BMPCC4k Phantom Power buzzing noise.

I recently returned my P4k that didn't work at all with my Rode NTG3, but worked fine with non phantom power mics.

Now I've received a brand new replacement and while it works with the NTG3 and phantom power, it makes a very noticeable buzz.

SAMPLE: https://soundcloud.com/barnstorms/a001-07041635-c259

I need to know from other people who use phantom power with this camera, is this an issue with all models? Should I return it again or just give up and get a self powered mic like the MKE600?

It seems a bit poor that it doesn't work when it is an advertised feature of the camera.

Please post any experiences you have had using phantom power.

That's very odd, I have 2 pocket 4Ks and they both works perfectly with no buzzing with the NTG-2 we have, both using phantom power.. We usually keep the levels between 70 and 80 on the camera... What levels were you recording that clip at?

50 then 80 then 100 at the end. but i think you would agree its very audible at 80, it even makes the waveform jump.

Looks like I've got a faulty one again. Thanks for weighing in. Anyone used it with a Rode NTG3?

I have the same problem, waiting to send it back until I have less jobs lined up (I have a mic that powers itself)

I have the same problem with a sanken cs1. It's related to the lp6 battery power. If you plug the dc power cable, the noise disappears.

Just out of mere curiosity what xlr to mini xlr cable(s) are you using? Are the cables grounded to the shell on the female plug on the microphone end (tiny piece of wire going from the ground wire pin 1 to the connector shell, The official BM cables are. Now I don't know if grounding the shielded or not would make any difference in this case in a short wire or even on longer one. IF I remember right it had something to do with mic shell grounding. In other words try with the shell grounded to the wire shield and without, if it makes anydifference.

I had similar buzz with phantom power if I recorded so that camera was powered only with its own internal battery. But disappeared when camera was feed with power supply.

I think the internal battery can't give enough current for clean sound recording with phantom powered mic. Atleast with some mics.

Yes try it again with direct power.
We had the issue and I'm pretty certain it's a problem with the battery and phantom power. Whether it happens with a weak battery or certain batteries I can't say but I'm guesing you won't have it with AC power.
I'd also strongly suggest, if you're not already - buy a few brand new, proven orignal Canon LP-e6n's

Well I tried it with AC power and as predicted, it no longer has the buzz.

My question now is what do I do? I can't return the NTG-3 but I don't have a v-lock or anything I can use to power via DC when I'm out and about!

It appears mics that require 48volt phantom power are not going to work very well on th Pocket 4K, when powered by the camera battery only. You are going to need to either power the ca era from a larger power source, or use an in-line Phantom power supply for the mic.
Cheers

I’ll test my Sennheiser MKH416 phantom power from genuine Canon batteries.


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Thanks Rick, that would be great!

Oh,no! I don’t have my XLR-to-Mini XLR cable yet so impossible for me to test! So sorry, must have been dreaming. As soon as it arrives, I’ll test for buzz. Then I’ll also hook up my V-Mount battery to see if it seems to make a difference.

It’s part of the BMD cable order that I haven’t received yet from my camera vendor which is now overdue as it was expected to arrive yesterday when I ordered it.


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I had this same issue when trying phantom power in the past. It was a bummer. I’ve simply been using the internal mic battery for the past months.


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I'm pretty certain it's a low voltage thing with the battery. I wouldn't eschew using phantom power with a battery - just be aware of it.

We've had no choice in a few shoots recently than to rely on battery power for remote audio. I ordered a couple more new LP-e6ns with the intention of putting them in the cameras when it came time to do the on camera work. In one instance we forgot to swap out the batt that had been powered on and filming for a while. As it turned out it had no problem recording the audio segment (sennheiser shotgun.)

In a few other instances since then using the new Canons, there has been no issue using the same setup. So I'm chalking it up to certain, older batts that don't have enough juice.

All phantom powered mics do not use 48vdc either, so the lower voltage required by some should work fine.

This was an issue with the SD MixPre, phantom power was cleaner and more effective using external power on the mixer, than when you used the internal AA batteries.
Cheers

50 then 80 then 100 at the end. but i think you would agree its very audible at 80, it even makes the waveform jump.

Looks like I've got a faulty one again. Thanks for weighing in. Anyone used it with a Rode NTG3?

I have had the PCC4k since October 2018. Got the BM miniXLR adapter cable, a NTG-3, genuine Canon batteries and third party batteries as well. And v-mount batteries + power cable to test.

Unfortunately I got a buzzing sound, too - regardless of the internal battery in use. It went away when I connected the camera to the v-mount battery.

What I found is that when changing the level ~9% equaled 6dB. So when you go from 50% up to 100% means applying ~33 dB of gain. AFAIK a level of 50% means no internal post gain is applied.

Update:

So I had my camera sent back to check it. They tried the NTG3 with their in house P4K and it had the same buzz. They then tried both cameras with an NTG4+ using phantom power and found that it did not make the buzz. In my searches I have found a few other people using NTG4 who seemed to be fine as well.

Denny Smith mentioned that different mics draw different amounts of power. I'm thinking that perhaps the NTG3 is a particularly power hungry mic and that I've just gotten unlucky with this combo. I'll be very interested to hear the result with the MKH416 when those cables arrive.

I will be attempting to return the NTG3 for an MKE600 to avoid using phantom power altogether. Let this thread be a warning to anyone wanting to use NTG3 with battery power. It does not appear to be a viable combination.

Still interested to hear from other people with other models of phantom powered microphones. Thank you all who have contributed so far, it's been a big help in solving this issue.

I've just tested mine with my NTG3 and have no buzzing sound at all. Was quite worried after your post so feeling relived. I have a second set of the camera and mic in work which I can test in a few weeks too.

It's running off a fresh ravpower battery.

Also tested it with my Rode Lav and no buzzing there either... The NTG3 is giving out a lot more signal.

One thing I noticed with my camera is that there seemed to be a fair amount of electrical interference if I had the microphone or microphone lead placed close to the right hand side of the camera when using a Rode NTG2 or an M5. That is apart from the problem of picking up fan noise when the microphone is mounted less than 20cm or so from the camera.

Well rrrbbb, I'm glad your camera works with the ntg3, I guess I could either have a faulty mic or just the 3 or 4 cameras it was tested with had problems. It seems the electrical shielding is a bit iffy on this camera in general. But there's only so many times I can return it.

I've got a Deity D3 Pro shotgun mic and it's self powered.

I can run it to the camera using a regular 3.5mm cable and also via an XLR adapter, XLR cable, XLR to Mini XLR adapter, using phantom power.

I'm getting this hum when it is running on the battery provided and also when plugged into AC power.

I have an andycine A6 monitor with Sony NP-F Batteries, however I'm still waiting for the power cable to arrive so I can use it to power the camera.

The hum is there at all times, unless I am touching one of the metal ports, which i assume means I am acting as the earth.

I'd love to know if there is a fix, whether it's a fault that will need to have the camera ent back, or whether it's a problem with the mic i've chosen not being compatible.

I've seen reviewers on youtube using this mic successfully with the p4K.

I don't know that this is helpful, but I am having exactly the same issue: audio has a loud cycling hum through the NTG-3 when bmpcc4k is powered via LP-6 battery. But the hum goes away when you connect it to AC power.

So far I've just avoided the issue and been lucky that I've had AC power for all of the times I used the NTG-3.

Definitely, interested in any resolution.

I use Canon bats only and haven't had the issue return since the first instances - that's doing direct audio on a lot of location shoots since. I'll be surprised if it happens with a freshly charged, real Canon battery.

Hey guys, was just dealing with the buzz myself, I have small batteries I go with for some handheld stuff and was getting the buzz. As soon as I setup my JuiceBox batteries it's good. Just from my experience it is for sure the battery power, thanks for the input.