Messages

In gui.h. But what are you trying to do? The feature is already in the nightly builds, and confirmed to work.

I am trying to get the EOS-M's LiveView and touchscreen capabilities to remain on at the same time that I have an external HDMI monitor connected, so that I may monitor audio from the monitor.

Alternately, if there is a function in ML to allow the Digital A/V output to work without losing Live View, that'd work.

The nightly build I have in my EOS-M is from Jun 21st; haven't found support for either in it.

-Kurt

Is there a list of known Canon events listed somewhere here on the forum? Would help me to know what I'm getting into before getting into it.

-Kurt

Before I go off trying to do one thing to fix another, I was able to get an event for the HDMI cable:

p=fffffff9 *0= 0/ 0/ 0 a=fffe1dc0

-Kurt

I've tried it on 550D and works really well.

You can try it in the current nightly.

If this is the process, it looks as if I'm going to have a fun evening: http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=2899.msg14021#msg14021

Any chance of the button remapping (and any HDMI mods) actually making it into a build? I'm doing this mainly to see if I can get the EOS-M monitor to stay on when monitoring audio.

-Kurt

Are you able to compile ML yourself?

I've done HTML and rudimentary game physics coding. Show me a link to get started, and I'll give it a shot.

-Kurt

Short press will keep its old functionality.

True.

Where should I go from here as per ML protocols?

-Kurt

Alright, so a long-press on "down" in addition to the existing two-finger method should not hurt, right?

Probably. One won't be able to reset the focus area on the ML screen; that's the main issue.

FYI, the "right" key on the ML screen does nothing - might be acceptable to map it there, so long as it can be isolated from the Canon screen where it operates the switch between aperture and exposure.

-Kurt

These codes are defined as GMT_GUICMD_PRESS_BUTTON_SOMETHING (common to many buttons), BGMT_PRESS_DOWN and BGMT_UNPRESS_DOWN.

Normally, the "down" key is used to move the focus box (when no Canon menus are triggered). Is it different on the EOS-M?

I'm also thinking at a long press of SET, if it sends the proper codes.

Sorry if I'm a bit slow in responding, but I'm shooting with the camera at the same time.

The 4-position up-down-left-right ring (which also rotates) does NOT move the focus box. Up is your shooting mode, left is AE lock, right cycles between shutter speed and aperture (which are then adjusted with the rotating ring), and down resets the focus box to center. The focus box itself is moved via the touch screen.

-Kurt

You tell me; I don't have an EOS-M.

I've never tried to code ML - this ought to be interesting for both of us! 

That said, going by what I'm getting with ML GUI logging on the 300ms delay, it seems as if the garbage can emits the following code:

This is on short press:

p= 54 *o= 0/0/0 a= 0
p= 2c *o= 0/0/0 a= 0
p= 2d *o= 0/0/0 a= 0

This is on long press:

p= 54 *o= 0/0/0 a= 0
p= 2c *o= 0/0/0 a= 0
p= 2d *o= 0/0/0 a= 0
p= 2c *o= e1a000/14e59ff0/14e59ff0 a= 0
p= 2d *o= 0/0/0 a= 0
p= 2c *o= e1a000/14e59ff0/14e59ff0 a= 0

Near as I can figure it, it throws the p= 2c *o= e1a000/14e59ff0/14e59ff0 a= 0 event to log the long-press garbage can. Does this make sense?

-Kurt

Can you suggest a button? Use the "Show GUI events" option to see if that button can be recognized by ML.

Long presses can be detected too; for this, your button has to send a "press" and a "unpress" event.

A long press of the garbage can would probably work.

Would "Show GUI Events" log the code?

-Kurt

[EDIT:]

You should help with the development effort over here:  http://www.magiclantern.fm/forum/index.php?topic=12375.0

When this is done, I assume a lot of HDMI issues will be fixed.

Would be glad to do so, if it is feasible to perform the dumps without touchscreen capabilities.

EDIT: I successfully dumped all video modes with the M, but when I connect my monitor to HDMI out, I lose the touchscreen. Is there an alternate method of accessing ML's menu other than two finger taps?

-Kurt

P.S.: I take it from your reply that HDMI-out w/LiveView is not supported at this time - correct?

Forgive me if this has been asked before, but after 5 hours of searching, I have yet to find a current answer:

I am trying to figure out some method of monitoring audio from the EOS-M while retaining LiveView. The FAQ states that the Digital A/V-to-RCA output is not supported on the M.

Hence, I've been trying to find out whether either Magic or Tragic Lantern's most recent build will allow for Live View functionality when connected via HDMI to a monitor. My Sony field/studio monitor has an audio-out jack from which I can monitor the EOS-M, but it'd be nice to have the touchscreen settings to allow for adjustment without cycling through multiple menus.

-Kurt

Like it or not, the only affordable solution to shooting close to those settings today is the GoPro Hero 3 Black.

It is astounding that the ML crew has been able to unlock as much as they have from the Canon CMOS sensor and its firmware, but even without an electronics or programming degree, the present specifications of the Canon sensors (and just a mere explanation of their operation) makes their limitations quite understandable.

The fact that these gentlemen have squeezed dual-ISO out of these sensors is fascinating in its own right.

-Kurt

Lol, they told me the same thing when my DXA was feeding gnd through the tripod screw and introducing a hum... yay buy something else. Sure...

We'll see how the shoe design of the Connect fares. I have good feelings about it.

As for your unit - did you swap from G2 to G1 to compensate for the ground loop?

-Kurt

Harry at BeachTek just wrote:

We designed the DXA-SLR adapter for use with the Canon firmware – not the Magic Lantern. With a setting of 25% gain in the camera, the output level of the adapter is perfectly matched for the camera. Note that the output level is not line level – it is an amplified mic level signal which is about -36 dBu.

I would not recommend that you connect the headphone output to the camera. While this will give you a much stronger signal, the headphone amplifier will compromise your signal. The signal from the OUT jack goes through low noise amplifiers and is much cleaner than the headphone output.

The DXA-CONNECT appears to be the best unit for use with a 5D running Magic Lantern. Can't wait

-Kurt

I don't have this prob with a few preamps/mixers I use but I notice that the external mic on AK4646 is real quiet... how does it work with +6db digital gain to each channel (both channels at once), what happens to the noise floor since the beachtek is attenuating -20DB... IMO the "hiss" from this chip is mainly raised floor or uneven digital gain.

Also should add.. do like 10db analog and +6db digital.

I haven't tried adding digital gain to each channel from the camera, as I see no reason to add digital artifacts to the noise floor when the analog setup can compensate for it.

If nothing else, it's a problem with the BeachTek's audio output.

Whoa, I just looked this thing up, $285? That's way too much for something as simple as basically just a preamp. You could get a Zoom H4n for that and be able to record much better quality, even do 4 channels (2 built in + 2 line in). Even if it was an incredibly high quality preamp that's worth that much, you're throwing away all the quality by recording with dslr audio input. I have a H4n myself for when I don't want to lug around my giant 4U recording rack, or when I need to be discreet.

1. Bought it used.
2. All those extra steps are easy to throw around when quick workflows are not a consideration.
3. Not everyone uses ML for RAW. While I am filmmaker by hobby, it doesn't pay the bills, nor does it improve my workflow. People who have no idea of the tech problems behind using DSLRs for ENG-style interviews and documentaries request exactly such setups. So be it; they pay well.

That said, seeing as the problem has nothing to do with ML, I'm going to send Harry at BeachTek an email to see if he can explain the reason for the extensive attenuation on the intended output signal.

Thanks all.

-Kurt

[I did wind up connecting connecting the camera's input to the BeachTek's headphone output, rather than the BeachTek's intended to-camera ouput.Voilà - the output impedance from the headphone jack could be matched in the camera with a bit of fiddling with the volume knob. The primitive V/U meters on the BeachTek (yes, I realize clipping is arbitrary, but it's good enough to know whether the camera should be getting a very hot signal or not) could be easily with those on the camera with no additional gain necessary. I recorded a clip and checked the audio in Adobe Audition for noise - it is clean, and what I expected given my trim settings.Now, I'm no great audio expert - as has been undoubtedly noted - but it seems as if the intended output jack of the BeachTek sends out a severely attenuated signal, and the headphone output gives access to the full range of the same signal.]

What the clipping level is, is completely arbitrary and depends on the amplifer circuit design. Decibels are a relative quantity, relative to the reference voltage of the ADC or maxium voltage the amplifer circuit can handle, these are arbitrary design choices. Even if the clip voltage of your preamp is the same a the maxium voltage of the camera's ADC, the impedance in the circuit between the output of your preamp and the input to the camera's ADC is going to cause a loss (or gain depending on the circuit, like if there is an amplifer in the circuit; if the circuit is passive, then there can only be a loss), which means you can easily clip on your preamp and not on the mic input. An impedance mismatch between the preamp output and camera is going to make the loss worse.

Makes sense.

Perhaps you do have a defective unit. Have you tried plugging your mic directly in to your camera looking at the signal, and then do it again with the preamp to see how much gain the preamp is actually giving you? Have you tried it on your camera without using ML to make sure it's not a problem with ML?

Perhaps this preamp is just not capable of giving you enough gain that is neccessary, though I would think it should have been designed to be capable of giving you plenty.

I haven't plugged the mic directly (will try that right now), but I did wind up connecting connecting the camera's input to the BeachTek's headphone output, rather than the BeachTek's intended to-camera ouput.

Voilà - the output impedance from the headphone jack could be matched in the camera with a bit of fiddling with the volume knob. The primitive V/U meters on the BeachTek (yes, I realize clipping is arbitrary, but it's good enough to know whether the camera should be getting a very hot signal or not) could be easily with those on the camera with no additional gain necessary. I recorded a clip and checked the audio in Adobe Audition for noise - it is clean, and what I expected given my trim settings.

Now, I'm no great audio expert - as has been undoubtedly noted - but it seems as if the intended output jack of the BeachTek sends out a severely attenuated signal, and the headphone output gives access to the full range of the same signal.

Let me know if I'm completely off track or not.

EDIT: I connected for mic levels (lavalier connected directly to the camera with it's own power source) directly to the camera. Levels were too low - that mic needs amplification to line level.

-Kurt

[Are you not able to turn the camera's preamp down to 0, and turn your external premp up enough to get satisfactory levels?]

My mistake - let's throw the computer theory out the window for now.

Isn't the whole point of this box you have to boost the weak mic signals up to the high impedance level of the camera's input so you don't have to use the camera's crappy preamp?

Correct.

Are you not able to achieve that with this box?

I am not, for with the BeachTek cranked up to full 15db gain and the camera's analog preamp turned off, I have to drone into my lavalier (battery assist) or NTG-2 (phantom, of course) not more an inch from my mouth before I get levels in the -20db range on the camera.

I should note that the BeachTek's green lamps turn are turning red occasionally, which means that it sees clipping when the 5D sees around -20db.

Why does it supprise you to have to crank up the output of this preamp to match the high impedance of the camera's input, and make up for not using the camera's preamp? This makes perfect sense to me. I think your +15db switch is there exactly for this purpose.

What surprises me is that cranking the BeachTek preamp to maximum amplification - 15db with trim all the way up - still doesn't match the impedance of the camera.

It sounds to me like you don't really have a problem at all. Are you not able to turn the camera's preamp down to 0, and turn your external premp up enough to get satisfactory levels?

No.

-Kurt

[EDIT: Turns out to be an oddity with the BeachTek DXA-SLR; has nothing to do with ML; hence my marking it as solved. Granted, there remains a question about the preamp, for which I'm waiting for a reply from Harry at BeachTek, but for those curious as to a perfect workaround, read on.]

EDIT: Turns out to be an oddity with the BeachTek DXA-SLR; has nothing to do with ML; hence my marking it as solved. Granted, there remains a question about the preamp, for which I'm waiting for a reply from Harry at BeachTek, but for those curious as to a perfect workaround, read on.

I've been Googling about and tearing through the archives here at the ML forum to no avail (though one user in the audio sticky did seem to suggest a similar issue) hence, I am posting my specific quandary:

I'm presently running a Canon 5D Mark II with Magic Lantern. I also have a BeachTek DXA-SLR which I use in conjunction with it, but have had some difficulty attaining good audio levels without running the BeachTek's with the preamp gain on the "HI" setting (15db gain), and the trim controls around ~7 or ~8. Goes for both my cheapo Audio Technica battery-powered lavalier mics, and my phantom-powered Rode NTG2.

I was led to believe it was a problem with the BeachTek, but it isn't. I plugged the BeachTek directly into my computer and monitored its audio levels. As I thought, the BeachTek's preamps are putting out enough range that I can easily go straight past -6db and peak way past 0db if I jack up the trim controls even close to full. The green lamps on the BeachTek correlate this.

Therefore, it would seem logical that if I run the 5DM2 with ML set to 0db of analog gain (and 0db digital, obviously), and AGC off, I should get roughly (granted, 44.1kHz, but adequate in its own right) the same levels as the aforementioned good output from the BeachTek.

Problem is, I have to run Magic Lantern with a full 32db of analog gain (no digital gain, AGC turned off) to get roughly the same audio level as I hear clear from the BeachTek. It doesn't make sense, and introduces the hiss-prone preamps in the 5D which we're all trying to get away from to begin with.

For the sake of curiosity, I went back to 0db of analog gain and split the output from the BeachTek to both the computer and the camera. Whatever value was recorded by Audacity from the BeachTek output was recorded by the camera at a level roughly 20dB lower (-18db from the BeachTek becomes -38 in the camera). With the headphones on the BeachTek, I could jump from monitoring the XLR signal directly from the BeachTek, and jump to the A/V-to-RCA signal directly from the camera and hear the reduction in gain, live.

I realize the camera is limited to recording in 16bit 44.1kHz, but that doesn't explain the wild difference in volume.

I highly doubt that I've missed anything, for I've been up and down the settings, the manual, and the forum (both ML's forum and everyone else on Google) quite a few times.

I figured now is the time to ask the experts. I'm not sure if I've found a problem or not.

Many thanks for any help that can be provided.

-Kurt