Audio Calibration with External Mic?

5shot · 5 Days Ago

I'm going to use a Zoom H1n as a microphone on my K5iis. Does the K5iis have a way to calibrate the input level or is it just a matter of trial and error?

Thanks

hcc · 5 Days Ago

I have used my K-3 with a Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro shotgun. I had to calibrate myself the "microphone and camera" system in the anechoic chamber. I am not aware of another professional method. In this instance, the system and its calibration were used as part of an academic scientific study of the atmospheric signature of breaking bore.

Hope that the info will help.

5shot · 5 Days Ago

So there is a menu to do the calibration when you plug in the external mic?

hcc · 5 Days Ago

Originally posted by 5shot

So there is a menu to do the calibration when you plug in the external mic?

No. I had to extract the sound files from the movies, and compare them with the pre-calibrated sound excitation that I set in the anechoic chamber.
This is not simple IMO, but it is feasible.

5shot · 5 Days Ago

Thanks, now I understand.

Suzhouren · 5 Days Ago

The K-5 series has no manual level control for audio so you're stuck with AGC (automatic gain control). This makes things simpler, but will ramp up the background noise during quieter periods. There's also no headphone socket for monitoring, nor meters to give you a visual indication of the level. Best thing is just to try a few test recordings and adjust the settings (gain/ filter) on the mic/ recorder until you get a response that works best in your particular environment. The K-5 will expect a mic level input, not a line-level, so make sure the recorder is configured correctly. That said, if you've got the Zoom, you'd probably be better just recording on that separately and syncing in post.

othar · 5 Days Ago - **1 Like**

I might be mistaken but I think the Zoom H1n is not just a microphone but a whole recording device, there is no need to control anything with the K-5, just record with both devices and replace the K-5 audio with the Zoom audio in post after synchronicing both audio tracks.

5shot · 4 Days Ago

Originally posted by othar

I might be mistaken but I think the Zoom H1n is not just a microphone but a whole recording device, there is no need to control anything with the K-5, just record with both devices and replace the K-5 audio with the Zoom audio in post after synchronicing both audio tracks.

That's what I will be doing...although I was hoping to avoid that process with the setup.

Thanks for all the help guys.

5 Days Ago	#1
5shot Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Washington - the State Posts: 167	Audio Calibration with External Mic? I'm going to use a Zoom H1n as a microphone on my K5iis. Does the K5iis have a way to calibrate the input level or is it just a matter of trial and error? Thanks

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5 Days Ago	#2
hcc Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,734	I have used my K-3 with a Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro shotgun. I had to calibrate myself the "microphone and camera" system in the anechoic chamber. I am not aware of another professional method. In this instance, the system and its calibration were used as part of an academic scientific study of the atmospheric signature of breaking bore. Hope that the info will help.

5 Days Ago	#4
hcc Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,734	Originally posted by 5shot So there is a menu to do the calibration when you plug in the external mic? No. I had to extract the sound files from the movies, and compare them with the pre-calibrated sound excitation that I set in the anechoic chamber. This is not simple IMO, but it is feasible.

5 Days Ago	#6
Suzhouren Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2012 Posts: 44	The K-5 series has no manual level control for audio so you're stuck with AGC (automatic gain control). This makes things simpler, but will ramp up the background noise during quieter periods. There's also no headphone socket for monitoring, nor meters to give you a visual indication of the level. Best thing is just to try a few test recordings and adjust the settings (gain/ filter) on the mic/ recorder until you get a response that works best in your particular environment. The K-5 will expect a mic level input, not a line-level, so make sure the recorder is configured correctly. That said, if you've got the Zoom, you'd probably be better just recording on that separately and syncing in post.

5 Days Ago - 1 Like	#7
othar Pentaxian Join Date: May 2014 Location: Linz Photos: Albums Posts: 1,536	I might be mistaken but I think the Zoom H1n is not just a microphone but a whole recording device, there is no need to control anything with the K-5, just record with both devices and replace the K-5 audio with the Zoom audio in post after synchronicing both audio tracks.

4 Days Ago	#8
5shot Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Washington - the State Posts: 167 Original Poster	Originally posted by othar I might be mistaken but I think the Zoom H1n is not just a microphone but a whole recording device, there is no need to control anything with the K-5, just record with both devices and replace the K-5 audio with the Zoom audio in post after synchronicing both audio tracks. That's what I will be doing...although I was hoping to avoid that process with the setup. Thanks for all the help guys.

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