Canon 6D - external lab mic no picking up sound

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Blowsy

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Hi there,

I have a Canon 6D and I've just bought an external lav mic (Rode) but I can't get it to pick up any sound and recorded video is completely mute.

I have plugged it in to the 3.5mm mic port but when I look at the sound recording setting in the menu I can't see any kind of "live" sound feedback bars or anything to indicate that the mic is connected and is picking up sound.

I'm very new to this. Can anyone help?

Thanks,
Blowsy
 
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It is not a powered mic, just a simple 3.5mm lav mic. I've tried it in my phone using a voice recorder app and it works fine. In the Canon it's as if the camera doesn't detect that there is a mic plugged in, all the videos are completely mute so it's turned off the camera's internal mic but it isn't picking anything up from the external mic?

Help!?
 
when you play the videos on the camera is there sound on the camera?
 
did you try the front dial thats placed immediately behind the shutter button turn that as you play the video you should see the sound bars go up
 
Mics need a power source. In most cases this is supplied , either by the recording source, or by a battery incorporated into the mic system. Now all the normal , non wireless ,mics I have used with my 5Diii and 6D have had integrated power supplies, ( usually in the form of a button cell ). My suspicion is this mic is designed to be used with an external source, either a pocket recorder or wireless transmitter that will supply the power. The 6D doesn't supply power to the microphone jack as far as I am aware
 
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@Chappers Depending on mic, the 6D does support plug in power (like my 70d too)

http://support-th.canon-asia.com/contents/TH/EN/8201695200.html

@Blowsy if you were in Edinburgh, I would offer you a chance to try my Rode mic in your body / test your mic in mine. I did have a dig around and it seems like there was an issue with some 5D bodies with the mic port not being plugged in properly (the actual port inside the camera body), I hope its not something like that with yur 6D
 
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Thanks for all of your replies guys:

I watched this video on YouTube
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsxeM0NLUh0
and on 2:00 mins you'll see that with the mic was plugged you can see the input levels via the sound recording menu. On my camera with everything plugged in I can't even get to this menu there's no sign of any bars or anything like this.

@hoochy1 - No, the sound is completely mute when I play back the video on the camera itself. I haven't actually tried downloading the video to my PC and playing it because I assumed that if the mic was working I would hear the sound on playback... I'll try this tonight though.

@Chappers - I had assumed that the 6D had power to the 3.5mm jack and J Veitch's posts suggests that this is the case. The Lav mic I bought was a bog standard passive £40 jobbie by Rode so no external mic power.

@J Veitch - thanks mate but I'm down south unfortunately. Very strange then that if the 6D does support power to the 3.5mm jack that some mics would work and others wouldn't

I recorded some stuff this weekend and used plugged the lav mic in to my phone and recorded via a voice recorder app and this worked fine but it meant that I had to manually sync the audio with the videos files... which, obviously, is a hassle. I don't really want to have to buy a radio transmitter just to power the mic... hmph.
 
I'd try and check the camera body jack is working before buying anything else. Even if it meant taking the camera into a shop to "try" a new mic out on it.
 
OK just got my Senheiser radio mic back. ( it was out on a job.. Long storey ) and I plugged it into the 6D . I went to the sound menu and found that When I had the camera in video mode I could indeed record straight from the lav. Now it was right hand channel only, but I could adjust the volume and get a signal level. Now the Senheiser has a stereo jack, but this has a locking collar, so it may be I wasn't fully home because of this.

The mic volume selection is control is located ( when the camera is in video mode) is the second video icon in the menu , or 6th icon along 3rd item down
 
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You would appear to be doing everything correctly, have you tried jiggling it about ( to quote Gr..Gr... Granvile) looks like it may be a faulty socket on the camera
 
I agree with Ken. You've done everything correctly. Its exactly what I did. I also note you've the gain turned up to about 75% so it's not that. It's a pity you can't get the use of another mic, preferably a powered one just to check out the camera system, but my thoughts are that there is something wrong at the camera end. I don't know if the camera is out of warranty, but if it isn't I'd get it back to either the dealer or Canon
 
i take it you have had a look to see if the internal mike is picking up the sound? and playing it back also is the wind and attn setting off?
 
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