BMCC and Zoom H4N setup

Hello! Sorry if this was covered before, but I couldn't find an answer.

I'm trying to setup my BMCC with Zoomn H4N and Rode NTG2 using this cable, with audio inputs going to BMCC and mini jack going to "line out" of the H4N.



Is that a right thing to do? Or should I just use a simple mini jack-mini jack cable from BMCC to H4N instead?

My setting on the BMCC are set to MIC with 80% levels. H4N is set to somewhere 50% gain.

nobody has a clue? wow

Likely no one is is responding because it's been previously gone over many times. The H2n does not have line-out, it has headphone out which is not a suitable output for sound recording. I personally did the same thing with poor inconsistent results. Seemed like a good idea at the time. A Riggy or a Sound Devices are most often the best solution or at least that's what I've seen. Or sync with Pluralize...


Good luck.

Is your Rode mic powered or not?

Not zoom h4n, but a similar device... I'm using tascam dr-100 line out, stereo then split to 2x mono trs. With "line" settings on BMCC I can't hear a thing, with "mic" settings I get terrible distortion. I can lower the output of tascam's preamps to 1/10, then output line out to BMC with mic settings and in BMC turn preamps up to 50%, but then there's noise and the lows are gone, and I think it still has some distortion when the levels go too high.

Even with external recorder you can't make this thing record sound properly (talking even only about reference audio, I agree that you should record audio separately when possible), this is just sad -- cause I didn't expect it. I don't have enough cash for a 1000$ sound devices preamp which may-or-may-not work, who knows, anyway?

With my sony a99 I had a battery powered shotgun mic straight to 3,5mm jack and I thought that my problems are going to end with switching back again from a dlsr to a pro camera. Haha.

Now that I'm thinking, everything was easier.. Batteries, tiltable screen, 60 fps, stabilization, great internal mics, comfy high shutter speeds for no-time-for-nd daylight shooting, and it was a stills camera. My bmc rig is biig and heavy... But damn you, you gorgeous bmcc raws, damn you for looking so sweet...

Ekhm. I diverged. Sorry.

Not zoom h4n, but a similar device... I'm using tascam dr-100 line out, stereo then split to 2x mono trs. With "line" settings on BMCC I can't hear a thing, with "mic" settings I get terrible distortion. I can lower the output of tascam's preamps to 1/10, then output line out to BMC with mic settings and in BMC turn preamps up to 50%, but then there's noise and the lows are gone, and I think it still has some distortion when the levels go too high.

Even with external recorder you can't make this thing record sound properly (talking even only about reference audio, I agree that you should record audio separately when possible), this is just sad -- cause I didn't expect it. I don't have enough cash for a 1000$ sound devices preamp which may-or-may-not work, who knows, anyway?

With my sony a99 I had a battery powered shotgun mic straight to 3,5mm jack and I thought that my problems are going to end with switching back again from a dlsr to a pro camera. Haha.

Now that I'm thinking, everything was easier.. Batteries, tiltable screen, 60 fps, stabilization, great internal mics, comfy high shutter speeds for no-time-for-nd daylight shooting, and it was a stills camera. My bmc rig is biig and heavy... But damn you, you gorgeous bmcc raws, damn you for looking so sweet...

Ekhm. I diverged. Sorry.

I'm in exactly the same situation and it feels you just took the words out my mouth.
I've found some sweet spot at all this setup all together without getting lots of noise. I'll try it on my next shoot on sunday

You can not get good results guys, when you are trying to take a consumer unbalanced output to a +4db balanced input, you need to convert the "unbalanced" to balanced with an active "D Box", or use a pro level mixer with balanced line outs to feed camera and unbalanced out to your recorders, Sound Devices MixPre D is an excellent example. You need to start out with a "Good Audio feed" in order to get good audio out the other end. TRS 1/4 plugs are not "stereo" but are Balanced Mono audio connections.

Hmm.. I thought that every 2x mono signal is balanced (jacks or xlrs, even if it's just split with a 3,5-2x rca or 2x6,3 cable). I think it's more the problem of the input levels, either too low or too high for the camera to handle.

It's kinda difficoult to mount an audio mixer to my shoulder rig.

*soon*

Either way, seems that external recorders might not be the best solution. I know they don't have great preamps in the first place, but it seemed reasonable before.

It's just challenging that it's either the best audio gear, or it won't work.
Having written that, I just read a topic of a guy struggling with sound devices line out to bmc.

There's juiced link but not in Europe. That would make things easier. Maybe.

See: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15001