I think I've settled on my ideal sound system to go with the Osmo Pocket.
I wanted something producing good stereo sound, lightweight and compact, easy to use, and not susceptible to handling and wind noise. The Zoom F1 recorder has been on my radar for some time, and it occurred to me that it's kind of the audio equivalent of the Osmo Pocket - very compact but capable of producing good results. I already had some Roland in-ear binaural mics, which provide immersive sound on headphones or earbuds, and a good stereo soundstage on speakers.
I can use this outfit in two ways. At its most minimalist, I can use the Pocket hand held with just the control wheel attachment, and the Zoom F1 clips to my belt. The in-ear mics go in my ears (would you believe) so the audio side of things is worn, not carried. It's easy to feel the recorder's stop/go button without needing to look for it, and that can be operated with one hand while the other hand holds the Pocket. Starting them simultaneously means that the audio is roughly in sync with the video, near enough for many purposes, but more exact sync can be assured by using a 'dog clicker' to create an obvious spike on the Zoom and Pocket waveforms for later alignment when editing. The Zoom F1 can be configured to play a brief tone through the earphones so there's no doubt that it's running without needing to look at it.
Alternatively I can attach the Zoom recorder to the official extension rod, so for more 'serious' shooting I can monitor both sound and video in front of me. Mounting the Zoom F1 does required a bit of improvisation but luckily I had the necessary bits in the cupboard already. The only complication with this way of working is that you have to detach the mics from your ears if you put down the rod.
For vlogging, the Zoom F1 comes with a little lavalier mic which can be plugged in instead of the Roland in-ear pair.
I've created a short demo video which hopefully shows the capability of this tiny rig. It can be very inconspicuous in use - someone would only notice the sound system if they looked at you closely.
Ray-CubeAce Posted at 7-30 16:10
Interesting setup.
I haven't seen either of those items in the UK. They do look useful and work well played back on headphones.
Thank you for sharing.
The microphones are the Roland CS-10 em the recorder is a Zoom F1 but I think you would have quite good results using even a Zoom H1 or H1N.
I have the Zoom H2, H2N, and H1N, apart from others by Sony and Tascam - how many recorders can one person own??! - and let's not even start on MiniDisc - but the attraction of the F1 is the form factor (small due to lack of unrequired mics, intended for wearing) and it's designed as an ancillary to video equipment. I strongly suspect that its internals are identical to the H1N so indeed, similar actual results could be obtained from one of those. These days one can get very acceptable results from most such devices - it's a long way from the reel to reel recorders with valves I started out with, whose battery life was, as I recall it, seven minutes. And the tape ran out in five!
Ray-CubeAce Posted at 7-30 16:10
Interesting setup.
I haven't seen either of those items in the UK. They do look useful and work well played back on headphones.
Thank you for sharing.
Amazon seem to have both, two models of the F1 (£160 & £200) and the Rolands are £75 ish.
Nice setup, compact too.
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