Tascam DR-05 External Recorder

[HeyItsRick]

Hey Yall!
My audio is relatively clean but I'm always looking to improve things. I finally caved and bought an external audio recorder, the Tascam DR-05. I've paired it with the Purple Panda lavalier mic as its a highly recommended microphone.
I broke the lapel clip it came with in half so I could sugru it in place inside my helmet (yes I'm that commited). I have it relatively close to my mouth to the side right where my last mic was placed.

Without getting long winded here...
Is anyone else recording their audio using this device? I'm curious to hear what settings worked for you.

I know the bike/helmet for each person will make the settings vary but I'm curious if theres any tricks to this.
I set the audio input to +4 this morning, you can hear my voice clearly with next to no wind noise while still making out the motorcycle faintly in the background but the audio would peak-out if I sighed too hard or spoke up too loudly. I'm still playing with it, I'll maybe lower the input to +2. The mic itself has the foam it came with along with the deadcat ontop, I'm thinking I may give it a layer of microfiber cloth like I did with my last helmet.

 

[HippoDrone]

Hey Yall!
My audio is relatively clean but I'm always looking to improve things. I finally caved and bought an external audio recorder, the Tascam DR-05. I've paired it with the Purple Panda lavalier mic as its a highly recommended microphone.
I broke the lapel clip it came with in half so I could sugru it in place inside my helmet (yes I'm that commited). I have it relatively close to my mouth to the side right where my last mic was placed.

Without getting long winded here...
Is anyone else recording their audio using this device? I'm curious to hear what settings worked for you.

I know the bike/helmet for each person will make the settings vary but I'm curious if theres any tricks to this.
I set the audio input to +4 this morning, you can hear my voice clearly with next to no wind noise while still making out the motorcycle faintly in the background but the audio would peak-out if I sighed too hard or spoke up too loudly. I'm still playing with it, I'll maybe lower the input to +2. The mic itself has the foam it came with along with the deadcat ontop, I'm thinking I may give it a layer of microfiber cloth like I did with my last helmet.

Hey Rick,
I use a Tascam DR05 on my trackday videos as can't use a helmetcam. I had some audio issues yesterday with it, but I think that was due to my mic changing positions in my helmet a little. I basically turn the gain all the way down to stop my mic clipping, then (if I remember to do so) I double the audio volume on my PC and save it and then import that into the video I am making, this seems to give me a better volume range for the video as my video editor only allows me upto 200% audio adjustment, adding the extra step gives me technically up to 400% adjustment. I've no idea how sensitive the mic is that you have so can't say if that would work for you or not, soz

 

[scooterwuf]

What kind of helmet do you have? Full, 3/4, or half?

- Wolf

 

[HeyItsRick]

Whats most frustrating about audio is that is so different for each person depending on what helmet they have, mic, bike, even voice tone.
My helmet is the Biltwell Lanesplitter, full face with 3 vents dead center in the chin bar, though two of them are covered by my camera mount.
The mic I'm using is the Purple Panda lavalier mic, mic foam and deadcat on top.

 

[LoneWolfer]

I have used a tascam as well, too bulky for me to bother carrying as my iPhone is smaller. Having the mic actually inside of the cheek pad can help while the gain in turned down. I ran at 1.5 with it inside of the cheek pad. I had to modify my placement as my current mic has a 12 foot cord and I really can't have it perminantly mounted in my helmet. Having the mic right in front of your mouth will bring the possibility of clipping as soon as you get too loud, even with ten layers on the mic. If you can have the mic sit just above your upper lip so the sound is traveling up the chin guard of your helmet, you will get better audio. And make sure the mic is not touching the inside of the helmet shell. The wind hitting the outside will be picked up by the mike as sound.

 

[R-Rated]

Mine is mothballed at the moment. I do recall the last firmware update changed the sensitivity of the gain. Prior to that it was near perfect.

I might whip it again someday for audio during drone flights.

 

[HeyItsRick]

These things require firmware updates?!

 

[R-Rated]

These things require firmware updates?!

They are not required if they work fine. I learned the hard way.

 

[LoneWolfer]

Firmware updates should be left to the impulsive and those folks should be watched through a blind to see how they react to the new stimuli in their natural environment.