I think I've cracked it... Mic audio

motosera

Weirdo, mosher, freak
Jun 4, 2020
283
418
63
Cambridgeshire UK
www.motosera.com
I ride a
Honda CBR1100XX and Buel XB9R Custom
I've been playing around for a while with different microphone set ups. I started with the Purple Panda as it got rave reviews, and it performs very well up to around 60mph and then it starts to pick up external noise from my helmet. It's not direct wind noise on the mic, but just ambient noise from inside the helmet. I tried 3 different positions (chin bar, behind cheek pad and embedded in the cheek pad) with it and all performed the same, fine at slower speeds, but just a bit too much background noise at motorway speeds for my liking.

I also tried a cheap gaming headset boom mic, same result.

This morning I have been out and tested another option. An Interphone Prosound Microphone.

They are an upgrade mic for the Interphone intercoms - and we use those on our helmets already and got absolutely no wind noise from them - and they come with a 2.5mm TRS connector, so you just need a 2.5 to 3.5mm adaptor.

I've tested it up to the legal speed limit (officer) and gone is the background rumble at higher speeds - or at least very much reduced. The only thing I will do is add a deadcat or foam to reduce breath noise and plosives.

Anyway - they are about £15, readily available and also suit flip front/modular helmets.


If you are struggling they might be worth a try :) may or may not work for you, but they are cheap enough to warrant a go.

I've got no affiliation other than being a user of their intercoms!
 

motosera

Weirdo, mosher, freak
Jun 4, 2020
283
418
63
Cambridgeshire UK
www.motosera.com
I ride a
Honda CBR1100XX and Buel XB9R Custom
Awesome, I have just purchased a couple to try out :) Am assuming it is a 2 channel mic?

Yeah, seems to be stereo or at least dual mono.

Hopefully it will work for you, let me know how you get on with it!

I'm going to use it for our little Yorkshire tour so will see how it performs on that long trip. If it continues to work well then I'll grab a couple of spares too.
 

motosera

Weirdo, mosher, freak
Jun 4, 2020
283
418
63
Cambridgeshire UK
www.motosera.com
I ride a
Honda CBR1100XX and Buel XB9R Custom
Just ordered one myself. Cheap enough to try and always good to get a recommendation. Thanks @motosera

Hope it works for you!

I know helmets make as much difference as the mics do. The Shoei I have isn't tge quietest, but it is at the quieter end of the spectrum I believe.

I'll get some video up from our trip away fairly soon.
 

Teh Purp

Friendly Neighbourhood Idiot
Aug 9, 2020
89
81
18
SCOTLAND!
I ride a
SFV650, NC700x, anything im given
I hear the senna ones work well too
Iv used sena ones before, they work great, but with nearly every microphone, placement is key, also helmets vary Alot for wind noise,

I can't seem to get my sena ones to work well recently though,
 

YBGuy

Yellow Backpack Guy
Aug 14, 2020
621
663
93
San Francisco Bay Area
ybguy.com
I ride a
2005 RC51, and a 2004 Honda CBR1000RR
I have purchased and tested an Interphone ProSound Mic and unfortunately it did not work as well as I thought, to keep things similar I used same mic placement for both Panda and Interphone but for some reason the Interphone creates a rumble. I used both Purple Panda windscreens for testing. The only difference in setup was wind screen wise because the Panda has a double windscreen. It has a tight fitting black windscreen and then the big dead cat purple wind screen that goes over after that. I tested both mics going similar speeds, 0-70mph. The Interphone seems to have a rumble to it, plus the audio sounds like I was talking on a phone. Which is not a bad thing, but the purple panda audio seems more natural to me. Tested using the GoPro Hero4 connected to the Purple Panda USB Mini cable to TRS 3.5mm female to TRS 3.5mm male to TRS 2.5mm Female cable then onto the 2.5mm Interphone Mic. I think maybe with more tweaking the interphone might have less wind noise but I don't think I can do anything about the phone call sounding output.

Lastly the Interphone seems to be a Mono channel mic, so I have to tell Adobe Premiere in post to mix both tracks so you are not just hearing me on the left channel (left ear). The Panda seems to be a stereo mic or at least the output is sent to both channels so you don't have to tell your Video editing software in post to mixdown or send output to both your audio channels.

Not hating on the Interphone mic it just did not work out well for me on the first couple tries. Maybe I will revisit it later. : )
 

LoneWally

All Season Rider
Aug 29, 2017
810
809
93
Leicestershire
I ride a
2007 Hartford HD125L, 2013 Honda CB500X
I'm following. My Purple Panda is stuffed in the cheek pad with the foam and deadcat and its good up to about 40 ish. Being that I use a Caburg Duke 2 and it's modular it's not the quitest helmet going.
 
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Drakhen99

The Forrest Gump of Motovloggers
Aug 31, 2020
1,821
1,875
113
road-reality.com
I ride a
2019 Harley Street Glide Special, 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic (bobber), 1979 Kawasaki KZ650SR
I'm following. My Purple Panda is stuffed in the cheek pad with the foam and deadcat and its good up to about 40 ish. Being that I use a Caburg Duke 2 and it's modular it's not the quitest helmet going.

So you put the dead cat over the foamy? How did you get that to fit??? I took the foamy off my PP mic and the dead cat slid right on - it didn't seem like both would fit together?

Also, not to thread jack, but what size foamy works as a replacement? The foamy fell off my PP mic and my wife's SENA (looks to be the same size) mic on our ride the other day. I ordered some, I'm hoping they'll fit, but some properly-sized replacements would be nice!

-John
 

LoneWally

All Season Rider
Aug 29, 2017
810
809
93
Leicestershire
I ride a
2007 Hartford HD125L, 2013 Honda CB500X
So you put the dead cat over the foamy? How did you get that to fit??? I took the foamy off my PP mic and the dead cat slid right on - it didn't seem like both would fit together?

Also, not to thread jack, but what size foamy works as a replacement? The foamy fell off my PP mic and my wife's SENA (looks to be the same size) mic on our ride the other day. I ordered some, I'm hoping they'll fit, but some properly-sized replacements would be nice!

-John

Its a tight fit But it goes in. I can‘t remember if made the hole bigger
 
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Drakhen99

The Forrest Gump of Motovloggers
Aug 31, 2020
1,821
1,875
113
road-reality.com
I ride a
2019 Harley Street Glide Special, 2005 Kawasaki Vulcan 800 Classic (bobber), 1979 Kawasaki KZ650SR
Interesting... I may have to try this. I was doing some *more* research this morning and found a rider with a half helmet who put the mic between two t-shirts he was wearing, with a dead cat on it.

If the weather clears up later I'll get out on my Glide to do some tests with the dead cat on the mic, and wire it up through my shirt and clip it to the inside of my shirt.

-John
 

motosera

Weirdo, mosher, freak
Jun 4, 2020
283
418
63
Cambridgeshire UK
www.motosera.com
I ride a
Honda CBR1100XX and Buel XB9R Custom
I have purchased and tested an Interphone ProSound Mic and unfortunately it did not work as well as I thought, to keep things similar I used same mic placement for both Panda and Interphone but for some reason the Interphone creates a rumble. I used both Purple Panda windscreens for testing. The only difference in setup was wind screen wise because the Panda has a double windscreen. It has a tight fitting black windscreen and then the big dead cat purple wind screen that goes over after that. I tested both mics going similar speeds, 0-70mph. The Interphone seems to have a rumble to it, plus the audio sounds like I was talking on a phone. Which is not a bad thing, but the purple panda audio seems more natural to me. Tested using the GoPro Hero4 connected to the Purple Panda USB Mini cable to TRS 3.5mm female to TRS 3.5mm male to TRS 2.5mm Female cable then onto the 2.5mm Interphone Mic. I think maybe with more tweaking the interphone might have less wind noise but I don't think I can do anything about the phone call sounding output.

Lastly the Interphone seems to be a Mono channel mic, so I have to tell Adobe Premiere in post to mix both tracks so you are not just hearing me on the left channel (left ear). The Panda seems to be a stereo mic or at least the output is sent to both channels so you don't have to tell your Video editing software in post to mixdown or send output to both your audio channels.

Not hating on the Interphone mic it just did not work out well for me on the first couple tries. Maybe I will revisit it later. : )

Interesting feedback - it could be I got lucky - I do tend to down mix to mono anyway, unless I have a soundtrack so I haven't really noticed. I did just cut and solder a new connector to the Interphone mic and just tied the tip and first ring together, so it's dual mono.

The first video I've posted which uses it is live on my channel - the Yorkshire tour Ep1 - it was a terribly windy day, in those conditions I wouldn't have been able to use the footage if I'd been using the PP. I do have a deadcat over the end of the mic too. The frequency response of the mic is interesting, I'll do some measurements one day, but I can't be bothered right now!

Sorry it's not worked as well for you. If anything it just continues to prove that what works for one person doesn't work for others!
 
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HippoDrone

Admin
Jan 2, 2017
7,683
7,006
113
West Sussex, UK
I ride a
1984 Honda CB100-N
2012 Moto Guzzi V7
2017 Suzuki GSX-R750
2020 Beta 390RR
2022 Aprilia Tuareg 660
Interesting feedback - it could be I got lucky - I do tend to down mix to mono anyway, unless I have a soundtrack so I haven't really noticed. I did just cut and solder a new connector to the Interphone mic and just tied the tip and first ring together, so it's dual mono.
Hmmm, I am hoping mine isn't mono after buying them on your recommendation after asking just that. Shame it wasn't made clear that you got dual mono by resoldering as I'd not have ordered them.
 

YBGuy

Yellow Backpack Guy
Aug 14, 2020
621
663
93
San Francisco Bay Area
ybguy.com
I ride a
2005 RC51, and a 2004 Honda CBR1000RR
Interesting feedback - it could be I got lucky - I do tend to down mix to mono anyway, unless I have a soundtrack so I haven't really noticed. I did just cut and solder a new connector to the Interphone mic and just tied the tip and first ring together, so it's dual mono.

The first video I've posted which uses it is live on my channel - the Yorkshire tour Ep1 - it was a terribly windy day, in those conditions I wouldn't have been able to use the footage if I'd been using the PP. I do have a deadcat over the end of the mic too. The frequency response of the mic is interesting, I'll do some measurements one day, but I can't be bothered right now!

Sorry it's not worked as well for you. If anything it just continues to prove that what works for one person doesn't work for others!
Yes, no problem Motosera! I went into the test knowing results may vary, as did many of the mics I have tried in the past. : P
 

Teh Purp

Friendly Neighbourhood Idiot
Aug 9, 2020
89
81
18
SCOTLAND!
I ride a
SFV650, NC700x, anything im given
The connector looks like a smaller trs rather than a ts(if that's right), I would have assumed it was stereo or atleast dual mono. Im testing the mini sena mic atm, it seems to be very sensetive to placement (not the boom mic that everyone reccomend)
 

motosera

Weirdo, mosher, freak
Jun 4, 2020
283
418
63
Cambridgeshire UK
www.motosera.com
I ride a
Honda CBR1100XX and Buel XB9R Custom
Hmmm, I am hoping mine isn't mono after buying them on your recommendation after asking just that. Shame it wasn't made clear that you got dual mono by resoldering as I'd not have ordered them.

Could be I was getting dual mono from the 2.5mm to 3.5mm adaptor I was using, which is one I had kicking about in my drawer of parts - I have no other way of testing with it.

I didn't cut the original connector until a couple of days ago and then noticed that there is only one signal and ground connection. How that is/was connected to the original 2.5mm connector I don't know.
 
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YBGuy

Yellow Backpack Guy
Aug 14, 2020
621
663
93
San Francisco Bay Area
ybguy.com
I ride a
2005 RC51, and a 2004 Honda CBR1000RR
Hmmm, I am hoping mine isn't mono after buying them on your recommendation after asking just that. Shame it wasn't made clear that you got dual mono by resoldering as I'd not have ordered them.
Let me know if your Interphone mic works on both channels Hippo. Furthermore, if it sounds good! Maybe I just got a defective one. Would be nice to get more feedback.
 
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YBGuy

Yellow Backpack Guy
Aug 14, 2020
621
663
93
San Francisco Bay Area
ybguy.com
I ride a
2005 RC51, and a 2004 Honda CBR1000RR
The connector looks like a smaller trs rather than a ts(if that's right), I would have assumed it was stereo or atleast dual mono. Im testing the mini sena mic atm, it seems to be very sensetive to placement (not the boom mic that everyone reccomend)
Correct, I think it is a TRS connector. That is the type of cables I used when I hooked everything up. As explained in earlier posts. Quite a lot to read on this thread.
 

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