Annoying and crazy issue... please advise..

[Gemini]

Hope you have a strong drink for this one... I am so lost and frustrated right now...

So to give you an idea where this started. I began vlogging with a GoPro Hero 7 Black. I use the 3.5mm adapter and my first lavalier mic was a sony stereo mic. I had lots of popping noises in my recordings, I did research and apparently the issue is that it is a stereo mic, and not omni directional.

My next step was to buy a high quality omni directional mic. I opted for a sennheiser. This mic produced amazing quality. Fast forward about a week or two. I suddenly was having issues where the mic was cutting out. I felt the problem was that it has a mini 3.5mm panel connector, as it is meant for a sennheiser wireless pack. I was assuming the connector was coming out of the 3.5mm adapter, as it barely stuck in there. Also when turning my head, the connector bumps my shoulder, so I thought it was just getting knocked loose.

After this disappointment and some lost footage, I bought a purple panda. The panda is a great mic, but the quality of the sennheiser is just a lot better, and I was getting an occasional pop from the purple panda, but nothing like the sony.

I then realized the sennheiser would actually plug into the purple panda adapter (yes you have to use an adapter with the purple panda for it to work with the 3.5mm adapter)

So i tried plugging in the sennheiser with the purple panda adapter, which had a more firm mount into the 3.5mm gopro adapter.

This is where stuff gets all kinds of crazy.

The gopro hero 7 originally worked with the pruple panda adapter and the sennheiser into the gopro 3.5mm adapter. THEN IT DIDNT.

I went through all the trouble shooting I could to try and identify where the problem lies. I tried the sony again, the purple panda again.. and the sennheiser again. The sennheiser almost never works with the hero 7 now. With or without the purple panda adapter. Every 10 tests or so without the purple panda adapter, the sennheiser would work.

For shits and giggles, I tried the sennheiser with and without the purple panda with my GoPro MAX, and what do you know, works every time, either way.

This really threw me for a loop. How can the sennheiser mic > purple panda adapter > 3.5mm gorpo adapter > max work every time? And not ever or only very rarely with the hero 7? I figured it must be the hero 7.. but the sony and purple panda mics work every time with it. I'm frustrated because I want to use the Senneheiser mic with the hero 7 on my chin mount, so I can get the ND filter motion footage with the hero 7, and the best quality.. Does anyone have any clue what the issue could be? Why the sennheiser works with the max flawlessly but doesnt ever work with the Hero 7? and why the other mics work flawlessly with the hero 7?.. I did a factory reset, checked firmware, the whole shebang... No results.

HELP ME

 

[HippoDrone]

I didn't even know that you could mic up the GoPro Max

 

[Gemini]

I didn't even know that you could mic up the GoPro Max

Yeah th 3.5mm mic adapter works with it

 

[R-Rated]

Mic problems stink. I ran a Sony ECM stereo mic on my Hero black and found the pops were in correlation to the speed. Plenty of pops at 80 mph and nothing at 40.

I am tinkering with making sure the connections are solid as possible.

Hopefully you will find a solution soon.

 

[Gemini]

Mic problems stink. I ran a Sony ECM stereo mic on my Hero black and found the pops were in correlation to the speed. Plenty of pops at 80 mph and nothing at 40.

I am tinkering with making sure the connections are solid as possible.

Hopefully you will find a solution soon.

For now it seems the purple panda is the best option. I dont want to switch to recording with the MAX because of the lack of ND filter. The purple panda really is decent and the pops are few and far between compared to the Sony. So for now it seems the best option.

 

[B.Vation]

Do you have something that the mics would plug into and record? Audio interface? I’d forget the cameras for now and concentrate on getting good reliable audio with the simplest set up. After I was sure it worked I’d connect to the camera and see if it still worked. Some mics need 3.5 to 5 volts to work which might be a factor.

 

[Gemini]

Do you have something that the mics would plug into and record? Audio interface? I’d forget the cameras for now and concentrate on getting good reliable audio with the simplest set up. After I was sure it worked I’d connect to the camera and see if it still worked. Some mics need 3.5 to 5 volts to work which might be a factor.

Haven't thought of this but I can try. I have a few computers and a laptop / tablet that I may be able to try and get audio recording tests done. Thanks for the tip.

 

[humes]

Hm, not sure I am experiencing pops with the purple panda. Seems like you should take a week breather based on your post, man, and then come back at it with a fresh mind / low stress again. Mic's aren't going anywhere.

Seems you've done most of the troubleshooting. Only thing I can think of is to play with different adapters, too.
* GoPro Adapter -- you using this one ? or this one ? The 8 needs the latter, but I "think" the 7 can use the former.
* 3.5mm Adapter -- you could pick up an alternative to the purple panda one to use with the Sennheiser. Cheap to try.

Since you said the quality is better on the Sennheiser I might try to pick one up and do some tests on the Hero 8 so you have someone else in the mix to test variations with. Not that you'd want to necessarily grab an 8 just for that, though.

Last thing I'd say is that some people like Gas Works Garage on YT uses a separate audio recorder that produces great audio. They just tuck it in a pocket while riding. May not be up your alley (it's not for me), but wanted to mention.

Hang in there man! All part of the learning/growth process.

 

[STR-Rider]

I just did a video on this...(see my profile for channel link) My current (best) microphone I record with on the Hero7 Black is the Rode SmartLav+. The secondary helmet and external recording mic, I use the SONY ECM-CS3. I used to use it for a primary mic, but it was a little too bulky with the windscreens installed with it.

Tried purple panda, wasn't happy with the quality. Also tried a few other random mics but eventually settled on the Rode SmartLav+ as a primary use.

I do have a H2N external recorder for backup and off-bike recording, that works really well and the quality is perfect for my needs. *used with the ECM mic already mentioned* [The helmet setup vid audio is done with H2N and ECM mic]

 

[B.Vation]

I think the trouble with trying lots of different combinations lends itself to confusion, you never quite know where the problem lies, microphone, connection, adaptor or camera. I did over 12 videos on my quest to getting good vlogging audio and found even the cheapest £7 microphone worked well in the correct setting. One of the biggest problems was to shield my voice from the surrounding background noise. Get a simple rig working off the bike then try that riding if the audio deteriorates then it’s not the mic but the surrounding noise that the mic is picking up. Microphones pick up whatever sound is there, the better (more sensitive) the mic is the more it will “hear”.

 

[STR-Rider]

I think the trouble with trying lots of different combinations lends itself to confusion, you never quite know where the problem lies, microphone, connection, adaptor or camera. I did over 12 videos on my quest to getting good vlogging audio and found even the cheapest £7 microphone worked well in the correct setting. One of the biggest problems was to shield my voice from the surrounding background noise. Get a simple rig working off the bike then try that riding if the audio deteriorates then it’s not the mic but the surrounding noise that the mic is picking up. Microphones pick up whatever sound is there, the better (more sensitive) the mic is the more it will “hear”.

That's true - the only other variable is the tone of your own voice, which is completely unique. For my own experience, I found the one that had the best result to my own ears. I don't know how many videos I tried, but 2015-2018, I tired about 6 different types/combinations before settling on what I'm using now.

 

[ulijonroth]

Sorry for you. But there are many good ideas here, and I can add two methods I use, which include using my phone in the setup.
As I use a bluetooth intercom, I connect the phone to it, and start recording with Easy Voice Recorder. I get a decent sound with that. I also use a SmartLav+ with my phone, but this time I can record through Recordr app. This option gives me better sound quality.

 

[WEB]

Forget about the GoPro audio adaptor (unless it's the Hero 4 version). It's junk. Find an external audio recorder or record to a different camera (Hero 4 or one of the DJI variants seem to be popular... or your phone)

I've had two of them, pops, bangs and even entire rides with no audio because the camera decided to not detect the adaptor. The first one stopped working all together and I gave the second one to a friend, they're too unreliable to be used

 

[Madlad]

Forget about the GoPro audio adaptor (unless it's the Hero 4 version). It's junk. Find an external audio recorder or record to a different camera (Hero 4 or one of the DJI variants seem to be popular... or your phone)

I've had two of them, pops, bangs and even entire rides with no audio because the camera decided to not detect the adaptor. The first one stopped working all together and I gave the second one to a friend, they're too unreliable to be used

This. I'm not sure which mic I have because my brother gave it to me after he bought a shotgun mic, but I wire my mic right into my phone and get solid audio.

Pros:
-Audio is nearly flawless
-Separate audio file for editing (May be a con for you, but I prefer it)
-You don't have to buy a shitass cash-grab audio adapter, that may or may not even work

Cons:
-Microphone cord hangs out of your helmet so you can plug it into your phone or audio recorder (I could make it shorter by stuffing more wire into my helmet lining, but I'm lazy)
-Again the separate audio file may be a con, because you have to do the "Clapping thing" to sync up your video and audio when you start recording

 

[HippoDrone]

I often use more than one camera so clapping to synch isn't a worry.... but extra kit, extra batteries to charge, is a bit of a PITA

 

[R-Rated]

I often use more than one camera so clapping to synch isn't a worry.... but extra kit, extra batteries to charge, is a bit of a PITA

Ah, the beauty of GoPro cameras and this little Gizmo on my bike.

Never have to clap as all the cameras start within a split second of each other.



Plus, my bike has room for all the kit too!

 

[HippoDrone]

Using different makes of cameras stops that being an option for me sadly

 

[R-Rated]

Using different makes of cameras stops that being an option for me sadly

Haha! So true. That YouTube money though...

 

[Gemini]

Haha! So true. That YouTube money though...

View attachment 4960

Hippo-drones be like

 

[HippoDrone]

Hippo-drones be like View attachment 4963

Hahaha... I think the trackday I did at Anglesey I used 5 cameras!