PRE-AMP or Magic Lantern

[mangrovedutch]

Hi All,

I'm using my 550D to film certain things for my *removed, breaches site rules*. I have bought a RODE SVM, but from my understanding, the audio quality is not the best SOOC, and you require to upgrade to get a better controlled sound. I've researched Magic Lantern a bit, and though it sounds relatively safe, they still offer numerous warnings about potentially fatal consequences to the camera. It is suppose to be a Firmware that runs with the Canon firmware, but in my books it is a hack. You download it on your memory card, and run it from there - I simply don't trust it.

What are my options available to control my Audio input and quality? I would like to monitor the sound live if possible and over ride the AGC which seems to be quite inferior. I've had a quick look at Pre-Amps like Beach Tek and JuicedLink, but they are an expensive bit of kit. Is there anything else on the market that I could use (software or hardware)? Can I tether to the laptop and use a software to control the Audio or am I stuck with a Pre-Amp?

I appreciate any assistance that is given. I'm a bit of a TechnoPhobe, it took me 6 months before I attempted any photoshop.

Kind Regards, Dutch