n80 Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 (edited) This is probably the wrong forum for this question but maybe as good as any. I'm considering getting an camera to video some laps in HPDE 1. I probably wouldn't buy a camera just for HPDE 1 but my daughter does 3 day eventing (dressage, stadium jumping and cross country) and I've been thinking about getting a GoPro helmet cam for her anyway. The problem I have is that virtually every track video I see has sound quality that is so poor it ruins the whole thing. It seems that the problem is totally wind noise. It appears that the GoPro cameras have a microphone plug. So my question is this: Can you buy a mic on a cable and put it somewhere beside inside the car cabin where the wind noise is so bad? It seems like running the mic to the trunk would be a good place to pick up exhaust noise but no wind noise. I understand that the GoPro does not record sound very well to begin with but I'm not looking for high quality sound; I'm just looking for sound that is not just a roar of wind and static. Any thoughts or experience would be appreciated. Edited November 28, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asifnyc Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 the new Hero2 has an external mic port. the original Hero does not. yes, the audio is not very good from the built in hero mic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
08Bullitt0572 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 For the older models, if mounting it outside set the sound to LO. For the best sound, mount it inside and set the sound to HI and remove the round cover on the case over the lens (remove the tiny screws). Those are pretty much your options. Since you run with the windows down you still get decent amound of wind noise. I recently shot this video at Roebling on my Hero Wide (not HD) using the inside setup. It is better than mounting it outside but still not great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getfast Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 I have both the HD Hero and the new Hero2. Even without a mic plugged in, the audio on the Hero2 is better. With a mic, it's fantastic... case in point, (all those "car launching or going by" noises were with a Rode mic plugged into the Hero2, all the on car stuff was Hero2 with its own mic.) If you listen closely you can hear exactly which few seconds of the video was done with the regular HD Hero, with the usual tinny audio. I was thinking about getting a cheap lavalier mic or similar and running it to the trunk to see how that works. May be a few months though. But I think it will sound great... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drivinhardz06 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Any thoughts or experience would be appreciated. I do this stuff for a living, to get optimal image and audio, the mic and camera are rarely placed in the same spot, for any kind of shoot. Most DV style camera's actually do pretty well with audio if you keep them away from wind. Got a video program that you edit with that you can sync up 2 sources? Stick your miniDV or harddrive based camcorder away form the wind inside your car (ie, get a cool under dash footshot of your pedal footwork, etc) and use that cam for audio. It's an easy way to get decent audio and a cool second angle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n80 Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Thanks for the advice guys. It seems pretty straight forward. I'm sure cheap lavalier mics yield cheap sound but I bet putting one in the trunk would record the exhaust without wind noise and might even pick up some tire squeal too. drivinhard, I do not have any video equipment at all right now so there wouldn't be any way for me to sync anything up. My Macs have iMovie and Garage Band but I have no idea what they can do as far as syncing a sound track. However, I am into still photography and if Nikon will ever get around to releasing the D400 it will be my next DSLR and it will almost certainly have HD video capability. I just showed my wife and daughter some helmet cam videos of equestrian jumping and they thought it was cool so I may be able to get a new GoPro without it counting against my track day budget......which already pales in comparison to what I'm spending on horse.....stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
427R Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 I have both the HD Hero and the new Hero2. Even without a mic plugged in, the audio on the Hero2 is better. With a mic, it's fantastic... case in point, (all those "car launching or going by" noises were with a Rode mic plugged into the Hero2, all the on car stuff was Hero2 with its own mic.) If you listen closely you can hear exactly which few seconds of the video was done with the regular HD Hero, with the usual tinny audio. Much better audio. Have the Hero Wide now (audio really sucks) and am thinking of getting the HD2. Thanks for the video post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Back-N-Black Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 I have both the HD Hero and the new Hero2. Even without a mic plugged in, the audio on the Hero2 is better. With a mic, it's fantastic... case in point, (all those "car launching or going by" noises were with a Rode mic plugged into the Hero2, all the on car stuff was Hero2 with its own mic.) If you listen closely you can hear exactly which few seconds of the video was done with the regular HD Hero, with the usual tinny audio. I was thinking about getting a cheap lavalier mic or similar and running it to the trunk to see how that works. May be a few months though. But I think it will sound great... I think the sound in your video is EXCELLENT, you said you used a Rode mic, when I checked prices I found many models and they are very expensive too. Which one are you using here? I have been debating getting a digital recorder for use with my regular HD Hero. (Zoom H1 or H2, Tascam DR07 MKII, DR03 or DR0505, etc) They range from $100 - $150. The question is, get a Hero 2 and an external mic or just a digital recorder for my HD Hero. Anybody else using a digital recorder that you sync up with the video in post processing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getfast Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 I used a Rode VideoMic Pro there. Also been playing with much cheaper lavalier mics and the Hero2 for the last few months, examples... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sperkins Posted February 20, 2012 Share Posted February 20, 2012 With a mic, it's fantastic... case in point, Very cool. I've never heard that audio track before, but it sounds a lot like The Charlie Hunter Trio. That right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whis9 Posted February 22, 2012 Share Posted February 22, 2012 I will to have to try one of those mics, thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Garfield Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 As a sound guy, I can tell you it's depressing to not have decent audio for a lot of these videos. For Julian's in car stuff, I went out of my way to use my professional lavs plugged into a Sony HD Handycam (although it's still on Auto gain). For those wondering, I did not mic both people. When using the Chatterbox unit, the audio of both people is emitted from the outside of either earpiece. I simply taped a lav to Julian's headset and it records both driver and instructor. In my opinion, extremely useful for review after the session and for weeks to come. The reverse camera is not a Go Pro, it's a Contour HD. From the beginning, the Contour has been direct competition and a better camera for karting purposes, plus it has much better standard sound (however, not nearly as good marketing). That said, the new Go Pros are better, particularly with an external input (thank god!). Although I was wondering how you mount the camera while using the external port since you need the case to mount, but the case covers the port... correct? Thanks, Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getfast Posted February 28, 2012 Share Posted February 28, 2012 Although I was wondering how you mount the camera while using the external port since you need the case to mount, but the case covers the port... correct? Correct, and it certainly removes or greatly reduces the waterproof aspect when it's in a mic ready housing. Choices are to buy a skeleton housing from GoPro for $35: Or DIY: I have one of each and honestly I prefer the DIY housing and use it more... mostly because I can still seal it up pretty well with electrical tape and put it anywhere in/on a car in just about any weather (with a mic inside the car of course) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rigmaster Posted February 29, 2012 Share Posted February 29, 2012 I have a Contour HD and though I havent' used it very much, I think the sound quality is pretty good, considering all the engine noise and wind inside my car. George, I'll PM you a link to some in-car video I took at the last CMP weekend so you can see what it looks/sounds like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seikenfreak Posted March 12, 2012 Share Posted March 12, 2012 Was in the same boat as you recently. Got sick of the horrible audio. Splurged on a new Hero2 just for the external mic input. Here is basicly the result. I only went out and tested it once. First video is with a Hero1 HD on the rear bumper using internal mic. Second video is with the Hero2 HD on the inside of the car with windows up and the external mic mounted to the rear bumper. Mic is Audio-Technica Pro24CM First Video - Second Video - The results speak for themselves. Next HPDE I will be figuring out a way to securely mount the mic somewhere outside the car with low wind and have the GoPro on the inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n80 Posted March 26, 2012 Author Share Posted March 26, 2012 I just saw your post today. I'm at work and can't access YouTube so I'll check the videos out when I get home. I'm probably going to buy the GoPro this weekend because my daughter has an equestrian event Sat and I want to mount it on her helmet. Next question is: How do I mount this thing inside my stock 350Z (no roll bar or cage)? I would like to mount it on the inside but not sure how. I guess I could use the suction cup and mount it on the rear window but I think there will mostly be seat backs and the back of my head in the frame. Anyone trust that suction cup to hold on top or the car? I'm pretty slow but still hit 110 on occasion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmith Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 Suction cup on my hero HD has worked fine for me on the front fender in excess of 130mph. With that said I prefer the view from inside the car just behind my head and centered so I can recored not only what is happening in front the car but also what I am doing in the car. It makes it easier to use as a learning tool especially if I mess up a little. But I think it also makes for a more engaging and entertaining video. the camera comes with double sided sticky tape that you can use to install one of the mounting brackets its a small little piece of plastic that the camera slides in and out of, it is really not noticeable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimbow Posted March 26, 2012 Share Posted March 26, 2012 One thing you could try is use the helmet straps to attach it to the passenger head rest. I haven't used the suction cup outside the car, just inside to attach to my roof panel. I have the "glass" roof panel and it stays up there for a few events before I have to take it off, clean the roof and the suction base. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n80 Posted April 3, 2012 Author Share Posted April 3, 2012 One thing you could try is use the helmet straps to attach it to the passenger head rest. That is a good idea. Will try that. I plan on ordering an external mic but not sure what to do about the housing. Don't want to modify the waterproof housing because I use it for my daughter's equestrian events and she rides through water.....and the skeleton housing seems pricey at $35....since it is not waterproof or anything. Will figure that out later. I haven't used the suction cup outside the car, just inside to attach to my roof panel. I've talked to a lot of people (who have gotten great videos) who use the suction cup outside of the car...with no tether. I'm not sure about that but man they get some good footage with the camera outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoopalini Posted April 6, 2012 Share Posted April 6, 2012 I'm using Harry's Lap Timer Pro with my iPhone, mounted inside, center dash. It's not a GoPro, but does a decent job at video, audio, and data collection. The iPhone mic does a pretty decent job as well. For the price, it can't be beat. Here's a lap from my last time out: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n80 Posted April 7, 2012 Author Share Posted April 7, 2012 Nice video. And that track looks like a blast. How do you mount your iPhone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoopalini Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Thanks! Ya, MSR Cresson was a blast I mounted the iPhone using a RAM 'lil Buddy iPhone mount in the center of the dash. I purcahsed a spare top plate from someone who was parting a GTO out, and permanently installed the mount on the plate. So during my track prep, I just swap the plates out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n80 Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share Posted April 9, 2012 Nice solution. I'm sold on Harry's Lap Timer after doing a good bit of reading. I'll wait for v15 since it should be out soon. I'll try it first just using the iPhone's GPS but will likely get a GPS unit to attach to the iPhone. Now I just need to find a good steady mount for the phone.....since I don't have an extra cover for my dash. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n80 Posted April 12, 2012 Author Share Posted April 12, 2012 I've heard some folks mention that some tracks/organizations do not allow suction cup mounted cameras. Is this true for NASA? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knownukes Posted April 12, 2012 Share Posted April 12, 2012 NASA Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions allow suction cups inside and outside of the car. BJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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