GoPro, sound and mount advice

[Argyll Andy]

Afternoon all, pulled the trigger and bought a GoPro Hero Black10 for upcoming trips of NTNC500 and the Pyrenees.

Couple of questions to see if anyone has advice/experience on any of the following

1. Sound, been looking at an external mic to record either induction sound or exhaust sound particularly for the passes (also cuts out the in cabin recordings off Kathleen swearing at me on the runs :lol: ). GoPro 10 needs an external mic adapter (others may/my not) so in anticipation of something I’ve bought one. After research wireless is probably the way to go but another £240 is not what I’m looking to spend right now in the same month as RFL a new set of tyres and the GoPro :lol: and suggestions on a wired mic and also where/how to mount?

2. Attaching the camera to/in the car. I’ve bought a suction mount but am VERY wary re attaching it to the outside of the car incase it comes off. Not got it yet but a possibility is using the suction mount inside the windscreen. I had hoped like a previous post re GoPro mounting that I’d be able to use a similar mount and mount between the seats but after inspection it’s all carpet and I can’t really see anywhere suitable for mounting there. I might be able to attach to the bottom of the wind deflector but it’s really high in the G29 so not sure if it’ll clear the windscreen frame. Other possible option is see the size and mounts when it arrives and see if it will go on top of the wind deflector but this probably means it’ll be above the cabin and increase wind noise making the additional mic even more important

TIA Andy

 

[mmm-five]

1) depends what sort of sound you want to capture, but ensure the mic can get enough power from the GoPro. As for mounting locations, then it can be wired into the bonnet/boot/glove box, and simply stuck on with gaffer tape (or if you decide the fitment will be used a lot, then fit a little clip with double-sided VHB tape.

2) I have the GoPro suction mount (had both the large single, and 3xsmall suction mounts). The large one fitted on the rear haunches of the Z4MC, but the mirror was in the way...but didn't get blown off in over 3 hours and at speeds in excess of the NSL. You could probably get a clamp to mount it to the top of the windscreen frame (in the open air, as the audio will be coming from elsewhere), or maybe on top of the roll-hoop? Another option, for a very fast looking shot, is to stick it (with additional tethers) to the front lower lip or mesh.

 

[Argyll Andy]

[ref]mmm-five[/ref],

Cheers, exactly the sort of suggestions and advice I’m looking for

I’ve bought a clamp for the bike so this might do roll hoop, just not sure of diameters

I’ve also got a brand new unused BMW/GoPro mount that screws into the towing eye but that’s for an E89 and it’s a different thread to the E85/6 so not sure if it’d fit the G29. Also of course it’s stated all over the product not for road use :lol:

Of course since my original post I am of course now looking further at wireless mics and using man maths and all sorts of illogical logic to justify them

 

[baljemmett]

I’ve also got a brand new unused BMW/GoPro mount that screws into the towing eye but that’s for an E89 and it’s a different thread to the E85/6 so not sure if it’d fit the G29. Also of course it’s stated all over the product not for road use

RealOEM lists the same part for both the E89 and the G29 (51952405467, "Track Fix for action cameras") so it should fit, presuming it doesn't magically fall out if it figures out you aren't using it on a track!

Do you have the through-loading hatch on yours? I don't recall if the interior door has any way of securing it in the 'open' position (the one in the boot has a magnet to hold it open), but maybe the top surface of the little tunnel bit would work for a suction mount if the door won't swing shut on it. Might be a bit too low to get a decent view though...

 

[Argyll Andy]

I’ve also got a brand new unused BMW/GoPro mount that screws into the towing eye but that’s for an E89 and it’s a different thread to the E85/6 so not sure if it’d fit the G29. Also of course it’s stated all over the product not for road use

RealOEM lists the same part for both the E89 and the G29 (51952405467, "Track Fix for action cameras") so it should fit, presuming it doesn't magically fall out if it figures out you aren't using it on a track!

Do you have the through-loading hatch on yours? I don't recall if the interior door has any way of securing it in the 'open' position (the one in the boot has a magnet to hold it open), but maybe the top surface of the little tunnel bit would work for a suction mount if the door won't swing shut on it. Might be a bit too low to get a decent view though...

Cheers for that, hadn’t checked the part no. for the E89 mount. I’ll need to dig it out and look. Only thought I’ve had about that now is whether it’ll be too low when travelling in convoy. I’ll also check the ski hatch but as you say height might be the issue

 

[Nictrix]

Make sure you get a mic with a foam cover as this will help to cut out wind noise passing it.
When I used one on the bike the mic came with a small croc clip around the wire which meant it could be attached in all sorts of places and it was strong enough that it never fell off.

 

[mmm-five]

Make sure you get a mic with a foam cover as this will help to cut out wind noise passing it.
When I used one on the bike the mic came with a small croc clip around the wire which meant it could be attached in all sorts of places and it was strong enough that it never fell off.

You can also get 'yeti' fur covers, which reduce wind noise even more...however if it's going to be in the cabin, boot or engine bay then the foam one will protect it from dust anyway.

 

[Argyll Andy]

[ref]Nictrix[/ref], [ref]mmm-five[/ref],

Cheers both, currently researching such things and found out about “dead cats” etc which isn’t a term I’d heard before apart from seeing at the side of the road.

It will be of no surprise that the wiresless ones I said I wasn’t buying are taking up a large proportion of my research time

 

[mmm-five]

[ref]Nictrix[/ref], [ref]mmm-five[/ref],

Cheers both, currently researching such things and found out about “dead cats” etc which isn’t a term I’d heard before apart from seeing at the side of the road.

It will be of no surprise that the wiresless ones I said I wasn’t buying are taking up a large proportion of my research time

I've not got a recent GoPro to check (only a 3 Black), but the wireless ones I tried picked up interference from mobile phone signals (the little clicking you get when you're phone is near a speaker)...so I'd check whether that issue has been resolved before spending a fortune on a wireless one. But I think the problem with the GoPro 3 was that there was no proper mic socket, but a mini-USB socket which needed a convertor cable...which acted like an antenna.

I ended up using a cheap Sony ECMCS3 Lavalier mic when I wanted it mounted remotely, and a Sony ECM-DS30-P when I had it connected directly to the GoPro and wanted local sounds (with a foam/hair cover). But these are from 2014/15, and I assume things have moved on somewhat since. They're very small, so easy to attach to things, and cheap enough to not worry about losing them (which I did with the DS30). They're better quality than the built-in offering, but are really for close-range sound and don't pick up the ambient sounds as well.

Would have gone for a Røde one, but were out of my budget

I'd probably buy a cheap cable mic first, and see if you can fit it where you need to (in relation to the GoPro)...and then upgrade from there if you think you need to.

 

[Argyll Andy]

[ref]mmm-five[/ref],

I’ll have a look in detail about interference

There is a dedicated mic slot where the wireless receiver plugs into then the mic links with that so I’m not sure exactly how it works yet.

I think I’ve got a cheap mic that came with something (DSLR acc pack) so will maybe give that a try. And yes of course the one that has caught my eye is a Røde one and I told myself from the off outside of budget, but………………

The real issue is that I want to catch some other sounds like the exhaust engine etc, but also as important don’t necessarily want discussions/music etc within the cabin being picked up on the internal mic

 

[BMWZ4MC]

As per mmm-five, this conveys the impression of speed but you have no contextual cues since none of the car is seen in the frame.

I used a standard GoPro mount stuck to the lower bumper bar and put a cable tie through the mesh grill and around the waist of the camera case as a seat belt.

Alternatively, I’ve always fitted a GoPro to the dashboard using a standard GoPro mount. Just ensure that the camera isn’t close enough to the screen to come into contact over bumps if you’re recording sound with the built in microphone.