Help Settings for Note 8 External Mic

[drcarl]

Hi. I've got a Note 8, and a Zoom H5. The H5 is a portable field mic and has USB as well as line-out and headset connections. I would like to figure out what I need to do (and what settings to set) to use my H5 as the Note 8's mic.

I suppose the main question is how to get the Note 8 to use an external mic.

I believe the Note 8's USB connection will be involved in order to have stereo sound, yet I'm not sure. I have an OSG adapter and the H5 has a USB connection. I can't figure out how to make all the settings right.

I have also ordered a "splitter" which separates the mic and a headphone for the phone's headphone jack. I think that will work, yet it will only be mono sound.

(This is the splitter I ordered: StarTech.com 4 Position Microphone and Headphone Splitter – 3.5 mm – 4 Pin / 4 Pole – Mic and Audio Combo Splitter Cable (MUYHSMFFADW) )

Thanks in advance,

drcarl

 

[marctronixx]

so you want to use a self contained recorder to record audio into a phone? why?

 

[Dannydet]

https://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/zoom-h5-tutorial/

 

[drcarl]

so you want to use a self-contained recorder to record audio into a phone? why?

I want to record video with excellent sound quality. The self-contained "handy" recorder has superior mics and adjustable levels. With the "camera" (phone) set some distance from the subject (me) I believe sound quality will suffer. I may want to use the H5, or I may opt for a lav - both of which would be placed on or near the subject instead of some distance away. Eventually, I may even use a quality shotgun mic like the Sennheiser MKH-416, after I save up $999.00. By then I'd probably acquire a camera that is a camera (and not a phone).

Sound quality is what I'm after. Thanks for asking.

https://multimedia.journalism.berkeley.edu/tutorials/zoom-h5-tutorial/

Thank you. That is a pretty basic tutorial that addresses how to record into the H5. It's like the manual whittled down to what's essential to record into the H5 unit itself..

I want to figure out how to pipe that audio from the H5 (or a lav - near or on me) directly into the smartphone in real-time.

Thanks again.

Added: Wow. That's a oool site for many other things. Thanks for the link.

 

[marctronixx]

I understand you want superior sound quality, but using an external recorder to record into the phone is superfluous. The zoom unit is going to give you the resolution you want since thats what it’s designed for. What you want to do, you are inputting an analog source into the zoom which converts it to a digital file then converts that back to analog to its outputs that you use to input on the phone which then goes through another audio conversion! That’s just not the way to get superior sound quality.

If you want pro level quality, use the zoom only and slate the recorder and camera (the phones camera in this case) then sync up in post. There is a program called pluraleyes that will do this automatically but if you slate both at the top you can line them up in your editor later.

 

[drcarl]

I understand you want superior sound quality, but using an external recorder to record into the phone is superfluous. The zoom unit is going to give you the resolution you want since that's what it’s designed for. What you want to do, you are inputting an analog source into the zoom which converts it to a digital file then converts that back to analog to its outputs that you use to input on the phone which then goes through another audio conversion! That’s just not the way to get superior sound quality.

If you want pro-level quality, use the zoom only and slate the recorder and camera (the phone's camera in this case) then sync up in post. There is a program called pluraleyes that will do this automatically but if you slate both at the top you can line them up in your editor later.

Marc, I get it about the analog to digital to analog daisy chain thing....like making sequential copies of copies. You are probably right that slating the tracks and combining them in post is the best approach. That's how the pros in Hollywood do it. I also know that I'm asking the "phone" to do a lot. What makes me think it's possible are the videos and sites showing an external mic, say a lav, being piped into the audio track of a smartphone video in real-time avoiding post altogether.

I see that when the phone's headset is plugged in, the headset mic takes priority and that that connection carries both headset data and microphone data. Plugging in a lav (or my H5) yields no audio at all. I have a "splitter" (linked above) on its way that separates these two data streams - one jack for audio, and another for the mic. It will be interesting to see if that's the fix.

Another video mentions using a TRS to TRRS patch cable. These two devices may serve the same function. We'll see.

Of course, if there is a lag I'll be warming up Reaper (a program really just for audio and only minimal video editing) or some other video editing program. Then for $50?/month, there is always the Creative Suite subscription from Adobe that, like the $300 program you mentioned (thanks), I hope to avoid the expense of.

Regardless of anything, thank you for your consideration and reflections on this.

 

[marctronixx]

I work in Hollywood as a camera operator, Steadicam operator, aerial photography operator (i am Part 107 certified FAA operator), and music producer. I have a publishing company through ASCAP and have been in this industry 30 years. This is how I qualify my posts here.

You can absolutely connect everything up as you say, no problem. You just need a TRRS adapter that will spilt the audio inputs/outputs. These are all over amazon if you are in the US.

You can also record solely on the zoom AND use the cheap mic on the phone to get wild audio. Sync them without the camera by just slapping your hands. That blip on the timeline in your editor will match up nicely.

I’m just saying that you are going to get the best audio quality just using the zoom. This is why pros use external recording gear.
Further, with what you are wanting to do, you will introduce some latency into the process and ,depending on the apps and phones CPU cycles, this can show up as a frame (or more!) on the timeline, so if you are using the camera shooting high frame rates/resolution AND you want to capture high quality audio, you are asking for some issues downstream.

You mentioned that if there is lag you can use reaper... i mean why even do all of that when you can just keep the process as simple as possible with less gear in the signal path?

 

[drcarl]

I work in Hollywood as a camera operator, Steadicam operator, aerial photography operator (i am Part 107 certified FAA operator), and music producer. I have a publishing company through ASCAP and have been in this industry 30 years. This is how I qualify my posts here.

You can absolutely connect everything up as you say, no problem. You just need a TRRS adapter that will spilt the audio inputs/outputs. These are all over amazon if you are in the US.

You can also record solely on the zoom AND use the cheap mic on the phone to get wild audio. Sync them without the camera by just slapping your hands. That blip on the timeline in your editor will match up nicely.

I’m just saying that you are going to get the best audio quality just using the zoom. This is why pros use external recording gear.
Further, with what you are wanting to do, you will introduce some latency into the process and , depending on the apps and phones CPU cycles, this can show up as a frame (or more!) on the timeline, so if you are using the camera shooting high frame rates/resolution AND you want to capture high-quality audio, you are asking for some issues downstream.

You mentioned that if there is lag you can use reaper... i mean why even do all of that when you can just keep the process as simple as possible with less gear in the signal path?

Marc,

Thanks a million for your replies. And you're right. I respect that. Less gear in the path.

But wait! There's more! I was born in Hollywood (90028) into a family in The Industry. Dad was a singer/dancer (all the MGM Musicals, etc), Mom, Betty White, and another actress had almost ALL of the TV commercials in the late 50s and did some acting, Step-dad was the most respected stuntman in Hollywood and had a couple of very popular western series, Step sis is a working producer (or is she directing? I forget) for some popular TV shows/series, other step sis won some Grammys and an Oscar by acting, and I wasted those connections and ran away to the sticks near Seattle (after Hawai'i, etc.) - LOL. Besides that (name dropping) I kinda grew up on sound stages. That's what qualifies me to have a profound and deep respect for your feedback. I used to do about 40 consumer wedding vids/year in LA, have been a photographer (casually) for about 50+ years, and am now flirting with getting Part 107 cert and chasing that business in some small way - that and perhaps voice-over acting...

I'm currently an (alternative) primary care physician with about 3 decades of clinical experience and have a family that keeps begging me to sit in front of a camera and spill what I know on various important health issues. I really should just get a real camera and a shotgun mic.

Why do idiots like me keep trying to do things the cheap way instead of the right way? I probably spend more time trying to figure out a Note 8 + Zoom H5 combo than doing exactly what you mentioned: Use my organic, built-in "clappers", and sync the audio in Reaper. Loving high def and hating latency as I do, well, I don't want ANY video to look like foreign footage dubbed with English - lol.

I think you just talked me into getting a small video camera and doing it right because even the Note 8 skips a frame once in a while (when panning - depending on settings, etc.) even though I'm saving to the phone and not to the card.

Many thanks.

And may you have many f-16 days.

 

[marctronixx]

drcarl,

i hope my post did not come off as narcissistic or disrespectful. its difficult to get a feel of ones tone over words, so i hope I did not offend.

ahhh the old RKO days.. magic was in the air, and fred and ginger taped their way into americans homes and hearts (that was way before my time)--when paramount and desilu were separate entities and delivered some good shoes , before Gulf+Western took over... you and I could talk over a campfire and some adult beverages and would chat forever...

I agree with you, sometimes we can get hyper focused on making our way work, instead of stepping back and trying to see the trees in the forest. if I were you, investing in a good mirrorless camera (Sony A9/ A77) and a good mic, would yield you sooo much happiness. you can concentrate on the shot and not worry about if the phone will stop recording, if it will hiccup, etc. there are many ways to approach your setup!

getting your own channel and sharing knowledge! it sooo easy today to do that. seems like your family may have something there...

flying a drone here in LA is almost impossible. everywhere its in controlled airspace and currently it takes up to 90 days to get a waiver to shoot in that airspace. other cities are not as locked down, but here where every pet and adult owns some type of drone, the market is just over saturated. it's fun, but knowing the rules and things you need for a successful flight can be a but daunting for some...


aahhh yes very off topic post here, btu its cool to hear of your upbringing and your background. my cyber hat is off to you good doc, and I wish you well in your journey!!

-marc