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iPhone Movi Users, What Are You Using for Audio?

Discussion in 'Movi Technical' started by Jason Lombard, Apr 12, 2018.

  1. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Thanks, Laren!

    Andy

    Forensic Software & sUAV / Drone Analyst : Photographer : Videographer : Pilot (Portland, Oregon, USA): Trees=2, Ground=1, Props=11. :(
    The Ground Is The Limit™
    ---------- Forensic Drone Analyst : Forensic sUAV Analyst : Forensic Unmanned Aircraft Analyst : Forensic Drone Expert
     
  2. Frank Algermissen

    Frank Algermissen Active Member

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    Update for mounting:

    MoviAccessoryMount_01.jpg
     
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  3. Ryan Hawley

    Ryan Hawley Member

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    What kind of mount is that?
     
  4. Frank Algermissen

    Frank Algermissen Active Member

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    Hey Ryan, it's called "MOVI Hoodie Accessory Mount" Just received my order receipt and will get in next week. I'll let you guys know how it is built etc.

    Bildschirmfoto 2018-05-08 um 17.48.25.jpg
     
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  5. Rorick Edge

    Rorick Edge Active Member

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    I’ll be receiving a Movi on Monday, and it seems to me that the big question when it comes to audio is how much noise the Movi makes, and what the answer means for microphone choice and placement.

    When it comes to miniature/lavalier mikes, I use DPA 4060s, and for those I’ll be using DPA’s d:vice. The d:vice is a 50g/1.8oz, two channel preamp that is controlled by an iOS app and records to iOS devices. In use, I keep it in my shirt pocket or a jacket pocket. See the link below for a video overview.

    With the d:vice, my options are to record to the iPhone on the Movi or to an older iPhone/iPod in a pocket. The latter strikes me as an attractive option. It would mean that I don’t have to worry about cable interference/snags.

    When it comes to standard condenser mikes, the question “How much noise does the Movi make, and at what frequencies?” becomes central.

    I’ve ordered a Movi Hoodie, but I’ll mount a mike on the Movi only if it is silent or only makes sound below about 100Hz (in 99% of cases, I’m content to literally cut out sounds 100Hz or below). I’ll be delighted if the Movi satisfies one of those criteria, but I’m not holding my breath. If there’s Movi noise to deal with, I expect to record sound with the mike some distance away.

    Re standard condenser recording options, the fact that I use Schoeps rather than DPA condensers means that the d:vice isn’t an option.

    My most portable condenser option is a Lectrosonics Personal Digital Recorder, which weighs 71g/2.5oz and records to a microSDHC card. Again, see the link below for a video overview.

    However, to use the Lectrosonics with a standard condenser, rather than a miniature microphone, I have to add a 48v phantom power supply.

    Stand-alone phantom power supplies are fairly small (see my P.S. below), but they add an additional box and cable, and are therefore a bit of a nuisance. I haven’t decided yet whether to go that route or just use a larger recorder with integrated phantom power.

    There are also sound quality and control issues to consider. As good as the Lectrosonics is, I know that I’ll get somewhat better sound, and be able to better control the recording, with my second option, a Sound Devices portable field recorder. I have a Sound Devices 702T, but the new MixPre-3 is much cheaper, quite a bit smaller and apparently provides great sound.

    That said, I think that the Lectrosonics is a brilliant option with the Movi for someone who wants to use a miniature/lavalier mike (no power supply needed) or who wants to use a standard condenser mike, but prefers adding a 48v power supply to carrying a field recorder.

    P.S. I should probably say that by “stand-alone” 48v phantom power supplies, I mean units by Deneke (PS-1/PS-2), Ambient (UMP II) and Kortwich (VCP-10/20), not the products talked about in a number of earlier posts. Those products do quite a bit more than supply phantom power.

    DPA d:vice Overview:


    Lectrosonics PDR Overview:
     
    #25 Rorick Edge, May 11, 2018
    Last edited: May 14, 2018
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  6. Rorick Edge

    Rorick Edge Active Member

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    I've been looking for some time for a clean app that will record sound to an iOS device at 24bit/48kHz, that will export the recording as a Broadcast WAV file, and that doesn't include all kinds of options (aka complications) that I don't need.

    Tentacle Sync, a maker of timecode devices, has just released a free app called Timecode Audio Recorder that does just that. The interface is clean and simple. The bit depth choices are 16 bit and 24 bit. The sample rate choices are 44.1kHz and 48kHz. The export is BWAV, and there are a number of ways to export the file (Airdrop, etc). My one criticism is that a single mike input is recorded to two tracks, but it’s easy enough to discard one track in post.

    Well worth checking out.

    Why It’s Free: Tentacle Sync created the app to make it possible to record timecode to an iOS device via their Sync E Timecode generator, which can broadcast Timecode via Bluetooth. That is pretty amazing, but the important point here is that the app can be used simply as a recorder. It’s worth pointing out, though, that Tentacle Sync has an SDK that it is keen to share with makers, such as Filmic Pro, of other apps that record sound (per Curtis Judd's video, below, at 06:55)..

    Three 2018 NAB videos on this app:

    Cheesy Cam's video (may be necessary to turn on the audio):


    Gotham Sound's video:


    Curtis Judd's video:
     
    #26 Rorick Edge, May 13, 2018
    Last edited: May 14, 2018
  7. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Good find, Rorick. Thanks for posting.

    Andy

    Forensic Software & sUAV / Drone Analyst : Photographer : Videographer : Pilot (Portland, Oregon, USA): Trees=2, Ground=1, Props=11. :(
    The Ground Is The Limit™
    ---------- Forensic Drone Analyst : Forensic sUAV Analyst : Forensic Unmanned Aircraft Analyst : Forensic Drone Expert
     
  8. Darrin Altman

    Darrin Altman Member

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    Here’s a photo of my audio solution, at least I believe so. I will (fingers crossed) receive my Movi tomorrow. I put a cold shoe mount on the hoodie and plan to keep the hoodie on the Movi permanently. I have a few microphones that have the cold shoe adapter. I’d like to use my Shure Motiv MV88 but don’t know how I would mount it.
     

    Attached Files:

  9. John Woody

    John Woody Member

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    Darrin... do you have in your arsenal a Rode SC4 TRS toTRSS adapter? Does the Rode shown on the image have a TRSS connector?
     
  10. Darrin Altman

    Darrin Altman Member

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  11. Rorick Edge

    Rorick Edge Active Member

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    I received a Movi yesterday. It is much quieter than I expected, and I'll be testing it with a standard condenser mike mounted to a Movi Hoodie as soon as the latter arrives.

    However, I won't be connecting an audio cable to the phone on the Movi and recording audio to the phone. I found that doing this affects Movi/phone balance, and it's clear that the effect changes as the Movi moves and the relationship between the phone and the cable changes.

    Some people may find this manageable. Personally, I think that it is way too finicky and is quite likely to complicate getting clean footage. If I were going to consider this at all, I'd want extremely thin, flexible cable, but I'm not aware of an off-the-shelf cable that would work. Freefly makes thin cable, but as far as I know none with a Lightening connection.

    Instead, I'll be recording sound to another device, such as a spare iPhone or iPod or miniature recorder in a pocket, or compact field recorder in a bag, and let the Movi just do what it's designed to do.
     
    #31 Rorick Edge, May 16, 2018
    Last edited: May 16, 2018
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  12. Andy Johnson-Laird

    Andy Johnson-Laird Administrator
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    Yeah, "second system" audio is not a bad idea -- if you use a sync marker (have the talent clap their hands, say), then you can use the iPhone audio to align the sync audio pulse in post.

    Andy

    Forensic Software & sUAV / Drone Analyst : Photographer : Videographer : Pilot (Portland, Oregon, USA): Trees=2, Ground=1, Props=11. :(
    The Ground Is The Limit™
    ---------- Forensic Drone Analyst : Forensic sUAV Analyst : Forensic Unmanned Aircraft Analyst : Forensic Drone Expert
     
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