How can I record 4 Wireless Mics into One Camera?
Four radio mics and one camera sounds simple until you look at the sockets. A client asked me this week how they could get x4 radio mics going into one receive - and the answer was you can’t. At least no with the (expensive) Sony radio mics I have. Thankfully there's alot of new options with modern wireless audio kits - that feature up to 4 transmitters that link directly to a single receiver.
Most mirrorless cameras, DSLRs, and small video cameras record two audio channels through a 3.5 mm stereo input. That does not mean you can plug in two receivers on the left and two on the right and keep all four separate. Once you combine microphones into the same channel, they are mixed together forever.
The answer I discovered was this neat collection of fairly inexpensive audio equipment:
and x4 of these small RØDE Lavalier GO mics
The total cost was £526 and now we can monitor and record 4 channels of audio in one camera. (As a back up you could use a 3.5mm Mini Jack to Dual XLR Male Cable if you didn’t have a spare Sony hot shoe).
This set up avoided record 4 wireless mics into one camera by feeding all four receivers into a mixer or audio recorder, then sending a stereo mix to the camera. I can see this setup being very useful for small crews use for interviews, panels, weddings, documentaries, and branded video shoots.
With this set up I can record separate channel to all my Sony cameras - the Sony FX6, FX30 and FX2.
This set up offers a simple camera mix - and you could then take the internal records if you wanted four separate tracks for editing.
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