Camera Audio setup - need some help

[Mac in HD]

Hi guys, so my video set up is a Canon 600D and a Boya BM3030. i am having some issues with my audio quality. there is quite a bit of static and the when i record indoors there is alot of reverb and echo that distorts the sound and even premiere pro struggles to get rid of. on the microphone there is a headphone jack and i found that if i connect this jack to the camera i get much better sound but still not perfect. is there someway to get minimize these issues to an extent ? i know that Magic Lantern's AGC cut is meant to help but i have also hear that a pre amp like the Boya BY-MP4 audio adapter is meant to help is well. is this true ? will adding an audio adapter act as an AGC cut and allow me to reduce the echo effect ive been getting with my mic? please help!

 

[Damon]

Honestly, if you are indoors, get rid of the shot gun microphone and the get a lavaliere mic. You will always have tons of reverb/echos with a shot gun mic indoors unless your studio is properly sound treated.

 

[Mac in HD]

i get what you mean and i will use a lavaliere mic when im indoors however since my camera has an auto gain control that cant be switched off i would stiill have that issue with the hiss in the background. will an audio adapter like the By-MP4 or Saramonic SR-AX100 effectively act as a AGC blocker?

 

[Damon]

Ah, now I better understand what you mean. Yes, those types of preamps work wonders for your audio. I use to use a Beachtek DXA-Micro Pro. It does the same thing the preamps you mentioned. You basically bypassing the internal audio into your camera and using the preamp to boost the signal for nice clean audio. The best is you won't have to sync audio and video in post production.

Now if you see yourself down the road increasing production quality by separating audio and video, then It'd be best to set that up now. If not, and you want the simplicity of in camera audio, yeah, get any of those preamps, and you'll get good audio.

 

[Damon]

Sorry for the double post, but the reality is a something like a Tascam DR-05X is only a touch more money than the Saramonic, and you'll get way better audio: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1453029-REG/tascam_dr_05x_stereo_handheld_digital_audio.html

The problem with those preamps like the Saramonic and the Beechtek is you are still limited by the camera onboard sound and recording capability. Once you separate the audio and video, you move into a who new level of audio quality for almost the same cost.

 

[Jeffrey Powers]

First, is it the microphone, or the camera? Plug in another mic to the camera, and plug the Boya into a computer. See if the problem stays, or follows.

As for the echo, try changing the settings. If you're on Auto, set manually. Turn on and off the wind filter. Put some tape where the mic hole is on the camera to see if that changes the amount of echo.

You can try to clean out the connectors. Can of compressed air does best for that, but also stick a wood toothpick in and lightly scrape the sides. Never know if lint is a cause.

On the Boya, clean the plug with a wet wipe or something like that.

Let me know.

 

[Damon]

Also if you are hearing a true echo, make your that your are not listening to the recorded sound. If it's the recorded sound you're getting a lag after the data had been written to the card. Set it to "live-monitor" mode or whatever your camera calls it.

 

[Mac in HD]

Also if you are hearing a true echo, make your that your are not listening to the recorded sound. If it's the recorded sound you're getting a lag after the data had been written to the card. Set it to "live-monitor" mode or whatever your camera calls it.

Thanks Damon, your replys have been very helpful. i am definitely looking at separating audio and my video. thanks for the help its been very informative.

 

[Mac in HD]

First, is it the microphone, or the camera? Plug in another mic to the camera, and plug the Boya into a computer. See if the problem stays, or follows.

As for the echo, try changing the settings. If you're on Auto, set manually. Turn on and off the wind filter. Put some tape where the mic hole is on the camera to see if that changes the amount of echo.

You can try to clean out the connectors. Can of compressed air does best for that, but also stick a wood toothpick in and lightly scrape the sides. Never know if lint is a cause.

On the Boya, clean the plug with a wet wipe or something like that.

Let me know.

Thanks Jeffery, i checked and cleaned everything and and found that i still has the same issue. i decided to try magic Lantern to see if it was the AGC. and when i switched that off the level of static drop dramatically to the level of when you are monitoring the microphone directly and the echo seems to be gone too. thanks for your pointer though. i should know by now that you should always check the connections first. thank you.

 

[Damon]

Glad you got it sorted.

 

[TubeBuddy]

Great bits of information!