Everyone talks about how the Rode Mic is the standard for HDSLR audio, but there is one big problem for me; it is a stereo microphone. The reason this is a problem is because my wireless lav is stereo also and the Zoom H4n only offers one stereo output but two XLR outputs. After a lot of research I found the Azden SGM – 1X. Here are the results…
The Zoom H4n mic pics up sound very well and doesn’t need much EQ touching in post. My biggest problem is how low it is recorded and how much I have to bump it up. The mic needs to be pointed exactly at the target and sometimes you can’t be only a few feet away from your subject. Would work fine for voice overs.
The Azden did ok with the ‘flat’ setting but when put in the low cut setting it sounded great. I am very happy the purchase and I do recommend it. When listening closely I could hear my overhead fan but with some minor touching and music, it would disappear. Anyone who wants to keep the stereo port open on the Zoom, I would recommend the Azden SGM – 1X.
Any questions or comments feel free to comment on this post.
appreciate your posts, rob. are you plugging into your zoom or camera? maybe a picture of what your rigged up set up looks like would be helpful. keep your blogs coming. have appreciated. –jim
Thanks Jim! Yeah I should have been more clear. I had the mic plugged into the Zoom only. I synced the audio and video in FCP. I will try to get a pic of the set up. The camera was on a tripod, the Zoom was next to it on a mic stand, and the Azden was on the camera. Hope this helps!
thanks, rob. it would have helped if i had played your youtube (just did, and you answered my question there… thanks!). are you synching with pluraleyes? have been doing some research and small test projects with CS5 (going from 8bit to 10bit) but am still unsure as to whether there any benefits to doing that prior to import to premierepro. think i recall zacuto shootout finale suggesting the transcode to prores 422 (obviously right for FCP-based workflow) but not sure which codec to move to/work in with a CS5, Mac-only workflow. have you come across anything on this? will let you know what i find–may start blogging on what i’m learning along the way. keep e’m coming. –jb
No I just synced manually. I transcode everything to Prores 422 (LQ on this one). Sorry but I don’t use premiere so I can’t help you there. I’ve heard people just edit straight H.264
With any high-quality mic, environmental noise will inevitably come into play. Though the high-pass filter may work in a pinch, you should check out this software:
http://izotope.com/products/audio/rx/
It is the best and easiest to use audio restoration product I’ve ever used and would be perfect for location shoots where you can’t always control ambient noise. Check out the demo. You’ll be amazed at what it can do.
Thanks Dave. Haha this is why I come to you with audio concerns!
Great idea, but will this work over the long run?
which part?
I know this post is a tad old but i have the same azden mic and i’m not too thrilled with the audio levels that come out of the Zoom H4n. From my understanding, the amp in the Zoom are not very good (in that they dont have any) Have you tested the mic with a female to 1/4″ adapter (or mini stereo adapter)? wondering if that will make somewhat of a difference in regards to the audio using this mic. considering going this route. thanks.
I just did some testing with my SGM-1X and a Zoom H4n and found the levels via the XLR to be more than adequate. You may want to ensure you have a fresh battery in the mic.
Thanks Dustin, will continue to make more tests. I ask because there seems to be others who have a similar problem with this mic.
Hi, i have the same azden mic and was wandering whether it would be better to buy a beachtek/juicedlink adapter or either zoom h4n to work it along my canon 550d. sync wont be a problem, i need a clear audio with no hiss.