How much Would a Rode Lavelier improve this video? at DVinfo.net

Jeff Dinges · August 4th, 2011, 01:53 PM

Check out this property video I shot using a t3i. I was using a Zoom H1 on the speaker and a $15 lapel mic, i think the ME15.

Based on the video, do you think that the $250 Rode Lavelier would improve the production enough for the investment?

I do admit that I purposely had the levels max out at -20db because upon testing I did not trust the mic to perform and I'd rather bump up the volume and add noise than have the speaker's voice go bad.

any comment welcome.

Allan Black · August 5th, 2011, 07:58 PM

Yes I do, but see a dealer and try one with a test, comparing the 2 to see if they suit you.

Cheers.

Chris Harding · August 6th, 2011, 02:06 AM

I dunno Allan

The audio seemed pretty much OK to me!! I shoot all my weddings with Azden transmitters and the standard mic that goes with them which is probably a bit better than the $15 one but maybe a Rode would be a bit of an overkill there??? I use two of their VM's for ambient but I don't think that a $250 purchase will make that much difference...maybe just a mic from a good brand wireless system??

Nice video Jeff !! Looking at it as a "potential buyer" I think I would have preferred the lady go from room to room with almost continuous narration... her inserts were definately good but would have been way better if the story had continued thruout the tour of the property. Wow!! quite a mansion...us mere mortals only dream about homes like that!!!

Chris

Renton Maclachlan · August 6th, 2011, 10:47 PM

Nice filming...but in the last shot, 'let's celebrate', you can see the mic cord...lifting the bottom of the ladies shirt/blouse..

Steve House · August 7th, 2011, 06:33 AM

Not bad sounding at all but I think the response to your initial question would have to be that a higher quality mic could have given a smoother, more natural sounding track. Of course that also depends on the rest of your recording chain was as well ... spending money on mics is not necessarily a magic bullet. Did you record to wav or mp3 format?

Not a sound issue but I see a LOT of jerkiness in the pans, very disturbing. Is that in the original or is it an artifact of Vimeo?

I hate to be the one to mention it, but you DID clear licenses on all the music you used, didn't you? It's a lot harder to get away with bending the copyright laws on an advertising piece destined to be published on the 'net then it is in a wedding video that is only going to be seen by a relatively few people. The ghosts of Beethoven and Jobim could come back to haunt you if you don't have all the legal 't's crossed and 'i's dotted.

Andrew Smith · August 7th, 2011, 07:00 AM

The real issue here is that for $15 you got the most "obviously there" lav mic in recorded history. Audio issues aside (and the Rode mic will give you a nicer sound), I'd pony up the bucks simply to have something a little more discrete.

If you're going to spend some dollars on a lapel then take a look at the Rode pin-mic which you can then hide in plain sight. It's a win-win for you.

Andrew

Kevin Walsh · August 7th, 2011, 08:08 AM

Jeff, nice work. I think the audio is fine and a new mic won't make much of a difference. I think the biggest gains could be realized by working on the pacing. The shots are beautiful but a little long and repetitive. I would break the video up with more detail shots. I also agree with Chris about the narration.
Overall really nice though. I'm sure your client will be thrilled.

Andrew Smith · August 7th, 2011, 08:14 AM

Speaking of shots: When the gate opens at the beginning, that's when the focus needs to change from the gate to the house. Can't speak highly enough of the mystique generated by an out of focus building. :-P

That's the first thing that I would suggest changing. I was otherwise just keeping to the lav issue per the start of the thread, that's all.

Andrew

Buba Kastorski · August 11th, 2011, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff Dinges

Based on the video, do you think that the $250 Rode Lavelier would improve the production enough for the investment?

you would hear the difference, but I would rather replaced H1, if you want improve on sound quality you need better recorder, and better mike, I'm not saying it terrible, it sounds good for the budget, but if I was using this setup I would try to help it a bit in soundbooth;

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andrew Smith

When the gate opens at the beginning, that's when the focus needs to change from the gate to the house.

2nd that, looks weird :)

Jeff Dinges · August 11th, 2011, 06:21 PM

Thanks for watching everyone.

This was my first real estate/property related video.

I'm hoping that I can start doing this for event venue around town.

I have my work cut out for me as far as marketing this service.

Chad Johnson · August 12th, 2011, 05:35 PM

You absolutely should invest in a proper lav. The Rode is a great choice, and will improve your dialogue audio, making it cut through more clearly. But since this is already shot, you could export the lav track and put it into an NLE ad EQ it for better clarity. Maybe cut the lows a bit and add a little bump at 5k for a presence boost.

This is an example vid I made with 3 women using the PinMic. The PinMic sounds exactly the same as the Rode Lav.

And here is a shootout comparing 4 lavs, one being the Rode Lav.

August 4th, 2011, 01:53 PM	#1
Jeff Dinges Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 50	How much Would a Rode Lavelier improve this video? Check out this property video I shot using a t3i. I was using a Zoom H1 on the speaker and a $15 lapel mic, i think the ME15. Based on the video, do you think that the $250 Rode Lavelier would improve the production enough for the investment? I do admit that I purposely had the levels max out at -20db because upon testing I did not trust the mic to perform and I'd rather bump up the volume and add noise than have the speaker's voice go bad. any comment welcome. Villa Di Luci on Vimeo

August 5th, 2011, 07:58 PM	#2
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,935	Re: How much Would a Rode Lavelier improve this video? Yes I do, but see a dealer and try one with a test, comparing the 2 to see if they suit you. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

August 6th, 2011, 02:06 AM	#3
Chris Harding Inner Circle Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Perth, Western Australia Posts: 8,441	Re: How much Would a Rode Lavelier improve this video? I dunno Allan The audio seemed pretty much OK to me!! I shoot all my weddings with Azden transmitters and the standard mic that goes with them which is probably a bit better than the $15 one but maybe a Rode would be a bit of an overkill there??? I use two of their VM's for ambient but I don't think that a $250 purchase will make that much difference...maybe just a mic from a good brand wireless system?? Nice video Jeff !! Looking at it as a "potential buyer" I think I would have preferred the lady go from room to room with almost continuous narration... her inserts were definately good but would have been way better if the story had continued thruout the tour of the property. Wow!! quite a mansion...us mere mortals only dream about homes like that!!! Chris

August 6th, 2011, 10:47 PM	#4
Renton Maclachlan Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: New Zealand Posts: 1,180	Re: How much Would a Rode Lavelier improve this video? Nice filming...but in the last shot, 'let's celebrate', you can see the mic cord...lifting the bottom of the ladies shirt/blouse..

August 7th, 2011, 06:33 AM	#5
Steve House Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,742	Re: How much Would a Rode Lavelier improve this video? Not bad sounding at all but I think the response to your initial question would have to be that a higher quality mic could have given a smoother, more natural sounding track. Of course that also depends on the rest of your recording chain was as well ... spending money on mics is not necessarily a magic bullet. Did you record to wav or mp3 format? Not a sound issue but I see a LOT of jerkiness in the pans, very disturbing. Is that in the original or is it an artifact of Vimeo? I hate to be the one to mention it, but you DID clear licenses on all the music you used, didn't you? It's a lot harder to get away with bending the copyright laws on an advertising piece destined to be published on the 'net then it is in a wedding video that is only going to be seen by a relatively few people. The ghosts of Beethoven and Jobim could come back to haunt you if you don't have all the legal 't's crossed and 'i's dotted. __________________ Good news, Cousins! This week's chocolate ration is 15 grams! Last edited by Steve House; August 7th, 2011 at 07:06 AM.

August 7th, 2011, 07:00 AM	#6
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,068	Re: How much Would a Rode Lavelier improve this video? The real issue here is that for $15 you got the most "obviously there" lav mic in recorded history. Audio issues aside (and the Rode mic will give you a nicer sound), I'd pony up the bucks simply to have something a little more discrete. If you're going to spend some dollars on a lapel then take a look at the Rode pin-mic which you can then hide in plain sight. It's a win-win for you. Andrew

August 7th, 2011, 08:08 AM	#7
Kevin Walsh Major Player Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Phoenixville, PA Posts: 225	Re: How much Would a Rode Lavelier improve this video? Jeff, nice work. I think the audio is fine and a new mic won't make much of a difference. I think the biggest gains could be realized by working on the pacing. The shots are beautiful but a little long and repetitive. I would break the video up with more detail shots. I also agree with Chris about the narration. Overall really nice though. I'm sure your client will be thrilled.

August 7th, 2011, 08:14 AM	#8
Andrew Smith Equal Opportunity Offender Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 3,068	Re: How much Would a Rode Lavelier improve this video? Speaking of shots: When the gate opens at the beginning, that's when the focus needs to change from the gate to the house. Can't speak highly enough of the mystique generated by an out of focus building. :-P That's the first thing that I would suggest changing. I was otherwise just keeping to the lav issue per the start of the thread, that's all. Andrew

August 11th, 2011, 06:21 PM	#10
Jeff Dinges Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 50	Re: How much Would a Rode Lavelier improve this video? Thanks for watching everyone. This was my first real estate/property related video. I'm hoping that I can start doing this for event venue around town. I have my work cut out for me as far as marketing this service.

August 12th, 2011, 05:35 PM	#11
Chad Johnson Major Player Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Arcata, Ca Posts: 750	Re: How much Would a Rode Lavelier improve this video? You absolutely should invest in a proper lav. The Rode is a great choice, and will improve your dialogue audio, making it cut through more clearly. But since this is already shot, you could export the lav track and put it into an NLE ad EQ it for better clarity. Maybe cut the lows a bit and add a little bump at 5k for a presence boost. This is an example vid I made with 3 women using the PinMic. The PinMic sounds exactly the same as the Rode Lav. RØDE PinMic Test 1 on Vimeo And here is a shootout comparing 4 lavs, one being the Rode Lav. Lav Shootout! Sennheiser Me-2 / Tram TR50 / Sanken COS11D / RØDE Lavalier on Vimeo __________________ My Work: http://www.youtube.com/ChadWork1 Sony FS5 :: Panasonic GH4 :: Sony PMW-EX1 :: FCPx :: AT4053b :: Rode NTG-3,