Action cameras like the GoPro make great video, but audio is a problem. Here are three ways you can record better sound with your GoPro.
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Part one of a three part series describing great techniques for getting good audio when shooting with your action camera. In this episode we talk about overcoming the limitations of the GoPro's internal microphones, when to use an external mic and the fundamentals of Double System Sound.
00:38 Using a skeleton housing
01:06 Getting close for the best audio
01:33 Using an external microphone
02:13 Double System Sound
Product Links
Neewer Metal Skeleton Case http://amzn.to/2cPbe4H
Luxebell Skeleton Case http://amzn.to/2ehuHy8
GoPro 3.5mm Mic Adapter http://amzn.to/2dMWo4A
Sony ECM-66B Lavalier Microphone http://bhpho.to/2dFTQ4a
Zoom H4n Recorder http://bhpho.to/2cOrbgo
Zoom H6 Recorder http://bhpho.to/2dEfOUo
Tascam DR-70D http://bhpho.to/2drctdf
Zoom iQ5 Stereo Microphone for iOS http://bhpho.to/2dauY3Y
Micronic Gold Pro Lavalier Mic http://ebay.to/2cOscW5
MXL MM-160 Lavalier Microphone http://bhpho.to/2dFICBl
Handy Recorder App - http://apple.co/29wph0u
UPDATE: We've been getting some questions about recording with Android. Unfortunately Zoom has not created an Android version of Handy Recorder. RecForge Pro seems to be the best alternative for Android. You can record 16bit, 48kHz wav files in either mono or stereo, depending on your microphone. Additional features include background recording even when the phone is locked, and recording to an SD card. The Lite version has all the features of the pro version, with no recording length limit for wav files. You can try out the app before buying the pro version. For more info: http://bit.ly/2kjPc1u Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
In this video you will learn how to record better audio, how to connect a microphone to the camera and how to use a separate recorder to capture your sound.
The audio recorded by the GoPro is not great. Especially when you use the waterproof housing. It not only keeps out moisture, it blocks the sound. One solution is to use a skeleton housing. Also known as a GoPro Frame mount. It is designed so the camera’s two on-board mics are not blocked by thick plastic.
The GoPro’s microphones are designed to capture every sound. Not just the audio coming from the front, but all the background sound, too. And if someone is talking they have to be close. You can certainly use the mic on the GoPro and get good sound. But to do so means you need to pay attention to all the sounds around you and keep the person close. Watch out for traffic, background music and crowd noise. If it is noisy you might want to find a different location.
If you want to use an external microphone there is no easy way to plug one in. Older GoPros used to have a microphone jack, but beginning with the Hero 3 it went away. The current solution is to use a mini USB mic adapter. This cable plugs right into the side of your camera, which again, means you’re stuck using the non-waterproof skeleton housing.
But usually you are using a GoPro because you will be wet, or snowy or muddy and you need to protect the camera. That is when you leverage double system sound. In other words, you record your video on the GoPro, and your sound on another. You reconnect them when you edit your video.
When shooting double system sound there are three things to remember…
The first is how are you recording your sound? You can rely on a professional digital recorder. Something like the Zoom H4n or the H6. They are reliable, they record wave files, and everything plays back at an accurate speed.
Playback speed of the files you record is really important. You may not notice that your audio is playing slightly faster or slightly slower than your video when you listen to it. But when you attempt to sync them together the sound drifts ahead or behind your video. After only a few seconds your video may look like a poorly dubbed foreign film.
Often you don’t have access to a professional digital audio recorder. That’s when I use my smartphone.
You can get by using the mic on your phone. Not great, but it’ll sound better than your GoPro in a waterproof housing.
Usually though, I plug in one of the myriad of microphones made specifically for smartphones. One cool thing about using a smart phone for audio is you can actually use more than one. It’s like having a bunch of wireless mics. It does not matter how far away people get from the camera as long as the phone is in record.
Another important thing is you need some sort of reference point in each video file. Not just once during your shoot. But every time you restart the camera. Usually the sound captured with the on-board microphone will work as reference audio. Even the muffled sound on a GoPro. In editing we use the reference sound from the camera to line up the sound from the recorder. That’s how we can tell everything is in sync.
