GoPro addresses that pesky audio problem with Hero8 Media Mod
GoPros’ sound quality has always been a problem but that issue may be a thing of the past.
GoPros have proven to be excellent cameras for capturing action. The key to GoPro’s success is picture and video quality and minimalist operation in a small form factor. You take a GoPro out of your pocket, press record, and you can get stunning, high-resolution vision.
However, sound has been an ongoing problem. GoPros have internal microphones, but for many users that’s not enough. Background noise, wind or a fast-moving river can get in the way of your narration.
Early GoPros had a 3.5mm plug connector for an external microphone. GoPro later produced cables and adaptors that supported external mics. But there was nowhere to mount them. Users devised makeshift ways to attach mics to a GoPro body. Your other option was a third party supplier of a contraption that fitted your GoPro model.
GoPro is now selling a “Media Mod”, a special case for the current premium camera, Hero8 Black, with extra functionality. Installation is easy. You remove the battery lid on the Hero8 to give your mod access to power, and insert the camera into the mod.
You then have a 3.5mm socket for an analog microphone, a mini HDMI socket for screening your GoPro action to a TV, and a USB-C socket for charging the Hero8 Black without removing the camera from the mod.
GoPro also has solved the problem of mounting the microphone by including two cold shoe mounting points, on the top and side. The mod has two microphones of its own: one faces forwards and one backwards.
This gives you an arsenal of sound choices but there is a cost: your GoPro is no longer waterproof without the battery door.
I did sound tests to check the quality of sound from the different microphones and how they handled background noise. I started with the camera’s default mic, and moved to using the front-facing mic on the media mod. The mod’s front microphone recorded clearer sound compared to the camera’s in-built mic; however, there was more background noise.
The mod’s rear-facing microphone performed similarly to the front mic with a similar level of background noise. The sound quality of both mics together (stereo mode) was better and background noise less noticeable.
It comes down to common sense. If the action is in front of the camera, use the front-facing mic, if you’re providing narration from the back of the camera, use the back mic. With wind, you can choose the microphone that is more sheltered. You need to tell the camera which mic combination you are using and that’s done in the video settings of your current video format.
The background noise was less again when I attached a RODE wireless GO receiver to the mod and spoke through its transmitter. The best result was when I attached a lapel mic to the RODE transmitter. Clearly using a wireless mic set-up works the best.
You tell the camera which audio system you are using via the preference menu. You may need to upgrade the software on your GoPro if you can’t find the settings.
GoPro also sells a “Light Mod”, a small stand-alone light that fits into one of the cold shoes. It has three brightness settings and charges separately. GoPro throws in a diffuser, a small piece of white plastic that you clip over the light. It distributes light more evenly.
The obvious configuration is to place the Light Mod in the cold shoe at the top, and your external mic on the cold shoe at the side.
This gives you a robust mounting system. However, this only works with the Hero8 Black. We don’t know if GoPro will make these mods for other models.
I found that the Media Mod case made it harder to link GoPro attachments to the camera, which is recessed into the case. GoPro provides one mount with a longer neck, and this helps. Strangely, the screw securing this mount is inserted in the opposite direction to screws in other mounts.
While this set-up works well, it is expensive and seems overkill if all you need is a 3.5mm plug for an external mic. Yet I think having the two shoes is a plus.
One solution would be wireless mics that communicate directly with the GoPro. You wouldn’t even need a special case. Maybe GoPro could make them. I think the more minimal the solution, the more attractive GoPro is.
GoPro Media Mod $129.95, Light Mod $84.95.
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