20Dec Gopro Hero 3 USB audio cable test
The Gopro Hero 3 USB to 3.5mm audio cable showed up last night and I had a chance to do a quick audio test using the adapter. In these test I used the Rode VideoMic pro plugged directly into the usb adapter and recorded audio at 0db of gain as well as +20db of gain to see how well it performs.
Gopro hero 3 usb audio cable tes.mp3 (download)
I haven’t had a chance to import this audio into Sound Forge and take a look at it but to me it sounds like the AGC is much better controlled then other devices and doesn’t seem to ramp up the volume in quiet areas of the audio nearly as much. At 0db of gain I can hear the noise floor creeping in, but the audio sounds usable (with a little bit of work). However at +20db of gain, the audio sounds like it starts to have strong compression applied and it sounds like there is some sort of limiter effect being used.
Take a listen to the audio and see what you think. The USB to 3.5mm adapter doesn’t seem to be a complete waste of money, but if you want good quality sound with your Hero 3 videos you’ll probably still want to use dual system sound.
December 20th, 2012 at 11:14 am
DJ, I’m waiting on a response from GoPro about the uselessness of the mic cable as it simply increases the audio input levels which increases the noise floor artifacts. When it comes to these noise floor artifacts, my second Black is much improved over my first one, but yours is still better. Count yourself lucky. I specifically asked the support guy to talk to one of his technical engineers about the possibility of manually adjusting the audio input levels when using the mic cable. I’ll let you know what they say.
Just like the Canon DSLRs, when you use the RODE Pro at +20, you have to drop the input levels way down and the result is simply in another league (compared to the GoPro).
Since I always carry my iPhone, I decided to just go to dual sound when necessary. It should satisfy my audio requirements: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/829391-REG/Tascam_IM2_iM2_Stereo_Microphone_for.html
December 20th, 2012 at 10:56 pm
For what it’s worth: The 32GB vs 64GB card makes a difference on my first Gopro Black, but not so much on the second one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMoFB5VQM_M&hd=1
October 10th, 2016 at 8:39 am
And now the new question is, is the Pro 3.5mm Mic Adapter (usb-c to 3.5mm / usb-c) worth freaking $50??
October 10th, 2016 at 8:58 am
And it looks like it will be as rigid as the combo cable was. I sent an email to Gopro asking just that. I ran my Gopro on my hat with usb power/lav… coming out of the Gopro and having to bend back put a LOT of strain on the fragile micro usb port. Waste of money. Hoping the new Pro combo will bend easier.