ProCoach

I think your observations are interesting, but not universal.

AFA AiM documentation, that's a fact, but with Laura added in Italy, they're doing better.

About 15% of the approximately six hundred systems including an SC HD that I have sold (80% all in one, 20% GP) use external mic inputs and of that, about a quarter use the integral mic and three-quarters use the external jack and their own microphone.

For those insistent on including the external mic option, I do recommend the external mic JACK so as to offer more flexible positioning and because several folks pipe in driver comments of driver/instructor communications onto the video. I will look for the mixer gain, as I have seen it and used it before. I personally have never found a need for the external mic in the multiples of SC HD systems I use on a daily basis.

The audio gain is a sticky wicket, as it is filtered by frequency and percussive effect which sometimes downplays the noises you want to hear and, infrequently, boosts the noise you don't want to hear. Also, there are differences between Revisions (hardware releases) of the cameras, even within the same model of camera.

None of this is an apologia for AiM or their equipment. As it stands, it offers a high degree of usability and utility, as well as useful automation, for a very reasonable price for that capability. But, there are a few cameras that I (or AiM Sports) have not been able to fix, too...

If you have trouble with the SC HD GP audio, you ought to listen to an older R-K! Not even suitable for upload to YouTube. Sounds like a Marshall amp on 11!

RichFL

I tried placing the microphone in several places. I ended up mounting the microphone in the passenger foot well, put a muffler from a camcorder mic on it and adjusted the gain. The sound isn't great, but it seems a little better than any place else I tried.

Difool

I ended up in about the same place. Removed internal foam, added an external cover, and got something decent enough with the mic on the passenger side of the center console, down under the front of the seat. Cheers

ProCoach

The latest firmware and cameras allow this:

Difool

Wierd. As of two weeks ago I had the latest. Did they release again since then? That looks exactly like the screen on the older SC I saw. Any chance it works differently for the GP?

ProCoach

I'll look at my HD GP when I get back from Road Atlanta.