Blackmagic Forum

I keep on reading in this forum and elsewhere that the BMPCC4K does not provide any power to the 3.5mm microphone socket with the result that unpowered 3.5mm lav mikes etc. cannot work. Yet my Rode VideoMicro definitely works in this socket (although I do have to set the gain to 90% or higher for it to show a workable signal). For testing purposes I have the channel 1 source set to [3.5mm Mono - Mic] with the other channel set to [None]. If I unplug the mike with this setup, then no audio signal appears, as you would expect. So I'm not somehow confusing myself with the internal microphones here.

I was therefore wondering if these various reports (of no 3.5mm power) were simply due to user error, i.e. insufficient gain being applied? Or was 3.5mm power quietly added (but not documented) in a camera update? Or is it that only small low-end "toy" mikes like the VideoMicro can work but there is insufficient power there for larger non-powered microphones?

There is no reference to any lack of 3.5mm power in the latest manual or product specs so far as I can see, so I wondered if anyone can shed any light on this please? I am using the latest 6.6 camera update but the VideoMicro also worked on the previous version.

Hi,

Nothing has changed and the 3.5mm mic bias has always been there.

The pre-amp on the 3.5mm input is pure analog so don't be afraid to crank it up.

Great, thanks very much for clearing that one up. I’ll point people here next time I hear the “no 3.5mm power” thing.

Kristian Lam wrote:Hi,

Nothing has changed and the 3.5mm mic bias has always been there.

The pre-amp on the 3.5mm input is pure analog so don't be afraid to crank it up.

I've just come across this thread... Ive just purchased a Rode VideoMic Go 2 (which doesn't use batteries) and wondering if this will work as intended with my BMPCC4k?

This post and another centering around a Rode Video Mic Go II prompted me to dig around a bit. There is some confusion being introduced here. I see this new term popping up, "plug-in power". I either missed something in my 50 years of being involved in electronics or manufacturers are trying to dumb something down again and causing confusion. Typically dynamic and some other mics are considered to not need "power" to operate. This is a bit of a misnomer as they need what has been considered a bias or very low power if you will, to generate a signal. This bias however has never been considered a form of power. Condenser microphones however do need what the industry calls phantom power which is a higher degree of power than bias. Now we have this Rode Videomic Go II. It claims to be a condenser that will use "plug in power" (I'm assuming same as bias). I can find no further definition other than marketing rhetoric to qualify any of this. So is this thing a kinda, sorta, akin to, condenser? Ya, I'm confused too. Condenser has always been associated with more sensitive, greater detail etc than dynamic. Dynamic mics have always been considered great to scream into, knock around, and such. I'm cynical. There are lavs that are condensers and need power to operate but they are typically used with wireless systems or proprietary recorders that provide that power to the mic and these mics are not meant to be plugged directly into a trs camera input. Is this creating confusion in the interweb? Again, I'm cynical. I think I'm smelling another marketing rat. Back to the BMPCC 4k, the preamps are just weak. One needs to push the gain using most any mic. Not complaining here. I don't want to pay more for better preamps. As long as I can get either a scratch audio or timecode stamping for syncing in post I'm gold. Ya, I'm rambling. Disregard if you so feel. Just thinking "out loud".

“Plug in power” or bias voltage is typically 5v as opposed to phantom’s 48v.

https://service.shure.com/s/article/dif ... uage=en_US

Good Luck