HOW TO MONITOR SOUND ON A CAMCORDER WITH NO HEADPHONE JACK

[NitsanPictures]

btw rick nowadays you can get a 4.3" monitor for £11 shipped on ebay.

[RedSpectrumPictures]

how do you connect the tv to the camcorder rick?

[rickvanman]

@RedSpectrumPictures By marrying the camcorder AV leads with the TV leads. You might have to use various connectors depending on the connections you have

[RedSpectrumPictures]

@rickvanman

on my panasonic camcorder i have an AV multi connector video output output and an av multi connector audio output (line), im not fully sure what cables i will need, what do you need to plug into the tv, for example a red or white cable?

[RedSpectrumPictures]

@rickvanman

my camcorder has HDMI outputs, would these work with the casio tv?

[rickvanman]

@RedSpectrumPictures hmm tricky one - i'm guessing probably not.

[MatthewBryce]

@RedSpectrumPictures no they wouldn't, my camera has a mini HDMI but it also has AV output to check your camera for this?, there is usually a cable that goes to 3 phono plugs coloured Red, Yellow and White... you can just connect an adapter to the yellow and red plugs so you can connect headphones to them, (headphone jack > twin female phono adapter)

[welshbay]

Rick your amazing you such a cheapskate like me pmsl, brilliant idea the mini casio tv awsome well done yet again

[InfernalMel]

i can do it with a mirrors

[stevensonrf]

Good tip thanks.

[lemmonsinmyeyes]

I noticed you are using an exernal mic pre-amp, which would normaly have a 3.5mm male jack out, in that case why not simply used a 3.5mm female-to-2 female 3.5mm jack, then use one for the headphone, and another for the camera, or just use a RCA to 3.5mm jack from the AV out ? but I like the point allowing to walk backwards for such a low price!

[zgogor]

@ebufford as I remembered ( I had one) , the Panasonic GS300 doesn't have a Mic input and the AV connexion is only an Output ... sorry but you cannot plug anything directly inside the camera.

My advise is to record a wav or aiff of your music and synchronize it with a software.

This is a good trick but watch that the AV connector is not under the camera or only available on a plastic socket... it happens on cheap camera or You will not be able to mount the camera and to plug the AV.

[htunlogic]

why not just splitting the mic receiver output ?

[godstomper]

What kind of camera are you using ? Thanks.

[ebufford]

I have a Panasonic PV-GS300 camcorder. How do I record my keyboard music directly into the cam from my keyboard or mixer and quit using the 'room' sound? -without it being too 'hot' and distorted? thx

[rickvanman]

@ebufford Not 100% sure although I would suspect some trial and error will be required.

[kingofkeyboards]

@ebufford not completely familiar with the camera but if it does have a mic input jack, connect with the appropriate cable the output of the mixer or keyboard with the mic input on the camera and you should hear the keyboard directly instead of hearing the sound of it where you are from speakers for example.

[xesionprince]

@ebufford I've got exactly the same problem! But i've now figured that I'm going to go the way of the top of the pops miming thing and record the audio direct to PC first. Then I mime several takes of me playing guitar/keyboard with a different camera angle each time and edit and sync it all afterwards in video editing software.

Otherwise, I'm afraid for recording live, I don't know!

[rhyskallen]

@ebufford hi i have seen what your camcorder looks like i do lots of audio for my radio station etc the best bet is too plug the keyboard into the mic/aux port and control the master and seperate channel input so there is no distortion (use a ground loop isolator if you have one) then with the master out plug it into your camcorder with (3.5mm to phono) if that is your mixer output ports let me know if you have any trouble and i will do a video just for you... thanks

[Lodgeyy]

That was great thanks.

[oldfilmguy]

Fracking Brilliant solution, the ability to vid monitor from the other side is a stupendous bonus !

[gargole661]

ou are awesome dude sometimes the minimal is always overseen. Wow I have been breaking my head. Thanks !! KNow I am trying to figure out how to connect an external mic to a cam that does not have one.

[holisterdude246]

what is ur main cam?

[rickvanman]

@holisterdude246 Panasonic NV-GS500

[holisterdude246]

@rickvanman shouls i get that or the sony trv900

[Teebonesky]

what is that big lense in front of the normal camera lense?

[rickvanman]

@Teebonesky  itscalled a mattebox

[Teebonesky]

@rickvanman thanks :)

[chrisbailey42]

@rickvanman How much was the mattebox and where did you get yours?

Cheers

[rickvanman]

@chrisbailey42 thecinecity (dot) c0 m - theye pretty expensive for what they are though

[Laurencia7]

how does the camera connect to the mini tv?

[rickvanman]

@Laurencia7  AV-out to AV-in via adaptors

[rickvanman]

@ProductionMusicFreak eBay

[shuntedbywing]

you can do a very similar thing without needing the TV. if you get hold of any small transistor amplifier. then join JUST THE AUDIO wires from the AV out of your camera to the input of the amp. and the output of the amp to your headphones. you pretty much have the same as this. but without the screen.

[javieralza]

if its just a regular camera for you then why you build such a sweet ass rig for it

[AMOVIEGUY14]

what kind of a wire you use to connect the casio to the camera?

[rickvanman]

@AMOVIEGUY14 AV input/output lead from the camera converted to fit a 3.5mm headphone jack

[AMOVIEGUY14]

@rickvanman Ok thanks But one more question: I have a Canon hv20 and a Casio Tv-970 what can I do to connect the Casio to the Canon? I know there a mic, av, and component out puts on the side.

[lufferov]

Hey Rick, why do you need the TV? Just use an adaptor lead from the AV output and plug your headphones into that. I don't understand the need for the little TV just to hear audio, though I do realise you had it for monitoring the video as well.

Just that if you only want to hear audio, you could buy a lead for a few pence rather than another bit of kit!

[rickvanman]

@lufferov I tried it going in through the AV socket, but the volume was much too low to be able to hear anything outdoors - it needs some kind of amp - the TV was ideal.

[freestylefilmsinc]

can you monitor video to

[aranlikesskateboard]

hey rick i just had a great idea that i think you should try if your camcorder has no viewfinder remove the viewfinder from a vhs camcorder then determine the power and video inputs and connect it to a camera rig

[bencofilms]

you can also plug a headphone directly into the av output. but that dost work for all makes

[arifimam]

Great Idea, thanx

[MrBenbo96]

please do a vid explaining your camera rig!!!

[rickvanman]

@MrBenbo96 can't anymore - i got rid of the flycam! :o(

[BirdOfParadise777]

What would that cost be in US dollars?

Thanks:)

BOP

[iseecheese]

some camcorders flipscreens trun around and face the front then you stand on the other side and still walk forward and can see it and where your going

[masterbboy]

if you wanted to do a running scene like you said and your running backwards. what would you suggest to do with out the fly?cam

[rickvanman]

@masterbboy a recyclable cloth carrier bag - place the camera in it poking through a hole facing backwards then run forwards with the camera pointing backwards.

[BirdOfParadise777]

@rickvanman OMG! I didn't understand the question let alone the answer! LOL

[HMZinSPOOKY]

How is that monitor giving the sound that the camera catches if it can't be attached to the camera?

[stevoc1994]

@HMZinSPOOKY It is attached since the camcorder's av plugs into it.

[chitispandana]

Thanks Rick for a great idea!

Pradeep from India

[MrSmallButBrave]

i can plug in my headphones in my av socket

[nicnord]

Yes you can. But only if it's a 3.5 mm socket.

[sparkyprojects]

You can either buy or make an adaptor from AV to 3.5mm, though you may not get much volume out of it..

If you can't find a cheap tv thing, then you could get a cheap headphone amplifier from Maplin or other electronic hobby shop, you just need to adapt the input from the AV to 3.5

[nicnord]

Hello Rickvanman. Great video!

What videocamera are you using?

Can you do a video on youtube about your videocamera and all your videocamera accessories? That would be great.

[BoostedHacks]

Is that like a camera witha bunch of tech stuff connected to it ? :]

[rickvanman]

pretty much yes

[MrGerhard34]

Great Video Rick!

which radio mic system you are using and what are your experience?

thx

Gerhard

[rickvanman]

thanks - its a trantec system I think

[3001622004]

where can i get the barn door davice on the lens of your camera

[zachmanZM]

hey rick, I see you've got a pretty ncie irg with your flycam and all that stuff bolted onto your cam, Do you think you could do a video about your setup sometime?

[rickvanman]

err- not likely - I've sold the flycam! LOL

[zachmanZM]

:O Lol, That's actually good though, You can use your tripod as the stabilization device and plus selling hte flycam frees up money for other things

[jetlagsyndrome]

not such a bad idea. DIY is the best!

[Person395]

What is your main cam?

[rickvanman]

Panasonic NV-GS500

[philipchidell]

Excellent video but which cable do you need to connect the TV and camcorder - AV-to-something? Thanks!

[rickvanman]

you'll need to get the cables that came with the camcorder and with the TV to talk to each other - it will differ depending on which setup you use. some experimentation may be required.

[MrZmaster1]

i have a digatle camera with no sound when i upload it or watch the video how do i make sound its just a simple digatle camera that can take pictures and record but no sound please help

[rickvanman]

if it doesnt have a microphone, you will need to record the sound independently of the camera.

[MrZmaster1]

yeah but how do i do that

[rickvanman]

see my video titled:

" SOUND RECORDING IDEAS ~ LOW-BUDGET FIMMAKING (UK) " and also see my video titled:

"How to Synchronize Audio and Video"

they should give you a good idea of what it's all about.

Rick.

[fincaman2]

Hello All, see my fincaman2 video for similar information

[jamescbirtwistle]

Could you solder a headphone socket onto the audio cable of the AV cord? Or is there an amplifier in the TV that you would need?

[rickvanman]

you gan get an adaptor that will plug into the leads from the AV socket, but the signal is very faint and you have no control over the volume. If it can be amplified (like the TV does) then it would be perfect.

[NDInsuranceDept]

cool idea. thanks!

[superbunny136]

wtf is 1 pound

[rickvanman]

about $1.80

[eddiemsmith]

Great idea. Kinda' wish I would've picked up one of those li'l Casio TVs when they were being sold. I have a Sanyo Xacti that lacks a headphone jack.

Would be nice if there was some type of set-up for camcorders that don't have mic jacks.

[Djsp01]

Please can you do a budget mobile lighting rig?? lighting costs soooo much and just thought it would be a good project for you :)

[chesedchesed]

this is great! I was about to buy Canon FS-100, and it had no headphone jack.. but really, there aint no similiar types which is hardly better or so.. I can't have a HD-camcorder, cuz I need to edit on my laptop computer, which is only 1,8ghz dual core. I've tried to do it what so ever with my friends camera.. and the editing was like watching a slug moving on a highway:p Great Video thanks! 5/5!!

[intergalacticdreamz]

nice rig u got there ... what type of camera you working with ?

[rickvanman]

Panasonic NV-GS500

[terrym21]

Excellent tip. I suspect that the small hand-held TVs will be very cheap once the USA converts to HDTV

[rickvanman]

no thats about it - mattebox, wireless mic receiver, portable tv - the rest is coiled up wires duck-taped to the rig.

[narcissusdark]

it looks like a bomb :)

[Patr100]

Hi Rick thanks for posting your vid. Looking for a new budget miniDv cam it's an issue that really concerned me - very hard to find phones sockets in many models. Anyway it has produced some useful info_ I will try a few Maplins type adapters - also on the volume control - my headphones have that built in to the cord so I can adjust if neccessary. Useful to see the vides and test on steady cam alternatives. Sharing this sort of info (and saving money!) is what the web is good for.

[cybraxcyberspace]

Doesnt that output have a special jack wich feeds video and audio??

my cam does not have a headphone jack

but does come with a cable that feeds out video and stereo sound for a analog tv, i can connect headphones to the cable (i made a little tulip to jack cable) and that works awesome

[cybraxcyberspace]

well forget what i said lol it seems this already has been suggested multiple times

[rickvanman]

Yes, this was suggested to me after I made this video. I tried it and it worked! the only downside was it was very quiet.

[cybraxcyberspace]

i don't know for most cameras but i can adjust the sound settings, i have to agree it still sounds pretty soft

this made me think of making a little tutorial how to make an mini Audio Amp (amplifier) with 3 Transistors and some small components (i think total under 2 dollar) but requires one to solder and a slight electronics knowledge about transistors

[rickvanman]

A mini amp would be perfect for boosting the signal strength.

A tutorial would be a fantastic idea and really helpful. But it would have to be in the most simplistic, basic "laymans" terms for me to be able to build it!

[CreativeSoulTV]

Wow, This a great idea Rick and video! Thanks for sharing it with us.

[themoviedude]

Hey Great Vid... I was wondering about the stabilizer your using.... where did you buy it?

[rickvanman]

ebay - do a search for "flycam"

[stardust1990]

wat type of camera is that?

[rickvanman]

panasonic NV-GS500

[stardust1990]

ok thanks alot does that have a mini jack port for a rode video mic?

[rickvanman]

yes

[stardust1990]

ok thankyou

[zioguido]

I see something that looks like an antenna mounted on top of your camcorder. Is is a video sender for wireless live connections? If yes, I'm looking for one of those but I only find homevideo senders for dvb distribution. Can you advice on what to look for? I ordered a Flycam 5000 + Arm Brace and it should be here in a few days... Also, I'm looking for something to add an LCD viewfinder to my old Canon EX1 using some kind of portable tv set like you did... but it all should run on batteries...

[rickvanman]

The antenna is for a radio microphone. the other antenna is on the protable TV.

[Themba88]

Rick Rocks!

[rickvanman]

thank you :o)

[FinalCut6]

Thank you SO much, Rick!! I already had one of those mini TV's (had it for years) it didn't have an AV socket.... bad news...

But then I remembered by 7" portable DVD player... it has AV in AND AV out. I found a cable in my huse cable collection and tried it out. It works a treat, I'm going to attempt to attach the DVD player to my tripod now.......

Thank you soooo much though, because not only can I monitor sound now, but have an extra bigger screen too!!!

Thanks again!! 5/5

[loveambassador]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge! Great information.

[NextWaveG]

Nice rig Rick!

[MrManiac300]

How much was your actual camcorder and what is it called?

[anonimusz99]

I think Panasonic NV-GS500.

[bededede]

awesome..

[liascottprice]

Cool! Thanks so much for sharing! Lia :-)

[joaoxlourenco]

this video is great, you are awesome dude

but rick i would like to know the model of your camera and if you could tell me how much did it cost, please?

keep going man you rule!!!!

[rickvanman]

Hi Joao. Thanks for the compliments!

The camera is a Panasonic NV-GS500. The cheapest place to get one right now seems to be at Amazon (currently £660 GBP).

[joaoxlourenco]

thanks for the help, im trying to get one like that

[joaoxlourenco]

by the way i can see that you have a black thing in the front of the camera, there is lens or just something to unable the light?

[rickvanman]

The black thing (mattebox) is basically a lense hood that screws onto the front. They cost about £150. I wouldn't worry too much about all the fancy-looking extras, just get a good quality camera (preferably 3CCD - which is close to broadcast quality). The thing that makes the NV-GS500 good is the 3CCD (3 colour chips) and the optical image stabilizer (o.i.s.). Hope this helps.

[joaoxlourenco]

it really helped, thanks rick

keep doing your films :D:D

[codebreaker2001]

Rather ingenius, I must say. I never would have thought about using the audio output to a portable TV as a means of keeping an ear on the audio. Good job. Five stars from me.

[TheLogick]

Great. Keep your your good work

[MOBthehits]

nice setup

[rickvanman]

Thanks for the tip - I'm going to look into it.

[RonanG]

Genius!

[bmarkos]

Can't you just plug your headphones into the AV output? - works on my Panasonic NV GS-230

[rickvanman]

Thanks for the tip. What sort of plug arrangement do you need?

[tadhg2]

Rick you are a GENIUS !!!!

i was talking to you just after christmas about the GS-500 and ended up getting one the day after ! and i have to agree wit you, the lack of a headphone plug was a bummer ! well done for solving it !!!

just one question, how did you wire up the little tv thing to the camcorder ??

[rickvanman]

Hi Patrick.

why... thank you about the genuis bit!

Use the wierd shaped AV plug you got with the camera (the AV socket is above the microphone jack). On the other ends of the AV leads are RCA plugs. You need an RCA to 3.5mm phono jack to connect it to the TV.

[rickvanman]

But hold the fort for a bit! don't order anything yet!

Ive just ordered on eBay, a 3.5mm Jack Socket to RCA Adapter, and I'm going to try Padawangeeks idea (see comment above).

I'll let you know if it works as soon as it arrives.

[tadhg2]

yeah Padawangeeks idea sounds good !! but i do like the idea of having a more flexible screen ...

and quick question, what kind of rig do you have your camera on in this video ??

later rick

[rickvanman]

The rig the main camera was on is a Flycam 5000, with a standard mattebox and french flag. All from a company in India called The Cinecity. They sell on ebay (type "flycam" in the eBay search box). It's pretty good stuff but needs some practice to use. I only just sussed out how to balance it properly!

[tadhg2]

aww wicked ! i'll have to look up flycam rigs !!! i just made my self a fig rig !!! , its pretty basic but it does the job,

[rickvanman]

Ok, just to let you know, I've just connected headphones directly to the AV socket using the necesary RCA to phono-jack-socket adaptor, and it works!

The only problem with this arrangement is there is no volume control, and the sound is not that loud.

[redtail5]

wow thanx! thats a great idea i'm going to try this. befor that though i realy need to learn metric measurments/ pounds-us dolors cuz i cant understand some of these things lol

[rickvanman]

well, don't order anything yet!

Ive just ordered on eBay, a 3.5mm Jack Socket to RCA Adapter, and I'm going to try Padawangeeks idea of a direct connection (see his comment below/above).

If it works, I'll do another video.

[rickvanman]

Ok, I've just connected headphones directly to the AV socket using the necesary RCA to phono-jack-socket adaptor, and it works.

Only problem with this arrangement is there is no volume control and the sound is not that loud.