Leica SL Audio Adapter

[Jimmykjimmy]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Are there any alternatives to the SL audio adapter?

[BernardC]

Two alternatives that I can think of, neither of which is very simple. The SL's audio adapter uses a proprietary connector, so I doubt anyone sells a third-party adapter.

 

First, you can use an external video recorder, connected to the SL's HDMI socket. You can plug your mic(s) into the recorder. External video recorders are made by Atomos, Blackmagic, Convergent (Odyssey), and VideoDevices.

 

Second, you can use good old dual-system sound. This means using a sound recorder, like a Zoom, Tascam, Olympus, etc, or even a smartphone. You then have to sync the sound and video in post. The classic way to do this is using a sound slate and matching your tracks by eye/ear. The modern, easy way to do it is to let your editing software sync the audio and video for you. It does this by matching the waveforms of your on-camera sound (which is low quality) with the waveforms of your external sound.

 

I've done this when filming musical performances. I set-up a recorder and microphone near the audio "sweet spot" of the venue, set levels and start recording. I then shoot video using one or several cameras (typically, I use one or more static wide shots, and one or two roving cameras).

Import all your audio and video tracks into editing software, and tell it to sync by sound. It's almost magical!

I know that DaVinci Resolve and Kdenlive offer this feature, and I suppose that all full-featured editing software does. It's a huge time saver.

[Irakly Shanidze]

Nope, no direct alternative. In any case, if you need to record video on a serious level, it is better to use an external recorder, and in that case connecting mic(s) to the recorder is just as simple as using the adapter. The only difference is that recorders (at least BlackMagic VA 4K and Atomos Ninja) cannot be configured to patch the sound from one mono microphone into two channels. 

[TealWayFilms]

I have used both methods, sound into the audio adapter and sound into the recorder. One advantage in using the SL audio adapter was that the sound and video were synched. When I used my Atomos recorder and added the sound from my wireless receiver to the recorder, the sound and video were off by a few frames. I had to delve into the Atomos settings and adjust the discrepancy. 

 

In BernardC's nice summary above, I have also used dual system sound. My NLE is Final Cut Pro X, and it will also synch sound from multiple sources. I usually use the sound track from the camera with the built in microphone as the base and add good quality sound tracks to the timeline. Like most systems, FCPX uses the spikes and valleys to align the different soundtracks.

 

Unfortunately, relying on the SL audio adapter dongle limits the SL for "Run 'n Gun" video capture. If I put a shotgun mic into the hotshoe, I have to use the audio dongle to add the sound to the video track. I'm always afraid the dongle will pull out of the camera, and it has happened once. For this reason, I have limited my use of the SL for video with all the cords (HDMI, sound, power to the recorder) firmly attached to a cage on a tripod. I only video handheld without sound which can be a limitation in some projects.

 

Michael

Edited December 31, 2017 by TealWayFilms

[lx1713]

..

I've done this when filming musical performances. I set-up a recorder and microphone near the audio "sweet spot" of the venue, set levels and start recording. I then shoot video using one or several cameras (typically, I use one or more static wide shots, and one or two roving cameras).

..

 

If the venue is using substantial amount of speakers. These will affect the sweet spot's quality recording I believe. What should I do?

[BernardC]

If the venue is using substantial amount of speakers. These will affect the sweet spot's quality recording I believe. What should I do?

 

Trust your ears. Walk around the room, listening for a spot where the sound is well-balanced.

 

If your are talking about human speakers (as opposed to amplified loudspeakers), then everything gets more complicated. You can try using more microphones. Portable recorders like the Zoom and Tascam let you record two channels using on-board microphones, and two or four additional channels using external microphones.

You can also rent or buy wireless lavaliere microphones.

 

Sound recording is a rabbit hole that is as deep and wide as photography is. I don't want to suggest anything that is too complicated for one person to handle by themselves, or with minimal assistance. Rest assured that the possibilities are endless.

[Irakly Shanidze]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

 

Unfortunately, relying on the SL audio adapter dongle limits the SL for "Run 'n Gun" video capture. If I put a shotgun mic into the hotshoe, I have to use the audio dongle to add the sound to the video track. I'm always afraid the dongle will pull out of the camera, and it has happened once. For this reason, I have limited my use of the SL for video with all the cords (HDMI, sound, power to the recorder) firmly attached to a cage on a tripod. I only video handheld without sound which can be a limitation in some projects.

 

Michael

 

A good cage with cable management makes it totally safe to use SL for handheld work.what also helps immensely is an HDMI cord with an L-shaped connector facing outwards.