How to Record Pro Audio on the Panasonic GH4 Camera

Nothing ruins a video faster than a poor audio track. Bad audio will always be immediately obvious and will make your video look amateurish. That is why it is very important to capture professional audio on every project you do.

In last month’s article, we evaluated the audio specifications of the Panasonic GH4 DSLR camera with our audio analyzer – the results were impressive! You can view the GH4 audio test results here. However, the camera can sound even better!

Here is how you can easily capture professional audio directly to your Panasonic GH4 camera using our popular DXA-SLR ULTRA adapter. There is no need to use external audio recording gear or having to sync the audio in post. The GH4 has excellent audio capabilities to match the great video and still performance of this camera.

We tested the front end of the GH4 with our Audio Precision APX515 Audio Analyzer and were very impressed with its low noise, high bandwidth audio. The low frequency recording capability makes it stand out from most other DSLR’s. In addition to regular voice, this camera can be used to capture high quality music and special effects where full rich sound is important.

So how do you do this? Well it is quite simple.

Attach our DXA-SLR ULTRA to the GH4. Connect the output cable to the camera and connect your mics to the adapter. First you need to setup the camera. Set the Mic Level Adj in the camera menu to the lowest setting of -12dB. Turn the Mic Level Limiter to ON.

 

Panasonic GH4 gets better sound with the DXA-SLR ULTRA by Beachtek

 

Now on the adapter, set gain switch to HI to activate the built-in low noise preamps. Since we are using the limiter in the camera, we do not need to use this feature on the adapter so leave it off. Power up the adapter and do a test recording. Use the trim controls to set the level at between 0 and -12dB in the VU meter. This is very important to ensure that you are recording at the optimum levels for the best signal to noise performance.

You are now ready to begin recording. Be sure to carefully monitor the audio with headphones and keep an eye on those levels.

This should completely dispel the myth that you cannot record high quality audio on a DSLR camera. You will find that the audio is comparable to using an external audio recording device. Recording sound directly to the camera is far simpler using the DXA-SLR ULTRA which offers similar results, without having to sync the audio in post.

This will help you achieve a truly professional sounding audio track for your video in a very easy manner. Please refer to the Operating Manual for the DXA-SLR ULTRA adapter, for detailed information on its functions and controls. Of course, you can always contact us and we will be more than happy to help you obtain the highest quality sound for your setup.

Unleash Your Sound with the BeachTek DXA-SLR ULTRA.