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Better sound from Canon Legria / Vixia camcorders
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- čas přidán 15. 08. 2024
- This video explains how to improve sound recording on many of Canon's Legria (Vixia) camcorders (as well as the XA20 / XA25 if you're using their internal microphones)
The demonstration is performed using a Canon HF-G25 (HF-G20) but is applicable to the other camcorders that have a similar set of menu options for audio recording.
I test the automatic and manual controls, audio scene programs, and the internal and external microphones. My quest is to get decent sound out of the camcorder!
It is worth watching this video using headphones or through decent loudspeakers because if you use basic PC speakers or via a laptop, you may not hear the recording test differences properly.
Buy the HF-G25 via our Amazon UK link and it helps us keep the reviews going; thank you.
amzn.to/1pOyQvZ
The battery I use on this camcorder is a Duracell DRC827, purchased from Amazon. You can buy it via this link: amzn.to/15NZAEj
The lapel mic at the end is an Audio Tecnica ATR3350: amzn.to/1yg88ht
To read (and watch) our full review of the HF-G25, click on over to tubeshooter.co....
For updates, follow me on Twitter:
UKAirscape
Published by Tubeshooter magazine:
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Your tutorials are tremendously helpful. Please do stop apologizing for the length - in fact, it is quite refreshing to have you go into details.
bvb ocan Haha, thank you so much. I worry all the time whether anyone will watch or find them useful / not patronising hence the apologies. It's tremendously relieving to find that they get "Likes" and comments ;-)
+UKAirscape
I realize this is an older comment, but I must echo what bvb ocan said. I am giving strong consideration to buying either the Canon G30 or the Sony CX900 camera. It is next to impossible to draw any real conclusions from the typical 2-3 minute videos out there.
Your videos, on the other hand, are informative and in depth. I don't care if a video is an hour (or more) long. If it shows and tells me what I want (need) to know, I am going to watch it all the way through. What I am saying is thank you for taking the time to go into details and for explaining things. It is indeed a pleasure to watch.
Hello. Thank you. I sometimes forget the people are still watching these older videos so it's a great pleasure to discover that they are appreciated. I'm hoping, when I get a little more time, to start making more of them again. Regards, David.
Your demo has convinced me of this camcorders flexibility, especially in the manual sound recording modes.
We are using the HF G30 in studio and could never get the sound we wanted when having live musicians in the room. This video has been a tremendous help. Thanks!!!
Excellent, it's truly gratifying to know its of help. Cheers
Wow I can't believe it, you just solved a problem we have been having for more than a year with the Canon Legria HFG40, we initially thought the problem was with the microphones, thank you so much!! I suggest you add more variations in your description so more people can solve their problem, it was hard to get to your video even when I was searching for disabling auto gain on canon. Your instructions still apply to Canon Legria HFG40
Glad it helped!
Thanks a lot I appreciate it :)
Hallelujah! Thank you soooo much for taking the time to do such thorough testing and sharing your findings; very, very much appreciated. It wasn't just the almighty hiss, but the loud racket of the camera working that has been driving me nuts! Huge hug from Yorkshire x
Glad it helped! Camcorders always have some internal noise, it helps to use an external mic to get it away from the lens motors etc.
You provide some of the best camera reviews I have seen on CZcams. Based largely on your reviews, I purchased a Canon Vixia HF-G20, and I am very happy with it.
That's very kind of you to say, and I'm delighted you're having fun with your G20!
I just purchased this camcorder (my first) haven't received it yet, but your videos on this product are terrific. I've watched them several times while taking notes. The video is well prepared, easily understood, and will save those who watch it hours in the familiarization process. Thanks much...I'll be watching you.
Ron Service
Cheers Ron
Great tutorial! Searched for a while before I came across this video. Couldn't figure out how to un-gray-out the manual microphone level. Didn't realize I had to change the audio scene to custom. Makes sense! Thanks a lot!
Been using my Canon camcorder wrong all these years !!! Thanks for getting my audio recording straightened up !!
Glad to have helped!
Just did the setting you just did and the audio quality is 10x better
Ha! I am really pleased to hear that. Thank you for the comment, it makes the effort of making the videos worthwhile!
Thanks for the info on turning off the mic, will give those a try. In some circumstances the sound of nearby voices is an annoyance on playback so I reduce the volume but handier to shut off mic when filming.
I am still toying with the idea of buying the Legria, but i am definitely purchasing that lavalier mic this second! So glad i watched this video, and some great tips! Thanks
Glad you liked it! Thanks for the comment.
I have watched a few of your tutorials on the Canon camcorder and all helped me with my new G40. Thx from Yuri. Volvosweden channel.
Thank you
Brilliant! This helped so much! I was recording with a mic and it was so loud, thank you again for sharing!
Great presentation! Got me on the right track recording audio on my Canon Vixia. Thanks.
Thanks for your video. As you say, it is always best to record with full dynamic range so you can edit later. Good video. Thanks again.
Good demonstration, I will try this on my Canon
what a great help the video was just today brought HF g30 a lighter camera then my XH/G1 that i also love. To heavy for a lightweight trip to India in June. Thank you
Thank you! Yes it's an easy cam to carry around. Have fun!
This was the review what i'm looking for.
Now I can control the sound on my camera.
Thank you UKAirscape
Glad to have helped!
Great tips, thank you David for my actual camera (XA20) couldn't believe that was you demonstrating, many talents you have! Cheers 👍
Haha, thank you :-)
Very helpful video. Using Canon G40
I just got the G40. Been practicing with the visual settings mostly. Nice to learn about the audio settings.
Great Job, and very informative! Thank you so much! I have the same setup on the G30, and was not happy with the automatic settings either. Thanks to your video, I can now use the Custom setting to get a much better sound!
Bill McFadden Glad it helped!
Even its too late I want to thank you for your time and this great review.I watch your reviews many times and always found something interesting and new,also.And maybe,you'll start making some new tutorials.Thanks.
Not sure what else to do a tutorial on at the moment but thanks for the kind comment!
Excellent, I have the Canon Legria HF-G40 but the settings all look the same. Thanks again because sound is very important for my recordings.
+Airshow World Yes, I'd expect them to be almost identical. Cheers.
This was very helpful! I'd already found the custom setting on my HF G30, but I'd not stumbled upon the Auto/Manual setting. I expect now I'll be far more pleased with that I get noise wise now.
Oh, you will! It makes a huge difference. Have fun :-)
Very helpful. I have a XA30 and if you record internal mic on channel 2 with a shotgun in channel 1 you need to be aware that the internal mic (chan2) reverts to custom standard,ie has AGC.
Good tip!
Also the same custom standard AGC, applies to any 3.5 input through channel 2 when any input audio is used on channel 1 simultaneously (XA30)
Good video. Particulary useful as an explanation as to what "Automatic" means on most video cameras and why you need manually control the gain.
Not editing yet, just started as a novice but bought the Vixia HF-G20 for it's overall quality. The reason for my mic question was having a noisy group of school children nearby, while filming inside a museum. Will try out your suggestions.
Great series on the Vixia HF-G20
IMPORTANT!
I have Canon Legria HF606, but it doesn't have this feature. Or so I thought!
It still has it, but in different place: Select shooting mode P, select main functions, select mic.level and there it is: m (manual) where you can lower the mic.level. I found it by accident. It really makes sound more dynamic without compression.
I hope this was helpful to someone.
Good tip!
Great video. Helped me a ton getting used to the Canon XA20.
Ryan McBride Good to know! Thanks
There are a few ways to do this:
1) An external mic, pointing at the band. Depending on what kind of band and whether there's an audience (the noise from which may get in the way), this may work OK.
2) Multiple mics (on drums, vocalist etc) put through a sound mixer, then a line level feed into the HF-G25 being sure to set the G25's input level to Line in the settings.
3) if the band has a PA system, take a line level feed from the (mixed) PA soundboard & feed into the HF-G25 as above.
Thanks again. I felt that the sound through headphones was a little harsh. This explains all.
It's no trouble at all. Settings are: Custom audio scene (obviously) then Mic Level: Manual 33 and (in the MENU settings) Mic Attenuator: Auto.
Hope that works for you!
I know lots of people experienced this issue but I must confess I never had a problem myself. This is probably because in any quiet environment (like an interview situation), I'd always be using off-camera mics. I tend to use on-board mics purely for incidental, background sound in which case it usually masks any motor noise.
I'm in menu's now - I can follow you and your helpful advice - thanks for your help!!
Glad I could help; cheers.
Thank you, this is the info I was looking for !
Thank you so much for this tutorial. I am trying to decide between buying the G30 or X20 and have just been nervous about the audio with the G30 using a Beachtek box. I had previous hiss issues with my Vixia HF M40 and a Sennheiser mic and now I know why! I think I may get the G30 although will need to be quite careful in recording the audio.
Paula Martino Glad it was useful; these little camcorders often have "helpful" (!) features that you need to watch out for... buy a decent set of headphones too is my advice and monitor while filming. Cheers
This channel has been infinitely helpful, thanks!
Very kind of you to say that and it's much appreciated. Cheers.
Although i have the hf g30, yoir video has been incredibly helpful. All my recordings are outdoors, background noise has always been an issue with my old cameras. Thanks for making this vid a.t.b. Vee
For that budget you have lots of choice. You need a windjammer as well as the mic if you're filming on windy airfields.
The obvious suggestion is Canon's DM-100 stereo shotgun as this connects directly to the shoe on the back of the HF-G30 with no trailing wires & includes a windjammer. I wonder if the mic will protrude over the front cold shoe though?
Others to try are Rode VideoMic Pro; Shure VP83; Sennheiser MKE400; Que Audio Mini Shotgun; Hahnel MK200. Check reviews on CZcams of course!!
Yep quite agree with the external mic gives a more rich deep quality sound, I alway use manual settings as I work in a club environment and as you know levels are alway way too high for any video camera on previous cameras it has hit distortion so had to wind sock mic's the best way I could... not that I needed the sound that often .
Interesting video well presented, thank you. I look forward to more because I'm just starting out and am keen to learn.
Very thorough review m8... I learnt a lot about audio... I am a fellow youtuber too... respect!
In Custom, you can set the recording level manually. Beware the attenuator though; it can be 'on' or 'auto'. It can never be turned off completely.
The headphone icon means you have configured the AV/Headphone socket to its Headphone setting and yes, that in turn means you can monitor sound as you record.
The only settings you can adjust with an external mic are Recording Level and Attenuator. It is assumed, I think, that an ext mic has characteristics that you will not wish to alter.
Thank you for your advice. I will do as you suggest.
David
Thanks so much for the videos !!! Really useful. Greetings from Madrid
Glad you like them!
Appreciate the thorough explanation!
Great video!!! It helped me a lot and saved me a lot of work.
Hiss is a usual problem. It becomes lower, when the camera normalizes at a lower level only. At some cameras (like Sony RX100 II) it even becomes worse when mounting the special microphone
for the Sony Shoe, which should improve the sound. So you should be lucky if it gets better when attaching a mic to the 3,5 mm jack. I have the Canon DM-100 mic at home and would be pleased to know how it sounds on your camera :-)
Yes, it should be fine. The picture quality is good, you can plug in an external microphone so as to ensure good sound. The Face Recognition works well with the auto focus so that when you turn the camera on yourself, it sees you and sets the focus and exposure correctly for you. Of course, there are many other cameras and camcorders that would also work well.
Thanks for this. I came here after one of your XA20 videos suggested it, and they're all greatly appreciated. Nothing worse than over-compressed "advertisement audio". ;-)
Thanks! Thankfully the XA20 doesn't apply those settings to the XLR inputs, only the 3.5mm jack and the internal mic...
Also good to know! Thanks.
Hmm, looks like there is no “custom” audio scene in my Vixia HF R600, all the other preset audio scenes are there, but no custom option. The audio is not very good, and had hoped I could adjust it like your video; guess that is what I get for buying a budget model. Bought this camera some years back and finally getting around to using it and noticed the audio does not sound very good. At any rate, nice work on the video, watched it a few weeks ago and was excited to try it on mine, but alas, does not seem possible. I even looked at the manual and no custom options for the audio at all like in the HF-G25 manual.
What is your actual requirement? This is a very good consumer camcorder and as you have seen & heard from this video, it is possible to get decent sound into it too.
It does not have XLRs though. You can put a mic in a holder on a cold-shoe, though the shoe itself needs an adapter to fit the cam (see my accessories video).
Next month Canon release the XA20 which does have an XLR handle on it & mic bracket - that might be best for you, albeit at a cost?
Fantastically useful, thank you so much. Now I would like to know more about which microphones work well for recording live music, in particular grand piano and small ensembles such as chamber music and jazz trios.
Without an appropriate XLR to 3.5mm jack converter (and see this video czcams.com/video/BMRfmtftGUY/video.html for more info on that) you'd - by and large - be limited to fairly basic mics, so watch that video and work out if you wish to "go pro" with your mics, then a much greater selection become available. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend a specific one for your purposes. All that said, if you can get close enough to the musicians, Rode's Stereo VideoMic X is decent - see czcams.com/video/2yr8n0X1b04/video.html and czcams.com/video/liLBCl0R_4U/video.html
I bought an external mic for my vixia HF g20 and idk how to get it to work with the camera
Great vid, thanks for sharing. Im in the market for a new video camera, to many to choose from and such a hard job to find the right one. Thanks again.
Thanks for the comment. You may also like to see the reviews of the Panasonic x920 and Canon XA20 that are on my other channel, czcams.com/users/TubeshooterMag
You will always get better sound using an external mic than the internal ones. The choice of mics is immense though and depends partly on your budget. How much do you have to spend?
Thank you so much, very helpful and clearly explained.
Cheers
Right...but I was reading the comments and frankly, it seems like people are expecting miracles from cameras and your video is demonstrating your setup and settings but not everyone will use the same mic you are using and thus, may leave them with something that will not be a dramatic solution or significant difference that they will be happy with. So, my comment is simply introducing an option.
In fact. I would use a Tascam with the camera you have. Plugging a mic into the mic port is going to introduce noise and interference no matter what setting you use! The ONLY solution IF you don't use an external recorder, is to use a notch filter on 2kHz and at around 11kHz. Cumbersome as it may be, I've tried everything and it's all a waste of time. Instead of trying to balance out the audio and gain levels, just use a notch filter. Any basic video editor does a good job with that and it sounds really great.
Eventually after trial and errors, anyone serious about good video will invest in HD audio with a field recorder...they've really gone down in price. Besides, this video is years old anyway...most people are using Rode, Zoom, and Tascam for audio now that it so inexpensive; unless they don't care about the video they're shooting.
TheChosenOne I don't disagree with much of what you say. However ... I don't agree that plugging a mic into a port per se "introduces interference". You are, after all, going to have to plug a mic into your external recorder as well!
Furthermore, I suspect that anyone who would go to the bother of tweaking the audio with notch filters etc would not be using this camcorder but something rather more professionally-oriented (or, if they were using this cam, would be doing so in the full knowledge of its limitations).
Let's not forget that plenty of pro audio IS captured in camera and not on a separate device - not on these unbalanced pocket cams but on camcorders with XLR inputs. Broadcast news, many documentaries, lots of corporate work etc will all do without the additional ergonomic hassle of separate recorders.
Finally I think the main point I made in that video - to use manual levels and the custom setting control - does in fact make a substantial improvement to the audio regardless of which mic is used so I do believe people would be happy with the improvements. But yes, I do agree some people seem to (unreasonably) expect miracles!!!
might I ask a query as well? I'm shooting an outdoor wedding on a golf course on Saturday. If I insert an external microphone into the mic jack, can I still utilize the built in mikes in conjunction with the external one?
if its not too much trouble... what custom settings did you use for the mic... currently i use a a57 with a blue spark digital mic... just ordered the vixia... and after seeing your video ordered a lapel mic as well, so would like to know what settings you used :)
This was a massive help. Thank you so much!
Great! Cheers
Thanks for your previous advice but have another question. How do you turn off the internal mic?.
Hi can i do the same quality of filming by this camera what exactly canon DSLR 5D mark 2 does ? or should I buy a DSLR
I would say it has a 'typical' dynamic range for a camcorder.
For low light, take a look at my low-light test video but a small-sensor camcorder is always going to be worse in low light than a decent DSLR.
Unless your film is an action movie with lots of movement, you probably want the ability to shoot shallow depth of field, so the DSLR would be better but you'll have to record sound separately and sync in the edit. Have you considered the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera?
Thanks for your comment!
There's no "off" switch as such (why do you want to turn off the mics anyway?) but I supposed you could turn the recording level down to 0, which would achieve the same effect. Or, plug a 3.5mm mic jack into the mic socket which might fool the camcorder into thinking you'd plugged an external mic in (and therefore deactivate the internal mic)
Wow great video. Thanks for the tips. I’ll try that out.
Vic
Cheers
Ah, I see. Presumably you're not editing the videos after filming then? It can be a bit of a faff if you're not into editing but that would be the best way to remove sound afterwards (and perhaps replace it with something you prefer)
Unfortunately not. As soon as you plug in an external mic, the internal ones cut out and their menu options disappear; it doesn't have an option to mix the channels.
Manual settings is far better in clarity no or extremely very little background white noise ( which can be annoying!!!) If my new camcorder has this on it I'll be most definitely using manual settings rather than automatic. & as for a external mic I am unsure of getting one yet undecided yet. But, I haven't decided on which make of camcorder to get yet but, I have taken quite nicely to the Canon RF 64 but, not definite yet. 😮😕
Thanks for this detailed explanation and sharing this
Great helpful video. Thanks!
Follow up question: Does the hf-g20 have the "audio mix" function that the hf-g40 has? I'm trying to find out if that "audio mix" function mixes the Canon Vixia HF-G40's camera mic with audio from an external mic plugged into its 3.5mm audio terminal, such that :
a) both mics' audio are mixed and recorded so that both mics record on the video's Left audio channel and both mics record on the Right audio channels
-or-
b) the 2 mics' audio are separated where only one goes to the Left audio channel, and the other mic goes to the Right audio channel
If the answer is a), then is there some other way with this camera to separate the 2 mics' audio onto Left and Right channels?
Thanks again!
Unfortunately I haven't had the G20 for ages but I vaguely recall it has a mix function; the specifics of it, I cannot remember though, sorry.
That was great video. I'm trying to decide if the G20 has good enough sound for recording sermons. Right off hand, I think the G20 seems to lack "warmth" in a voice recording even with the external mic.
Oh, that will depend FAR more on the mic than it will on the camcorder. Try a few different ones.
Your main problem really will be the unbalanced audio which can pick up electrical noise - see my explainer video at czcams.com/video/BMRfmtftGUY/video.html
Thanks for this video. I have a question. If you do hand held filming in manual, set to 33, does the camera mic pick up a ton of camera noise? I see you improved the audio dramatically while the camera is setting still, but is it better while filming say, sports, hand held? Or do you recommend an external shotgun microphone for filming sports hand held? Most of my videos are fishing videos, on a boat, hand held. Can you recommend at quality shotgun mic? I have enjoyed Rode VideoMics on my Sony cameras. Thank you.
I no longer have that cam so can't comment on specific settings but I would always recommend a camera-top mic over the inbuilt ones. My favourite little one for camcorders is the Rode VideoMicro.
right i thinking of getting this to do vlogs on is this any good at this job
Thus is an excellent vid on setting audio volumes. I just got a Canon Vixia, HF R700 3 days ago. I will play with my levels. The adjustments to the on board were amazing. A major sound improvement? I still think I will invest in a nice external mic though.
Definitely worth buying an external mic, always. Glad you liked the video. Cheers.
Have you tried any specific external mics on this unit? If so, which one(s) sound the best?
hello sir . thank you so much for this video ... i have a LEGRIA 25 camcorder but the problem is the audio is MONO ... how can i do to make it STEREO ... please i waiting for your answer .
Are you recording with the internal microphones or an external mic (if external, which one?). And how do you know - how are you sure - your audio is mono?
This was a godsend dude. Thanks for that.
Great! Cheers.
Can you set up your external mic in the manual mode and then switch the camera back to A without losing your audio settings?
+Magnum Hmm, I *think* so but I sold that camcorder a while back so I can't specifically check. I'm almost certain that that's the case though, otherwise I'd have got really annoyed at it.
It depends on your budget, partly, and the environment of your interviews. For example, indoor interviews might benefit from a lavalier (tie-clip) mic; outdoor interviews might do better with a shotgun covered by a wind jammer. If you look at my Accessories video, I talk briefly about a low-cost (£20) tie-clip mic which I think is fine. Usually, a decent camera-top mic will cost a lot more and 220 euro is not uncommon!
Thank You - you have solved my problem. Really appreciate this video!
+Wolfgang Riebe Inspiring The World I am always delighted to read comments like that, thank you!
Hi
how to you get to the menu when you changed to record from the sony ? You open on a screen showing standard etc.. but how did you get there ? This is missing
From the Sony..?
My Vixia HF R600 doesn't HAVE a custom sound mode button!! So annoying. It has all the others, but I can't find any way to customize and try to reduce that whirring background noise. Your video is great, I just wish it could have helped me.
How frustrating! Yes, it does depend on which model you've got as to whether you get the manual override settings.
Very informative video....thanks again!
Such a helpful video, thank you very much.
HooplaImpro Glad you liked it; cheers
Wow, this was a very good video, very useful.
I learned a lot.
I own a G30 camcorder so I will play with the manual sound settings to see if I improve things.
Sure, I use an external mic for vocals and an OLYMPUS recorder when distant from the camcorder, but I still want decent sound when simply using the camcorder on its own shooting nature, etc.
Sauga Verse Thanks! Glad it was helpful. cheers
Sounds amazing. I hope this works with my legria hf s20
So, in Custom, the AGC is turned off, no auto boost?
And, does the little headphones icon mean you have headphones plugged in, and can monitor sound whilst recording? This feature seems missing from SLRs doing video.
Also, do the low-cut, etc setting work with an external mic?
Thanks for posting!
Thank you for the advice. Very helpful.
NIce video . Using a Legria HF-20 had it for 10 years now and a Röde video mic and are very happy with it & used it very much . Excellent picture and i did bought HF-20 Canon becuse it have manual uncompressed sound / excellent shooting Flightshows fireworks music live with uncompressed sound = how it shuld be . And what i have found it is only Canon vixia/legria That have the option go on full manual control on the mic / sound . Never models i think canon is not full manual on there cheeper ones as thay was before ?
I'm not sure about the newer ones as I haven't tried any of them.
Very glad to hear it helped! Cheers.
i just bought the HF- G20 and the menu was not available from the function mode. It was faded out. If I can't get to menu I am very limited in making adjustments.Any ideas?
Usually this is because you have switched the camcorder into Photo mode (stills) or playback mode and not Video Recording mode. The options only appear fully when in video record mode. Let me know if that helps.
Excellent. Thank you very much.
hi there! does this camera have a good dynamic range? and how is the low light performance? would you say a DSLR such as the 60d is better for short films in terms of quality and such? thanks :)
Would you recommend this camera? Im worried about sound quality as i've been used to having quality mics. Can i fit a bracket on the camera which can hold a microphone? It has a 3.5mm jack for miss not an XLR input if im right? Sorry for the ignorance.
Thank you! I appreciate the feedback, cheers
Great video but I've been through it all and no matter what...ask any pro...get an external recorder and a decent mic and the hiss is essentially not apparent. If anyone cares, listen to this video and boost the 10kHz frequency...you'll see what I'm talking about.
Well clearly if you buy a decent separate audio recorder and mic you'll get better sound than than camcorder itself. That's not what this video was addressing though!
Great tutorial videos by the way. I've got a quick technical problem I hope you can help me with. I'm going to do some videoing at a friends event with my HF G25. I have a Rode Videomic which I want to use to hopefully get better sound quality. As I am a 'novice' I really want to stay in full auto when recording. If I do this, will the changes I made in the 'Mic Level Manual' box (using your 33db as an example) be implemented or will all that be changed back to standard settings by using auto focus recording? Thanks in anticipation.
If I recall correctly, when you're in Full Auto, that includes the sound. If you're in manual but simply set the focus to Auto, then the sound will be as you set it.
UKAirscape Many thanks for your swift reply.