Microphone for GoPro Vlogging

[Finesse]

Hello lovelies,

I had been thinking about starting a vlog type thing for awhile... and then I met a guy today who said he's a vlogger and directed me to his channel. So when I got home from work, I watched some of his videos, and I thought, they're alright, but man, I COULD DO BETTER! So now I really want to make a vlog, because I think he left out a lot of things in what he was talking about. But because I work on bikes so much, I thought it'd be cool to have a vlog where I talk about what I did at work, what bikes were there (there are ALWAYS good stories), and general tips for doing the things I was working on. Obviously I can't go into visual detail but I would just recap what I was doing (for ex, clutch replacement, explain the how-to generally and at least give the viewers an idea of how the clutch works and what things to look for in a bad clutch and what parts you need to replace it and what you need to keep in mind... etc).

I recently received a GoPro Hero 4 Silver as a Christmas gift (THANK YOU mom ) so the bulk of the start-up cost is not a consideration, but I do need to get a semi decent mic. I would like the viewers to be able to hear both my voice and the bike clearly but obviously I need to be easily heard and understood first and foremost. I considered getting a Sena BlueTooth compatible headset thing for my helmet but heard those are unjustifiably expensive. However I can get a 30-40% discount on most any Sena product so something that looks expensive at first may be pretty affordable after that. Not looking to spend boatloads of cash, maybe around $100-150..?

Do any of you use Sena products? Any recommendations for other mics that are simple to use and work well and are good quality?

Let me know! Links are much appreciated!

[EsrTek]

Possibly the best bluetooth setup would be products from Sena

Their SMH-10 or new SMH-20 bluetooth communicators, paired w/ their device that plugs into GoPro as a bluetooth Mic.
Which uses boom mic from SMH device in helmet.

Clear UHD audio directly piped into video...

It has other benefits, but if I go on I'd start feeling like an unpaid salesperson of theirs :P
Besides that will give ya something to look forward to.

This is probably the most expensive way unfortunately.

If your not opposed to running wires, hell I got a pretty good mic from when I tried my hat at vlogging. I found it more a pita to mix the audio/video to synch and I plan on goin Sena route.

I previously had the SMH-10 just but they didn't have the device that connected to a gopro.

If you want that wired mic, PM me addy to send it to freebie. (cost me like $60)

[Finesse]

Did the wire mic just plug directly into the GoPro? How does it work when you upload the video, the audio is automatically inserted with the visual or do you have to 'calibrate' the audio...? I have no idea how this **** works. But it would be freakin awesome to play around with something and find out a little bit more about it and how much $$ I wanna spend. Thanks much!!

[EsrTek]

You can plug the mic into adapter, that plugs in usb port on gopro itself, if I recall correct.
As long as you
A) can make wire reach
B) do not need waterproof case
and it will put audio with video in 1 file.

I prefered the case on the gopro to protect lens from debris/bugs, so I plugged the mic into the Sena.
That gave me bluetooth to my phone, which I had to use a paid app to record the voice/audio. Which then meant I had to synch the audio/video file in my video editor (Sony Vegas Pro 11).
You will need some form of paid video editing software, MS Movie maker won't cut it, esp if you need to synch files. I didn't find 1 good free software, but that was also about 2yrs ago now.. so no idea on free software out there now.
Majority of bigger vloggers use Adobe's product or Vegas Pro...so that's why I got 1 of those.
Vegas is a bit to learn it, but you can really do pro quality productions with it!

A wired mic to separate recording program does give you a lot more flexibility in your shots/camera angles. As the 2 do not need to be married while recording.

[Finesse]

I forgot about the case, yeah, I wouldn't want the camera to be exposed while I'm riding around. Hmm. Have to think about that. Maybe I could drill a tiny hole for the wire lol. And if it rains, put something in there to seal it up.

I just looked up the price of Sena and it's like $270 retail for the 20S and $130 for the Bluetooth GoPro backpack... So probably I'd end up paying around $300 total, which is still WAY more than I want to spend. For $300 I can get nice gloves AND boots from work!

[EsrTek]

Yep it is...

Why not just start off w/ a spare breath guard for your helmet.
There's vid on youtube how to cut it to fit the go pro right in helmet under visor.

That is how I very first started, had a small cheap camera inside helmet, before I dropped about $500 in go pro silver +mounts, adapters etc
I didn't know of the breath guard trick at time, and couldn't jerry rig a good enough setup to fit the gopro in my helmet. So I felt I had to go w the mounted to outside of helmet.

If your serious about them and doing them in 1yrs time..then invest in some upgrades.

[Hero Danny]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is what I use. Cheap and gets the job done. Quality isn't bad.

$100 is a lot to spend on a toy you may or may not truly have a passion for. I say start out cheap and then if you really develop a nac for it and truly enjoy making videos, then upgrade. Worst case scenario you end up with a good backup mic

Good luck and let me know if you need any help making videos, I've been doing it for years (not motovloggin.... other vids) and know my way around youtube and editing, etc.

[EsrTek]

Mic is on it's way...I'll PM tracking info when wife gets back.
Sorry didn't get to test them...it was a 'oh your goin to post office..take this' type of thing.

You'll need to get mic covers for them to keep wind noise down.

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by EsrTek

Mic is on it's way...I'll PM tracking info when wife gets back.
Sorry didn't get to test them...it was a 'oh your goin to post office..take this' type of thing.

You'll need to get mic covers for them to keep wind noise down.

Or she can get an old (clean) sock and cut it up and surround it with tape, that's what I did and it works like a charm.

[spooph]

You'll have to pay for something either way - software to mix in a separate audio recording or a fancy head-set to input the audio directly onto the gopro. I realize you have a gopro, but the contour 2+ has an external mic input, and although it's not waterproof, it still has all the impact coverings, etc on the lens, and I personally think is a better fit for moto-vlogging...

I tried moto-vlogging a few years ago and found it too frustrating and too time consuming to edit the videos trying to do it as cheaply as possible.

If I may offer advice: Decide if you want to do this and give yourself a time-frame within which to accomplish it (IE - you'll motovlog for a year, and if you don't have X followers by the end of that year, or two, or three, you'll sell your gear and make back the money you spent). Then research the gear and software, and buy exactly what you need. Then make a video/week and I can almost guarantee you, you'll get a following and will be able to continue making money through your vids...

[EsrTek]

Do not MotoVlog for the money...not that I really got off ground, but my most viewed vid made like 0.03 in over a yr now.
I decided if I am going to make vids again, I'll most likely disable the ads altogether (plus most ppl have some sort of ad blocker which blocks youtube ads).

[Bigballsofpaint]

Just buy the Sena smh10, why bother with the 20? For what you want to do, the 10 is MORE than sufficient. Heck, maybe even the 5 would work? The 20 is nice if you want to chat with like 8 other people at a time over half a mile apart. I have the 10 and love it, but i dont use it for vlogging.

[Finesse]

Originally Posted by EsrTek

Mic is on it's way...I'll PM tracking info when wife gets back.
Sorry didn't get to test them...it was a 'oh your goin to post office..take this' type of thing.

You'll need to get mic covers for them to keep wind noise down.

I got it! thank you!! haven't had a chance to mess with it yet.

[Finesse]

thanks guys.

I definitely would not be doing it for the money.

the sena website I guess directs you mostly to their most expensive products. I'll try and find the cheaper simpler ones.

[NevadaWolf]

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/s...etooth-headset

[M42]

Do you NEED a gopro adapter for a mic? I'm thinking of doing the vlogging thing too, and most mics have a 3.5mm jack... which my hero2 has as well. But for some reason everyone says to get the adapter, and I'm not sure why.

[EsrTek]

gopro 3 and up do not have the 3.5 jack like the 1 and 2 did.
you have to use an adapter to plug it into usb port instead.

[Finesse]

^once I plug in the adapter and the mic, will the go pro automatically know to pair the mic with the video? ....I guess I can just go find out! Need to pick up an adapter.

[EsrTek]

yep it will auto use external mic instead of internal once it detects adapter is plugged in.

[Finesse]

@EsrTek I'm checkin out the mic now, haven't had much free time lately. it's got two little .. heads.. how does it work? I'll go fiddle with it later, just havent seen something like this

[EsrTek]

Stereo mic -- 1 side is right other is left

[Finesse]

duh.. that makes a lot of sense. now I need to run out for an adapter and figure out how to secure it inside my helmet! it's warm enough to ride for a little bit today

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by EsrTek

Do not MotoVlog for the money...not that I really got off ground, but my most viewed vid made like 0.03 in over a yr now.
I decided if I am going to make vids again, I'll most likely disable the ads altogether (plus most ppl have some sort of ad blocker which blocks youtube ads).

I have a youtube channel (not for motovlogging, but gaming) and I make about $600 a year give or take.

I'm friends with Jakethegardensnake since before he was famous and I can tell you guys for sure that you don't make much from motovlogging. You gotta do it cause you love it. He barely makes a living and he has close to 300k subs. I think you need to have close to half a mill subs to finally be comfortable.

[KawiKid860]

I've got the cheapest option here.... I took a pair of ear buds with a mic on them that came with an old phone, cut off the ear buds part and just used the mic haha. Sound quality isn't horrible provided you've got the mic in a good place to capture your voice and not the wind, but I wouldn't recommend it. I've got an OG HD Hero so no external mic for me, I just plug the mic into my phone or an old ipod to use as a sound recorder.

[Roark]

Anyone used the new GoPro Hero? The $130 one..

It's pretty cheap for 1080x30 and 720x60 with GoPro reliability. There's just no external mic plug in

[MrAtom]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

I have a youtube channel (not for motovlogging, but gaming) and I make about $600 a year give or take.

I'm friends with Jakethegardensnake since before he was famous and I can tell you guys for sure that you don't make much from motovlogging. You gotta do it cause you love it. He barely makes a living and he has close to 300k subs. I think you need to have close to half a mill subs to finally be comfortable.

That dude has it good. He'll be the stay at home mom while his wife works, while also getting income from his vids. Pretty sweet.

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by MrAtom

That dude has it good. He'll be the stay at home mom while his wife works, while also getting income from his vids. Pretty sweet.

Umm... Yes and no. He has it good in a sense he makes money doing what he loves. But at the same time, he's not a multi millionaire like other youtubers. He lives in a small house, drives a pretty standard truck and just has fun on his bike that's probably worth like 4 grand. Not to mention he has a baby girl on the way which is really going to be a financial drain. And when he busted his knee he was unable to make videos and earn decent money for like 4 months.


He has 28,651,131 views. Which is about $60 grand total.... Give or take. Let's say 75k to be EXTRA generous. Now divide that over the 3 years... and you get about 20-25k a year.... hardly making enough to pay the bills... Trust me, youtube is not as easy and comfortable as one might think.

[MrAtom]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

Umm... Yes and no. He has it good in a sense he makes money doing what he loves. But at the same time, he's not a multi millionaire like other youtubers. He lives in a small house, drives a pretty standard truck and just has fun on his bike that's probably worth like 4 grand. Not to mention he has a baby girl on the way which is really going to be a financial drain. And when he busted his knee he was unable to make videos and earn decent money for like 4 months.


He has 28,651,131 views. Which is about $60 grand total.... Give or take. Let's say 75k to be EXTRA generous. Now divide that over the 3 years... and you get about 20-25k a year.... hardly making enough to pay the bills... Trust me, youtube is not as easy and comfortable as one might think.

He doesn't make a lot of money, sure. But he makes a decent lump of it, plus his wife works. Its not all about the amount you make. I'd love to be a stay at home dad.

[QuickSiR]

If I'm not mistaken most "pro" vloggers record the sounds externally and add it to the video when they edit it.

I know ridingwithtom does it.