Rode Stereo Video Mic at DVinfo.net

Edward Klassen · December 19th, 2009, 11:26 PM

Hi: I use a Canon Vixia HG21 with a Rode Stereo Video Mic. I have it mounted on the top of the camera with a tripod. I really like this mic and serves me well for all my home videos.

I am also an aviation enthusiast and sometimes film at my local airports. I also use it when i go to airshows.

The problem when i use the rode is it picks up a "clicking" sound from the radar at 2 of the 3 airports i spot at. My onboard mic does not do this. It's about every 6 seconds a "click" sound in my video. Very annoying and on lets say a 20knot windy day even if a plane is flying by close you can still here the clicking sound.

Is there anything i can do about this. I googled and searched and haven't found much success. My RSVM does not do this sound anywhere but at the airport. Every 6 seconds whether it's dead silent or super loud there is that radar clicking sound.

Any thoughts. I've tried different places at the airport to no success. I've also tried my other Canon DM-100 and it does the same thing. I've tried recording to my SDHC card also.

Is this just the hand I'm dealt with and nothing i can do about it. A 10knot wind with onboard sound is a hurricane in the making.

Bruce Foreman · December 20th, 2009, 01:43 AM

TheWindCutter.com, Professional Microphone Windscreens

These folks also make small "stick on" furry windmuffs for onboard mics in addition to the furry windmuffs they make for external microphones.

I've seen excellent comments on all their products.

Allan Black · December 20th, 2009, 05:55 AM

Hi Edward, first time I've heard of anything like this and I don't think RODE have either. Also don't think it's radar, for one thing they revolve faster than 6secs and there would be more complaints from others. Try asking the airport authorities.

But 2 out of 3 airports maybe a clue, are there any military bases, rescue services etc. close by?
Cheers.

Steve House · December 20th, 2009, 09:35 AM

Might be VOR, VORTAC, or ILS localizer transmissions. Unbalanced mics are notorious for being susceptible to electrical interference being picked up in the mic or in the cable. The Rode SVM's plastic case doesn't really offer much in the way of RF shielding. Nearby radio transmitters are good culprits, whether radar or something else, and airports are packed to the gills with 'em. A lot of navigation aids emit pulses at varying rates on a number of different bands depending on just what sort of navaid it is. If you happen to be standing near one while filming, anything goes.

Jim Andrada · December 21st, 2009, 12:04 AM

Just a thought - if you have footage with the clicking noise, you may be able to eliminate it or seriously reduce it by running the audio track through something like Izotope RX or Sound Soap. Izotope (and if I remember right, Sound Soap as well) has a good de-clicker filter mostly intended to take care of clicks from digitized vinyl, but hey, a click is a click! (Well, maybe not really, but worth a try)

If you have a clip with a few clicks on it, could you post it?

I'd be happy to take a listen and see if I can come up with a way to get rid of them.

These two apps are not particularly cheap, but if they'll work then maybe a lower end vinyl declicker app might work as well.

For what it's worth.

Edward Klassen · December 21st, 2009, 11:26 AM

Thanks for all your responses. I didn't think to think it could be other VOR or ILS transmissions. I do have an ATC radio with me also but I've tried not using that to eliminate a possibility but that hasn't helped.

I can fade the sound (I use Vegas 9) slowly in with the video until the plane arrives or at my local airport when my friend does his flying and then when the plane is past fade the sound out which helps and isn't so "noticable".

I didn't know there was potential software to remove something like this. I will check out Sound Soap and Izotope and see where that goes.

I'll be busy this Christmas week and if i get a chance I'll use youtube and post a video.

Thanks.

Jim Andrada · December 21st, 2009, 12:25 PM

Well, this isn't a "click" exactly, but here's a before and after of removing a bad "bump" from a chamber music recital that I cleaned up with Izotope RX for a violinist friend - I think from the character/resonance of the original sound that the cellist bumped the instrument against something while playing.

Before

http://www.j-e-andrada.com/W_Bump.mp3

After

http://www.j-e-andrada.com/WO_Bump.mp3

Paul R Johnson · December 21st, 2009, 12:55 PM

The 6 second between clicks is the key. Secondary Surveillance Radar is almost certainly the culprit. The beam as it sweeps saturates the pre amp in the mic - or sometimes is just collected by the mic metalwork, conducted via the cable to the camera and the emp make the noise. It's usually a very short kind of buzz. Look for the radar head rotating at the same interference period. I first came across it during the Falklands War - Sony and Ampex Betacams being very prone to it. If you're very close it can also produce a pattern on the picture.

Allan Black · December 25th, 2009, 04:58 PM

Hi Edward, this is worth a shot. Try wrapping 1 or 2 layers of heavy duty alfoil around the body of the SVM and its short cable, and tape it up to stop it rattling.

Jim, that's a nice debumping job. Yep cellists with boney knees can be trouble. Hope she was pretty, that makes up for it. When I was 18 in the studios I fell in love with one once, she used to purr give me an A .. and I'd give her everything.

Cheers.

Jim Andrada · December 25th, 2009, 06:14 PM

I suspect it was more of a bump the chair thing and it was a bear to clean up - most of the impact noises I come across seem to be spread over higher frequencies and I've seen Izotope reporting applause harmonics over 50kHz. But this one was smack on top of the normal cello frequencies.

I'll post another one that's driving me nuts - removing yelling kids from a mall recording of a tuba - euphonium quartet. The performance space was dead on in front of the kiddie play area!

I'm having great fun (NOT) installing S/W on my new machine and having to rummage for the old boxes with the serial numbers of the old versions. It's worth it though - new box checked out at about 6X as fast on some high resolution renders of CG images. Took six hours on the old machine (one frame!) and under an hour on the new i7 screamer.

Hope Santa was good to you!

Allan Black · December 25th, 2009, 10:09 PM

So far .. my new i7 is yet to surface. Dreading changing over. O/T sorry Edward .. Jim are you Win7? Cheers.

Jim Andrada · December 25th, 2009, 10:50 PM

I'm running XP64 on a Boxx system - very nice as when you open the covers you can see that someone actually engineered the system. Cable routing is well organized and there's a vertical divider between the processor/mobo bay and the drive bays (6 bays - only two drives as of now) and on the drive side there are actually raceways for the cables to lie in and some of the airflow from the two large front fans is diverted across the drives.

Since we've gotten O/T let's e-mail if you want to discuss. Of course, if you ever get back to Tucson we can discuss in person!

Edward Klassen · February 13th, 2010, 01:43 PM

well after trying different things suggested in this thread sound soap has worked the best for me. It basically removes the radar blips to virtually no sound at all. Thanks for the advice in this thread.

I also tried wrapping the Rode in foil but it didn't do the trick. With the wind jammer i have and the sound soap plugin the rode will now be used at the airport and airshows i go to this year.

thanks again.

December 19th, 2009, 11:26 PM	#1
Edward Klassen New Boot Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 14	Rode Stereo Video Mic Hi: I use a Canon Vixia HG21 with a Rode Stereo Video Mic. I have it mounted on the top of the camera with a tripod. I really like this mic and serves me well for all my home videos. I am also an aviation enthusiast and sometimes film at my local airports. I also use it when i go to airshows. The problem when i use the rode is it picks up a "clicking" sound from the radar at 2 of the 3 airports i spot at. My onboard mic does not do this. It's about every 6 seconds a "click" sound in my video. Very annoying and on lets say a 20knot windy day even if a plane is flying by close you can still here the clicking sound. Is there anything i can do about this. I googled and searched and haven't found much success. My RSVM does not do this sound anywhere but at the airport. Every 6 seconds whether it's dead silent or super loud there is that radar clicking sound. Any thoughts. I've tried different places at the airport to no success. I've also tried my other Canon DM-100 and it does the same thing. I've tried recording to my SDHC card also. Is this just the hand I'm dealt with and nothing i can do about it. A 10knot wind with onboard sound is a hurricane in the making.

December 20th, 2009, 05:55 AM	#3
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,931	Hi Edward, first time I've heard of anything like this and I don't think RODE have either. Also don't think it's radar, for one thing they revolve faster than 6secs and there would be more complaints from others. Try asking the airport authorities. But 2 out of 3 airports maybe a clue, are there any military bases, rescue services etc. close by? Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

December 20th, 2009, 09:35 AM	#4
Steve House Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,742	Might be VOR, VORTAC, or ILS localizer transmissions. Unbalanced mics are notorious for being susceptible to electrical interference being picked up in the mic or in the cable. The Rode SVM's plastic case doesn't really offer much in the way of RF shielding. Nearby radio transmitters are good culprits, whether radar or something else, and airports are packed to the gills with 'em. A lot of navigation aids emit pulses at varying rates on a number of different bands depending on just what sort of navaid it is. If you happen to be standing near one while filming, anything goes. __________________ Good news, Cousins! This week's chocolate ration is 15 grams!

December 21st, 2009, 11:26 AM	#6
Edward Klassen New Boot Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 14	thanks Thanks for all your responses. I didn't think to think it could be other VOR or ILS transmissions. I do have an ATC radio with me also but I've tried not using that to eliminate a possibility but that hasn't helped. I can fade the sound (I use Vegas 9) slowly in with the video until the plane arrives or at my local airport when my friend does his flying and then when the plane is past fade the sound out which helps and isn't so "noticable". I didn't know there was potential software to remove something like this. I will check out Sound Soap and Izotope and see where that goes. I'll be busy this Christmas week and if i get a chance I'll use youtube and post a video. Thanks.

December 25th, 2009, 04:58 PM	#9
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,931	Hi Edward, this is worth a shot. Try wrapping 1 or 2 layers of heavy duty alfoil around the body of the SVM and its short cable, and tape it up to stop it rattling. Jim, that's a nice debumping job. Yep cellists with boney knees can be trouble. Hope she was pretty, that makes up for it. When I was 18 in the studios I fell in love with one once, she used to purr give me an A .. and I'd give her everything. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

December 20th, 2009, 01:43 AM	#2
Bruce Foreman Trustee Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: San Angelo Texas Posts: 1,518	TheWindCutter.com, Professional Microphone Windscreens These folks also make small "stick on" furry windmuffs for onboard mics in addition to the furry windmuffs they make for external microphones. I've seen excellent comments on all their products.

December 21st, 2009, 12:04 AM	#5
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	Just a thought - if you have footage with the clicking noise, you may be able to eliminate it or seriously reduce it by running the audio track through something like Izotope RX or Sound Soap. Izotope (and if I remember right, Sound Soap as well) has a good de-clicker filter mostly intended to take care of clicks from digitized vinyl, but hey, a click is a click! (Well, maybe not really, but worth a try) If you have a clip with a few clicks on it, could you post it? I'd be happy to take a listen and see if I can come up with a way to get rid of them. These two apps are not particularly cheap, but if they'll work then maybe a lower end vinyl declicker app might work as well. For what it's worth.

December 21st, 2009, 12:25 PM	#7
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	Well, this isn't a "click" exactly, but here's a before and after of removing a bad "bump" from a chamber music recital that I cleaned up with Izotope RX for a violinist friend - I think from the character/resonance of the original sound that the cellist bumped the instrument against something while playing. Before http://www.j-e-andrada.com/W_Bump.mp3 After http://www.j-e-andrada.com/WO_Bump.mp3

December 21st, 2009, 12:55 PM	#8
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,045	The 6 second between clicks is the key. Secondary Surveillance Radar is almost certainly the culprit. The beam as it sweeps saturates the pre amp in the mic - or sometimes is just collected by the mic metalwork, conducted via the cable to the camera and the emp make the noise. It's usually a very short kind of buzz. Look for the radar head rotating at the same interference period. I first came across it during the Falklands War - Sony and Ampex Betacams being very prone to it. If you're very close it can also produce a pattern on the picture.

December 25th, 2009, 06:14 PM	#10
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	I suspect it was more of a bump the chair thing and it was a bear to clean up - most of the impact noises I come across seem to be spread over higher frequencies and I've seen Izotope reporting applause harmonics over 50kHz. But this one was smack on top of the normal cello frequencies. I'll post another one that's driving me nuts - removing yelling kids from a mall recording of a tuba - euphonium quartet. The performance space was dead on in front of the kiddie play area! I'm having great fun (NOT) installing S/W on my new machine and having to rummage for the old boxes with the serial numbers of the old versions. It's worth it though - new box checked out at about 6X as fast on some high resolution renders of CG images. Took six hours on the old machine (one frame!) and under an hour on the new i7 screamer. Hope Santa was good to you!

December 25th, 2009, 10:09 PM	#11
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,931	So far .. my new i7 is yet to surface. Dreading changing over. O/T sorry Edward .. Jim are you Win7? Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

December 25th, 2009, 10:50 PM	#12
Jim Andrada Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Tucson AZ Posts: 2,211	I'm running XP64 on a Boxx system - very nice as when you open the covers you can see that someone actually engineered the system. Cable routing is well organized and there's a vertical divider between the processor/mobo bay and the drive bays (6 bays - only two drives as of now) and on the drive side there are actually raceways for the cables to lie in and some of the airflow from the two large front fans is diverted across the drives. Since we've gotten O/T let's e-mail if you want to discuss. Of course, if you ever get back to Tucson we can discuss in person!

February 13th, 2010, 01:43 PM	#13
Edward Klassen New Boot Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 14	rode mic blips well after trying different things suggested in this thread sound soap has worked the best for me. It basically removes the radar blips to virtually no sound at all. Thanks for the advice in this thread. I also tried wrapping the Rode in foil but it didn't do the trick. With the wind jammer i have and the sound soap plugin the rode will now be used at the airport and airshows i go to this year. thanks again.