Well here it is. With no prompting from Rode I decided to make this song/video for the heck of it because business is slow and I have a lot of time on my hands this month.

RØDE PinMic Song on Vimeo

Drums by Justin Hoopes. Everything else by Chad Johnson.

So I got myself this thing called a “PinMic” from Rode Microphones. It’s a kind of lavalier that is less visible than your typical lavalier because the cables go behind your clothes, and the capsule just sits on your shirt or jacket looking like a button or something. I thought they sounded pretty good, so on a lark I decided to record a whole song using only the Rode PinMic (for most tracks), the Lavalier (on lead guitar and kick drum) and their Hs1 headset mic (on backing vocals). It was an exercise to show that used the right way, you can get a great recording without using the traditional high priced studio mics that are the norm. Not that I would really choose a PinMic to use in the studio, but it does show that it’s a pretty decent mic. I think it’s hecka tight.

Awesome.

Couldn't help myself but leave a voicemail message for Craig at Rode. He'll get a real kick out of it.

Andrew

Cool Andrew!

Hopefully they might even reward you with whatever Rode mics you don't own yet. :-P

Andrew

Hopefully they might even reward you with whatever Rode mics you don't own yet.


Not to mention a Grammy. That was excellent.

WOW! Chad that was fantastic.

chad-

very well done

please take a well earned bow.

(shot w/your ex1?)

be well

rob

Yeah, excellent. Are you in Rode pay? :-)

Thanks guys!

Andrew it would be nice to get my pick of mics. I hinted to Scott Emerton about the NT2000, and I think he'll send me one. If you want to put in a word for me for a matched pair that would be awesome!

Rob, yes the video was shot with my EX1, and edited in FCP and Apple Motion. Some tracks I recorded then lip synced on video, or play synced. The Lead guitar, Xylophone, shaker, & drums were recorded into Cubase & on camera at the same time, so what you see is what you hear. The lead track was take 6, as it's hard to get the whole thing all the way through with no mistakes. Drums were in 3 takes mixed together. After that my girlfriend was pissed and I had to stop and clean up.

Renton, I don't know what being "in Rode Pay" is but if there were some way I could work for Rode for actual money that would be a dream come true. My Girlfriend is tired of me cluttering up the house recording drums with PinMics and having lights and cameras everywhere, so she says it's OK for me to move to Australia and send my checks home. She didn't mention anything about missing me...

This was really just a work of pleasure for me. I'd record one or two tracks on a weekend, then forget about it and kept going like that until it was done. I have my own "regular" songs that I may do a video for eventually, but I enjoy making jingles and doing stuff with a comedic edge. I figure that will go further than a 44 year old trying to break into pop music! Ha. I do have a number about how Autotune is Satan, but I don't think Anteres would appreciate that one. Ha ha.

Here's that song if anyone is interested: Sexy Satan (Autotune) Chad Johnson at HumboldtMusic.com (http://www.humboldtmusic.com/webpage/index.cfm?Sid=4818&id=162&page=SongDetail)

Cheers

What a great mic for events. Thanks for mentioning!

That was awesome!

I was expecting a solo voice and guitar like you've done in some other reviews here. Those are way fun, but this was over the top. Love it!

Well done Chad!

You can tell the fine folks at Rode that your video sold me on TWO pin mics!

Thanks Reed. And good on you for getting a couple! I honestly have not used my Sanken COS11D since I got my Lavalier/pinmics. The sound is really balanced IMO. Clear without being harsh, and full without being muddy.

Cool video and song. I have been trying to purchase a pin mike here in Sydney and do you think I can find one. Who is distributing these in Sydney?

I don't know about Sydney, but videoguys.com.au in Melbourne should have them.

Andrew

Hey Chad,

I didn't get a call back from Craig at Rode (not that he had to), but I'm fairly sure he got my message about your video. You're featured on the video side-bar of the January 2011 "Rode Work" email newsletter.

There are a couple of other videos too, including one from someone named "Guy".

Enjoy the increasing view count on your video. You deserve it.

Andrew

Thanks for the info Andrew. How do I subscribe to that "Rode Work" newsletter?

Not sure, but I bought some of their mics. :-P

If you register online for the extended warranty, that may well do it.

Andrew

Hey Chad. How did you get your PinMic? I've had one on order for months and now RODE is saying 30th March!!! Why is it not available?

I got mine when they first came out before Christmas I think. Maybe early January. Have you tried DVeStore? I think the hurricane in Australia messed up a lot of delivery times.

That was the fun to watch. ...to project that much excitement about a microphone is legendary. Loved it.

Thanks Craig! It was a fun project. Mostly just an experiment that got way out of hand.

Cheers.

Loved it, I'm looking for one of these now too!
Rode pay attention!

Viral marketing works wonders.

These look really nice, they sound good too.
But how does someone react when you put a pinmic through their expensive clothing?

Kevin, nobody has complained yet. Maybe someone with silk on would have an issue. I have PinMics as well as traditional lavs, so I can adapt to the situation. There is no one mic, including lavs, that fits all situations. I have 7 lavs! 2 x ME-2, a COS11d, a Tram TR50, a Rode Lav, and two PinMics. Between those I'll figure it out. But in my experience, I find people wear cotton most often.