had one of his guys block me from filming him. I had my press badge/pass and they didn't care. The venue hired me to film him and I couldnt even do my job.


But all is not lost. It forced me to learn more about the shortcomings of AGC and how to work around it. So next time I'm going to be really prepared.

I think I'm going to get a h1 (if they ever come out) and plug a rode videomic into it and just use that for the majority of my future shoots as far as my audio solution.

I may rent the h4n but I think its a little overkill for what I want to do on a regular basis. At least I know what its capable of just in case I get I ever need it again..
 
bluesgeek said:
thank you

Have you tried the mid-side option on the H4N? I'm guessing that you have to mount the H4N in a proper orientation to pull that off correctly... on it's side and at a 45 degree angle so that the mic designated as D and S are facing the way you would if you were doing such a setup. I haven't tried messing with that yet.
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Actually if I ma just using the onboard mics, that is my preferred munting configuration. H4n on its side, with capsules rotated to 120 degree pickup pattern.
 
Hmmm. I'll try that with the mid-side option turned on, when mounting on a stand near my subject. For on-camera mounting, I should probably stick to conventional X/Y orientation for stereo imaging that matches what's in the frame. Is that what you'd recommend?
 
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