bellsbells Posted May 5, 2012 Share Posted May 5, 2012 I own a GH2 since yesterday, on the advice of users here :D I also purchased Andrew's book about it and am in the process of reading it. But it doesn't seem to contain the answer to my question, nor does the user manual: how is it possible to monitor the sound that the camera is recording? I plan on filming a documentary with interviews and need to be able to monitor via earphones the sound that is being recorded. I'm getting very worried that this isn't possible, and if this is indeed the case, how can one record audio reliably (especially when one isn't experienced in that area)? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronjbase Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 There is no headphone jack on the GH2, so I've been using the Juice Link DS214 with great results. You can calibrate the preamp to work with the audio meters and use the headphone jack in the DS214. Check out my 107old young video in the Screening Room, done with the GH2/DS214 combo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popalock Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 not a stupid question I'm thinking of ditching on-board recording altogether, to using a separate H4n with additional mics, closer to where the sound source, and syncing in post. I've been using the Sennheiser video mic pro straight into the camera, and audio is still rubbish (although obviously better than the camera's mic) Of course it all depends on what kind of sound you'll be recording & where you'll be positioned from the source Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellsbells Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 Thanks for the replies, guys. I'm bummed to find out that there is no headphone jack on the GH2. I looked at the Juice Link which does solve the problem, but in order to be attached to the camera it has to be mounted on a bracket which is really not ideal, as I plan on doing a lot of hand holding and want to be light and mobile. popalock, I checked out the H4n which looks like a nice little audio recorder, but not only is it also a separate piece of equipment to mount and carry around, but I'd have the added headache of syncing in post :-[ Perhaps I will have to resign myself to not being able to monitor audio, and to practicing a lot to make sure I know how to get reliable sound from whatever mic I end up buying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellsbells Posted May 6, 2012 Author Share Posted May 6, 2012 HOLY CRAP—just found this: http://www.rodemic.com/vmhd Arrrgggghhhh.... why is it not available? It looks like just what I need. But maybe it's going to cost an arm and a leg... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popalock Posted May 6, 2012 Share Posted May 6, 2012 syncing in post is actually very straight forward by the looks of things (haven't tried it yet myself). You just need to get a plugin for Adobe Premiere Pro or FC Pro, and the software will automatically sync & match up the GH2's on-board sound with the externally recorded sound. The best bit is imagine a set up where you have multiple cams & separate sound recording devices. You'd think it'd take you forever to sync? Wrong. Literally a few clicks and the plugin takes ALL the files, and sync's away. Come back in a couple of minute after having made yourself a cup of tea and you're good to go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYbAdTkP7FU think there are other plugins you can use You will get the best audio if recorded separately, close to source. and it will sound WAY better. Last off, put it this way - right now by the sounds of things, being a noob, you probably will be happy recording on board with an ok mic. But eventually you'll move over to recording separately, so I'd just do it now and get over the issue of a few clicks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bellsbells Posted May 7, 2012 Author Share Posted May 7, 2012 Thanks popalock, you are starting to make me consider the possibility of recording sound separately. So you say syncing in post is simple—what about the organization of all the sound files—does each need to match a video file in length? Every time you press "rec" on the camera you also have to remember to simultaneously press "rec" on the audio recorder? And ditto for when you cut? I'm thinking about practicality here, and I will be a one-woman crew.... And I'm also thinking that I'm the kind of person who would probably forget to start or stop recording on the audio recorder at some point, and screwing everything up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popalock Posted May 7, 2012 Share Posted May 7, 2012 admittedly the easiest thing to do is just stick on a good video mic (like the Rode video mic pro that I have), and shoot away. the problem is that the "pro" tag just doesn't live up to its hyped up name - it will sound amateurish even so (for the stuff that I shoot - music). Yes, you might & at some point will forget to hit record on the audio device. But I've forgotten to switch on the video mic as well and got no sound at all. Either way you'll screw up somewhere no matter what you do audio & video files do not need to match in length. Re organisation, if you're shooting a music session like me, it will be simple, just record one massively long audio file, and the video clips will just arrange themselves automatically with the plugin. If you're shooting something over the course of several days, sporadically throughout the day, you'll need to figure out a way of labelling the video clips & audio files otherwise I can imagine it will get messy & sync in batches Yes it's one more thing to carry, set up, worry about & has an extra step in post. BUT, it WILL sound SO MUCH better. For music video, this makes or breaks the recording. For interviews, not as important. If you are doing interviews then you might want to consider getting a lavalier mic. Either way, you'll want a mic close to your subject I'm leaning towards the Roland R26 - two different types of mics built in, allowing you to pick & choose, or mix, what sounds best in post + has XLR & 3.5mm jack inputs giving you lots of options. Not cheap, but I've saved on getting a GH2 some examples of using the R26 in a video context - there is simply no way you could shoot this with a single mic slapped onto the top of your camera, given how far back you are from the subject & the poor sound recording quality of the GH2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJEsfmGEwwo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUeVI1LgzoI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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