Some Mics for the Kodak Zi8

[SIRONEDRAGON]

cool : )

[BillTheFreedomGuy]

I just enjoyed listening to the guitar !

[franguidry]

@BillTheFreedomGuy Thanks very much, Bill. I have a bunch of videos of my playing on my slack key channel. My YT id is franguidry - please stop by.

Fran

[TheSetras]

My Rating :

1) at 825

2) internal mic

3) spsm

4 zoom.. sound horrible ..

[bischofb]

This is such a great review. I did a couple mic reviews and now I realize that mine suck compared to yours. LOL Great job.

[homebrewedmusic]

@bischofb LOL indeed. Thanks for the comment. This is pretty sloppy compared to a _real_ mic review. But almost no one does the real thing, with matched levels and single source.

This was really just an excuse to play with Edius, my video editor.

Fran

[islesofscilly]

Great job with the review.......thanks for uploading

[MyStonesinaBrook]

Nice! It's the AT - definitely. H2 sounds a bit "boomy".

[homebrewedmusic]

@MyStonesinaBrook Thanks for stopping by. I set the H2 a little too hot and too close, so it has a bit of extra proximity effect, and it overdrove the Zi8 input and added some mud. Sloppy work on my part, I'm afraid.

Fran

[DeafFret]

The Audio Technica sounds best.

[homebrewedmusic]

@DeafFret Thanks for sharing your opinion.

Fran

[johnhorneguitar]

Great video. I appreciate the work. I was more interested in picture quality, but hearing the mics was great too. Even the internal mic isn't too bad for casual listening, but the better stereo mics really bring the sound to life!

[pnosa]

nice job- thank you! exactly what i was looking for

[fra3rd]

thanks for the review! well done!

[1jack369]

I think the A2 gets the acoustic feeling through more.

[EtienneJuneau]

BIG THUMB UP like your video man!

[Metallicabd4444]

i have one question can we mic rode nt4 in this camera?plz tell me

[franguidry]

@Metallicabd4444 Yes, if you have the 1/8 stereo adapter for the NT4 and use the battery powered option, the NT4 will work very well with this camera.

Fran

[4x12]

i'm torn between the H2 and the AT. I like the "warm" feel of the H2 but I also like the detail found on the AT. Nice clip and playing!!

[stoogeboy5]

@4x12 well realize that he has the h2 on default settings. You could easily get the same sound from the h2 as the AT =]

[homebrewedmusic]

@4x12 Thanks, glad you like the music. The H2 is fatter than it should be in that clip, I ran it a little hot. But in general it's not a bright device. It's easy to shape the sound a bit with EQ, though. I find the AT a bit thin, the H2 sounds more like the instrument.

Fran

[Treasurefan02]

Audio Technica makes great products =)

[stchrismusic]

The Audio Technica AT825 stereo mic really sounded nice, thanks, this is a great demo! I have a Zi8 and trying to decide how to improve the audio. Chris

[franguidry]

@stchrismusic Plugging in any (or almost any) external mic will help the audio a lot by getting closer to the source, but for the best quality I've found it's better to record separately and sync in post. The audio circuits in consumer level camcorders I've tried have all been pretty lame.

Fran

[Juda0326]

How did you connect the AT825 to the Zi8? Doesn't it need phantom power?

[franguidry]

@Juda0326 The AT825 is powered either by phantom or an internal AA battery. You can check all the specs at Audio-Technica, even though it is a discontinued product.

Fran

[SpeedFreakNO]

The Audio Technica AT825 seems superior. What is it connected to?

I'm looking for microphones to use with my Zoom H2.

[franguidry]

@SpeedFreakNO The AT825, and all the mics, were connected directly to the Zi8. Any reason you're looking for additional mics?

Fran

[SpeedFreakNO]

@franguidry Not sure if I'll be needing one for ambient sound, for when filming in nature and wanting all the sound, but I would like a directional mic that pics up more of just what's in front of it. So I've been thinking about the Sennheiser MKE 400 which seems to be better than the Røde VideoMic (that's the mono version).

I will be testing the Røde Stereo VideoMic to see how it performs compared to the H2 microphones, but it will be connected to the H2 still.

[franguidry]

@SpeedFreakNO Have you visited the Zoom forum? I understand from discussions there that the 3.5mm input on the Zoom H2 is relatively noisy, so using external mics with the H2 is generally not recommended unless the purpose is improved placement.

Fran

[SpeedFreakNO]

@franguidry Oh, I didn't know that. I've noticed the signal for the line out/monitor is noisy, but that doesn't affect the recorded sound quality of course, but didn't think about the microphone connection. I have a Røde Stereo VideoMic on the way still so I will be testing it. Depending on what my test show I'll be keeping it or returning it.

For placement I have a monopod that does a good job as a boom for the H2 so placement isn't a big problem so far. I haven't used to that much yet though.

[DuskY1991]

Just snagged an AT825, can't wait to try it now I've heard it! Also thinking of getting the Zi8 (there aren't any alternatives, are there?). Great, great video!

[franguidry]

@DuskY1991 Thanks, and congrats on that AT825. At this price point, so far, the Zi8 is the only thing I know about with a mic input. The next one up the price scale that I know about is the Sanyo Xacti HD2000. It's a much better camcorder, but also much more expensive. The video from the Xacti is much better than the Zi8, but the audio is only slightly better.

Fran

[screechowls]

thank you for taking the time to make this, very helpful

[Kinkizzy09]

Thanks for sharing!

[ngvgnDOTcom]

AT825 I think sounds the best.

[Charbarhousemusic]

Really great review -- thanks

[homebrewedmusic]

Thank you.

Fran

[napman99]

Thanks Fran, your efforts and your kindness really help us out in a big way that you may not fully aware of.

I personally do appreciated it :-)

[homebrewedmusic]

I'm sorry it took so long. I've been feeling the pressure from your AGF post (grin).

Fran

[fotszyrzk79]

AT825 without any doubts. nice comparison

[homebrewedmusic]

I wish I'd gotten the stereo balance right on the AT825, feel like I slighted that mic. But I certainly agree that it's giving me the sound I want. Hard to come by, now, though. For a while people didn't give them much respect, but now that they're out of production the prices are rising.

Fran

[Qpidon]

very interesting..! and very well presented.

Thanks for this!

P.

[homebrewedmusic]

Thanks. I'm having fun with my new video editor.

Fran