Enhancing Audio Quality: Zoom H5 with 3.5mm Mini Jack Mic - XLR Adapter vs Built-In Port 

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Glad this video was helpful for you. Yes, with different devices the results may vary. Happy recording 🌸.

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Phantom Power can damage microphones. It's unlikely with modern mics. But it can happen. When you have a stero mic going into the F3, you'd record them on separate tracks. On the F6 you can map channels to be paired as stereo channels going into one stereo file. I don't know if that works on the F3 since I have not used that model.

Interesting aspect to think about. I would actually also go for the non transformer adapter with the VideoMic NTG because it also adds a bit less noise. However, if going over greater distances, I would choose the new Røde VXLR Pro (crsp.li/VxlrPro) since that also makes it a balanced signal which is less prone to inferences.

@@ChrisSpiegl Yeah, basically if your cable is longer than 10 feet, you should be using XLR. Or Dante. Or a wireless system.

@@Matthew_Raymond 🌸 👍

Hi, whenever you need phantom power or plug in power (when using lavalier mics it's probably the later), you will most certainly not want to use the VXLR adapter but instead choose the VXLR Plus or Pro model. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AOmZ6H4aP7U.html

@@ChrisSpiegl Thanks Chris!

You have to activate the Plugin Power for the XY capsule in the Zoom H5 so that the Deity V-Mic D3 actually powers on, since it does not have a power button really but just that weird standby mode.

If your Tascam has either a headphone or line out port than you should be able to do that.

Great you found the info anyways. The amplitude differences may also be in my speaking. 😅 And in turns of the VXLR vs. VXLR+ I hope you also understood that there is a difference that is important which you use for which mic. Happy recording. 🌸

The VXLR+ will take care of the phantom power and automatically turn it into Plug-In power (which the mic likely needs). This happens automatically and it does not matter if you set the Phantom Power to 12, 24 or 48v. I probably would choose the lowest value since it uses the least power (if I remember that correctly).

@@ChrisSpiegl Thanks a lot for replying. I really appreciate it! And you're right, it needs plain power when I use it on the XY cartridge... I want to have a minimal setup for vox pop interviewing... I'll have the lav on me via xlr and use the xy for the interviewees..

With the Rode VideoMic NTG you have to turn on the PlugIn Power on the top capsule so that it triggers the auto power on of the NTG. Then you should not have the issues described - even with a TRRS to TRRS cable.

@@ChrisSpiegl Tks! I've done a factory reset on my Zoom h5 and after that, I was able to connect even without a TRRS to TRS adapter. It seems that Rode NTG is capable of recognizing the device it is connected to. Clean sound now... \o/

@@IgorNassif Yes, that's what the VideoMic NTG is supposed to do… Recognize the device on the other side. Glad you got it working.

If you are thinking about this for shooting video, I would go with the Røde VideoMic NTG. It's more directional and more versatile while making the video making process less complicated and cumbersome.

You can record a maximum of 4 tracks. 2 XLR Microphones, both going into one Mono Track each. and one Stereo Audio Track which records either the X/Y Mic, or the 3.5mm jack mic.

Sure, the H5 is still a good audio recorder and with the built in XY capsule you also have a good quality mic already built in.

My setup is described in this video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9sxOtpaJnNk.html And is linked in the description of most of my newer videos.

@@ChrisSpiegl thank you!

The Rode VideoMic NTG automatically detects if it needs to send a TRS or TRRS signal. So you don’t need that extra SC7 adapter.

@@ChrisSpiegl thank you so much

When you use the 3.5mm jack you do have the option to use the backup feature. In terms of 3.5mm and line level… I don't remember any more. I since sold the H5. Sorry.

@@ChrisSpiegl thank you so much

Hey, the solution you are looking for is described in my video about the Røde VXLR adapter. Please check that out: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-sZY6OIFVIz0.html Basically: you can use a Røde VXLR adapter which is relatively cheap with the mics you mentioned. But you will have to turn on the VideoMic NTG manually every time.

@@ChrisSpiegl thanks for the reply, I watched that video, and as per you explainaton, Rode Wireless go don't need any power. So by theory just using 3.5mm to 6.35 mm adapter would work perfectly fine. But in some other videos they report it didn't worked. So can you please confirm on it can work or not, and why? Many thanks for your time again 🙏🏻

@@dp34531 That's sounds about right.

@@ChrisSpiegl Thanks for reply. So did you try and confirm whether it worked or not? As I'm planning to purchase Zoom H5 and Wireless go with ought VXLR+ adapter. Would really appreciate your response.

@@dp34531 You can plug the Wireless Go into the upper capsule mini jack. You can also use the VXLR adapter.

You can use the TRRS cable that comes with the Røde VideoMic NTG because it auto detects which connection type it should use.

ok thanks!!@@ChrisSpiegl

The Rode VideoMicro needs Plug In power. If you want to use it with an audio recorder on an XLR plug, then you will need the VXLR+ or VXLR Pro and turn in Phantom power (which the adapter will then transform to Plug In Power). Hope that’s clear. I have a video comparing these adapters: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-AOmZ6H4aP7U.html

If you want to see a comparison of the VXLR Pro from rode (which has the electronics to do a balanced signal) you can do so on my channel. Additionally: I never expected the adapters to "reduce the noise floor" but there may be a difference in terms of how much noise the electronics/cabling introduce if any.

@@ChrisSpiegl Well, you mentioned the sound level difference between the TS connector and the XLR adapter. I was just clarifying that as the mic uses single ended (SE) signal, the SE TS plug gets the full available signal strength, but using TS into the multi point (MP) XLR adapter, effectively halves the signal strength from what is expected. That is the reason for lower volume with the adapter. I mentioned noise because the whole point of MP connection like XLR is noise cancellation. So I just pointed out that using that type of adapter negates the whole point of XLR input. So you may as well just stick with the TS input in this case. Shure, you have no option but to cobble SE to MP gear together in this way sometimes but the correct way to do that is with an audio transformer to convert the signal from SE to MP which this adapter does not do , thought the pro version seems to make that claim. Yeah, I am very familiar with the difference these types of connection make, thanks for the offer.

@@kenwebster5053 Thanks for your input. I understand what you mean now better with the lost 3db.

Hi Jelly, I would be careful to assume that the headsets are unpowered since Plug In power is very easy to go unnoticed. Phones provide it, even laptops without one even noticing most of the time. Now, do you already own the H5 or a similar recorder? If so, you could definitely try out if your assumption about not needing power is correct by plugging one of the headsets into the top capsule and see if it works (with Plug In Power disabled). Now if all that turns out to be correct, then I would say you could probably use pretty much any cheap 3.5 to male-XLR adapter out there and it would work as described. However, one other thing that I would consider and possible take as a reason to use two 3.5 to XLR adapters instead of the top capsule: The top capsule will then record the audio into a Stereo file and not into mono like the two bottom XLR ports. So you may hear a difference in volume or have to split the files in post processing. It may just be easier to just buy two 3.5 to XLR adapters. Hope that helps and good luck.

@@ChrisSpiegl oh wow! Such a timely response! Thanks a ton. I just tested the 2 headsets and another pc headset and the all only show a level input when Plug in power is ON! Thanks for helping! Your advice with 2 XLR adapters is noted and will be considered!! The 2 headsets are mono mics (the pc headset a stereo) but as you said, when recording via the capsule, the right channel is ever so slightly picking up something, although the headset only inputs on L. well, the question is now: 2 cheap headsets paired with 2 adapters totalling ~50 Euro .... Is it worth it, or should I try to record the (podcast)interviews via the XY mic without headsets at all.... 🤔

From what I am reading, now you'd need something like the VXLR+ adapters which also convert Phantom power to Plug In Power if you'd want to use them with the XLR ports at the bottom. Now if it's worth it to you, depends obviously on what you are going for. I would probably lok into really cheap XLR mics but then you also need a stand. So with under 100 USD it's quite the challenge probably. I would probably say: just go with what you have right now and see if podcasting is right for you if money is a consideration. Do it for a few episodes with that setup, save a little and then get two XLR microphones. If necessary, there are some good XLR mics with head mounting. But then again… I'd still try to go for the Shure SM58 or something similar. About the capsule 3.5 mini jack: that's normal that if you only provide one side that the other has some noise in it in some setups. Best to just split the channels in post then you could still use the left channel audio (hopefully). Good luck 🌸

@@ChrisSpiegl Chris, that was immensely helpful and rest assured - you made our day by providing help! Very much appreciated! So it will either be a) 2 cheap t-bone headsets with XLRs from thomann for ~80 Euro seems also reasonable. b) use the current headsets with 1 converting XLR adapter for 25$ and plugging the other into the capsule and cutting the R channel in post and still be able to adjust speaker levels individually. C) the cheapskate version = plug both headsets with a Y-cable into the 3,5mm capsule jack and not be able to adjust speakers level ☺️ D) risky (unlikely) option = buy cheap converters and potentially overpower the headsets. C)record interview over XY Capsule without headsets

@@jelly8594 pretty much. By the way, which Headset are you looking at at Thomann? I am German and know the company a bit. 😋 I think the xlr option is in any way the best. 😁

Yes, you can use the XY Mic while using the XLR ports for other microphones.

With the VideoMic NTG you are going to be ok with the RODE VXLR adapter. crsp.li/rodevxlr You are correct. You don’t need the phantom power there. It will probably be fine if you happen to leave phantom power on but it’s better to turn it of for sure. Though, if you never use the recorder for anything else you also will always have phantom power off. So there should not be any problem. My more important question would be: why buy two VideoMic NTG if you’re going to use an external recorder anyways? This ofcourse depends on your use case but if you are planning to podcast, I’d say there are better options out there. Hope the helps. 👋

@@ChrisSpiegl thank you so much for replay so with vxlr will be work fine and i did not need vxlr+ and the videomic ntg will work fin if i forget left phantom power on with vxlr ? And i need 2 mics only for i plan to open asmr channel to make real stereo sonund left and right 😊 And if you have other option please tell me and thank you 👍👍👍

@@MoElf I would actually look into different but very cheap microphones. There are tones on the market that go directly into the XLR port of the H5. Maybe this video could be interesting for you: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rr1-jS8YB-c.html There you also have stereo mounting options but in some of them actually a cheaper setup.

@@ChrisSpiegl thank you

Depends: does the VideoMic Pro Plus have a TRRS cable or a TRS cable? You can always try it with the cable it comes with. But I have made the observation that mics which usually come with a TRRS cable should be used with a TRS cable in setups like these.

@@ChrisSpiegl it has the TRS cable , Chris. Do I need to activate the plugin power on the XY CAPSULE too Chris?

@@genocideist If you plug in the microphone to the XY capsule you will have to activate the Plug In Power there. Since the Plug In Power "triggers" the stand by / active mode on the VideoMic Pro+

Use better batteries? I never had that issue and I used Eneloop rechargable batteries.

Hi ASMR Kichi, the Zoom H5 can not be used with a USB Microphone. It is used to record XLR microphones. Let me know if this is not what you are asking. But other than that good luck.

The H5 can record for at least 2 hours non stop and only has one file. I have never reached the card limit with what I was doing with it but I'd assume the recorder would finish the recording up and not corrupt it.

@@ChrisSpiegl Thanks. That helps. I've seen audio files on websites that are 1-3 hours and they have that it was recorded with an H5. No way to contact them, so I was looking around. Every place just says how much audio you can record in total (after multiple files have been recorded). Not just the size of a single file.

Did you plug the VideoMic Pro+ into the top capsule on the H6? If yes, then you have to turn on Plug-In Power in the settings of the H6 so that the mic automatically turns on.

@@ChrisSpiegl Yes Chris, okey Ill try it, thank you so much chris

Should work there as well - granted it is a newer device so don't see why it would not.

Interesting, I don't have the Zoom H5 on my hands any more and can't confirm this. But I thought the Mic Port on the Capsule does allow for a Stereo signal to be recorded?

@@ChrisSpiegl, it doesn’t, as far as I can tell.

@@birbs4life174 ok, that’s too bad. I hope you find a solution for your use-case.

I don't have the device on my hands any more but I think the input at the top is a stereo input which should support a Binaural Mic.

That probably should depend on your needs and distance to the mic. However, I am using it on 15 most of the time and just lower it when necessary. I’d rather have the VideoMic NTG on 15 and the audio recorder on a lower setting. And if the sound is clipping / crumbling then you can also engage the -20dB pad on the mic.

Yes, the 3.5mm input will replace the top mic, but the two XLR ports on the bottom stay active.

@@ChrisSpiegl Thank you Chris 👍🏿

No, it’s either 3.5mm jack or stereo capsule.

@@ChrisSpiegl thanks so much

It's not the best but surely it would work for that use case.