[ICNU]

Fun topic Chris! I started experimenting in a similar way back in 2020 during the lockdowns. I would head up to the mountains every single weekend just to get out of the house. My setup is a Hero7 that I control using using the app from my phone with a mic out back above the exhaust with a dead cat on it.

I originally tried a little basic Lavalier mike and it sounder terrible! So I checked out many YT vids, and this was the mic that many suggested and used for their car vids exhaust, but it still has a long way to go as it just doesnt do the PSE justice at all. It sounds like the PSE has has its hand over its mouth and too "spitty" sounding.

All of the deeper PSE tones like in your vid are missing, so I need to try to remove the dead cat and see what it sounds like without it, or possibly change positions with the mic. I'm currently using a little suction cup with a hook on it from Home Depot to to stick the mic on the rear bumper just above the license plate, I saw some car vids where they were placing the mic under the rear bumper very near the exhaust, but wondering what might happen if I mount mine directly above the tips in some way, as there is no wind noise at all with the dead cat?

My camera is mounted using the optional GoPro Rennline tow hook adapter

Mic: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BTAH62/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Direct link to short test clip on my Google Drive, which always seems to default to the worst resolution settings: 1.MP4

 

[Chris(NJ)]

I think the audio sounds fantastic.

GSP congestion still sucks though!

Aint that the truth!!

 

[Chris(NJ)]

Fun topic Chris! I started experimenting in a similar way back in 2020 during the lockdowns. I would head up to the mountains every single weekend just to get out of the house. My setup is a Hero7 that I control using using the app from my phone with a mic out back above the exhaust with a dead cat on it.

I originally tried a little basic Lavalier mike and it sounder terrible! So I checked out many YT vids, and this was the mic that many suggested and used for their car vids exhaust, but it still has a long way to go as it just doesnt do the PSE justice at all. It sounds like the PSE has has its hand over its mouth and too "spitty" sounding.

All of the deeper PSE tones like in your vid are missing, so I need to try to remove the dead cat and see what it sounds like without it, or possibly change positions with the mic. I'm currently using a little suction cup with a hook on it from Home Depot to to stick the mic on the rear bumper just above the license plate, I saw some car vids where they were placing the mic under the rear bumper very near the exhaust, but wondering what might happen if I mount mine directly above the tips in some way, as there is no wind noise at all with the dead cat?

My camera is mounted using the optional GoPro Rennline tow hook adapter

Mic: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BTAH62/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Direct link to short test clip on my Google Drive, which always seems to default to the worst resolution settings: 1.MP4

I saw the one you're using mentioned quite a few times in my searches as well. I think it sounds great in your video.

The only difference I see between yours and mine is really the directivity. The rest of the numbers seem relatively close or better for yours. Not sure how much that really effects the perceived sound of the exhaust though.

Have you looked at some of the other receivers like the Rode Wireless GO II? My understanding is that the new version works well w/o line of sight. Then you don't have to worry about running a wire.

 

[ICNU]

I saw the one you're using mentioned quite a few times in my searches as well. I think it sounds great in your video.

The only difference I see between yours and mine is really the directivity. The rest of the numbers seem relatively close or better for yours. Not sure how much that really effects the perceived sound of the exhaust though.

Have you looked at some of the other receivers like the Rode Wireless GO II? My understanding is that the new version works well w/o line of sight. Then you don't have to worry about running a wire.

I haven't but will definitely check out the GO II. I'm going to try a few different mic positions, and also experiment with a few of the different audio filter settings within the camera. It will be easy to record a bit, pull over and change the settings on my app and then record again a few times and see what happens.

I have an old clip from when I had a Fabspeed TracTek exhaust on it, but I had the camera inside a case to prevent wind noise, and it was mounted with a suction mount on the drivers side bumper facing the exhaust tips. Its sounds so much better! The only problem is the view, so I would like to get closer to that sound no matter where I mount the camera

 

[ICNU]

Hey Chris. I went down the rabbit hole looking at the Rhodes GO II units which look awesome, but at more than half the cost of the GoPro itself, I'm not sure I want to invest that much for something that is just a toy to play with occasionally. I came across this relatively new unit from MAONO when checking out things on Amazon that looks and seems to function very much like the Rhodes unit, but for only $80.

Compact Wireless Lavalier Microphone, MAONO 2.4GHz Dual Lapel Mics with Real-time Monitoring, Gain Adjustment and Mute for Interview, Vlogging, Live Streaming, Phone, Camera (WM820 A1) : Musical Instruments

Buy Compact Wireless Lavalier Microphone, MAONO 2.4GHz Dual Lapel Mics with Real-time Monitoring, Gain Adjustment and Mute for Interview, Vlogging, Live Streaming, Phone, Camera (WM820 A1): Wireless Lavalier Microphones - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I like how both units can operate on their own internal mic, or I can plug my stereo external mic into it as well, and as you stated, this will so much simpler without any physical wiring.

I can't find much of anything using this one specifically with GoPro, but maybe its just too new at this point? There are other vids using the Rhodes, but I have the GP external mic adapter with the 3.5 port, so I cant imagine that this wouldn't be any different connecting up a wired Lavalier or other mic which has worked fine for me so far

I went ahead and ordered one just to play with and see what I can do with it, so we shall see soon I guess

 

[Chris(NJ)]

Hey Chris. I went down the rabbit hole looking at the Rhodes GO II units which look awesome, but at more than half the cost of the GoPro itself, I'm not sure I want to invest that much for something that is just a toy to play with occasionally. I came across this relatively new unit from MAONO when checking out things on Amazon that looks and seems to function very much like the Rhodes unit, but for only $80.

http://[URL]https://www.amazon.com/.../ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[/URL]

I like how both units can operate on their own internal mic, or I can plug my stereo external mic into it as well, and as you stated, this will so much simpler without any physical wiring.

I can't find much of anything using this one specifically with GoPro, but maybe its just too new at this point? There are other vids using the Rhodes, but I have the GP external mic adapter with the 3.5 port, so I cant imagine that this wouldn't be any different connecting up a wired Lavalier or other mic which has worked fine for me so far

I went ahead and ordered one just to play with and see what I can do with it, so we shall see soon I guess

I know, they're rather pricey considering what we're using it for. If that Maono piece works out well, that'll be a nice alternative.
I think you're right as far as plugging it in.
Did Amazon deliver it yet?

 

[ICNU]

I know, they're rather pricey considering what we're using it for. If that Maono piece works out well, that'll be a nice alternative.
I think you're right as far as plugging it in.
Did Amazon deliver it yet?

Its supposed to be here Friday, so I will start exploring it this weekend.

 

[ICNU]

Ok Chris, I've had some time to experiment with the $80 Maono WM820 Wireless Mic from Amazon, and I'm happy to report so far so good! My concern was whether or not the car itself being a huge chunk of metal would interfere with the mic signal getting from above the exhaust tips to the receiver connected to the GoPro mounted to my front tow hook, but this thing has a great range even with all sorts of obstacles in between!

Its super simple to set up and will pair on its own if you power up the TX side first then the RX, despite there being a pair button on the unit. The only complaint I can come up with so far, is you can easily hit the pair, mute and volume buttons accidentally when handling them, but this is a small gripe only if someone forced me to find fault in some way. The LED lets you know if this were to happen

I started out by testing proof of concept using my phone connected to the RX and laying it upstairs in the far back of my home. I then went 3 floors down to my garage on the opposite end of my home and never lost pair connection, and the recording worked great, even with three floors of house in between and more than 50' distance from the mic and RX! I did the same test again using the positions things will be on the car, and again no issues at all.

Next I tested the cold start sound in my garage with the camera mounted up front and the Mic out back to compare the difference in sound quality between the wireless internal mic with its optional dead cat snapped on, and then again with my Olympus stereo external mic popped into the wireless mic port with no dead cat, and below are the links to the short audio test files. It's been storming here off and on all day, and is only going to get worse as the next 4 days progress, so I'm not sure that I'm going to be able to get any driving test done this weekend, but I'm liking the audio from the internal wireless mic much better than my Olympus

Both test were done with the unit mounted just above the exhaust tips to the side of the license plate where the rear tow hook is. The built in mic sounds much more like real life, whereas the Olympus mic sounds like I'm recording from 20 feet away from the car, which was very surprising to me.

Its a really nice kit for the money and comes with everything you need and then some, as an external Lavalier mic is also included.

The box contains:

The wireless TX and RX

2 USB C charge cables (mine were fully charged within and hour)

2 connection cables, one with dual TRS plugs for cameras, and another with TRS and TRRS plugs for use with a cell phone

2 snap on dead cats

1 clip on Lavalier external mic

1 carry pouch

Compact Wireless Lavalier Microphone, MAONO 2.4GHz Dual Lapel Mics with Real-time Monitoring, Gain Adjustment and Mute for Interview, Vlogging, Live Streaming, Phone, Camera (WM820 A1) : Musical Instruments

Buy Compact Wireless Lavalier Microphone, MAONO 2.4GHz Dual Lapel Mics with Real-time Monitoring, Gain Adjustment and Mute for Interview, Vlogging, Live Streaming, Phone, Camera (WM820 A1): Wireless Lavalier Microphones - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

It's plug & play with my Hero7 mic adapter using the camera cable, which is fantastic as you also need to use a TRRS to TRS adapter in line if just plugging a Lavalier or my Olympus directly into the GoPro adapter, so this is clean and simple.

Here are direct links to the cold start test clips I have done, and the internal mic is more sensitive to background sounds prior to the car start if you turn the volume up loud, but sounds much better than the Olympus which doesnt pick up those noises, but instead sounds like its across the room.

I dont think the small sounds the internal mic can hear will make any difference at all for what we are using it for since all of those frequencies will be drowned out by the exhaust sound. The internal mic is so sensitive it will pick up a very low whisper under your breath without even being up at your mouth, so its seems to record much more realistic audio than the Olympus which seem to have some heavy filtering going on.


I will get some driving video as soon as the weather will allow, and post up pics of my mounting setup as well

Internal Wireless Mic: Maono Wireless Internal Mic.MP4

External Olympus Mic plugged into wireless mic port: External Mic_ Olympus ME51S.MP4

 

[ICNU]

Well the weather cleared out this morning, so I was able to run some driving test with the Maono. I was disappointed at first because despite the great connection at idle, the sound would start dropping out constantly when moving.

I use a Rennline GoPro tow hook adapter up front for the street POV, and it seems the receiver needs to be closer to the mic out back when moving. I modified both of the clip on TX and TX to use a suction cup so I could stick either anywhere on the car I want, and originally stuck the RX up front with the camera as shown below:

The Mic was out back close the exhaust tips like this:

So I tried again, but moved the camera inside the car using one of my Gopro suction mounts, and also stuck the RX to the front windshield with it like this:

No more dropouts at all, so those who want an inside car camera mount should have no issues either. I'm assuming the engine itself during acceleration may be causing electronic signal interference, as all is fine sitting at idle. My plan now is to grab a TRS extension cable to extend the RX into the car up on the glass when using the tow hook mount.

This is simple and it can be tucked under the rubber trim in the frunk and easily come up through the door jamb into the car without interfering with anything, as I have done this before when fully wired. It's when you have to cross the door threshold all the way to the mic out back that the wiring becomes a nuisance.

Here is a short clip from today after the change, and I need to change the external mic audio setting from my current "Standard Mic+" which boost the sound back down to "Standard Mic" as the exhaust volume is too loud! This is using the wireless internal mic with the dead cat as shown in the image. I plan to move the mic up higher on the rear bumper and other locations to see if I can find the optimal spot for it sound wise. It's just so sensitive that it doesnt need to be so close to the tips like my other setup did

I also took some pics of what I did to modify the TX and RX to use suction cups, but this requires some drilling and modifying the devices. Its so elegantly simple and love it, but others may not be willing to do this. I can post up further details if anyone is actually interested in that, otherwise I will stop here with the test video. Some slow neighborhood sounds in the beginning , but I raise the RPM up a couple times from minute on once I have some space

 

[6ixof1]

The audio in this video sounds perfect! I didn't hear any wind noise at all.

 

[ICNU]

Yes, quite impressive just using that little troll hair snap on dead cat. I'm glad it comes with 2 since I haven't tested long enough to see if it can be blown off easily, but I dont think it will come off. I also need to try again with the Mic moved over the far side of the back bumper so its not so close to the exhaust tips. I have an old clip where my GoPro was mounted in that position, and the exhaust sounded great without being overbearing.

 

[Chris(NJ)]

Yes, quite impressive just using that little troll hair snap on dead cat. I'm glad it comes with 2 since I haven't tested long enough to see if it can be blown off easily, but I dont think it will come off. I also need to try again with the Mic moved over the far side of the back bumper so its not so close to the exhaust tips. I have an old clip where my GoPro was mounted in that position, and the exhaust sounded great without being overbearing.

That whole setup sounds great! nice work on getting it dialed in. I'm sure once you change a few settings it'll get even better. I wonder if the receiver would get too hot if you tried mounting it on the inside of the rear bumper. I'm curious what sound that would produce in that location.
For mounting your GoPro on the windshield, you're just using the GoPro suction cup, right? I might experiment w/ it up there too if I decide to go the same route as you w/ the wireless mic setup.
I did a DE event this past weekend and although the sound was pretty good, I know it can be better.
I also need to record in 4k b/c 1080 was blown out. Picked up the in-car video very well, but it just couldnt grab the exterior at the same time. At the risk of getting overly scrutinized for my (lack-of) driving ability, I'll post up a video once I can edit them to only have a short clip. The driving isn't worth uploading a 20 minute video LOL

 

[6ixof1]

That whole setup sounds great! nice work on getting it dialed in. I'm sure once you change a few settings it'll get even better. I wonder if the receiver would get too hot if you tried mounting it on the inside of the rear bumper. I'm curious what sound that would produce in that location.
For mounting your GoPro on the windshield, you're just using the GoPro suction cup, right? I might experiment w/ it up there too if I decide to go the same route as you w/ the wireless mic setup.
I did a DE event this past weekend and although the sound was pretty good, I know it can be better.
I also need to record in 4k b/c 1080 was blown out. Picked up the in-car video very well, but it just couldnt grab the exterior at the same time. At the risk of getting overly scrutinized for my (lack-of) driving ability, I'll post up a video once I can edit them to only have a short clip. The driving isn't worth uploading a 20 minute video LOL

I feel your pain. My last couple of outings were a bit disappointing - At 62 is it time to concede my reflexes aren't what they used to be. I think I need grippier and wider tires too.

 

[ICNU]

That whole setup sounds great! nice work on getting it dialed in. I'm sure once you change a few settings it'll get even better. I wonder if the receiver would get too hot if you tried mounting it on the inside of the rear bumper. I'm curious what sound that would produce in that location.
For mounting your GoPro on the windshield, you're just using the GoPro suction cup, right? I might experiment w/ it up there too if I decide to go the same route as you w/ the wireless mic setup.
I did a DE event this past weekend and although the sound was pretty good, I know it can be better.
I also need to record in 4k b/c 1080 was blown out. Picked up the in-car video very well, but it just couldnt grab the exterior at the same time. At the risk of getting overly scrutinized for my (lack-of) driving ability, I'll post up a video once I can edit them to only have a short clip. The driving isn't worth uploading a 20 minute video LOL

Yes, that just one of a few jointed GP suction mounts. I have one original and two other cheaper copies, and the cheaper ones from Amazon work just the same. You ca get a full kit with three different mounts for the cost of one original GP mount base, but just be careful about the fitment of the specific model camera. Here for example is one for $16 vs the almost $40 just for the basic GP suction base: https://www.amazon.com/Powerful-Suction-Adapter-Session-Samsung/dp/B07W7H121C/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1BDNZN7O4HN6D&keywords=suction+mount+for+gopro&qid=1653413053&sprefix=suction+mount+for+gopro,aps,65&sr=8-4

Using the underside of the bumper for the mic is interesting. Not sure how much whirling around of air would be there vs the outside though, and could be better or worse. Only one way to find out!

I actually did my first driving test with the RX inside the frunk. It stays connected just fine when sitting still, but drops out badly when the car moves. My second test was with the mount stuck to the front bumper in the image, and dropouts still happened but much less, so its seems that anywhere from the windshield back is OK, and it might even do fine if both are stuck to the front fender, but I haven't tested that yet

My TRS extension cable gets here Friday, so I plan to install it permanently in the frunk into the car hidden from view, but easy to access and plug the RX in and stick to the window when recording. That central location should work no matter where on the car I stick the camera. Its fun to do multiple clips from multiple viewing positions and then string them all together in post editing.

Speaking of 4K.....I did one 5 minute test vid at 4K 24fps, and the file was 179 gig! That's 1080 in the YT vid above, but I have a 2.7K choice that might be a more reasonable compromise

I also made several changes to the video setting from the GP defaults I learned from a guys first person POV biking channel. The factory settings make the contrast burn out of details really bad on full sun mixed with shadows, and cause the colors to also look weird. It also over sharpens the pixels on the default settings. I can list those changes here if anyone is interested in trying them out, as they apply to most models of GoPro

 

[Chris(NJ)]

I feel your pain. My last couple of outings were a bit disappointing - At 62 is it time to concede my reflexes aren't what they used to be. I think I need grippier and wider tires too.

nothing wrong with taking any mechanical advantage you can get! We do it in cycling all the time with upgraded bearings, lighter wheels, etc.
I was happy with the Ps4s on the car. Whenever I find a used set of wheels (or commit to a new set) that fits my needs I’ll outfit with the same tires, most likely.
Here’s a few pics from the weekend.

 

[ICNU]

Cool pics! Is it weird that I instantly recognized the Sonax "blood" dripping from your wheels?

I love that stuff! I'm lazy and hate washing wheels spoke by spoke, so I buy the stuff in bulk from Amazon for a $100 a jug which is way cheaper than by the spray bottle!

Then I put it a $10 pump bug sprayer tank from Home Depot so my wrist doesnt cramp from pumping the bottle so much!

I cover the wheel, including the barrel and calipers, and just rinse and never touch a thing. It look just like I washed each wheel by hand, so worth the money!

 

[Chris(NJ)]

hahah, not weird at all. When I post a pic of the wheels mid-Sonax I always wonder who will think I ran over a dog (or other living thing) lol.
Completely agree that this stuff is worth the money. Easily one of my favorite products!

 

[Chris(NJ)]

And here's a random lap from Palmer.... Instructor (unbeknownst to me) had TrackAddict going and said my best was a 2:02.