You get two copies of nearly identical audio. If there is an error on one of them, you have a backup copy. This also turns a portable audio recorder into a "Beachtek" or "juicedLink" type of device that allows you to plug XLR mics into the camera (if the audio recorder has XLR inputs). This also gives you the option of not having to sync the externally recorded audio file in post, if you are satisfied with how the in-camera audio sounds.

@BackRoad Biker Adventures Bit late but my understanding is that the Zoom transfers the superior audio to the camera's SD card, thus eliminating the need for syncing in post.

Hi I wish to ask when I do my recording with my Canon camera. When I press record in the camera do I need to press record in the zoom recorder as well?

@@Jaydenintempo Hi I think it is enough to turn the H4N recorder in stand-by mode (the rec button is flashing then). If you want to make a backup in the recorder as well of course you can press the rec button in the recorder.

@@Jaydenintempo Only if you want to record another copy on the Card in the zoom recorder to have it as a back up otherwise it’s just used as a Syncing Device allowing the signal to the dslr.

OMG I also had this question! Drives me nuts even 7yrs later

If you had two XLR mics plugged into an H4n, you could split them out to individual tracks in post because one mic will be on the Left, and the other mic will be on the Left. If you were using the 4-channel mode on the H4n that combines the built-in mics with the inputs, then you could not separate the audio into isolated tracks. Personally, I only use audio like this as a backup. The sound quality is drastically better when you take the audio recorded on the external device (like an H4n) and then sync it with the video in post.

Well, a great way to go would be to not connect the H4n Pro to the camera at all. Let the camera roll using just its built-in mic, and record a 48kHz 24-bit WAV file on the H4n Pro. Then use video editing software afterward. Bring the WAV file from the H4n Pro into the video editing software, and sync it with the video footage from your Sony Handycam. Final Cut Pro X has a sync functionality built into it. This is really the best option. It's extra work, but well worth the effort.

@@HiddenDriveways thank you so much for your answer! I appreciate it.

I think it's for incase you need a back up of the audio - from what I've been reading it not only records to the camera but also onto the Zoom... just a guess though

Thanks; I did figure it out. Yea, it saves the sound to the camera's sd card and uses the zoom as a sort of slave.

I'd say it's more for syncing later. If you can line up the exact same audio it's extremely easy. The audio going into the camera will be compressed by the camera so you wouldn't want to use it.

So i would get better quality just recording straight into the zoom and then syncing up later ?

OMG I'm not crazy! Thank you.

Using an attenuation cable like the Sescom gives you options. In the scenario you described, the camera is audio is only useful as a scratch track. If you feed great-sounding audio into the camera with an attenuation cable, you can still use it as a scratch track if you want, but you also have the option to use the camera audio as the main source of audio for the final product. Using an attenuation cable provides you with two usable copies of the audio, one in the camera, and a higher-resolution copy in the audio recorder. Having two copies gives you redundancy. If something goes wrong with one of the copies, you already have a great sounding backup covering you.

+Brett Page I'm glad it was helpful. There is a lot of "general video production" information in this video, too: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/q7mam5SSzrKlgoU.html

Correct. You don't need an attenuated cable for the Zoom H5. A regular, stereo mini plug to mini plug cable will do the trick.

+Julian Zakrzewski Id like to know how to do this also it would greatly reduce the work load

+7thACT Not sure if I understand you correctly or not... but... if a camera doesn't have a mic input, then no, you cannot bypass its internal mic.

@@HiddenDriveways People are confused because at no point in your video, did you explicitly say, "The sescom cable feeds SYNCED H4N quality sound into the camera's SD card" further confused by the fact that you used a clapper.

i have the exact same problem...

I cant even get it to record from the zoom into the camera how did you do that?

You can try connecting a Sescom cable (the one in this video) to this 3.5mm TRS female to 3.5mm TRRS adapter from Movo - amzn.to/2rNx6b2 ...There are a couple of drawbacks, though. The headset jacks on smartphones only have a single channel input. So if you're recording stereo or two separate inputs on your H4N Pro, they will be summed to mono on your phone. The other drawback is that your audio is totally relying on the physical connection made by a tiny ring an adapter jack with a tiny thing inside the headset jack on your phone. It's not a robust, confidence-inspiring solution.

Yes. As long as there is a mini-plug mic input, you can use a Sescom cable.

Thanks Sam, this is all very helpful.

You're welcome! I talk more about using Sescom cables in this blog post + video: www.sam-mallery.com/2014/09/zoom-h5-review-why-its-useful-in-video-production/ ...a lot of that info applies not just to the Zoom H5, but any audio recorder + video camera.

You can set the Zoom H4n to record at a higher resolution than your camera is capable of. So you can have superior sound recorded in the audio recorder. However, the sound in your camera will be pretty decent, and for certain kinds of video jobs, it will be good enough.

***** The method described in this video won't work if your camera doesn't have a mic input. You can use your H4n to record sound separately, and then sync the audio and video files in your editing software. It's more work, and requires more organization on your part, but it can be done. Do a practice shoot on Saturday (for real... shoot outside with the H4n, sync the files afterward, etc.). Make sure you use wind protection on the mics.

+Rigo R.M Yup. It should work the same with the Sony A7 cameras.

Hi Igor. Is the cable you're using to connect the recorder to the camera a Sescom cable, or some kind of cable with an in-line attenuator?

+grumpybb This video is about plugging the headphone output of a Zoom H4n (or another kind of recorder) into the mic input on a camera. When you do this, you need to attenuate the audio level with a special cable. You mention an external microphone in your comment, but that's not what this is about. But, as far as splitters are concerned as you mentioned, it can go either way. Different kinds of microphones have different levels of impedance, and mic inputs have varying impedance levels, too. When you use a splitter cable, you are impacting the impedance level. If the gear you're using matches up with the splitter, then it can work. If the impedance levels are mismatched, you won't damage your gear, but the audio quality will be screwed up.

+Sam Mallery I've got a Panasonic HC-X920 camcorder that I've been using with an Audio-Technica Pro 24CM mic. It does a pretty good job for what I do but have thought about recording the audio with my Zoom H4n with the A-T mic because I don't care for the built-in mics. So, I was thinking of using a splitter from the A-T mic and feeding the output to the Panasonic and the Zoom.

+Kin Pong Chan It's not that simple. When the Sescom cable is connected to the headphone output of the external recorder, and you plug it into the mic input on the camera, you need to make sure the recording level on your camera is properly set. If it's set too high, the audio recorded in the camera will distort. If it's too low, it will sound too low, and boosting it up in post-production will increase the amount of noise that you can hear. So, you really need to know how to set levels. I wrote a blog post about how to do this, and it's specifically written to make sense to camera people - www.sam-mallery.com/2013/02/how-to-set-audio-levels/

lmgtfy.com

It's in stock at B&H in New York. Not sure how much it would cost to ship to the UK, but it's worth a look perhaps - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/746645-REG/Sescom_LN2MIC_ZOOMH4N_LN2MIC_ZOOMH4N_Line_to.html/BI/20531/KBID/15501/kw/SEL2MZH4N/DFF/d10-v2-t1-xSEL2MZH4N

What model of camera are you using?

@@HiddenDriveways Nikon Z6

@@jessicaszturmann609 I had a look through the manual and there was nothing I could find about a mode where the built-in mics would stay active when something was plugged into its external mic input. I suggest trying again. Go into the settings of the camera, but it in manual audio mode, plug in your attenuation cable, make sure it's plugged in all the way, connect your audio recorder, go through its settings, etc.

The headphone output on the recorder is "Line-Level." The mic input on a camera is "Mic-Level." Line-Level is much stronger than Mic-Level. If you connect them, the audio recorded into your camera will be distorted. Try it out. You won't damage your equipment, you'll just record lousy sounding audio. :) The Sescom cable I talk about in this video has a built-in attenuator that turns the Line-Level signal from the recorder into a Mic-Level signal.

I'm not familiar with the D5. But, in general, I am a fan of lapel mics.

I don't go out of my way to hit record on the camera and the audio recorder at the same time. Yes, you end up with separate audio files and video files. You align the separate files afterward in video editing software.

It does sync automatically. I did that bit at the end with the clapper so I could more easily sync the externally recorded file if I wanted to.

Sam Mallery Okay thx So you dont have to plug the 2 devices separately into the PC ? and sync and bounce them down to one file?, , it records onto one SD card when the Vid cam and the zoom are connected together?

You don't have to plug the two devices in, and you wouldn't want to bounce the two down to one file. With this method, you are making two copies of the audio: one copy in the audio recorder, one in the camera. The one you make in the audio recorder will likely sound better, because you can set the recorder to make higher resolution files. The audio you record in the camera won't sound as good, but it will sound a lot better than what you would have recorded with the camera had you not used the Sescom cable. This give you options. You can sync the file that you recorded in the audio recorder in your video editing software, and get rid of the audio you recorded in the camera. Or, if you're pressed for time, and the project isn't very important, you can just use the audio you recorded in the camera, because it sounds pretty good, and it saves you the trouble of having to sync an external file. Plus, if your audio recorded has an error and your recording gets corrupted and is unusable (which is rare, but does happen), you won't be screwed, because you have a second copy of the sound recorded on your camera, and it sounds pretty good.

Yes. I always manually control the audio level in my cameras.

@@HiddenDriveways Thanks

+Abexial It's always a good idea to listen to the sound being recorded into the camera. If your camera has a headphone jack, use it. The sound recorded into the H4n should be higher quality. You can set the H4n to record 24-bit 48kHz WAV files, which is higher resolution than what your camera can record. But, it's good to listen to the jack on the camera, so you know that everything sounds good.

+Sam Mallery Thanks for the reply. I guess I'll not be using the cable then. I'd rather put a little more work into synchronizing the audio to obtain superior quality than taking the easy route at the cost of the quality.

+Abexial Agreed, it's better to sync your externally recorded audio. The quality will be higher. However, there is another reason to do this, besides laziness. Sometimes equipment will have errors. If you are fully relying on your external recorded to handle the audio, you are taking a risk. By using a Sescom cable, you will be making a second high-quality copy of the sound. If your recorder has an error, you will have another good sounding audio track to use in your production. There is an old military saying: Two is one, and one is none. Make two copies of the audio at all time. Always monitor with headphones. This is the best you can do to avoid being left with no good sound to use from a shoot.

+Jonatan Jiménez It depends. If you want your final video to have the better quality audio that was recorded in your Zoom, then yes, syncing is required. If you don't want to bother with syncing, you have the option to use the audio you recorded in the camera from the Sescom cable.

Ok thanks. Where can I buy this cable in Europe or Spain?

+Jonatan Jiménez I've looked for Sescom cable equivalents in European retail websites many times and haven't found them yet. I suggest purchasing one from B&H and having it shipped - www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?atclk=Brand_Sescom&ci=12107&N=4291085916+4281147861

visionarymarketing It could be possible to use the built-in mics on the H4n to record yourself. You would need to use external mics for the person in front of the camera. You would need to turn the Zoom around so its mics were pointing at you. Key things would be to make sure the environment isn't noisy, stand somewhat close to the H4n mics, properly set the recording levels (instructions on how to do this - goo.gl/kcEMyB ), and to listen the whole time on headphones.

Sam Mallery Thank you so much for your prompt response. The environment isn't noisy, we carry out most of our interviews at our premises. The real issue is how to ensure one hears both speakers (i.e. myself and the interviewee) in the same way. I was thinking of using the cable you showed in that video and link to the Zoom and use it as a preamp so that I branch off to two separate mikes, probably XLR microphones. Price isn't the issue. BTW, is your cable compatible with the H6 or is it limited to the H4N? Thank you so much for posting such good material. Very useful.

visionarymarketing The cable is compatible across different recorders, so it should work fine with the H6. You can ensure that you will hear both speakers if you properly position the mics (which usually means puts them close to the sound source), you properly set the audio levels, and you monitor the audio as you shoot.

Sam Mallery Thanks Sam, I will try this and I will let you know the results