Josh Berman Trio and the Nikon Saga Continued

[mep]

I'm going to try and kill two birds with one stone here. Yesterday I wasted a bunch of time trying to post a 1080P video I made with my Nikon D5100 and the newly purchased Nikon ME-1 stereo microphone. Buying this microphone turned out to be a mistake because it is only specified to go down to 70 Hz which is cutting off almost the bottom two octaves. For some reason, and I don't know if it's because the microphone mounts on top of the camera and is picking up noise from the camera, it overlays the sound with a not so faint hiss. I can promise you the hiss is not coming from my stereo system. The recording I tried to post yesterday was made from my music server and the hiss was there and the same with this recording.

I contacted Jonathan Horwich yesterday and asked him for permission to post a video from a tape I purchased from him called "Josh Berman Trio, Chicago Retro" that Jonathan recorded on 27 July 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. Jonathan was gracious enough to give me permission. The song I recorded is the first cut on the tape titled "Countless Blues." For you tapeheads out there, if you haven't heard this tape before and you are looking for another source of tape to buy from, I highly recommend this tape. The music always puts a smile on my face when I spool up this tape and hit play. I'm afraid the Nikon ME-1 microphone is not doing this tape justice. The bass will sound much better over your system than what this recording allows you to hear. Here is a link to Jonathan's website:

http://internationalphonographinc.com/

One of the things I like about Jonathan's tapes is the dynamic range that he captures. For those of you who still have the ability to watch your VU meters, Jonathan's tapes will make your meters swing from one extreme to the other. Music that is compressed will hardly cause your meters to budge. If you look closely at my Ampex 350s, you should be able to see what I'm talking about. Here is the YouTube link:

Again, sorry about the damn hiss, it's not the tape or my system. It's somewhere in the Nikon D5100/Nikon ME-1.

 

[cjfrbw]

Still sounds really good, even through the "veils". There is real articulation there without stripping the fullness.

 

[mep]

Thanks Carl.

 

[DonH50]

I get too lost in the music to pay attention to the recording... I remember doing a lot of small group gigs in my youth. This also reminds me I need to practice the orchestra stuff more, been letting it slip and concert is only a couple of weeks away.

Assuming you get the sound cleaned up, how do you like the camera? I know the Rode stereo mics are widely used, but AT makes some much less expensive stereo mics that work well IME (very limited experience, I must admit, but the AT mics will run for an hour or two on a battery). The probably is usually the camera does not have a good enough preamp to do the mic justice.

 

[mep]

Don-I love the camera. I would like to know how to integrate a high-quality stereo microphone with the D5100 even if that involved an outboard preamp. For me, I bought the Nikon D5100 primarily as a camera. The fact that it will record 1080P movies was just an added benefit.

 

[Steve Williams]

For the best audio with your Canon Mark, consider this

I would suggest a wireless lavalier into a 4 channel recorder made by Zoom called the H4N and then sync the audio with an app called pluraleyes

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/h4n/

http://www.redgiant.com/products/all/pluraleyes/

 

[mep]

For the best audio with your Canon Mark, consider this

I would suggest a wireless lavalier into a 4 channel recorder made by Zoom called the H4N and then sync the audio with an app called pluraleyes

Steve-I don't have a Canon, I have a Nikon D5100. Aren't lavalier microphones the type that clip to your shirt when you are being interviewed?

 

[Steve Williams]

Steve-I don't have a Canon, I have a Nikon D5100. Aren't lavalier microphones the type that clip to your shirt when you are being interviewed?

sorry Mark

I was writing what I use with my Canon but of course it will work with your Nikon and yes that is what a lav is

 

[mep]

If I am going to buy another microphone, it will be one that can record full range sound.

 

[DonH50]

Rode makes a stereo model that seems to be highly regarded, and AT (audio-technica) also makes a stereo mic that would work. Both take a battery in the housing so the camera does not need phantom power. I have a friend with the Rode and he swears by it. Since you'll likely want a good mic no matter what, you could pick up the mic first and see if that works before getting more equipment.

Check the FR; many (perhaps most) mics target the 50 - 70 Hz range on up.

I have only hearsay , no direct experience, but many folk whom I respect have said handling noise is an issue filming with a DSLR. They do seem to work OK on a tripod.

 

[Bruce B]

Rode makes a stereo model that seems to be highly regarded, and AT (audio-technica) also makes a stereo mic that would work. Both take a battery in the housing so the camera does not need phantom power. I have a friend with the Rode and he swears by it. Since you'll likely want a good mic no matter what, you could pick up the mic first and see if that works before getting more equipment.

The biggest problem he'll find is getting a stereo mic that will fit that 1/8" jack that's not proprietary!

 

[DonH50]

Have to use an adapter. AT makes XLR and 1/4" versions, and the 1/4" used to include a 1/8" adapter. I am not sure about the Rode but I think it also has the adapter (?) Since power is provided within the mic (in either case) it's only getting the audio output into the right format that matters. Unless I am misunderstanding (probably)?

 

[Bruce B]

Have to use an adapter. AT makes XLR and 1/4" versions, and the 1/4" used to include a 1/8" adapter. I am not sure about the Rode but I think it also has the adapter (?) Since power is provided within the mic (in either case) it's only getting the audio output into the right format that matters. Unless I am misunderstanding (probably)?

It's not a problem finding XLR to 1/8" adapters but if you're looking for stereo mics, then most of them have a proprietary interface then splitting into 2 XLR's

 

[mep]

Rodes makes a stereo mic that supposedly is plug and play compatible with the Nikon D5100 and it is rated down to 40 Hz which is a huge improvement over the Nikon ME-1 which cuts off at 70 Hz. I am beginning to wonder though that the hiss I hear is coming from the mic preamp built into the Nikon D5100. Does anyone know what the FR of YouTube is?

 

[DonH50]

Here is the AT unit: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-...24cm-camera-mount-stereo-condenser-microphone

Rode makes a dedicated mic for camera applications. My friend is actually using an NT4 on his (semi-pro-level) video camera.

 

[Bruce B]

Here is the AT unit: http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-...24cm-camera-mount-stereo-condenser-microphone

Rode makes a dedicated mic for camera applications. My friend is actually using an NT4 on his (semi-pro-level) video camera.

FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 100-17,000 Hz .. I'd definitely get something better than that.

 

[DonH50]

Yeah, thought I mentioned earlier that a lot of these mics are very video-centric and do not have good LF response. Part of that is by design to reduce handling noise. AT makes models with lower response, that is the first I found and did not look at the specs. (I am actually practicing and using WBF to break up the session and save my chops, sorry for the fly-by posting!) The little Rode camera mic goes down to 40 Hz, and the NT4 is actually spec'd 20 Hz to 20 kHz, I think.

Edit: The AT8022 is what I have used, 20 Hz to 15 kHz spec.