View Full Version : Bought a RODE videomic!


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Stephen Finton
November 10th, 2005, 06:16 PM
Will prolly be getting another for my other camera. It's very nice.

Guy Cochran
November 10th, 2005, 06:52 PM
Glad you like it. The first thing I did when I got one was to point it at the ground and rub my foot on the hardwood floor. Holy sensitivity. I could hear the fine rocks crunching (need to sweep in here). I then went around the office and pointed it at different sounds such as a loud video RAID array then pointed it off axis to see how much it rejects at 45 and 90 degrees. Pretty impressive even indoors. I think it's a sweet spot at $149 and is a much better buy than the $199 Sennheiser MKE300 hotshoe camcorder mic or any of the less expensive Sony accessory mics, plus it has the shockmount which the others do not - very cool. Oh, and the accessories...the front page of RODE's site says Dec for the boom poles...can't wait for a $99 boom pole.

Sam Shore
November 10th, 2005, 10:03 PM
I just got a Rode videomic too... two days ago. I had it overnight expressed since the Sennheiser MKE 300 I bought six weeks ago left me in a bind by starting to cut out the second time I used it and is back on its way to Sennheiser for warranty repair/replacement. I must say, I am VERY disappointed in the MKE 300, AND very disappointed that when I was ordering a camera and related gear from a prominent supplier two months ago, the salesperson suggested the Sennheiser after I said I was trying to make up my mind between the MKE 300 and the Rode. I've spent the last two days using the Rode, and I'm thrilled with it. One drawback is that it does interfere with access to handle controls. One obvious (and supremely simple) design improvement the Rode demonstrates over the MKE 300 is in the reinforced L-shaped mini plug. Seems like a no brainer. I've never heard of Australian design exceeding German design, but it certainly appears so in this case.

Ty Ford
November 11th, 2005, 09:36 PM
I told you! :)

For any remaining disbelievers, go to the video folder in the On Line Archive on my website and watch the mp4 video about the VideoMic.

Ty Ford

Robert Kirkpatrick
November 11th, 2005, 10:38 PM
I'm curious. I primarily do narrative short films, and sometimes I require a boompole and extension. How far can you get the Rode Videomic away from the camera before the hiss becomes too bad? I'm assuming that since it's unbalanced that it'll be tricky, but sometimes my shots are too far for a mike stationed on the camera to pick up. I've heard mp3s of the Rode videomic (and is it indeed nice), but I haven't heard any where it's on a boompole.

Guy Cochran
November 12th, 2005, 12:21 AM
10' Max on the 1/8" miniplug extension cable made by RODE - don't try to use a Radio Shack 1/8" miniplug extension cable, that's what I tried initially and it doesn't work anywhere near as good as the RODE VC1.

With the RODE VXLR adapter you can go a great distance. But then you'll need a BeachTek if your camera doesn't have XLR. I tried a 20' XLR extension cable along with the RODE VXLR into a mixer and it came out perfectly clean.

Ty Ford
November 12th, 2005, 06:32 AM
I'm curious. I primarily do narrative short films, and sometimes I require a boompole and extension. How far can you get the Rode Videomic away from the camera before the hiss becomes too bad? I'm assuming that since it's unbalanced that it'll be tricky, but sometimes my shots are too far for a mike stationed on the camera to pick up. I've heard mp3s of the Rode videomic (and is it indeed nice), but I haven't heard any where it's on a boompole.

Stick with the 2 meter cord Rode sells. You'll be fine.

As to placement, as with any shotgun, you want to be as close as possible, just out of the frame and ideally not more than 2-3 feet from the source. That's for soundstage or outside work. No shotgun deos particularly well indoors.

PS my mp4 of the VideoMic is on my site in the online archives in the video folder.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Dave Largent
November 12th, 2005, 06:40 AM
Ty, I looked for the review of the 2020 (that someone
said was on your site) but I couldn't find it.

Ty Ford
November 12th, 2005, 06:53 AM
Ty, I looked for the review of the 2020 (that someone
said was on your site) but I couldn't find it.


Main Page>On Line Archives>Video Folder....oh, I forgot! I also have a brief clip of the Schoeps CMIT.

You need a player that can play an MP4 video.

Ty Ford

Dave Largent
November 12th, 2005, 07:15 AM
I was looking under Mic Reviews for the 2020.

Ty Ford
November 12th, 2005, 07:24 AM
I was looking under Mic Reviews for the 2020.


When I got the XL2 camera, I thought, Hmmmm, see the mic, hear the mic, cool!

Ty

Raimo Repo
November 12th, 2005, 03:33 PM
Before I bought my Videomic from B&H I e-mailed RODE folks and asked if a 25 foot extension was reasonable to use because this was needed for my current project as I will not get a Beachtek yet. They said it should work fine. Well, I can report that the 25 foot cord for the Videomic works perfectly and the sound is perfect and in my situation there has been no interference of any kind. I detect no difference in quality whether the mic is on my GS400 or at the end of a 25 foot miniplug cord. Therefor, why limit yourself to a 10 foot cord?

Ty Ford
November 12th, 2005, 06:55 PM
Dude,

Get one as long as you want.

Ty Ford

Douglas Spotted Eagle
November 12th, 2005, 07:37 PM
Before I bought my Videomic from B&H I e-mailed RODE folks and asked if a 25 foot extension was reasonable to use because this was needed for my current project as I will not get a Beachtek yet. They said it should work fine. Well, I can report that the 25 foot cord for the Videomic works perfectly and the sound is perfect and in my situation there has been no interference of any kind. I detect no difference in quality whether the mic is on my GS400 or at the end of a 25 foot miniplug cord. Therefor, why limit yourself to a 10 foot cord?


Raimo,
Although you may not be able to hear the difference, and indeed, the cable *may* for some reason be of high enough quality to prevent audible interference, high impedence cables can't go beyond about 3.5-4 meters without experiencing loss due to interference.
This is why Rode' themselves don't sell a cable longer than 3m in length.
Remember always that just because you're not hearing interference or other audio issues doesn't mean others can't. It could well be your monitoring system also isn't permitting you to hear it.

Dave Largent
November 12th, 2005, 10:35 PM
What causes the "interference"? AC electricity?
Radio waves? Cell phones?

Ty Ford
November 13th, 2005, 06:01 AM
Raimo,
Although you may not be able to hear the difference, and indeed, the cable *may* for some reason be of high enough quality to prevent audible interference, high impedence cables can't go beyond about 3.5-4 meters without experiencing loss due to interference.
This is why Rode' themselves don't sell a cable longer than 3m in length.
Remember always that just because you're not hearing interference or other audio issues doesn't mean others can't. It could well be your monitoring system also isn't permitting you to hear it.

And while that's true concerning high impedance mics, let's be sure to note that the Rode Video Mic is a low impedance mic.

http://www.rodemic.com/?pagename=Products&product=VideoMic&type=specifications

It's very easy to lose traction in mic specs. Just because a mic (or any other piece of audio gear) only has two conductors does not preclude it from beng a low impedance device. The issues of impedance and whether a circuit is balanced or unbalanced are totally separate.

Impedance is an electrical characteristic of a piece of circuitry. Balanced versus unbalanced is simply a means of connection.

High impedance devices can't push a signal as far a low impedance devices without deterioration of the signal.

I don't think I've encountered a balanced high impedance curicuit except maybe a phono cartirdge.

The benefits of a balanced connection are that it is has two legs rather than one and therefore twice the signal and that, if constructed properly, the two legs are twisted around each other which allows for common mode rejection to cancel out various types of interference that make their way through the shield and induct themselves onto the signal carrying wires.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Robert J. Wolff
November 13th, 2005, 09:52 AM
I would query those that use the XL-1/s, or 2. Have you used this mike with various adapters, such as found on MA series? Or, are you just pluging in to the 1/8th on the back of the cam?

Douglas Spotted Eagle
November 13th, 2005, 11:29 AM
What causes the "interference"? AC electricity?
Radio waves? Cell phones?

All of the above, and without the benefit of an out of phase signal per channel to eliminate the unwanted interference noise, the longer the unbalanced cable, the worse the effect of interference.
With high grade cables, one can often get away with 20' or so of unbalanced cable.
you might find this excerpt from the Digital Audio book to be of help...
http://www.vasst.com/resource.aspx?id=dbeaa5d3-779f-468d-9a8f-2eee8e74d474

re; impedence, true enough Ty, I keep forgetting that the Rode is a loZ mic. Habit, I guess. Thx for the catch.

Ty Ford
November 13th, 2005, 04:17 PM
re; impedence, true enough Ty, I keep forgetting that the Rode is a loZ mic. Habit, I guess. Thx for the catch.[/QUOTE]

Who knows when to expect MY next brain fart???
Hopefully you'll be as kind.

Regards,

Ty

Jason Dirks
November 19th, 2005, 02:43 PM
Hey Guys,

I also just bought the Rode Videomic and absolutely love the quality of the sound and overall sensitivity of the mic.

However, I'm finding it so sensitive that mounting it on the hotshoe of my Canon Optura Xi seems to be giving me some nasty handling noise. I did a couple of tests and I made sure to not have my hands anywhere near the controls, and made sure the cables were locked down and couldn't knock against the mic, but I'm still getting this slight knocking sound with it.

Anyone else having the same problems? Any potential solves? Appreciate your help.

Jason

Ty Ford
November 20th, 2005, 03:46 PM
What's causing the knocking?

1. Stop THAT! :)

2. get a boom. The base plate of the VideoMic has a threaded hole that accepts standard boom pole bolts.

Ty Ford

PS: This is a sign you're making progress. Camera mounted mics are no longer good enough for you. That's to be expected. Raise you game.

Jason Dirks
November 20th, 2005, 08:07 PM
Ty,

Thanks for the info :)

Certainly plan on using a boom pole where I can make it work, but need to do a lot of one-man, run-and-gun type stuff. So I'm assuming that this is impossible to get around.

Dave Largent
November 21st, 2005, 04:33 AM
How about putting it in an AT8415 shock mount?
I think the Videomic has a built-in shock mount
but maybe it's not very good.

Ty Ford
November 21st, 2005, 07:09 AM
Ty,

Thanks for the info :)

Certainly plan on using a boom pole where I can make it work, but need to do a lot of one-man, run-and-gun type stuff. So I'm assuming that this is impossible to get around.


If you are actually RUNNING while shooting, most bets are off on camera mounted mics. Again, what specifically is the source of the noise?

Ty Ford

Stephen Finton
November 21st, 2005, 08:11 AM
How about putting it in an AT8415 shock mount?
I think the Videomic has a built-in shock mount
but maybe it's not very good.


The mic is built around its shockmount. It won't fit traditional shockmounts. It's sort of an all inclusive unit.

Guy Cochran
November 21st, 2005, 12:50 PM
The newer (blue box) versions of the RODE Videomic ship with an extra set of suspension elastics. Try doubling them up.

Jason Dirks
November 21st, 2005, 08:46 PM
Thanks for the tips guys. I'll run some more tests.

The issue is I don't know what's causing the noise. It's not the cable, it's not my hands. It's almost like it's the shockmount bands creaking when the mic jostles back and forth (which also means that a boom pole may not help). But I'll try a couple more things and see if I can't get rid of it.

Thanks again.

Jason

Douglas Spotted Eagle
November 21st, 2005, 08:54 PM
I'm assuming you've got the cable tied to something? Could you have an open ground in the cable, causing it to be microphonic?

Jason Dirks
November 21st, 2005, 09:31 PM
I think I got it taken care of.

Actually there are several hooks on the shockmount to help corral the cable so it's not flopping around. I had it hooked up, but I think my issue was a combo of the cable and the "newness" of the shockmount bands. I stretched them out a little bit and switched up how I had the cable harnessed and that seemed to take care of it.

Can't wait to use it again. It really is a great mic. Thanks again.

Brett Whited
November 22nd, 2005, 07:19 AM
Hey guys, great discussion. I too have a Rode VideoMic, and I'm wanting to use it for a boompole. I attached a 20 foot 1/8" cable to it and then to my camera. I got a horrible hissing sound and a lot of interfierence. I know 20' is too long to go for that kind of cable. But would it help if I went from the mini to an XLR cable? I have a small mini to XLR cable that I could plug into another, longer, XLR cable then into my Beachtek. Any suggestions? I would rather use a mini sometimes (since I would be going directly into my camera.)
Thanks!

Ty Ford
November 22nd, 2005, 07:29 AM
Welcome to the Wall Of Science!

Rode makes a mini to XLR adapter that works with the VideoMic. I can't guarantee that the one you may have will work. Theirs will. (In earlier models, the was a problem pluggin into an XLR input with Phantom Power turned on.

They straightened that out very quickly, but ONLY had the problem IF the Phantom Supply was on.

Ty Ford

Brett Whited
November 22nd, 2005, 07:34 AM
Welcome to the Wall Of Science!

Rode makes a mini to XLR adapter that works with the VideoMic. I can't guarantee that the one you may have will work. Theirs will. (In earlier models, the was a problem pluggin into an XLR input with Phantom Power turned on.

They straightened that out very quickly, but ONLY had the problem IF the Phantom Supply was on.

Ty Ford

Well, I have the DXA-6 and it only has power on one channel, and that can even be switched off. My small 3 foot cable that is a mini to XLR works with my Beachtek, so I figure if I just attached a longer cable cable to it and ran it up a pole, then it shouldn't have a problem.
Thanks for the reply.

Dennis Wood
November 22nd, 2005, 09:00 AM
Is there any advantage at all in hooking up an unbalanced mic via a passive XLR adapter at the mic end? My understanding is that the voltage difference between the two (opposite polarity) balanced lines is where your signal comes from. If the mic is not an XLR mic, I'd assume that the necessary electronics are not there to provide balanced inputs. If the advantage is in the twisted pair configuration of xlr cables, one wonders if a lenth of CAT5 network cable wouldn't work just as well for unbalanced extensions? On my jib, I have a 12 foot CAT5 carrying video and audio back to the monitor. This works well.

Guy Cochran
November 22nd, 2005, 09:10 AM
I have tested the RODE Videomic via the RODE accessory called the "VXLR", a mini to XLR adapter and ran 20' XLR cables no problem.

I have also tried a 10' Radio Snak 1/8" extension cable and had interference. RODE makes a 10' 1/8" to 1/8" extension cable that sounds perfect - oh wait, that is unless you have a cell phone. I have heard cell phones causing interference on a few different mics. Test your cell phone by turning it off and then on with a pair of cans (headphones) while recording. Play it back and see if there is any audible interference.

Ty Ford
November 22nd, 2005, 09:57 AM
[QUOTE=Dennis Wood]Is there any advantage at all in hooking up an unbalanced mic via a passive XLR adapter at the mic end?

**Yes and the sooner (shorter) the better as long as you are plugging it into a balanced input.


My understanding is that the voltage difference between the two (opposite polarity) balanced lines is where your signal comes from.

**Pretty Much

If the mic is not an XLR mic, I'd assume that the necessary electronics are not there to provide balanced inputs.

**Well yes, but you can balance an unbalanced source with a transformer. That's what direct boxes do.

If the advantage is in the twisted pair configuration of xlr cables, one wonders if a lenth of CAT5 network cable wouldn't work just as well for unbalanced extensions? On my jib, I have a 12 foot CAT5 carrying video and audio back to the monitor. This works well.

**Twisting is part of the benefit because it is part of the phenomenon known as common mode rejection. Increased level due to having two wires carry the signal instead of just one also helps and the shield around those two wires also helps.


Regards,

Ty Ford

Jim Rog
November 26th, 2005, 09:37 AM
How much better is this then the FX1 standard built in one?

Douglas Spotted Eagle
November 26th, 2005, 11:09 AM
It's a little better, but the mike in the FX 1 is pretty good for an on-camera mic. The Rode is mono, shock mounted, and will provide a slightly better pickup of close sources than the on-camera mic. The bigger advantage to any off-camera mic is just that; it's off-camera, meaning it can be closer to the source.

Max Liptack
November 26th, 2005, 01:28 PM
Here is my question... I come from a lighting background (mostly) usually with concert lighting/theatrical lighting and such, but wouldnt it be a good idea to run the mic into a DI box or something to up the voltage to a higher *Gain* (if thats the right word that i am looking for ... not sure.. ) so that when the signal transmits through the cable you will still pick up interference, but then the mixer, or whatever wont have to up the volume AFTER the interference has been added?

I learned while working with I&MT (the video UWM guys) department that wireless microphones are at a RF frequency and when it comes into the receiver that is is at LINE level, and many times when you come out of the receiver you are bringing back down to MIC level only to bring it back up again in the mixer. Luckily all of our receivers have a switch on the back which allows us to select line, and it really helps eliminate hiss or anything associated with unwanted noise.

SO is this a feasable solution, or is my brain (which is intended for lighting) just looking at this all wrong?

Thanks,
Max

Seth Bloombaum
November 26th, 2005, 02:05 PM
[QUOTE=Max Liptack]...wouldnt it be a good idea to run the mic into a DI box or something to up the voltage to a higher *Gain* ...
******************
A typical DI is a passive device and does not provide any gain, on the contrary at best it is a "unity gain" device and frequently decreases gain (or voltage - not exactly the same thing).

If you look inside a passive DI you'll find only a transformer, used to modify a high-impedance unbalanced source to a low-impedance balanced output.

There are two benefits:
1) Low-impedance signals can be sent over hundreds of feed of high-quality cable without appreciable degradation.
2) Balanced circuitry is MUCH more resistant to radio-frequency interference and 60-cycle hum from power sources.

At least that's true for a good-quality passive DI. There are also active DIs which are essentially a preamp and transformer, some of which provide gain, they are usually powered by phantom, some by batteries. But it's still a preamp, whether the preamp is in an active DI, a separate device, a mixer, or in the camcorder.

Use the best quality preamp you can manage, usually this will be in the mixer for field work.

Although there are some incredible stand-alone preamps they are used more often in the audio studio or music recording than in typical field video.

***********
[QUOTE=Max Liptack] ...I learned... that wireless microphones are at a RF frequency and when it comes into the receiver that is is at LINE level, and many times when you come out of the receiver you are bringing back down to MIC level only to bring it back up again in the mixer. Luckily all of our receivers have a switch on the back which allows us to select line, and it really helps eliminate hiss or anything associated with unwanted noise.
***********
There is no hard and fast rule here - what sounds good IS good. If your wireless receivers sound better at line level out then by all means use it. But the next receiver you use might sound better at mic level - go figure. Best to test each piece of new gear you use to establish how it sounds best. There there are many, many options in setting up the right gain structure.

Michael Connor
March 8th, 2011, 04:12 PM
hmmm.. interesting thread! All these years later im reading it?!!! If any of you guys still around.. im using xm2... i think the onboard mic is fantastic.. BUT.. the usual camera noise problem!
Now on reading this thread im now a little confused! Will the Rode mic here be the boy or am i gonna find the sound range limited.. to a meter or 2 in front? ! Im gonna be doing weddings.. the ones i have done so far the audio has been great in terms of clarity.. and level.. it picks up everything.. shame about screaming kiddies etc..and the camera noise which is only really audible during quiet parts of the service.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RODE-Videomic-Camera-video-mic-microphone-/400200133234?pt=UK_Music_Instruments_Microphones_MJ&hash=item5d2dc96a72

or am i best suited to something like this? money is tight!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Audio-Technica-ATR6250-Stereo-Condenser-Video-Mic-/350394691964?pt=UK_Music_Instruments_Microphones_MJ&hash=item519526b17c

Chad Johnson
March 8th, 2011, 08:20 PM
Michael Any mic you use is limited to about 3 feet for dialogue. You're not supposed to be picking up people n a wedding from 10 feet away. You need to get a lav on them. A rode VideoMic is a decent beginner mic, but even with a 1,000.00 mic you will get bad results if you are not right up on them. A shotgun mic is to be used more like within 12" - 18" from the mouth ideally. The further away you get, the more ambient sound you pick up. It's just physics. If there is someone between you and your subject, you will pck up that person louder than your subject. For weddings you need a couple of lavs, a mic on every camera, and possibly a feed from the PA to get what the officiant is saying. I usually put a lavon the groom, lav on the officiant, and get a board feed. then I'm covered.

Sorry money is tight but there is no fix for too few mics other than buying more mics. You gotta pay to play...

Michael Connor
March 9th, 2011, 04:15 AM
Thanks for that.
I aim to be unobtruseive! I am a beginner really.. done 4 weddings only one paid but at mates rates lol! Ive got a 2nd xm2 on its way so with 2 cameras i wanna make some cash. (i wouldnt dare charge people good money with one cam!)
Folks round here are charging min £650 and using one camera! I really gont get it! With one cam your gonna have to cut it up so much whereas with.. ideally 3 cameras you can do full length and not go dull....
However audio... in 2 of the weddings i was happy with onboard audio (minus motor noise in quiet moments) ... and picking up everything. I managed to hide away behind a pillow... and even a baby cry fitted in so well.. as the speaker was reading from bible about a voice crying at the same time!
But.. on one of them.. yea many coughs and multiple children screams people yawning and picking noses... it was horrible.
The idea of sticking a mic on groom does not appeal to me i want minimum fuss.. and the twice ive asked hot a hook up to the mixing dest (minidisk) the priest and organ player looked terrified!

Im thinkin maybe a shotgun mic plugged into a mini disk and put on a stand next to the mic stand in the bride/ groom area... And a good quality stereo mic that will fit on the front camera that is not so directional? Just to get rid of motor hum?
As for the rear camera maybe ill just leave it with onboard sound... as back up for things going wrong at front?
I did not realise that shotgun mics had to be so close to the subject i thought 6 to 15 feet would be fine.

David Chilson
March 9th, 2011, 07:20 AM
If your budget allows, look into a wireless setup. I know you said you want to be unobtrusive but going with the set up you described with a stand mic will result in voices that trail away or become inaudible as the bride and groom turn back and forth or just turn their head to talk.

As a general rule the groom tends to be taller and clipping a mic on his sternum area will have the bride talking right at it when they are facing each other and capturing their voices during the vows to me is paramount. Not hearing the vows in the final product can be quite.......uncomfortable.

As far as leaving the onboard mic running on the second camera at the rear, all you will capture is the ambient noise you are trying to eliminate and will be little to no help "filling in" where the front mic you described was lacking.

I own the Rode SVM (Stereo video Mic) and feel it is a great value. I like the sound and it would be a better "front" mic in your set up, and handles off-axis sound better, but you would still be at the whim of the changing levels. Good luck!

Greg Miller
March 9th, 2011, 01:07 PM
If the advantage is in the twisted pair configuration of xlr cables, one wonders if a lenth of CAT5 network cable wouldn't work just as well for unbalanced extensions?

Low-Z mic cable is twisted pair and it is shielded. Cat 5 cable is not shielded.

You can pick up two kinds of electrical noise: electromagnetically induced (typically hum) and electrostatically induced (typically buzz, clicks, pops, RF noise). Shielding helps against both noise types, especially if the circuit is not perfectly balanced, and especially at higher frequencies (such as RF), and especially at low levels such as mic level. The physical dimension of the cable is a very small fraction of a wavelength at low hum frequencies like 60 Hz, but becomes closer to a wavelength as the frequency goes up. By the time you're at high audio frequencies, or low RF range, the twist will provide less and less immunity against noise pickup; therefore shielding becomes more important.

For example, telephone landlines use twisted pair unshielded wire, that can run for many miles without significant hum problems. (Of course telephones don't reproduce much below 300 Hz, so hum would be rolled off by the telephone electronics.) Broadcasters used to use wire pairs in the same telephone cables, to transport analog audio from the studio to the transmitter site. Those broadcast circuits were sharply bandpassed at 15kHz or lower, and transformer balanced at both ends. Also, those broadcast lines were run at a fairly high level (more or less 0 dBm). At those levels, and with the phone company having control over line balance, noise was not a terrible problem. (Still, making S/N of -60dB was sometimes a challenge.)

Running mic level, which will be many dB lower in level, without any shielding, will likely be plagued with noise pickup... especially with longer cable runs, or with direct op-amp inputs that don't have a transformer to protect against high-frequency common-mode noise.

Also, good mic line, like Belden 8412, is typically 20ga. Cat 5 is a much smaller wire size, so the electrical resistance is much higher. That means Cat 5 will have more signal loss with really long cable runs.

Michael Connor
March 11th, 2011, 04:47 AM
(david)
Thanks mate.. after spending hours reading etc i too have come to conclusion that the rode stereo mic might be best option for the front camera.
To be fair ive never missed any speech at a wedding. The fact that they come through a tannoy helps.. and if it werent for motor noise the xm2 onboard mic would be crackin! I have used audio from rear camera once due to a problem with tape ravel on my other tape.. i got away with it okay using a fade and there was not any echo or anything.. i thought there was at one point but only as audio had gone out of sync!
I mean i wanna step up the quality of my audio if im gonna start charging people but i notice as you do this there are more technical elements to worry about! Rather than hitting auto sound level and worrying more about being in right place at the right time!

So yea i think ill keep an eye on the rhode stereo mike and await for a bargain.
I think i had this fantasy that i could stick a shotgun mic on and zoom it to where i want 15 to 25 foot away and just kinda fade between other 'pick up everything' audio sources at opportune moments.. ie i want to hear everything if theres a laugh or a hand clap or cheer.. ner mind plod on!

D.J. Ammons
March 19th, 2011, 05:12 PM
Michael, the Rode Videomic is an amazing tool but does have its limits. For weddings I use the following audio setup;

1. 1 Rode NTG-2 shotgun mic on the handheld / steadicam camera (this camera is up front near the bride & groom for the vows so if the wireless audio has issues it usually has good audio)

2. 1 Rode Videomic on my B roll camera wihich is set up as a fixed wide shot at rear of venue.

3. UHF wireless mic(s). Usually one on the officiant or one on the officiant & one on the groom or one on the officiant and one placed near the PA system loudspeaker.

I just bought a little Kodak Zi8 pocket cam to use as a second 'B" cam. I plan on hooking the Rode Videomic up to it with the camera at the front on a tripod facing the audience and the Rode mounted backwards facing where the bridal party will be. This will be used if we need to intercut an audience shot and for yet another audio source. I will be buying the new Rode Videomic Pro to go on my other B roll camera.

If the venue has a good PA system the Rode Video mic can do an amazing job of catpuring the audio. I had an outdoor wedding where the music was recordered music played by the DJ from the reception building a good 75 feet away. He had his speaker(s) pointed toward the ceremony. I thought the sound would be terrible but the Videomic mounted on my B cam well at the back of the audience and about 90 degrees from the speakers picked up the audio great. We then intercut to the audio from the Rode NTG-2 shotgun mic on our handheld for the vows as the minister kept touching the wireless lav and causingt horrible noise.

Love the Rode Videomic! Great investment.

Dale Guthormsen
March 20th, 2011, 09:44 AM
Good Morning,

Yes, the rode mic is an amazing value for the investment.

I use one on my B roll camera, I use an AT 897 on my xlh1 or xl2. I use a wireless on the groom.

If the sound mixer at the church is a good one, you can run from that directly into a camera or a recorder.

Another option would be to use a zoom h1 up at he front for the vows, they cost all of 100 dolalrs.

The kodak has questionable quality in my book, so much of the video looks burnt from them and the flip. With some color correction and very short clips you might get away with it.

Back to the rode video mic, it gives better sound than some other much more expensive mics!!


enjoy,

Michael Connor
June 5th, 2011, 03:51 PM
i wanted 2 mics... and couldnt afford the rode! After much thought i went for the much cheaper audio technica versions.. a shotgun and a stereo. The stereo was hopeless.. ive sent it back and am probably gonna get another matching one... see my review...
i think its prob just as good as rode.. but a lot cheaper! Only thing is the rode now comes with an isolating shoe! Very nice!

YouTube - ‪Audio Technica ATR 6250 & ATR62600 videomike review‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t3OLbXDuLY)

Ty Ford
June 5th, 2011, 04:16 PM
which AT stereo mic and why was it hopeless?

Regards,

Ty Ford

Michael Connor
June 5th, 2011, 04:35 PM
YouTube - ‪Audio Technica ATR 6250 & ATR62600 videomike review‬‏ (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0t3OLbXDuLY)

see vid above... the atr6250... actually it sounds lot better after uploading to u tube... bt was basically no better than my onboard... the mic is supposed to be dual cardioid.. but it basically picks up everything.. possibly because the 2 speakers are on the side of the mic.. with an extra 'vent' on the front between the 2 side mics. I think they have used slightly lower quality mics than the atr 6550... or it may just be the fact that the 6550 is a shotgun... ive now at last realised the lack of necessity for a stereo mic.... (der!) id rather have 2 mono shotguns any day.