Microphone quality poor?

[MotoWolfUK]

Hello!

So my Drift Ghost has died. I got a GoPro with Media mod and plugged in the same mic as I used on the ghost, but the mic quality seems worse? Like it’s harder to hear me and outside helmet noises are louder? Any setting I need to change?

Also, what do you think about the quality of the footage, ok, or need tweaking? I’m so new to the GoPro world

I can’t attach the vid, so hopefully you don’t mind me linking a private vid of it here. If it’s a problem, feel free to move this to member vlogs but do keep in mind I’ll be deleting the video once the solution has been found.. thanks!

 

[R-Rated]

Hello!

So my Drift Ghost has died. I got a GoPro with Media mod and plugged in the same mic as I used on the ghost, but the mic quality seems worse? Like it’s harder to hear me and outside helmet noises are louder? Any setting I need to change?

Also, what do you think about the quality of the footage, ok, or need tweaking? I’m so new to the GoPro world

I can’t attach the vid, so hopefully you don’t mind me linking a private vid of it here. If it’s a problem, feel free to move this to member vlogs but do keep in mind I’ll be deleting the video once the solution has been found.. thanks!

I am assuming the mic is in the helmet on the chinbar as close to your mouth as possible?

Check the external mic section in this link to be sure yours is set correctly
https://community.gopro.com/s/article/Media-Mod-How-To-Use?language=en_US#extmics

 

[Drakhen99]

Assuming the mic is in the same place, it's probably due to some internal processing the Drift was doing to the audio signal. You may have to switch mic brands to get better sound.

Outside of that, I'd check and see if your editor has some voice isolation built into it, and try that.

-John

 

[MotoWolfUK]

Assuming the mic is in the same place, it's probably due to some internal processing the Drift was doing to the audio signal. You may have to switch mic brands to get better sound.

Outside of that, I'd check and see if your editor has some voice isolation built into it, and try that.

-John

Hey - I didn’t even think about that.
Same exact position, cables etc. guess the Drift was really good at the audio processing. Guess it’s time for me to get the Purple Panda unless there’s any other suggestions?

 

[Drakhen99]

Hey - I didn’t even think about that.
Same exact position, cables etc. guess the Drift was really good at the audio processing. Guess it’s time for me to get the Purple Panda unless there’s any other suggestions?

I love the purple panda. I did a comparo on my channel between that and a Sony mic, but I wasn't a huge fan of its sound. I can work with the Panda.

-John

 

[lonerockz]

One of the challenges with the GoPro is that it has high sensitivity on the Mic input. There are four settings for the Mic input. First is powered and unpowered. Most of us are using an unpowered mic. Then there is a "+" or normal setting. This equates to Very High and Extremely High sensitivity. If you are using a high sensitivity mic it will overload the mic input and give you the audio exactly as you describe. For our use you should never use the "+" setting.

The purple panda is a favorite because it is NOT a very high sensitivity mic. If you were to try to record very quiet things in a quiet room it would suck. But for our loud environment it will do a good job. I have never used a Purple Panda. Just be aware they have a TRRS plug and you will need an adapter to work with the GoPro.

You can try to use an inline resistor to reduce mic volume like this: https://a.co/d/gWkl0a0 However in my testing it was not precise enough and I wouldn't recommend it. Got the idea from this video here:

@PhilTonic has a video where he uses a Samsung cell phone headset with the earbud cut off and has good results on a DJI camera. I did not have good luck with it on a GoPro: https://a.co/d/7UP3Mpe It is also TRRS and needs an adapter. Here is his video:

I use the Movo ACM400: https://a.co/d/9EJKqkO Low enough sensitivity to give good audio. Gooseneck works well with my flip up helmet. This is a TRS mic and does NOT need a TRRS to TRS adapter.

However the real key to good mic sound is to have good voice isolation software. The Studio version of Davinci does this. @Drakhen99 has some videos on this with the Clarity plugin as well. These tools do a great job of making OK GoPro sound awesome, but won't solve the issue you are having. You need to start with something that doesn't suck.

 

[Drakhen99]

Those mic settings might be just for the Mic Adapter. If you're using a Media Mod or just the camera, there's no Mic settings to be found [except on direction on the Media Mod]. I checked this on my Hero 9 and 10. Someone correct me if I'm missing something.

Also, the Purple Panda comes with [at least the 2 times I bought one] the TRRS -> TRS adapter. Just FYI.

-John

 

[scooterwuf]

If I’m not mistaken I think the Drift Ghost S is a mono mic. If so, that may be why your sound seems lower. Depending on your editing program you may have audio effects and filters that you can use to enhance your sound and make it stronger. Once done, you can add other filters to try and remove or reduce the wind noise.
This tutorial is for Adobe Audition, but the the same principle can be applied to other programs that may have the same or similar audio effects.

— Wolf

 

[lonerockz]

Those mic settings might be just for the Mic Adapter. If you're using a Media Mod or just the camera, there's no Mic settings to be found [except on direction on the Media Mod]. I checked this on my Hero 9 and 10. Someone correct me if I'm missing something.

Also, the Purple Panda comes with [at least the 2 times I bought one] the TRRS -> TRS adapter. Just FYI.

-John

On my Hero 9 and 11 when you have an external mic plugged into either the Mic adapter or the Media mod you go to settings -> Mods -> Media Mod and you can change the settings. Choices are "Standard Mic/Standard Mic +/Powered Mic/Powered Mic+/Line in" Choose Standard Mic.

The settings you are seeing are when you choose a video resolution/frame rate you can also setup front/back microphone.

Why the hell they have these setting in two places I have no idea.

Actually when I think about it I guess the shooting modes tied to front/back makes sense as you are likely to want the camera direction tied to what you are shooting. As opposed to you are unlikely to need to change your mic settings based on what you are shooting.

Full docs here: https://community.gopro.com/s/article/Media-Mod-How-To-Use?language=en_US

 

[Drakhen99]

On my Hero 9 and 11 when you have an external mic plugged into either the Mic adapter or the Media mod you go to settings -> Mods -> Media Mod and you can change the settings. Choices are "Standard Mic/Standard Mic +/Powered Mic/Powered Mic+/Line in" Choose Standard Mic.

The settings you are seeing are when you choose a video resolution/frame rate you can also setup front/back microphone.

Why the hell they have these setting in two places I have no idea.

Actually when I think about it I guess the shooting modes tied to front/back makes sense as you are likely to want the camera direction tied to what you are shooting. As opposed to you are unlikely to need to change your mic settings based on what you are shooting.

Full docs here: https://community.gopro.com/s/article/Media-Mod-How-To-Use?language=en_US

I'll have to double-check my Hero 10 then - I had a mic plugged into the Media Mod earlier, before I commented, so I wouldn't step on my crank... but I did anyway.

I remember seeing those settings once upon a time, but I so rarely change the audio settings, I'd forgotten.

-John

 

[R-Rated]

Full docs here: https://community.gopro.com/s/article/Media-Mod-How-To-Use?language=en_US

Yep #2 in the thread. I guess it got overlooked.

I agree Purple Panda stinks on some levels. Not really good capturing sound stereo is one of them. However, it does great nerfing GoPro's habit of over adjusting the gain on input. I guess GoPro never figured anyone would record action in a noisy environment (sarcasm).

 

[R-Rated]

@MotoWolfUK I have listened to the footage twice now. Once with headphones and once just on a speaker. Both sound like the mod is picking up both mics on it instead of an external mic as the engine and external noise is a bit louder then the voice.

That is why I asked about mic placement because an external mic too far from your mouth can pick up external noise more than your voice.

A good test for the placement and rule out the mod is not having problem is to tap the mic gently in a quiet room then do the same on the mod. Check the audio to see which is louder when tapped. If the external mic is louder then you ruled out the mod connection.

Once that is done then you can check mic placement to get it as near to your mouth as comfortable.

If that does not do the trick. Then look at mic upgrades.

It is better to get as good of audio as possible before resorting to using software. You might find no need in investing in software if you get it all sorted out.

 

[Drakhen99]

That's great advice, @R-Rated ! When I am gearing up to record, I do a similar thing. With the Media Mod on a Hero 9/10, you get an audio level meter on the rear screen. I tap the media mod mic and then tap the Purple Panda. If the Panda gets the louder spike, I know I'm good to go.

-John

 

[PhilTonic]

Set your GoPro to ProTune and use RAW audio low setting. You will receive a wave file for every video file with uncompressed audio.

 

[R-Rated]

Just be aware ProTune will also give you control over all the video settings too such as the White Balance, ISO Limit, Color, Sharpness, and Exposure. In other words, not really point and shoot.

Here is a neat article about the world of ProTune
https://www.veedyou.com/gopro-protu...at is Protune?,Color, Sharpness, and Exposure.

 

[MotoWolfUK]

Thank you everyone for your replies - ProTune may not be for me - I want to just turn it on and shoot without adjusting settings each time as that’ll make it less enjoyable personally ‍ I have a much better new mix coming, so I’ll take the advice here of putting it nearer the front of the helmet and not under the chin foam. Thanks

 

[PhilTonic]

You can set GoPro colour profile in ProTune and not having to do any colour grading. I've used it for years.

 

[Hippo-Drones]

To me it sounds like it is using the cameras mics not the external one. Make sure you have the mic output enabled for the Media Mod and is on the best setting for your type of mic as previously stated.