Klasik-69 Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Here is my first YouTube video of my recent race at the SCCA Chasing the Dragon event in Robbinsville, NC on June 22,23. I'm quite inexperienced with creating videos so bear with me on this, and if you have any suggestions or tips, please chime in. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 (edited) Wow, you are a braver man than I: all I cld see was Armco!!! Did you pre-run it in yr Caterham, or tow vehicle, prior to the race so that you knew just where the road was going? Our buddy Croc has made a hobby of dialing in GoPro's, etc., on track and I am sure he'll have some wisdom. When he wired all our GoPros up for sound at NJMP, he placed the mic in the engine bay, right below the steering column. Mine was held in place w/copious amts of duct tape. That placement eliminated the wind noise that your mic was overwhelmed by (the only time I heard the mighty Zetec was as you were coasting to a stop at the end). The engine bay placement provided a nice, lush exhaust sound, so maybe try that nxt time. He also used a small, self powered mic, at least on my Cat. Edited June 28, 2013 by Kitcat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XR4Bill Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Do you happen to know the name/brand of the powered mic that Croc used? Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Sorry, I dont, Croc will have to chime in. It was fairly large, but light. He had a variety of them and he may be able to advise wh/brand/model did best. I think he was happiest w/my car's setup, but not sure, stay tuned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Nice vid. Course flows nicely, reminds me of a local road that I occasionally run. Local road has more cliffs and mountain faces tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted June 28, 2013 Author Share Posted June 28, 2013 (edited) The mic I used is the cheap one that everyone was recommending and the one (Olympus ME-15) that Croc had mentioned in a prior thread. And yes, I get all my good information from Croc as to camera, datalogger, etc. In this case, the RaceChrono datalogger wouldn't work well because we were losing GPS signal at various parts of the mountain. I placed the microphone behind me under the canvas cover of the rear storage compartment. As you can hear, it didn't work well. In fact it was worse than just using the GoPro built-in mic. Next time I'll try as suggested, the engine compartment. On the run(s), this was my last and best run. On Saturday, we did a re-con run to see the layout then started running. My first run was a 1:48.37 and I admit I took it real easy. My butthole was so puckered up I would have been safe in any jail cell. 2nd run, 1:37... 3rd run, 1:32.... 4th run, 1:30... I was chasing a guy who runs in our SEDIV TT who drives a very well set up Camaro, and the driver is obviously much better than I. Well that motivated me to go harder and on the last run I hit the 1:26.848 which proved to be pretty good although just 1.5 seconds shy of catching McMannus in the Camaro. Since most of the cars were running times of 1:47 or slower, I felt good as this was my first hill climb race. Best part, I didn't crash. Edited June 28, 2013 by Klasik-69 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumba81 Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 What kind of speeds were you hitting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanG Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 I like the way the LF keeps peaking up over the windscreen with the bumps. Too cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xcarguy Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Klasik-69, Well done, sir! :cheers: X Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted June 29, 2013 Share Posted June 29, 2013 Hi Mike - I just want to say congratulations on the gutsy driving on the Dragon. You completed the first rule of a timed event - bringing it home in one piece. And you also completed the second rule - showing that bitch who was boss! Excellent result. :flag: As for Mike's referral of my skills with cameras like GoPros and the like - he overrates me. All I will say they can be the most frustrating animals to work with as I have a high failure rate from trying to get the best sound (also broken a lot of mics). I recommended that Olympus back Jan 2012 and have moved on light years in experience since then. I have broken all my ATR3350's too (about 6). I think I should write a new thread where I am now on this topic and my various experiments. I will say you definitely need a powered mic for the best results and under the bonnet is usually best although I am having a custom furry muff made to re-try windproofing a mic directly next to the exhaust. Sound also varies massively by camera brand - I assume you have a GoPro? But which one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxologist Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 The road used is not actually part of the (Tail of the) Dragon, it is another road in a park in Santeelah iirc. Absolutely love CCR's inflatable at the start. Been lusting for one like that for my region for a couple of years since they got theirs. Great driving Klasic Mike. Did Heikki or Bowland attend last weekend? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Sure are a lotta Mikes around here:). Anyhow, since Mike J asked: Mike G is running a GoPro3 White series, per the credit at the end of his vid. Not sure why his sound was so muffled/distorted. When I ran a remote in my boot it sounded pretty good. I recently bought a "wind proof" mic w/the fuzzy stuff. When I got it, the pkg said it was guaranteed to elim wind noise-up to 30 mph (a detail the ad had not mentioned). Mike M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James A Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 Nice run! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted July 1, 2013 Author Share Posted July 1, 2013 Thanks to all for the kind coments. What kind of speeds did I hit ? About 110 or so, average speed is around 92 mph. Why is sound so crappy ? It's me, I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to video. Croc went a long way to educate me but I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I put the mic in the rear storage area under the canvas cover. Like putting a mic in a garbage can and beating the outside with a ball bat. Yep, dumb place and no sound effects of that beautiful symphony of the Zetec winding out. Boxologist is correct, this is part of the Joyce Kilmer State Park and the road is a dead end with a total of 4.2 miles. We start at about the 1.8 mile mark and run 2.2 miles with a change of elevation of approximately 1000 ft. The road is extremely bumpy and rock and gravel fly everywhere especially when driving on Hoosier Bias Ply slicks with a very soft compound. I recommend doing this run to anyone who enjoys a challenge and doesn't mind road rash on their car. My car is ready for a complete paint job. Rear wings were beat to hell. To protect the paint, you'd need to use about 2 or 3 layers of clear plastic like some used (kitchen shelf material) and even then the rocks seem like they're shot out of gun. I have chips in my face shield of my helmet. The trick to getting a good time is going all out at the beginning, running full out for the first 3 or 4 turns, putting aside common sense and fear, driving like a mad man on heroine. Keeping the car under control with the bumps is the hardest thing, not the sweepers. Cars with soft or compliant suspension do the best. We had a variety of formula cars running and I beat all of their times, even the McClaren with 850 HP. And no, I'm not a driving genius but my car was more suitable for this run than theirs. I believe that I could trim another 4 or 5 seconds off my time and bring it down close to 1:20. But I could never bring it down to Heiki's 1:16 even if I gained another 100 HP. Heiki is just that good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 Why is sound so crappy ? It's me, I don't know what I'm doing when it comes to video. Croc went a long way to educate me but I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I put the mic in the rear storage area under the canvas cover. Mike - You are being way too hard on yourself. For a start the location under the rear tonneau in the boot area is actually pretty good since it is a resonator. It works ok on my CSR with the same mic on track and a UK S3 I have video from so why not yours - I have no idea? You have to look at my record from 2 weeks back at the sevens weekend - I wired up 4 cars with powered microphones under the bonnets on Sat and only 2 of those worked. For Sun I went back and rechecked everything and still only got 2 (different) cars working. :banghead: Decent sound on video from our cars is one hell of a challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted July 2, 2013 Author Share Posted July 2, 2013 Mike - You are being way too hard on yourself. For a start the location under the rear tonneau in the boot area is actually pretty good since it is a resonator. It works ok on my CSR with the same mic on track and a UK S3 I have video from so why not yours - I have no idea? You have to look at my record from 2 weeks back at the sevens weekend - I wired up 4 cars with powered microphones under the bonnets on Sat and only 2 of those worked. For Sun I went back and rechecked everything and still only got 2 (different) cars working. :banghead: Decent sound on video from our cars is one hell of a challenge. Thanks for the kind words but I really did a bad job on the audio, sounds like the mic was attached to the tire. I'm not using a powered mic but maybe I should. However, in the scheme of things, I try to concentrate on getting the track driving done and fit in the electronic gadgetry as time and energy permits. The RaceChrono that you recommended (thank you) works quite well but seems to demand a lot of recharging so now I have it wired to the car's battery to eliminate that problem. The GoPro3 (white edition) works well and takes very good video but as you and everyone else has known, pretty bad audio. However, i think the built in mic does a better job than the Olympus mic I used. Someone said you wired the mics in the engine compartment and it turned out to give excellent sound. I think all of us consider you to be the wizzard of electronics (and possibly the master of Lotus driving) so your input is like the Holy Graille. I'm trying to avoid having so much electronics going on that I focus on it rather than my lap times. But having said that, I am open to suggestions on audio. Powered mic ? I found the software you suggested, Race Render, to be really slick and use it to sync my datalogging to the video, and it works great. And it's relatively easy to use. So please give me some suggestions on mics and locations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitcat Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 Croc a wizzard? Well, maybe the Great Oz:). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted July 2, 2013 Author Share Posted July 2, 2013 The road used is not actually part of the (Tail of the) Dragon, it is another road in a park in Santeelah iirc. Absolutely love CCR's inflatable at the start. Been lusting for one like that for my region for a couple of years since they got theirs. Great driving Klasic Mike. Did Heikki or Bowland attend last weekend? This year they suspended an inflatable dragon before the start line inflatable and it was awesome. I wish I had taken a picture of it to show you. It was about 12 or 14 foot tall and was suspended from a cable that went between two trees on the mountain. We tried to figure out how they got someone to climb up the mountain, about 80 feet up, to attach the top cable. By the way, the NCR of the SCCA just announced a few days ago that this was the largest attendance for this hillclimb. I think we had 92 cars and 101 drivers, and thousands of spectators. Luckily only two accidents which were relatively minor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Croc Posted July 2, 2013 Share Posted July 2, 2013 I think all of us consider you to be the wizard of electronics (and possibly the master of Lotus driving) so your input is like the Holy Graille. :rofl: Me a wizard? I am definitely from Oz! :cooldude: LOL - just very patient with electronics to find out the best way of making them work. As for master of driving - I think I was the only one to kiss the wall lately :ack: I will try to find time to write a thread this weekend with links to sample footage and suggestions on what works or does not work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klasik-69 Posted July 2, 2013 Author Share Posted July 2, 2013 :rofl: Me a wizard? I am definitely from Oz! :cooldude: LOL - just very patient with electronics to find out the best way of making them work. As for master of driving - I think I was the only one to kiss the wall lately :ack: I will try to find time to write a thread this weekend with links to sample footage and suggestions on what works or does not work. Mike, do you think putting the mic under the dash has any merrit ? I seem to pick up suspension or wind rushing noise regardless of where I put the mic but have never put it under the dash. No wind under there but perhaps the suspension noise would be....not sure. Also, I don't use what you call the dead cat cover on the mic............I assume we're talking about the big hairy thing that is supposed to eliminate wind noise. Another thing is my exhaust exits ahead of the left rear wheel. It used to be at the rear of the car but the pipe was rubbing on the wider tires and I found this solution to be the easiest way to eliminate tire rubbing. About kissing the wall, it's part of going fast. If you don't spin out, don't ever go 4 wheels off, you're likely pussy footing around the track. So kissing the wall is like the red badge of courage, the ultimate trophy of putting life and limb, and car, in a lower priority to overall speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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