Discovered this the hard way from using my XL on the outside of my car with an separate mic inside the car, but the camera only picked up sound from the camera mic. This post inspired me to check the connections -- plugging in an external mic into the (waterproof) screw-in adapter doesn't work. That is, the mic symbol doesn't show on the screen. But when I put the provided (non-waterproof) adapter between the screw-in adapter and the mic plug, the mic symbol shows up. I haven't tried it on the car yet, but will in the next day or so. The good news is it appears to work since it sensed the external mic. The bad news is that using the provided adapter defeats the waterproofing unless I seal it with shrink tubing (which is no longer a "quick disconnect") or with vinyl tape (I use sailing "rigging tape" since it comes off easy and clean). At least there is a fix. If this doesn't work on the car, I'll update this comment.
Totally hacked off with the microphone problem I have had three leads and they last only a short while. If I didn't get the mic icon I got wind noise. Amazon have the leads for £20 are they better quality?
The microfoon signal in the dispay of the Drift XL only comes on when it detects a microphone signal. Your microphone needs to have a 3.5mm 2 or 3pole connector with signal on the tip, and mass on the bottom ring, the middle ring is not important. Most aftermarket micro's have a 4pole connector with microphone signal on the 3th ring, mass on the 4th ring. (Standard OMTP Headset used in Android and PC's, not for Apple devices) If the ebay cable is straight forward then it will work because the Drift cable reverse the microphone tip signal to the 3th ring. (The Drift pin-out: 1th ring (tip) is not used, the 2th ring is for +5V USB, the 3th ring is for microphone, the 4th ring is mass microphone/5V USB) If you have a 4pole connector wich work on Apple devices, then you will probably see the microphone in the display, but still no sound because Apple reversed the pole settings for microphone signal and mass.
Just got mine, bought a microphone which has a 3.5mm but with an adaptor of 2 rings. At first I connected it directly without this mini adaptor and sound was horrible, then I realized it came wiht this adaptor which says its for professional cameras. Problem solved. Audio is clean, haven't tried yet on my helmet. My question is, why everybody is saying it stops working after a month of use?
I had been struggling with the wind noise from the cameras own external mic so in a desperate bit to beat this issue I did the following. If you open up the side of the camera that has the clip on ( be careful not to break the two wires going to the mic at the back of the camera that sounds when you turn the camera on and off ) and look at the inside of the case of the camera where the external mic is there are 2 very small square tabs if you break these off ( carefully) it will disable the cameras external mic but leave the function for the long external mic fully functional. I don't rely on the cameras own mic so I'm not bothered about it not working but if you do use your camera and sometimes use the cameras mic then don't do what I have done. I'm no electrical expert so if you do go ahead and do this modification be it at your own peril.
I had this same problem. I’ve now got it working by plugging in the small right angled extension cable and the mic icon has appeared and seems to be working fine. I’ve just had to tuck the spare cable into my helmet liner now.
@@65mmikee It came with the camera, but you can order them from the Drift website where you buy the cameras. driftinnovation.com/collections/accessories
I have the same problem and swapped the o ring from the blanking cap to the mic lead and it seems to work . There’s is obviously a design fault with the lead .
I had the same problem with the Drift adapter cable, but realized that if I backed the screwed in plug just a smidgen (5-10° counter-clockwise twist) the microphone symbol shows up and recording with the external microphone works fine; maybe the O-ring on the blanking cap is slightly thicker than the one on the adapter cable - I will try to swap them. As you already stated it seems like an obvious design flaw. The only problem for me now is that recorded audio is still at a disappointingly low level (although still somewhat audible in playback) even with microphone sensitivity set to 5, but that might have more to do with my choice of microphone (HELequip Helmic 3.1) than the camera (or possibly the combination of the two).
Thanks mate that worked for me too... To my eyes the blank plug o_ring is actually thiner but oh well... Not sure if this camera really worth the premium now.
Don’t tighten hard. When screwing it in check the screen and if the mic symbol disappears release tightness slightly and look for the mic symbol come back on. I tried today and works perfect.
I am fighting with mine still. After watching this video and after my several tries with rode (wired wrong) and all sorts of 3 to 4 pole adapters from amozon, I did find one that works, never rote down which it was, so when that failed I contacted Drift. Drift sent me a new connector cable, and for a while it was ok. I don't ride much, but have been recently and the Drift adapter has to be in exactly the right 'twist' or rotational position for it to trigger the symbol. You never know, you can't see it when in use, and with my front flip lid, it only takes a tiny nock and sound is back to outside mic...... Ring on, ring off, test, pissing about checking, I am sick of it. Half tempted to get the back off, cut the bloody plug off and hard wire the wire and socket to the board but the fix me pile has way more important things to do first........ surrounded by shit that has broken or doesn't do what it should!
this is a known problem but if you replace the O-ring with a thinner one it works or remove the O-ring but then you will not be waterproof at that point. hope that helps you.
Hi matey, where did you get aftermarket screw in adaptor( the short cable) from ? I broke mine accidentally by dropping my helmet and it only broke off the tip of the screw in Thanks
I've just purchased the XL and I'm not happy. I used to have the ghost X and the mini usb connection that came with the microphone adapter broke after a couple of rides. The problem was that because the connection was on the bottom of the camera the cable kept snagging on my motorcycle jacket collar. Needless to say i went back to using my old trusty ghost HD because the microphone port is on the back of the camera. Now drift have brought the XL out and the microphone connection is the worst one yet. I've been in touch with drift to tell them that the microphone adapter cable picture on their website is a 90 degree bend and that's why i purchased it but the actual adapter that came with the camera is as you know a straight jack which hangs so low that it once again will catch on my motorcycle jacket collar. They gave their excuses as follows We didn't have time to change the picture and that we've had problems with the 90 degree bend in production and so we changed it to the straight jack. Needless to say I'm returning the camera without even using it. Drift just can't get it right still. By the way i too wear a flip front helmet so have to place cameras low. Good luck.
Yea the audio is broken. I checked the latest firmware patch notes and it says 'improved microphone sensitivity'. If that is the case, they broke it with the firmware because now you cant hear a damn thing. If the audio at least worked i'd keep the camera and make do with the vertical jack, but now I cant even hear my own voice anymore unless i shout into the mic
Hi Mate. Just got my XL and tested it today (22nd Dec 2020). It works and the Mic symbol is shown on the display. Unfortunately the sound is very rough. Very loud. Any idea how to adjust the mic feedback??
Hi mate, I got the ghost xl for Christmas, just put the exturnal mic in and no mic symbol 🤔 can you please send me the link to the cable you have. And what mic do you have ? Many thanks.
I Have got the same problem mine worked fine for 2 months know it's intermittent if i play about with the lead it will connect but then looses it if the cable moves. looks like its breaking down in the insulation cover have contacted drift for a new one . but have ordered the one of Ebay see if that works it only 4 pounds .
Hi mate watched your video I’m having the same problem waiting for a response from drift can you give me a link to the aftermarket cable because I can’t find them. Thanks
Discovered this the hard way from using my XL on the outside of my car with an separate mic inside the car, but the camera only picked up sound from the camera mic. This post inspired me to check the connections -- plugging in an external mic into the (waterproof) screw-in adapter doesn't work. That is, the mic symbol doesn't show on the screen. But when I put the provided (non-waterproof) adapter between the screw-in adapter and the mic plug, the mic symbol shows up. I haven't tried it on the car yet, but will in the next day or so. The good news is it appears to work since it sensed the external mic. The bad news is that using the provided adapter defeats the waterproofing unless I seal it with shrink tubing (which is no longer a "quick disconnect") or with vinyl tape (I use sailing "rigging tape" since it comes off easy and clean). At least there is a fix. If this doesn't work on the car, I'll update this comment.
No problem whatsoever…had the external mic symbol first time round and the sound perfect from inside the helmet via the mic….
Totally hacked off with the microphone problem I have had three leads and they last only a short while. If I didn't get the mic icon I got wind noise. Amazon have the leads for £20 are they better quality?
The microfoon signal in the dispay of the Drift XL only comes on when it detects a microphone signal. Your microphone needs to have a 3.5mm 2 or 3pole connector with signal on the tip, and mass on the bottom ring, the middle ring is not important.
Most aftermarket micro's have a 4pole connector with microphone signal on the 3th ring, mass on the 4th ring. (Standard OMTP Headset used in Android and PC's, not for Apple devices)
If the ebay cable is straight forward then it will work because the Drift cable reverse the microphone tip signal to the 3th ring. (The Drift pin-out: 1th ring (tip) is not used, the 2th ring is for +5V USB, the 3th ring is for microphone, the 4th ring is mass microphone/5V USB)
If you have a 4pole connector wich work on Apple devices, then you will probably see the microphone in the display, but still no sound because Apple reversed the pole settings for microphone signal and mass.
its a trash cam got a refund years ago
i have this same issue but cant find this after market adaptor
Just got mine, bought a microphone which has a 3.5mm but with an adaptor of 2 rings. At first I connected it directly without this mini adaptor and sound was horrible, then I realized it came wiht this adaptor which says its for professional cameras. Problem solved. Audio is clean, haven't tried yet on my helmet. My question is, why everybody is saying it stops working after a month of use?
I had been struggling with the wind noise from the cameras own external mic so in a desperate bit to beat this issue I did the following. If you open up the side of the camera that has the clip on ( be careful not to break the two wires going to the mic at the back of the camera that sounds when you turn the camera on and off ) and look at the inside of the case of the camera where the external mic is there are 2 very small square tabs if you break these off ( carefully) it will disable the cameras external mic but leave the function for the long external mic fully functional. I don't rely on the cameras own mic so I'm not bothered about it not working but if you do use your camera and sometimes use the cameras mic then don't do what I have done. I'm no electrical expert so if you do go ahead and do this modification be it at your own peril.
I had this same problem. I’ve now got it working by plugging in the small right angled extension cable and the mic icon has appeared and seems to be working fine. I’ve just had to tuck the spare cable into my helmet liner now.
Did you use a push in jack or did you find a screw in one?
@@65mmikee I have both! Screw in right into the camera and had to add an extension push in Jack plug.
Where did you get them or what did you search for? I can’t find screw ins anywhere, not even eBay or Amazon. Maybe Im not using the right words🤷🏻♂️
@@65mmikee It came with the camera, but you can order them from the Drift website where you buy the cameras. driftinnovation.com/collections/accessories
@@65mmikee I am having the same prob but i just found one go to the link..... www.ebay.co.uk/itm/231858987862?hash=item35fbdf6356:g:ebsAAOSwZ1lWg7E1
Can you leave a link to the aftermarket cable? My mic that came with the ghost xl doesnt work at all.
I have the same problem and swapped the o ring from the blanking cap to the mic lead and it seems to work . There’s is obviously a design fault with the lead .
I had the same problem with the Drift adapter cable, but realized that if I backed the screwed in plug just a smidgen (5-10° counter-clockwise twist) the microphone symbol shows up and recording with the external microphone works fine; maybe the O-ring on the blanking cap is slightly thicker than the one on the adapter cable - I will try to swap them. As you already stated it seems like an obvious design flaw.
The only problem for me now is that recorded audio is still at a disappointingly low level (although still somewhat audible in playback) even with microphone sensitivity set to 5, but that might have more to do with my choice of microphone (HELequip Helmic 3.1) than the camera (or possibly the combination of the two).
Thanks mate that worked for me too... To my eyes the blank plug o_ring is actually thiner but oh well... Not sure if this camera really worth the premium now.
Don’t tighten hard. When screwing it in check the screen and if the mic symbol disappears release tightness slightly and look for the mic symbol come back on. I tried today and works perfect.
I am fighting with mine still. After watching this video and after my several tries with rode (wired wrong) and all sorts of 3 to 4 pole adapters from amozon, I did find one that works, never rote down which it was, so when that failed I contacted Drift. Drift sent me a new connector cable, and for a while it was ok. I don't ride much, but have been recently and the Drift adapter has to be in exactly the right 'twist' or rotational position for it to trigger the symbol. You never know, you can't see it when in use, and with my front flip lid, it only takes a tiny nock and sound is back to outside mic...... Ring on, ring off, test, pissing about checking, I am sick of it. Half tempted to get the back off, cut the bloody plug off and hard wire the wire and socket to the board but the fix me pile has way more important things to do first........ surrounded by shit that has broken or doesn't do what it should!
this is a known problem but if you replace the O-ring with a thinner one it works or remove the O-ring but then you will not be waterproof at that point. hope that helps you.
Hi matey, where did you get aftermarket screw in adaptor( the short cable) from ? I broke mine accidentally by dropping my helmet and it only broke off the tip of the screw in
Thanks
I wouldn't bother with this camera, the new XL Pro looks promising tho
Do you have a link to the one from ebay please?
Bought the after market cable adapter and still don’t see the mic icon. Is there anything else I need to do with the camera settings?
send it back
I've just purchased the XL and I'm not happy. I used to have the ghost X and the mini usb connection that came with the microphone adapter broke after a couple of rides. The problem was that because the connection was on the bottom of the camera the cable kept snagging on my motorcycle jacket collar. Needless to say i went back to using my old trusty ghost HD because the microphone port is on the back of the camera. Now drift have brought the XL out and the microphone connection is the worst one yet. I've been in touch with drift to tell them that the microphone adapter cable picture on their website is a 90 degree bend and that's why i purchased it but the actual adapter that came with the camera is as you know a straight jack which hangs so low that it once again will catch on my motorcycle jacket collar. They gave their excuses as follows
We didn't have time to change the picture and that we've had problems with the 90 degree bend in production and so we changed it to the straight jack.
Needless to say I'm returning the camera without even using it. Drift just can't get it right still.
By the way i too wear a flip front helmet so have to place cameras low. Good luck.
Yea the audio is broken. I checked the latest firmware patch notes and it says 'improved microphone sensitivity'. If that is the case, they broke it with the firmware because now you cant hear a damn thing.
If the audio at least worked i'd keep the camera and make do with the vertical jack, but now I cant even hear my own voice anymore unless i shout into the mic
Hi Mate. Just got my XL and tested it today (22nd Dec 2020). It works and the Mic symbol is shown on the display. Unfortunately the sound is very rough. Very loud. Any idea how to adjust the mic feedback??
got a refund months ago I suggest you do the same
can I ask you where you got the aftermarket audio connector from for this Ghost XL ? or send me the link for this one you bought. cheers
Cant remember Ebay probably but it doesnt work so why do you want it? Get a gopro or Akaso
Hi mate, I got the ghost xl for Christmas, just put the exturnal mic in and no mic symbol 🤔 can you please send me the link to the cable you have. And what mic do you have ? Many thanks.
i got a refund on the camera months ago mate, its trash
I Have got the same problem mine worked fine for 2 months know it's intermittent if i play about with the lead it will connect but then looses it if the cable moves. looks like its breaking down in the insulation cover have contacted drift for a new one . but have ordered the one of Ebay see if that works it only 4 pounds .
a trick: you can watch movies on flixzone. I've been using it for watching a lot of movies lately.
@Brayden Bjorn yea, been watching on Flixzone for years myself =)
I have the mic set at level 5 the highest, what should I have the speaker volume at? I have it set to off?
got a refund months ago I suggest you do the same
I bought the after market cable and although it shows the mic symbol it doesn’t work
Do you have a 4 pole connector on your microphone lead? If yes, does it work on Apple devices? If yes, than thats the problem.
Send the link where you get the aftermarket mic adapter
you need a smaller 0 ring and turn the wifi off on the camera whilst recording.
me too, exact same issue. Microphone was intermittent on first ride out now will not work at all.
You need to put one or 2 wind socks on it.. and turn up the sensor volume to full.
Nope its just broken, threw it away
Hi mate watched your video I’m having the same problem waiting for a response from drift can you give me a link to the aftermarket cable because I can’t find them. Thanks
just ebay waterproof 3.5mm adaptor
@@cruiserbrahuk5411 thanks, from eBay works correctly?
Same issue... !!! :(
Yhup... same here, within a month... not working 😕
Sell it dude
@@cruiserbrahuk5411 i could see, you pretty much mentioned the same to everyone one 😁
@@shadowrider9160 Sadly yes, one day they will get it right but for now I just cant recommend it