Sony A7 IV microphone and accessories for connecting & recording acoustic guitar to A7IV?

[brandy]

Hi, I'm quite the luddite in terms of modern technology and am trying to find a solution for recording my Classical nylon string acoustic guitar to my Sony A7Iv camera to record live performances out in remote nature. I'm not sure what type of microphone I would need, and if it needs some type of phantom power box. I've been looking at the DPA 4099 microphone, and the cheaper AV-JEFES PMM19B-SH4-GT mic that's on Amazon. For interfaces I've looked at things like the Universal Audio Volt 1 and the Eventide MixingLink, but I'm really not sure if I need one, or if those would work. I don't want to spend a boat-load of money only for it either not to work, or work adequately.
My goal is to play & record short improvised music pieces out in remote places I travel to in my camper truck that I'm going to be living out of full-time for a while.
Thank you for any help regarding good solutions for this I'd be very appreciative!
Thank You! Brandy

• ILCE-7M4
• FE 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 OSS
• 28.0 mm
• ƒ/3.5
• 30 sec
• ISO 400

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Welcome Brandy.
Since it is an acoustic guitar, in nature, would you maybe want a shotgun mic? Sony has a few that work with the multi-interface hotshoe on your A7IV, including the one that was announced yesterday:

https://www.sony.com/en-dz/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras-microphones/ecm-m1

The good thing about their ECM mics is that they don't need any power or dangling mic cable into the camera, its all handled through the hot shoe. However, the shotgun mic only makes sense if your camera is going to be close to you, but its a viable option for a quick impromptu sessions?

Of course, I'm no sound engineer, and I know there are better options for getting more sound from your guitar and less from the environment. You might need a dedicated audio recorder and then sync the audio from the recorder to your camera's audio when you are editing the video together.

 

[Brownie]

As a guitarist and former liver performer, I would get a small battery powered 2 channel mixer, like an inexpensive Behringer. It has a preamp that would be plenty to send directly to the mic input of the camera. You'd need to trim the output on the mixer so you don't clip. It's possible you may need an interface box between the two, but I'm thinking not.

I would then connect the guitar to the mixer using a good acoustic pickup, or perhaps your guitar has one built in.

If vocals are a part of this, then you have a second channel for a vocal mic.

A setup like this would be vastly superior to any mic mounted on the camera for overcoming ambient noise and wind on the guitar track.

Go to the Musician's Friend website and poke around. If you need help deciding, their CS department can advise you. Sweetwater is another place that has top-drawer CS advice.

 

[Brownie]

One more thing, when you record, keep the guitar on one channel, say the left one, and vocals on the right. You can then control individual channel volume and EQ controls separately when mixing down to a final stereo track.

 

[jmb5121]

Hi Brandy, if you are looking for a very simple mono (not stereo) in-camera recording ability, here are two I have used with my Sony cameras:
1. Rode VideoMicro - super simple, no battery no settings to adjust on the microphone. You do need to plug it into the camera and set the audio gain in your camera. It retails for $42. The mic is directional. As others have stated, an on-camera mic is best if you are fairly close to the camera, say within 10 feet or so. This might be a good, inexpensive option to experiment with.
2. Sony ECM-B10 - more expensive at $250. Still no batteries and it interfaces directly to the camera without a cord. One really nice thing is that it automatically adjusts gain. There are more options on the mic for noise reduction, and a selection of directional or omnidirectional modes. This is my go-to mic for on-the-go. If you're interested, here's a link to an interview I conducted with a winemaker in Italy. I used the ECM-B10 & A74 for this interview. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YyvPmqskvE&t=11s