External mics not working with my 800D/T7i - help!

[StephMyles]

Hi folks -

I've been using a Rode VideoMic Pro atop my Canon 800D to shoot video for work purposes.

Well - social distancing rules for interviewing people meant we had to look at other options.

I tried attaching a Sennheiser MKE 600 shotgun to it - and there is no sound at all.

Also tried a cheaper CoMica microphone – no sound at all.

(The CoMica, for whatever reason, seemed to work when I connected it to my iPhone. The Sennheiser didn't do a darn thing on either of them).

I put the Rode mic back on (same jack), and it still works just fine. So it's not the jack. We're going to try another XLR3 cable in case that's it (but the CoMica plugs straight in and it doesn't work any better).

Any brilliant ideas? It was a last-minute trip, and I'm leaving the country Sunday night. So not much time to figure it out if there's something I'm missing in the process.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[StephMyles]

(I realize that the CoMica, without its own power source, likely wouldn't work on the Canon).

But the other one is a mystery. The mic had been tested in the office and worked fine.

[Nick2020]

Hi StephMyles,

Thanks for checking in with us!

As you suggested, the Rebel T7i cannot provide power to microphones. Looking at the specs for the Sennheiser MKE 600, I see that it can either be phantom powered or battery powered, so make sure it is set for battery power and that the battery in it is sufficiently charged.

Also check to make sure that the cable you are using to connect to the camera has a TRRS connector, as opposed to a TRS connector.

The two connectors look similar, but the TRRS connectors have an extra ring. While the link below is not an official Canon resource, I personally find it helpful, and it does include some images of the difference connectors:

https://www.provideocoalition.com/ts-trs-trrs-trrrs-combating-the-misconnection-epidemic

In that case, you may need to exchange the mic with one that has a TRS connector. Or you might look into getting a TRRS to TRS adapter.

[StephMyles]

Bought a TRRS ---> TRS adaptor. $20 later it didn't make a bit of difference. 

[StephMyles]

And the cable with the mic does have a TRRS connector.

Notably - the other shotgun mic I have, a Rode, merely has a TRS connector and it works just fine.

[Mark35mmF2]

Hi there,

If the TRRS-TRS adapter still did not work with the Comica mic, then it is possible the mic is only designed to work with phones/tablets. You may want to look into a mic like your Rode VideoMic Pro that is designed specifically for DSLR cameras.

Another possibility, which I believe Rode themselves may offer, is using your existing mic with an extension 3.5mm cable and a boom pole or even just mounting it onto a second tripod near your subject. Since we already know that mic works the rest is just arranging the hardware differently.

[StephMyles]

Yes, I believe the Comica mike is designed to just work with the phone. It has no internal power source anyway. But that's not too useful for our purposes, although I will find some use for it.

That may be what we have to do with the existing Rode mike, since we don't seem to be able to get the Sennheiser to work.

It's a mystery why it wouldn't, though.