How to Record Helicopter Headset Audio
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- Опубликовано: 30 окт 2024
- I explain how I plugged an audio recorder into a Helicopter comms system.
Matt Gray | mattg.co.uk | @MattGrayYes
Matt Has One Hour To Hover A Helicopter: • Matt has one hour to h...
Helicopter recording details below
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🚁🎧 Kit Details 🎧🚁
⚠️ Do not plug anything into a helicopter without permission from the pilot!
Most comprehensive description of aircraft connector pinouts I could find (PDF) -- It's an excerpt from a Sennheiser headset manual.
ips.org.uk/wp-...
Slightly less comprehensive Aviation headset connector pinouts as per Sennheiser HMD120 headset manual:
www.manualslib...
Nexus U/174, compatible with Nexus TP-120. (You probably want this one)
1 T - Mic -
2 R - Audio +
3 R - Mic +
4 S - Audio -
UK NATO / BPO 671 (This is rare afaict)
1 T - Mic +
2 R - Mic -
3 R - Audio +
4 S - Audio -
Blog from PilotMall with descriptions of the most common aviation headset connectors
www.pilotmall....
Nexus TP-120: www.canford.co...
Neutrik NP2X 2 pole Jack: amzn.to/3H4M3gg (I used this because my recorder's unbalanced input is on jack)
Roland R-44 Recorder: proav.roland.c...
Røde Smartlav+ Mic: amzn.to/2H1CEVJ (lavalier mic in the headset)
Røde Wireless Go 2: amzn.to/3VJ6h3w (to record my lav mic)
~Kit I Use Regularly~
Sony a6400 Camera: amzn.to/3rxLpwl
Sigma 16mm f1.4 lens: amzn.to/3tYYBvZ
Peak Design Cuff Wrist Strap: amzn.to/2PdKTXh
Røde Smartlav+ Mic: amzn.to/2H1CEVJ
Røde Wireless Go: amzn.to/3lY71kH
Røde Wireless Go 2: amzn.to/3VJ6h3w
GoPro Hero 7 Black: amzn.to/2ACdQ4u
Sony RX100M2: amzn.to/2JcxQxt
DJI Osmo Pocket: amzn.to/31Q4hLm
iPhone 12 Mini: amzn.to/31m8VSw
Snapchat Spectacles (Circular video): amzn.to/2GQ6AXc
Tascam DR-10x Audio Recorder: amzn.to/2pXQZun
Røde NTG2 Mic: amzn.to/2GHS3gi
Røde Videomic Go: amzn.to/3m1jQKP
All Amazon links are affiliate links which give me a small percentage of what you pay them as a tip for sending you their way. It doesn't cost you more.
I've added a load of specific detail to the description, in case you've found this video while trying to make your own helicopter headset adatper!
I'll keep that in mind, just in case 😁
You can get something called the "DISCUS" from disco 32 and it's a inline PTT that connects to your phone with Bluetooth. It should help with recording these kind of videos. Too bad its rarely in stock. I've been trying to purchase one for a while.
This is exactly the absurdly specific kind of information I'll never have a practical use for that I come to this channel for :)
Love your pfp!
@@enzopalmer4745 and I love yours (and also op's)
The fun one is hacking a US military U229 connector to put a 3.5mm connector, and having it automagically act like a handmic, so you can hook an iPod up to the intercom system of a HMMWV or MRAP.
What's less fun is a passenger flipping the FFCS to which the iPod is attached from "int only" to "B-radio" and jamming the troop/company/battery level net with Red Hot Chili Peppers until I noticed the SINCGARS buzz from transmitting encrypted behind the music.
Then I had to make one for the troop commander's vehicle and explain what you can and can't do with the FFCS when you've got music going.
This is the story I didn't know I was hoping to find down in the comments, thank you.
Definitely sounds like you don’t have experience with that story… 😂😂😂
@@cheetahman79 nope, none at all. 😉
I will never record sound in a helicopter. I loved having this explained to me. Thanks!
Always forget to put on the back of the connector before soldering. If you don't forget it you only get to solder once!
Exactly! I admit to copping out on redoing it when I forgot a back on an Atari ST to VGA lead -- 13-pin DIN to 15-pin D-sub. Not all the leads were connected, especially as it was monochrome, but both those connectors are crowded. The 13-pin DIN was the worst thing I've ever soldered as it had a 3x4 grid of pins in far too little space, and the plastic kept melting so the pins kept coming loose. Might have helped if I'd had a finer tip on my iron, but I didn't have one back then.
@@eekee6034 Wow! Wasn't expecting to read Atari ST here! I somewhat recently visited my uncle to solder a cable for Atari STE, to get a lower level audio out.
@@607 Cool :) I wish I still had mine.
Have you got any audio comparisons of the same bit of speech through both the direct plug and the earcup mic? I'm really curious what the two sound like compared to eachother!
I'd also be interested!
Me too!
me three
Standard connectors are wonderful! That's why there are so many different ones! 😁
Exactly! The Nexus TP-120 connector is perfectly standardised, by NATO, Peltor, Savox and Stilo with their slightly different pinouts...
I love that you not only got to fly a helicopter but geek out on audio equipment while using your sound engineering expertise in the process, lucky duck!
Can you provide samples/comparisons of the sound you recorded using the mic vrs the direct connection? :D
That was actually incredibly good audio for aviation, especially for a helicopter!
Thanks, will use this next time I need to record audio in a helicopter.
I have a US pilot's license but have never been in a helicopter where I needed to plug the provided headsets in as they were already in place. I had NO IDEA they were not "standard" 1/4 inch plugs used on Cessna 150s to Gulfstream 650s.
helicopters tend to use one jack rather then two like fixed wing just cause there is a risk of the cables getting tangled in stuff worse then in a plane
@@coolmikefromcanada why is that?
Are helicopter cockpits more crowded?
@@coolmikefromcanada why is that?
Are helicopter cockpits more crowded?
@@Jehty_ na more like helicopters have a "fall out of the sky or rocket into the air" lever and you really don't want things snagging on that, also helicopter pilots are more likely to have to lean and look around
@@coolmikefromcanada what do you mean by these levers? Never heard of anything like that
This is how an informative youtube video is done. SO satisfying. Awesome, Matt!
So fascinating! I realised I took the audio for granted as I didn't know this much work actually went behind the recording! Thanks for sharing!
fine choice of snips my all time favourites for years
This isn't something I would've ever thought I'd be interested in, but I had to click it immediately after reading the title. Thanks, Matt!
I had this exact question watching the video. So it's great you answered without me even asking!
1:38. Holy shit! What an amazing low-tech solution! I'd never thought of that!
(I fly GA. I use an adapter that goes between the intercom and the headset in plug, and then has a side plug that has a USB-mini that goes in to the Gopro 3 cameras that I use. Works really well and consistently, once I realized I had to make SURE the plug was all the way into the camera.)
"Oh wow where do you even get a cable with those ends, maybe there's a really specific website for--" *matt starts making the cable himself*
I will likely never need this but appreciate it regardless, thanks Matt. Superb watching you absolutely love this experience on Technical Difficulties.
Only wiring up the audio out portion is actually a really smart thing and I'm surprised others haven't done similar. Would be a good way to stop the possibility of any feedback from the recorder.
This video taught me the pronunciation of "Neutrik". I've seen their stuff around while sourcing electronic components but never realized it sounds German.
If you do end up making one of these it's worth noting to add some resistors in the quarter inch plug and build the pad in, although not having the pad built-in to the cable might be nice if you're not sure what the audio levels are going to be like. And cutting off the shield at the connector end really shows you know what you're doing with audio! Dare I ask how many questions are in the comments on that subject?
This is absolutely fantastic. I wondered how you got the audio so clean from the flight! Did you rely completely on the lav setup since it worked? Or were there specific points where you preferred the quality from the direct line that made it into the video?
I love your Enter Shikari t-shirt!
Woah less than two weeks and another one! Lovely 😍
Which audio source did you use in the episode? I assume the headphones get audio from the wearer's headset mic too?
i like that the standard NATO connectors just look like 1/4" TRS connectors if someone put it into mspaint and squished it a bit
and also, that it's not a "standard" NATO connector, since there are two slightly different versions of it. because why not.
I've noticed I get recommended odd tech videos that have nothing to do with my daily work but then a short time later I end up in that situation, soooo it looks like I will be in a helicopter recording audio within the next year :p
I’ll definitely use this obscure knowledge about US NATO audio jacks and their prevalence in civilian helicopter, sometime in the next 30 years
When you said (On Tech Diff) that you "have some toys" yes, yes you do.
Wow, the exact question I was asking myself while watching this and all of Tom's videos where he's in aircraft.
Honestly this is just as interesting as you flying a helicopter
Thanks mate, right on time for my weekend plans
Thank you for another addition to my list of things I'll never have to use but still want to know how to do for some odd reason.
this is just too enjoyable
This makes me wish I could solder. But with dyspraxia and way too much stuff to do I doubt it'll ever happen. Great video, Matt!
Ah I tried it once, all I managed to do was melt all the plastic surrounding the wire I was trying to solder back on and not the solder itself! I gave away my soldering iron to someone who could make better use of it after that
Today I learned that the dark colored band(s) on audio plugs are _in-between_ the electronic contact regions, instead of _themselves_ being the contact regions xD
All this time I thought the black parts were the connective part and the shiny parts were "plain" metal
Oh my Lord I thought you photoshopped a 3.5mm trrs jack as a joke for the thumbnail...but no it's just THICC
This was really interesting, thank you!!
I'd like to see (hear) the comparison between the lav mike recording vs the line recording.
I like your Fluke. didn't know they made one that did LoZ voltage.
It's my understanding that the NATO "Nexus" connectors are also common on Rally Car intercom systems.
"If you found this video because you need to record in a helicopter"... this made me laugh, but I'm sure people will. One of my most popular videos is about how to use a pallet strapping tool.
Liechtenstein saving the day, one bodge cable at a time :D
Ooh! Those NATO connectors make me feel all funny inside!
Well done, Sir! =)
I've always wondered this, thanks
Should add the link to the Technical Difficulties episode somewhere
They evidently accepted your suggestion.
Let's see it's from Matt, there's a picture of a helicopter plug, it's three minutes long... This is gonna be good. I suspect it's gonna be what I wanna know on what I don't have had the privilege of having access to yet.
Oh yes that weird connector and of course it's different enough to not be compatible!
Great that's three adapters I need to add to my kit at some point.
That's the same connector that I use with my Opscore AMPs. U174 I believe and they plug in to U94
I saw this notification and was like "that's so random"
Then the technical difficulties video dropped.
Funny thing is I would've watched anyway
I wondered about that, watching your adventure 😃
1:20 💥
Really interesting, thanks :)
Would using a 32bit float recorder (i.e. Zoom F3) have given you a bit more flexibility with the level?
This is SO COOL
I'd love to hear the difference between the direct recording and the lav mic
1:30 Can you explain what Line vs Mic level means? I've heard Line level before and have a Line/Inst switch on my audio interface but don't know what it's there for.
On your audio interface line in and mic in will probably both work to input audio. My understanding of the difference is the mic one is optimised for human speech, whereas the line is for other audio devices.
(and if I'm wrong I've boosted your comment for someone else to answer)
Edit: More reading suggests the difference is the input voltage (and how much it then needs to be amplified)
Line Level is a kinda middle "Standard" amongst the four main levels of input (mic, line, instrument, and speaker). Line level is about 1-volt. The idea is that if a system has several different line level inputs like a home hi-fi might have a record player, a tape player, and a CD player all feeding the same selector which then feeds a singular amp (which then boosts the signal to speaker level). Because all the devices are Line Level when you set the amp to play the record player at the right volume, when you swap to the tape player you should be just about right.
Mic Level is a MUCH quieter signal, usually no more than 10 millivolts, and require a pre-amp to boost the signal to line level. This is most often done inside the mixer, though inline mic-to-line pre-amps exist.
Instrument Levels are stronger than mic level but less than line and again require a pre-amp to bring them to line level.
Speaker Level can be in the "oh my word" range of volts and is obviously used to drive speakers, use the correct cable please.
Connecting a Microphone level source into a line-level input results in almost no sound since you're delivering a couple orders of magnitude less power than needed.
Connecting a Line Level source to a Mic Level input will lead to distortion, clipping, and possibly broken equipment. A common way around this is a Direct Injection (DI) box that reduces the voltage to the acceptable range, or most mixers have a switch (either physical or software) that switches an input between mic and line level (it may also be a "pad" which does a 20dB reduction, which Matt mentioned in the video).
TechMoan also recently did a video explaining the difference.
Also worth noting that "Instrument" in this context doesn't mean every musical sound-making object.
Non-amplified things like guitars, mechanical electric pianos (Rhodes, Wurlitzer, etc), and acoustics fitted with simple pickups are Instruments - whereas synthesizers, digital pianos, and drum machines are Line.
@@rebmcr Yeah that's fair, I didn't put that distinction in because it wasn't exactly relevant to the question. But it's a valid point.
@@PendragonDaGreat You are the goat! Thanks so much for your answer!
Any reason in particular why you'd leave the shield disconnected at both ends? I'd normally short it to the shell at one end only, but maybe this is a live sound vs broadcast engineer thing.
Shield is connected at the helicopter end, to the mic ground, which is also chassis ground, so it is fine. Audio low is almost invariably also connected via a very low value resistor to chassis ground, simply because this also is used to get a little protection for shorted cables, so that one headset developing a short in the speaker side will not take all the others out. Also volume control is via a series resistor, so you have a common bus level, and your headset volume can be reduced a lot, but even at minimum setting you still get a pretty high level into the 600R earpieces.
No PTT, as the headphones are always on, to allow comms in the noisy cockpit, and that noise cancelling dynamic microphone insert is pretty good, as seen on the hover video. Yes bandwidth is not exactly good, very much BT telephone style, and deliberately made that way to reduce external noise, and also heavily clipped in the amplifier as well, to make speech intelligible.
Incidentally mic capsule and earpiece tend to be 600R, mostly because the earpieces were developed from telephone earpieces, along with the microphones, so have that heritage, though there are wildly different systems and impedances now. Can be a pain to drive if you are a gamer, and want to use real military helmets, you need a pretty high amount of voltage gain to get sound out, more than most sound cards can easily deliver, so you need around 12-15dB of gain added on for the earpiece, able to drive 600R, and similar for the microphone, or simply swap it out for an electret insert in the same case, and lose a lot of the noise cancellation.
I guess the aircraft system 'mirrors' your own mic back to your headset? Otherwise Matt would have had to capture both sources?
@@rebmcr Probably yes. It would be a real pain to speak with a normal voice and loudness while not able to hear yourself properly.
@@rebmcr Can confirm, yes. It's easier to wire that way too. Your voice goes into the audio system, and is played to everyone in the cockpit. Everyone hears the (incoming) radio too, though obviously only the pilot (and copilot if applicable) has their mic hooked into the radio as well.
Standards yes we have loads of them .... !
how well did the Lav mic work? Which did you use in the Tech Dif film?
yes
It's an R-44 in a R44. :)
Hahaha how did I not spot that!
The nexus plug looks like a big chungus Trrs connector.
how did you get in the chaos social instanc? i thought that's a just the german CCC
Why did you not have a helicopter on hand?
hi, can u explain about hi band and low band of helicopter microphone headset?
So if you are only using one circuit you can discard the screen? Good to know, and makes perfect sense, just never thought of it.
I was taught you should always connect at least one end of the screen or it'll pick up noise, but I've never had reason to try it one way or the other so I don't really know.
You only use the screen if you have "signal and ground", when you have "signal plus and signal minus" using a shield for the negative signal would lead to more interference. A symmetric transmission (+ and -) relies on both wires getting the same interference so it can cancel itself out, but the shield in a wire is made so only it picks up the interference and the wire(s) inside don't.
The third option is a black box
Interesting! I wasn't able to interpret the solder slang, though.
I'm wondering what your previous working history is. The amount of preparation it took you just to be able to record a video for the TD.
I’m a Broadcast Engineer by trade!
Not what I expected but that’s cos my uni course works with a regional tv station and they have pilot PA 11-60s for camera talkback so thought that there would be some way proper way to convert audio even if it’s double dongling
Also I’m trying to now work out what the difference between a pj 055 or pj 068 and a btordcasting 1/4 jack cos they look similar but never seen interchangeable
The PJ 068 is what's used as the microphone connector on a "twin plug" aeroplane headset. It's smaller than a 1/4" jack, which is used as the other plug on the aeroplane headset, for the earcups. That way they're never plugged in incorrectly. The 1/4" is obviously 0.25", the PJ068 is 0.206".
@@paulsengupta971 thanks yeah I've only seen the pilot jacks online without any scale to compare so was just looking at the similarity
I can't believe that NATO hasn't yet advanced to Stereo audio for their helecopters.
what fancy audio equipment you have
So what recorder is that? The description says its a Tascam DR-10x But that looks way to small compared to the video.
How did you record yourself? Does the headset earpiece give you yourself back, or is it a mix-minus that takes you out?
Assuming it's similar to other (fixed-wing) general aviation, it's a full mix (like a phone call), which helps you to know when you're speaking loudly enough to get past the minimum volume threshold (squelch) for people to hear you.
@@Beesno now you have me second guessing whether you hear yourself on a phone call lol
@@robdavy4468 On a normal POTS call? I would think generally not as I believe it's two half duplex lines, you to them, and them to you. Now, if you're on a modern teleconference, or other type of call, then maybe?
The term is sidetone and it's the feed back to you of your own voice so you can know it's working and manage your own vocal volume.
@@Tahgtahv You get sidetone on a POTS call. If you don't you immediately think something is wrong.
And for /reasons,/ helicopters have different connectors than fixed wing GA aircraft...
Is that the Robinson from Shoreham?
Goodwood.
Is a lav mic similar to a lapel mic?
The only difference is the orientation of the clip (in-line with cable for lavalier, perpendicular for lapel), but that doesn't matter since the capsules are almost always omnidirectional.
@@backyard-tourist Thanks for the explanation. I don't recall hearing of a lav (lavalier) mic before.
@@backyard-tourist My lavalier mic has a perpendicular clip. ;) When I wanted to get one, I searched for "lapel mic", having never heard "lavalier" before, and all the results were for lavalier mics. I assumed "lavalier" was just French for "lapel", but evidently that's not right so I don't know what's with the funny word.
Wait how many times have you had to do this now?
but I need this last month, and xlr
So whyyyyyyy why do helicopters have diff plugs?
Because they needed a 4-pin plug and there weren't any in common use at that moment.
I did not read the memo correctly I have now built a helicopter with no audio connection.
why is the headphone jack a chode
It's hilarious that not even NATO can standardize audio equipment.
And there are at least 3 other "standards" for aviation headsets 😂😭
does the NATO in the name come from the military alliance
Yes. The UK NATO plug shown briefly is the one I have on my ex-RAF aeroplane.
Few things infuriate me more than this type of connector nonsense: basically identical but just different enough to not be compatible. Yah!