Hi!

This is a weird one but I'm fairly confident that the problem is with the DJI camera and not the Rode mic setup that works with my macbook just fine.

Setup:
I'm running rode wireless pro setup with newest firmwares (v1.2.4) attached to new Osmo Action 4 (V01.02.0610) with USB-C cable.

Problem:
I have about a 50% success rate on recording audio with this setup. So about half of my videos the audio recording stops somewhere between 0-30 seconds of the video.

Osmo action 3 also previously has had similar issue where the DJI camera will record the first few seconds of the audio without gain limiters and then it 'snaps' to form and starts recording normal audio.

Thoughts:
I think the osmo action 3 and 4 something happens in the first few seconds of recording digital audio sources where the camera adjust something before fully being 'awake'. The problem occurs similarly but the difference between dji and rode mics is that rode stops recording audio completely and dji mic just snaps to the correct gain setting.
I think rode mic doesn't like this hesitation from the camera and something weird happens where the camera no longer records audio seconds after the quicklaunch has begun.

I am fairly certain this is a camera issue and can be remedied with DJI firmware updates. I have NOT been able to get this issue when using a Boya usb-c to 3.5mm adapter and recording the 'analog' signal from the rode mics. This is of course a more complex cabling setup on my helmet so I would much rather use the short usb-c to usb-c cable seen in the beginning of the video linked below.

I hope this get's some attention from the DJI software team. I'm a happy DJI action camera user but this is a very frustrating issue as reliability is the no1 reason I switched to DJI from gopro cameras.
.
ADDED: I tried this indoors with 3 different cables so cable issue can be put to bed. Success rate with different cables was the same so about half the videos have no sound after the first few seconds..

ADDED: Connecting the RODE W Pro mic to Osmo Action 4 via Boya BY-K4 adapter and using the 3.5mm analog output from the RODE mic this problem doesn't repeat itself. So connecting via 'analog' doesn't have this issue. I tried 15 different times so I'm fairly certain this problem occurs only with digital connection so straight usb-c to usb-c connection between the devices.

Thank you.

Link to sample videos I took: https://youtu.be/tce9lb3NxDc

Sounds like a bad cable connection

johansenfoto Posted at 10-11 02:26
Sounds like a bad cable connection

Cable is brand new and I have tested this indoors many many times and the problem is always the same.
I will try this again with a brand new cable soon but I'm fairly certain this is a camera issue as the 'audio handshake' has been an issue before too with the OA cameras.

Reason I think bad connection is since there is wind, and will not be wind inside your house.
Would try to fiddle with the cable connection indoors on both ends to try to recreate the issue.

johansenfoto Posted at 10-11 02:38
Reason I think bad connection is since there is wind, and will not be wind inside your house.
Would try to fiddle with the cable connection indoors on both ends to try to recreate the issue.

Tried with 2 other cables indoors now and makes no difference. The same issue presists about half of the videos I record.

I wonder whether there is a fault on the USB C socket on the camera? I haven't had this yet from my camera.

Patched Bandit Posted at 10-11 02:44
Tried with 2 other cables indoors now and makes no difference. The same issue presists about half of the videos I record.

But did you fiddle with cables indoors to see if connection got lost or same issue happend?
You know what I mean, like move and bend cables just to be sure that is not the case for this to happen.

Else it could be either, OA4 or RØDE that have some issue.

johansenfoto Posted at 10-11 02:59
But did you fiddle with cables indoors to see if connection got lost or same issue happend?
You know what I mean, like move and bend cables just to be sure that is not the case for this to happen.

Please stop with the cable issue. It's a digital connection and it cuts out at almost the same time 50% of the time with 3 different cables. I have taken 40 test's so far without touching the cable and swapping the cable back and forth to a different one.

I repeat. This is NOT a cable issue.
Rode mic works great with my macbook so I'm fairly certain the problem is with this already scetchy sound handshake using quick record function on the osmo action cameras. The issue with the OA3 and OA4 has always been that using digital connection the first 1-20 seconds of the video sound changes levels or cuts here and there with weird noices. The camera makes some kind of handshake that doesn't seem to work very well with this combination.

I would be VERY surprised if this was a microphone issue as this is a known issue/feature of the OA cameras.

Iancraig10 Posted at 10-11 02:58
I wonder whether there is a fault on the USB C socket on the camera? I haven't had this yet from my camera.

BOYA usb-c adapter with 3.5mm input works ok so don't think so. And the USB-C connection to a PC and MAC works flawlessly.
The fact that the first seconds of the sound recording work fine indicate a software issue. Something happens with the quickstart video handshake in the beginning and it stops recording sound.

I'm 99% sure this is not a physical problem with the connection. Camera and mic setup AND all the cables tested are all brand new.

I am not going to say go out for a ride and  let it happen again, but at home  sit down, get your phone, record your Actions, and post back.  if DJI can not fix your issue or concern, return for a new one good luck

I'm with Fish on this one. Only a few things could be causing this issue. I use the DJI mic system now, but still have my Rode Wireless Go 2 system. I may try this out if I get the opportunity to later today.

JodyB Posted at 10-11 06:22
I'm with Fish on this one. Only a few things could be causing this issue. I use the DJI mic system now, but still have my Rode Wireless Go 2 system. I may try this out if I get the opportunity to later today.

It's not a satisfactory answer to any debugging scenario that "only a few things can cause the issue".

I've done all I can short of buying secondary gear and retesting those. I ran the test today a few dozen times with the same result every time. All my gear is brand spanking new and with the newest software as I stated the versions above.

I hope someone somewehere has the same set and can reaffirm the test. Before that happens nobody can state that the camera is not the cause of the issue and I would even say the likely cause. Rode can also be unhappy working with the DJI camera but then again the mic set works fine on other platforms.

So I hope DJI will take this issue to test/consideration or someone at the forum can test and report back.

Patched Bandit Posted at 10-11 06:54
It's not a satisfactory answer to any debugging scenario that "only a few things can cause the issue".

I've done all I can short of buying secondary gear and retesting those. I ran the test today a few dozen times with the same result every time. All my gear is brand spanking new and with the newest software as I stated the versions above.

It may not be satisfactory but it's the truth. And if it isn't satisfcatory, why do you not already have your own answer? It is limited to three things. Camera, cable or mic or a combination of such. The debugging comes after compilating the possibilities. in this case, those three things. Satisfaction comes after the answer is found and not before when there is an issue present. With that said, I am going to dig out my Rode mics set and perform some testing as well. If I have this same issue, then we can satisfactorily say where the issue lies and who needs to fix it. If I don't, then thats another can of unsatisfactory worms thats been opened.

JodyB Posted at 10-11 07:40
It may not be satisfactory but it's the truth. And if it isn't satisfcatory, why do you not already have your own answer? It is limited to three things. Camera, cable or mic or a combination of such. The debugging comes after compilating the possibilities. in this case, those three things. Satisfaction comes after the answer is found and not before when there is an issue present. With that said, I am going to dig out my Rode mics set and perform some testing as well. If I have this same issue, then we can satisfactorily say where the issue lies and who needs to fix it. If I don't, then thats another can of unsatisfactory worms thats been opened.

What I'm saying is that stating that does not bring any value to this conversation. I think I put forward a pretty complete package of information about the issue. I have not stated what is at fault. I only suspect that most likely is the camera software as the osmo actions have always been wierd with usb-c mics and the startup of a quick video.
No mics I have ever tested work seamlessly the first 1-20 seconds of every video. I have a solid reason to suspect the camera and now I'm hoping someone would bring some value to this conversation by not stating the obvious but putting forward something new.
Please do not reply if you are just going to argue without any benefit to this error report. If it doesn't further the cause it is not worth posting.

[img]

like said go film the issue     DJI will require   a video

Patched Bandit Posted at 10-11 08:10
What I'm saying is that stating that does not bring any value to this conversation. I think I put forward a pretty complete package of information about the issue. I have not stated what is at fault. I only suspect that most likely is the camera software as the osmo actions have always been wierd with usb-c mics and the startup of a quick video.
No mics I have ever tested work seamlessly the first 1-20 seconds of every video. I have a solid reason to suspect the camera and now I'm hoping someone would bring some value to this conversation by not stating the obvious but putting forward something new.
Please do not reply if you are just going to argue without any benefit to this error report. If it doesn't further the cause it is not worth posting.

It isn't arguing if someone is stating facts. how can you surmise what anyone has posted here is either beneficial or not in actuality? I'm guessing with that you feel that no one should respond to your request for help at all since no one has answered with a definitive answer. I would suggest that you keep in mind that this is a forum for everyone and not just yourself. We are all trying to help.

With that out of the way, I have tested with my Rode Wireless Go 2 set and it works just fine. No audio cut outs. Although it was peaking quite a bit, but suffered no cut outs what so ever with one 15 minute recording and one 10 minute recording. With that we can notice the differences. I was using a non pro version of these mics. Perhaps there is something with the pro version that the Action 4 doesn't like. It looks like Fish has the same mic setup as I have. Fish, did you test your Rode set out to see if there is any audio issues that you can reproduce? Oh and he does have a video that shows the issue he's having in his original first post. It's pretty clear there is an issue there.

JodyB Posted at 10-11 08:46
It isn't arguing if someone is stating facts. how can you surmise what anyone has posted here is either beneficial or not in actuality? I'm guessing with that you feel that no one should respond to your request for help at all since no one has answered with a definitive answer. I would suggest that you keep in mind that this is a forum for everyone and not just yourself. We are all trying to help.

With that out of the way, I have tested with my Rode Wireless Go 2 set and it works just fine. No audio cut outs. Although it was peaking quite a bit, but suffered no cut outs what so ever with one 15 minute recording and one 10 minute recording. With that we can notice the differences. I was using a non pro version of these mics. Perhaps there is something with the pro version that the Action 4 doesn't like. It looks like Fish has the same mic setup as I have. Fish, did you test your Rode set out to see if there is any audio issues that you can reproduce? Oh and he does have a video that shows the issue he's having in his original first post. It's pretty clear there is an issue there.

Good you have debunked that is possible is not an issue with the camera itself, but could be other factors playing a role like the RØDE product he is using.

Guess we have to wait for Fish to make a video about this since the grumpy Suomi-boy from drone part of the forum is not bothered to do it.

When my OA4 cuts the sound I dont get the buzzing noise you got here, mine just cuts off.  What do you have the gain on the mic set to?

If a test is needed, I must know the exact settings  I do not wan to guess the settings.

Fishycomics Posted at 10-11 11:30
If a test is needed, I must know the exact settings  I do not wan to guess the settings.

Think you just have to connect it and record for 10+ minutes to see if the sound will work all the time

in order to complete the test that is being asked , it is suggested to tell exactly each setting  this happens on

we are here to help, or just want me to    simply shoot ten minutes of vid and tell you by writing it pass or failed.  

I'm wondering if the problem also occurs if you turn the camera on first and then press the record button. The Rode Wireless Pro may not be able to handle the first three seconds in which the Osmo Action 3 plays the switch-on tone instead of recording directly. I wish i could turn that off...

I have the same setup and I can confirm that this is a confusing (and I think known) bug.  Here's what I found.

Quick Start
I recorded via quick start; this is when the power on the camera is off and you press the shutter button.  My video was 22 seconds long and the recording starts off just fine and then cuts off at about the 11 second mark.  I honestly think it is recording via the internal camera microphones for the time period you hear audio as my receiver is in Timecode 5 mode.

Regular Recording - Timecode 5
This was when the power was already on on the camera and you hit the shutter button.  This time I got the LTC audio that I expected.  My receiver is always in timecode mode and I heard the very loud LTC signal throughout the recording.

Regular Recording - Non-Timecode Mode
I reconfigured my receiver to not emit the timecode and instead just the merged audio from the TX.  This time I saw the audio bar (green bar across the top) for the very first time and my audio, albeit very low, did not cut out during the entire recording.

My Conclusions
I think the Rode Wireless PRO is one of the USB-C mics that suffers from this OSMO Action 4 bug.  The workaround is to power on the camera first and not record from a cold start.  DJI will have to provide a fix.

Cold Start USB-C Microphone Audio Bug

ronj Posted at 10-12 02:06
I have the same setup and I can confirm that this is a confusing (and I think known) bug.  Here's what I found.

Quick Start

Awesome! And thank you a million for bringing actual value to this thread and not coming here to argue semantics and call people names.

Very nice to get confirmation about the bug that is exactly as I suspected in the Osmo Action 4. Let's hope DJI get's this in their "to fix" list.

testing out. if you like to watch the playback or hear what happened I'll write it too:

used a Rode wireless go, Apple usb c to speaker cable (bestbuy purchase 9.00) trs to trs  . Problem  works and does not work.

due to   possible a  cable and or adapter  not making a propper connection, finally works.   talked for a good 6 plus minutes, and played back.  No  drop issue or maybe  iwas loud then heard it lower not 100% sure. but  I do not film longer then 5 minutes

4K24F Default no pro wind noise standard.

So conclusion so far it is problem with OA3/OA4 and RØDE products, good to know so we should avoid RØDE wireless mic systems.
Question is, does the same issue happen with DJI Mic? Or Boya or other brands?

Thanks Fish for doing a proper test with the issue so DJI will have a video to take a look at.

Safest bet is to use what DJI recommend for vlogging,

I've just been out and done some testing by a waterfall which was creating a lot of noise and the test footage draws me to the following conclusion:
- Power on the camera, and the recording using the Rode works fine with no cut outs
- changing the gain on the Rode for some reason seems to make no difference to background noise
- On quick start the audio fails after about 40 seconds and given the background noise of the waterfall at this point I'm convinced it was using the internal mic, not the Rode.  Also when I changed the gain on the Rode mic during this test, the sound would cut in a for a few seconds, then cut out again.

I believe this is a software issues in the OA4 when using quick start that needs to be addressed by dji

wil repeat this once and not the other two threads.

Quick recording takes 5 plus seconds to turn on the first time, there after within 15 minutes 1.* seconds.  With a Powered mic (mic supplies 3.0vdc, or non-powered mic (camera supplies 3.0vdc). the DJI is not offering 3.0 v on start up fast enough to have the camera operate corrrectly.  so after each shut down you got it, loses the 3.0v to the usb area.  so the answer will be to  use the Mode on with powered & non-powered mics for uninterrupted recordings.  DJI has this  on their ealier versions as well.      those are my humble opinions, want a vid to show I will, otherwise its  an issue for some not all

Fishycomics Posted at 10-12 06:47
wil repeat this once and not the other two threads.

Quick recording takes 5 plus seconds to turn on the first time, there after within 15 minutes 1.* seconds.  With a Powered mic (mic supplies 3.0vdc, or non-powered mic (camera supplies 3.0vdc). the DJI is not offering 3.0 v on start up fast enough to have the camera operate corrrectly.  so after each shut down you got it, loses the 3.0v to the usb area.  so the answer will be to  use the Mode on with powered & non-powered mics for uninterrupted recordings.  DJI has this  on their ealier versions as well.      those are my humble opinions, want a vid to show I will, otherwise its  an issue for some not all

Massive thanks, you've nailed the bug and so I can live with this for the time being (hopefully dji fix it and it doesn't persist) by just not using quick start.

Thanks again for working on this and the time you must have spent to nail it down :-))

Hope DJI fixes the issue and    sorry we  were helpful.

I will update on my part as I've been testing the problem again this morning.
I will write things in odred so it's easier to follow each step.

If I do the following even the quick start feature seems to be working ok:

- First power on the DJI osmo action 4 (not record just power on!)
- Noticed that the mic is not recognized by the camera as the pro mic setup doesn't give me gain control.
- Plugged and unplugged the usb-c to usb-c cable from the camera until the camera recognized the external mic. This took about 3-4 tries before the mic was connected.
- After the mic is recognized I turned OFF the osmo action 4 while keeping the mic setup on like I normally do.
- Then made 7 quck start videos with 100% success rate. Sound was recorded just fine with all 7 times.

Conclusion: I think the problem is not the quick start feature itself but the camera failing to recognize the microphone every time you plug it in. This is supported by the original post that I made where the first 3 videos using quick start FAILED and the next 3 were a success.
This is ofcourse not going to change the problem it's still in the camera software and DJI should address it quickly! BUT I hope this brings some additional value to the conversation and finding the possible solution.

Yes I used an Apple usb C  to headset cable and can replicate that issue, took 15 seconds to recognize.   so will DJI address it

to the relivant team. and that is the last we hear

johansenfoto Posted at 10-11 09:56
Good you have debunked that is possible is not an issue with the camera itself, but could be other factors playing a role like the RØDE product he is using.

Guess we have to wait for Fish to make a video about this since the grumpy Suomi-boy from drone part of the forum is not bothered to do it.

I wouldn't say I debunked it, rather it worked for the method I was testing. I did some other testing in starting the recording process as fast as possible over the weekend. That was the part of the equation I missed in my first test. The second test I was seeing some issues with the speed in which I was able to start recording and the camera recognize the Rode Wireless GO II mic set of mine. I also tested with the DJI Mic set and saw similar results. I came to the same conclusion as Fishycomics did and that is the camera isn't initializing the external mic system fast enough. I'm sure this could be fixed with a firmware update to get the camera to check for external mic at an appropriate time so by the time its ready to record, the mic is initialized and ready to go.

well it took many years to get the 8 second lag of  boot up to 5 seconds to 1 second,  sound is next (sorry)

I'm thinking of switching to the analog output on the Rode (which will also give me gain control on the Rode too as this has no effect on the USBC output and relies on the camera)

I'm assuming this does not have the issue of recognising the USBC mic.  Is the sound better or worse using an analog converter and does anyone have any recommendations for an Analog/usbc cable?
Also, after a bit of 'confusing' research I assume I need a TRS connector, not TRRS.

TIA

AndyH Photography Posted at 10-17 12:48
I'm thinking of switching to the analog output on the Rode (which will also give me gain control on the Rode too as this has no effect on the USBC output and relies on the camera)

I'm assuming this does not have the issue of recognising the USBC mic.  Is the sound better or worse using an analog converter and does anyone have any recommendations for an Analog/usbc cable?

I've used the BOYA BY-K4 adapter and rode 3.5mm cable BUT with one day of failed filming I notied that the rode wireless pro newly released "autogain" features didn't work like they do with the digital connection.
Haven't really investigated what happened but all my audio clipped like crazy. With the direct usb-c to usb-c cable this is not an issue while using autogain in auto setting.

From going forward I will just use the method on my earlier message and make sure the camera recognizes the mic before going forward with the filming. Annoying but hope this gets fixed in some future firmware update.

Patched Bandit Posted at 10-17 12:51
I've used the BOYA BY-K4 adapter and rode 3.5mm cable BUT with one day of failed filming I notied that the rode wireless pro newly released "autogain" features didn't work like they do with the digital connection.
Haven't really investigated what happened but all my audio clipped like crazy. With the direct usb-c to usb-c cable this is not an issue while using autogain in auto setting.

thanks.  I'll check that out as the rode gain doesn't work for usbc output only for analog and I tend to use it on the mic, although I could switch to using gain on the action 4 instead

I can confirm this same issue with only the first 4-5 seconds being recorded and then nothing for the remainder of the clip. However it did not fail every time. I was using the Rode Wireless Pro with the OA4 via USB-C. I replaced the OA4 copy with a second unit and had the same issue. Tested indoors and outdoors, stationary and handheld. The Rode Wireless Pro worked without issue on my iPhone and the internal 32 bit float continued to record in any situation. I returned the second copy as my return window was running out. Every indication I had was the camera was at fault, either by hardware or software. Submitted tech support ticket at the time.

My brand new Action 4 will not connect to my Rode mic at all.
Not USB cable problem, tried several.

Interesting.

I purchased a GoPro to replace my OA1, and swapped it for an OA3 within 24 hours. I hated the GoPro. However, the OA3 ended up getting swapped for an OA4 because it didn't record half the time, and of that, only half of the time it would record sound.

But the OA 4 seems to have the same problem with the sound. My setup on the OA1 was Rode wireless go 2 connected by the analog Cyanova adapter and worked flawlessly. I'm wondering if NOT using the USB C mic input from the Rode receiver but getting the Boya USB C to 3.5mm analog adapter would be a better idea whilst this bug persists?
Additionally - I'm confused by TRS / TRRS. I have two microphones connected to the Wireless Go 2 RX, I use one for voice when riding and the other for ambient sounds. I have it set to split mode to record two separate channels so that I can mix in post. What cable would I need to connect the TX to the adapter with to do this, and is the Boya BY-K2 the adapter I need?

Thanks