BEFORE PURCHASING IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT: If you connect "SmartRig II" to a smartphone, the headphone socket is for monitor the audio output of the smartphone. If you connect "SmartRig II" (via TRRS / TRS adapter) to a camera, the headphone socket cannot be used to monitor audio captured by the connected microphone.
Thanks for your video, I had the same problem and when i saw your video i got the feeling that yes it will work. i got the cable you mentioned but unfortunately it did not work :( i have Canon D600 and i still have the problem
Boy, that's too bad that the cable you ordered didn't work. The one you received may be defective. If you still can, I'd send the cable back and get a different one. Let me know how it goes with a new cable. Thanks again.
Thanks for the question. Yes, you can use it on a Sennheiser MKH 416. You’ll just turn on the Phantom Power switch on the Saramonic SmartRig and you’ll be good to go. Good luck!
Hey i love your explanation but i have a question. I use the Saramonic SR-AX100 with the Azden SMX-10 with battery. When lowering the rec level in my 80D, it won't pick up any audio. But the audio is set to max on the preamp. Any suggestions what i am doing wrong?
Do you keep your AA battery inside your Sennheiser shotgun mic while using the phantom power from the smart rig preamp? I just purchase a use smart rig off EBay!
Thanks for the question. I sometimes keep the AA battery inside to save on the 9volt battery inside the SmartRig, but you don’t have to. The SmartRig is more than capable to power the Sennheiser. Congratulations on buying the SmartRig!
Thanks for the question. The adapter cable that I purchased is no longer available. I got it from Radio Shack and they've all but gone out of business. The Cable in my description should work for you. Thanks!! amzn.to/2kpHHGt
Jim, thanx for this video. I have another question maybe you know. Is it possible to connect a shotgun mic (3.5mm jack) into the zoom h1 and then from the zoom h1 a 3.5 mm jack into my Panasonic G6 and so bypassing the G6 preamp but still get great audio? i only see always that people just record on the zoom h1 sd card. Hope you can help i ordered a new shotgun mic and a zoom h1. Thnx Michel from Check it Media
You can connect it by making a few changes. From shotgun connect with XLR cable to smartrig. The output of smartrig, connect with trrs to trs connector like shown in video and connect to zoom h1. I am following this procedure to record to my zoom h1. It's perfect try it
Thanks for the question. Yes, Saramonic makes an upgraded version of the SmartRig. It's called the SmartRig Plus. It has 4 inputs: 2 XLR and 2 - 3.5mm Jacks. It's a really good buy, also. Here's a link to Amazon: amzn.to/2qiQpWI
Interesting, but could I just add an XLR to TRS adapter for an additional 6 bucks and use the 29.00 SmartRig you discuss here? I ask because the SmartRig Plus is a hundred bucks. Yikes. At that price point, I wonder if I mightn't be better off just buying a used recorder of of ebay? Something like a Tascam DR-07 mkii maybe? Or do you think the SmartRig Plus is a better way to go? Am new to the dslr audio game, so I ask the question in earnest. Great video, by the way. I love your stuff. Most informative I've found for my needs on the Web. Thanks much for taking the time! Be blessed today.
Doug, I really like the XLR to TRS adapter that you talk about. I think it's a great choice if you don't have an XLR microphone. I know that several companies make them, but get a good one. Sorry for the late reply and thanks for commenting!
Please could you clarify something. When you initially set up the Saramonic you mentioned to put it on 48 phantom power mode, but when you tested the audio levels (at 4.28) I noticed your Saramonic was switched to the on mode, not the 48 power mode. Wouldn't you test the mic with it switched to 48? Also can you explain the difference between using the on and 48 mode. I want to use the Saramonic to plug into a smartphone but both the 'on' and the '48' modes seem to work.
James, Thanks for the question. At the beginning of the video I was doing a walk-through with the Saramonic showing the switch and dial on the front. 48 volt phantom power is needed when using a Condenser Microphone. The microphone I was using in the video is a Sennheiser ME 66 condenser microphone and it does need phantom power. The difference is that the Sennheiser microphone has a AA battery that will also give it phantom power. So, I used the phantom power inside the microphone so I didn't need to use the phantom power switch on the Saramonic Preamp. I hope that helps. Let me know what kind of microphone you are using with your smartphone. Jim K
Thank you so much for the reply. Your video is excellent and helping me to understand some of the complexities of audio. I'm planning on using an existing Rode NTG2 with a Samsung Android. I have just bought the Saramonic. As I understand it, I would just need to have that switched to 'on'?
Well, if you use the internal AA battery inside the NTG2 as the power for the mic, then yes. If you don't switch on the AA battery in the NTG2, then you'll need to flip the switch on the SmartRig for Phantom power. But, read your manual for the NTG2 to be sure as I don't own one of those mics. Thanks!
Основная проблема использования данного устройства заключается в том, что при понижении напряжения батареи при разряде, теряется фантомное питание 48V на микрофоне. Разряд батареи происходит достаточно быстро. Я не могу рекомендовать данное устройство на постоянной основе, для работы либо другой продолжительной записи. Фантомное питание для микрофона требует стабильной подачи для продолжительной записи.
One of the clearest and most understandable videos of how to use Shotgun Mic's DSLR's - I've watched 10 videos and it finally makes sense after watching yours! THANK YOU!!
TRRS to TRS is something a lot of people don't understand. I think the other part that is important is that you split it into a 2 channel cable, but because the Canon doesn't have stereo input it doesn't matter than you are only using 1 of the two.
Hello sir, Thanks for such a nice video. It's very informative. How's the overall quality of Saramonic, which newer product you reconnect for the same use? Which is the best budget XLR on camera mic you would recommend?
Nice video, useful tips. Question for you: Is it good to use Zoom H1 instead of saramonic you mentioned?. That device is unavailable in my region & Importing it will costs 4× the amount. I'm using zoom h1 + knock off lav mic. Planning to buy mid budget microphone.
Hello! I loved this video. I do have one question though: I really want to purchase this item, but I want to know if it is compatible with my camera. It is a Sony ZV-1F, a vlogging camera. Will it still work if I turn the audio recording level to 1? Thanks!😊
I used a TRRS female to TRS dual Male adapter cable. If you look in the description it is stated that way. Click on the Amazon link and you’ll see exactly what it is. Thanks for your comment.
I have a sony a6000 camera and it hasn't got a jack for these kind of mics. So my question is,how do i do it? Do I just connect the microphone to my phone, having an app for recording sound opened and it will work?
You're also using a shit load of noise reduction... rather than showing us what the "clean" audio sounds like you've added EQ and effects to your audio and saying that it's "clean"?
You're the MAN!!!!!!! You are the freakin man! All these newbie millennial's on RU-vid with no knowledge! This right here is what you call, fundamental Classic straight up no nonsense common sense knowledge the right way!!!!!!!!!! Thank YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And He added the product links in the description like a Boss!!! LOL! Cheers!
The closer you get to the audio source, the better the audio will be. Also, since you're picking up the sound from so close with a lav, the preamp of the DSLR won't have to amplify the sound that much as to ruin it. In the end though, you're still going through the DSLR's preamp so you'll still get some noise, but the overall quality will be better than just using the camera's built-in mic.
Why not avoid using an AA battery to power the mic, and use the Saramonic's 9V battery 48V Phantom power instead? Results are the same, for me anyway...
Thanks for the question. Yes, You're correct. I could have used the Saramonic's 48 Volt Phantom Power feature. I also know that the Saramonic's battery doesn't last as long when you're using the Phantom Power feature and the AA Battery on the Sennheiser Shotgun Mic will last over 100 hours. Thanks!
Yes. If you look in the description below the video, you'll see a link to Amazon for the adapter. It's 3.5mm. Thanks for watching the video and for your question!
Hi, nicely done. I bought the Beachtek preamp. I have a GoPro at the moment so no way to turn the gain down on the camera. To complicate things I’m attempting to record a Marshall amplifier connected to Marshall 4x12 speaker cabs. My current conclusion is the speaker cabs output is too much for my Movo shotgun mics. To use the right tool for the right job I bought 2 Shure SM57’s which I hope clears things up.
This video is impeccably well-explained! People on RU-vid just assume knowledge but this was great. Also, if you have the shotgun mic attached to the camera, there is no where to place the preamp right so won't it end up just hanging down?
Thanks for your comment! Yes, you are correct. It will just hang down, but it comes with a Velcro strap that fits through loops on the back of the device. So, I usually just attach it to my tripod. Thanks again!
Hello. Thanks for your awesome video. Let me ask a question. I've bought the Saramonic smartRig+. I connected it to my Nikon D810 and a Deity V lav mic. I set the camera rec level at 1, the lowest as you said. But I could hardly get my voice to -12dB even with the SmartRig+ at max level. I had to increase the camera rec level about 6~7 and SmartRig+ level at max to get -12dB voice. BTW my lav mic was on my shirts about 6 inches away from my mouth. Am I doing something wrong? Thx.
After looking up the Deity V Lav, I didn't see any information that it would work on the Nikon D810. I'd contact Deity, Nikon and Saramonic to get better clarification on it.
@@StairwayToVideo Thank you for your quick respond. I heard I have to be careful to use the phantom power not to destroy microphones, especially when the mic has its own power such as Rode videomic pro. So I did not even try using the phantom power option using the lav mic either. Also I thought the phantom power is delivered only thru the XLR jack not thru 3.5mm jack. Am I wrong? Maybe too basic and stupid question. Although I have been working on photography for decades, I am new to video production. So lots of silly questions. And your video helps a lot. Thanks.
Why record the shotgun mic into the DSLR camera? It's better to connect to a mixer, then daisy chain it to air compressor gate ( like the DBX 286s ), and then daisy chain to interface to connect to your computer and run it through digital audio workstation. You can always sync it back with your video when editing your video through your video editor. The audio is going to come out 100x better if you do it through a mixer, and a compressor gate then if you do it through just a regular $50 preamp.
Would i be able to connect a 3.5mm mic via a xlr adapter into the saramonic preamp which is then connected via a trrs to trs adapter into my camera. The mic would be battery powered. Also excellent video!
Thanks for the question. I used the AA Battery because it lasts longer than when I use the 9 Volt battery in the Saramonic SmartRig. Sennheiser says that the AA Battery will last over 100 hours. The Saramonic only lasts 4-6 hours (approximate) when using it as Phantom power. Hope that helps!
Thank's a lot for your video. I'm wondering if it would be good as a portable phantom power suply for shotgun mic pluged on a recorder like tascam dr05x, or not? What do you think about it?
Well how are you supposed to plug something like the azden shotgun mic into an XLR cable. In this video he has a shotgun mic that connects directly to an XLR, but a shotgun mic like my azden smx-30 can't do that. Edit: Nevermind, I found out you can just get a 3.5 to xlr adapter.
I am trying to make racing related videos for youtube etc. I bought an iRig Pre to incorporate my Tascam DR 05 recorder that I think has really good quality audio to use with my iPhone 7 when making videos. Anyway, after I tried video recording something really loud like a weedeater my iRig Pre was freaking out and the sound was overmodulating. There is a gain wheel that if I keep all the way down to the minimum I can barely hear the thing that I am trying to record. I don't think I can do gain staging with my iphone 7. In my testing I tried using a gas powered weedeater. It was ok for my Tascam DR 05 to handle at the 0 input volume setting but my iphone video was sounding scratchy because my audio was not good. Do you think that the Saramonic Smartrig will work for me better?
If i use some audio recorder like tascam dr40 do i still need this preamp to boost my cheap shotgun? N how do i connect this mini dslr jack to my dr40? Ohh and 1 more question..If my shotgun already have battery inside do i still need some preamp? Or should i choose one of them? Or use them together both preamp and battery on?
I don’t think there is any way to plug Phantom Power into the VP83 nor do you need it, since it is powered from an internal AA battery. As far as using the output from the microphone as a headphone connection, I don’t know the answer. It would be best to ask Shure that question.
You're correct. You can't monitor (at least most people can't) while recording with the Saramonic SmartRig. Although, you CAN monitor upon playback. You should be able to use a standard TRS 3.5mm (1/8 inch) headphone jack. I don't know if they've upgraded that feature on the new SmartRig Plus or not. I'd contact Saramonic with that question. Thanks for the question and for watching my video!!
Going through this right now. Some advise an external pre amp and some advise an external audio recorder. I actually really wanna try the pre amp as really don’t wanna sync audio in post.
@@StairwayToVideo thanks for your answer :) ... I think it is happening to me, I have a takstart 600 connected to a zoom H1n ad it is plugged into my Sony A6400 throught a splitter but it is TRRS and I have this annoying hiss. now I have a possible answer to my problem.. Thank you so much!
thanks for this video it helps but one thing my t6i works without the adaptor is it because i have the smartring plus or what.Once again thak you very much
i was searching for some think like this but now is the question is there a differentes between the Saramonic SmartRig II and the Saramonic SmartRig other than the design
I love this little pre-amp and I use it to supply phantom power to a condenser shotgun mic. My XLR is a a canon rebel (1200D and a 1300d) but no audio in - so I also use a H1 zoom to record the sond and then sync the zoom sound with the crappy camera sound. Only headache is I keep losing the trrs to trs patch cable but a a great cheap setup that gives great results
I have been wondering why my shotgun mic always sounds worse than my lav mic wired into an audio recorder. I always thought that hiss sound is just ambient noise picked up by the shotgun and preamp won't save it. Thank you very much for doing this short clean video! Now I know what I should get.
