Rode NTG-2 mounted on XH A1 at DVinfo.net

Etienne Didelot-Pothier · December 21st, 2009, 01:40 AM

Hi, I've recently bought a NTG-2 and I was eager to capture sharp and clean sounds with it.
I'm using it, mounted on the camera itself, to capture dialogs.

However, I've discovered that it was picking more "hums" or ambient parasite sounds than the dialogs. I mean, I can hear the voices, it's "okay", but for a 350$ investment I thought I would have a better result.

Any hints?

Thanks

Nick Gordon · December 21st, 2009, 03:12 AM

I have the same setup. The important thing is to ensure that the mic is isolated from camera vibration - a hard-surface connection between mic and camera will pick up any vibration or hum transmitted through the camera body. I use a Rode shockmount which works pretty well. Others use rubber grommets (put them round the mic barrel to cushion it).

Edward Carlson · December 21st, 2009, 09:14 AM

You should also get the mic off the camera and as close to the subject as possible. If you are doing run and gun interviews, that isn't always an option. But if you are doing planned sit-down interviews, get a boom pole and move the mic in close.

Etienne Didelot-Pothier · December 21st, 2009, 11:08 AM

Yeah, I'll buy a SM5 and see what happens.

What is the MSRP?

Also, what length of XLR cable and what brand/type do you guys own? (If you own a NTG-* mounted with a shockmount with the XH-A1)

Thanks :)

EDIT : I've bought one, I'm now looking for a decent priced XLR cable with good quality.

Wayne Dupuis · December 22nd, 2009, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Etienne Didelot-Pothier

Hi, I've recently bought a NTG-2 and I was eager to capture sharp and clean sounds with it.
I'm using it, mounted on the camera itself, to capture dialogs.

However, I've discovered that it was picking more "hums" or ambient parasite sounds than the dialogs. I mean, I can hear the voices, it's "okay", but for a 350$ investment I thought I would have a better result.

Any hints?

Thanks

The Rode works great and it is expected that it will pick up camera vibration if mounted on the camera. "Don't zoom" move with the talent.
The mic does what it is supposed to.
You can get it over the talent with a boom mic stand, if a planned shot; with a wireless on the talent as well.
For run and gun the Rode gets the ambient sounds and the wireless gets the talent. If you have someone on boom you can get away without the wireless.

David W. Jones · December 22nd, 2009, 11:41 AM

As Edward suggested, if the audio is important to you... remember it is 1/2 of your product, get the microphone off of the camera.
Boom it no farther away than 3 feet.

Good Luck!

Scott Nelson · December 22nd, 2009, 05:04 PM

As far as cable length for on camera use...

I made my own cable cause I like doing that... lol, I made a short like 1.5 foot cable and installed a right angle XLR on the end into the camera with a slight offset towards the mic and just used a straight piece on the mic end... Just make sure the cable you buy is for mics... don't get data XLR cable(DMX)

It also has one loop in it so that I can move the mic around in the holder if needed without ripping the cable out...

Etienne Didelot-Pothier · December 25th, 2009, 12:47 PM

Yeah, I'll get a 3foot studioflex cable (high quality).

David W. Jones · December 25th, 2009, 02:54 PM

No, not a 3 foot cable, get a 25 foot cable, but keep the mic just out of the camera frame.

Allan Black · December 25th, 2009, 04:32 PM

Etienne, RODE have found that when some folk buy the NTG-2, they first install a battery then start using the 48volt feature forgetting to take the battery out. After they go flat some leak .. with bad results.

One of the best extension mic cables is Canare 4 star brand. Been around for many years, well priced. We used them in all our studios where you can't skimp on quality when you're building into the walls.

This is the short on camera mic cable we use, the cable is stamped Audio Technica but it's only 1.5' Also handy as an interconnect if you're indoors and running the cable under a door, so opening and closing it doesn't scuff a longer cable.

Audio-Technica | XLR Male to XLR Angled Female | ASP00127 | B&H

Here's the longer Canare brand we use for location work, keep the XLR plugs clean to keep dirt out of the camera.

Canare | CXLRP-XLRJ-25B-G Star-Quad (L-4E6S) | CXLRP-XLRJ-25B-G

Cheers.

Vykintas Pugaciauskas · December 26th, 2009, 02:56 AM

Yes, shockmounts, blimps and a lot of other stuff.

If you have to use your NTG-2 simply put into the camera's mic holder in a strong wind, simply get another shotgun. This one is useless, as I have painfully discovered:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/all-thin...rong-wind.html

Pavel Sedlak · December 26th, 2009, 02:21 PM

Try this rode mount - http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xh...tml#post814878 (atached images)

Etienne Didelot-Pothier · December 27th, 2009, 11:10 AM

Understood, thanks for updating me on the subject. I'll try to get an angled cable, which should improve performances.

Bill Grant · December 27th, 2009, 01:58 PM

Also, make sure the camera is set to Man audio not Auto Auto gain kicks in and gives a hum and fluctuations. I use the battery powered phantom instead of camera phantom which seems to work better.
Bill

Allan Black · December 27th, 2009, 02:33 PM

Hi Bill, what battery phantom do you use and how is it better? Cheers.

December 21st, 2009, 01:40 AM	#1
Etienne Didelot-Pothier Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 59	Rode NTG-2 mounted on XH A1 Hi, I've recently bought a NTG-2 and I was eager to capture sharp and clean sounds with it. I'm using it, mounted on the camera itself, to capture dialogs. However, I've discovered that it was picking more "hums" or ambient parasite sounds than the dialogs. I mean, I can hear the voices, it's "okay", but for a 350$ investment I thought I would have a better result. Any hints? Thanks __________________ http://www.EDPimagerie.com Canon XH A1 - Rode NTG-2 - Canon 7D - 8" HD - 50mm f1.4 - 11-16mm f2.8 - 70-200 f4L

December 21st, 2009, 11:08 AM	#4
Etienne Didelot-Pothier Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 59	Yeah, I'll buy a SM5 and see what happens. What is the MSRP? Also, what length of XLR cable and what brand/type do you guys own? (If you own a NTG-* mounted with a shockmount with the XH-A1) Thanks :) EDIT : I've bought one, I'm now looking for a decent priced XLR cable with good quality. __________________ http://www.EDPimagerie.com Canon XH A1 - Rode NTG-2 - Canon 7D - 8" HD - 50mm f1.4 - 11-16mm f2.8 - 70-200 f4L Last edited by Etienne Didelot-Pothier; December 21st, 2009 at 11:59 AM.

December 22nd, 2009, 11:41 AM	#6
David W. Jones Trustee Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Little Rock Posts: 1,383	As Edward suggested, if the audio is important to you... remember it is 1/2 of your product, get the microphone off of the camera. Boom it no farther away than 3 feet. Good Luck! __________________ David W. Jones www.joneshdfilms.com

December 22nd, 2009, 05:04 PM	#7
Scott Nelson Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bloomington, MN Posts: 167	As far as cable length for on camera use... I made my own cable cause I like doing that... lol, I made a short like 1.5 foot cable and installed a right angle XLR on the end into the camera with a slight offset towards the mic and just used a straight piece on the mic end... Just make sure the cable you buy is for mics... don't get data XLR cable(DMX) It also has one loop in it so that I can move the mic around in the holder if needed without ripping the cable out... __________________ Canon XH-A1, Rode NTG-2 DIGITAL NOIR PRODUCTIONS

December 25th, 2009, 12:47 PM	#8
Etienne Didelot-Pothier Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 59	Yeah, I'll get a 3foot studioflex cable (high quality). __________________ http://www.EDPimagerie.com Canon XH A1 - Rode NTG-2 - Canon 7D - 8" HD - 50mm f1.4 - 11-16mm f2.8 - 70-200 f4L

December 21st, 2009, 03:12 AM	#2
Nick Gordon Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Milton Keynes, UK Posts: 166	I have the same setup. The important thing is to ensure that the mic is isolated from camera vibration - a hard-surface connection between mic and camera will pick up any vibration or hum transmitted through the camera body. I use a Rode shockmount which works pretty well. Others use rubber grommets (put them round the mic barrel to cushion it).

December 21st, 2009, 09:14 AM	#3
Edward Carlson Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: North Hollywood, CA, United States Posts: 807	You should also get the mic off the camera and as close to the subject as possible. If you are doing run and gun interviews, that isn't always an option. But if you are doing planned sit-down interviews, get a boom pole and move the mic in close.

December 25th, 2009, 02:54 PM	#9
David W. Jones Trustee Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Little Rock Posts: 1,383	No, not a 3 foot cable, get a 25 foot cable, but keep the mic just out of the camera frame. __________________ David W. Jones www.joneshdfilms.com

December 25th, 2009, 04:32 PM	#10
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,927	Etienne, RODE have found that when some folk buy the NTG-2, they first install a battery then start using the 48volt feature forgetting to take the battery out. After they go flat some leak .. with bad results. One of the best extension mic cables is Canare 4 star brand. Been around for many years, well priced. We used them in all our studios where you can't skimp on quality when you're building into the walls. This is the short on camera mic cable we use, the cable is stamped Audio Technica but it's only 1.5' Also handy as an interconnect if you're indoors and running the cable under a door, so opening and closing it doesn't scuff a longer cable. Audio-Technica \| XLR Male to XLR Angled Female \| ASP00127 \| B&H Here's the longer Canare brand we use for location work, keep the XLR plugs clean to keep dirt out of the camera. Canare \| CXLRP-XLRJ-25B-G Star-Quad (L-4E6S) \| CXLRP-XLRJ-25B-G Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

December 26th, 2009, 02:56 AM	#11
Vykintas Pugaciauskas New Boot Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Vilnius, Lithuania Posts: 7	Yes, shockmounts, blimps and a lot of other stuff. If you have to use your NTG-2 simply put into the camera's mic holder in a strong wind, simply get another shotgun. This one is useless, as I have painfully discovered: http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/all-thin...rong-wind.html

December 26th, 2009, 02:21 PM	#12
Pavel Sedlak Major Player Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Prague Czech Republic Posts: 263	Try this rode mount - http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/canon-xh...tml#post814878 (atached images)

December 27th, 2009, 11:10 AM	#13
Etienne Didelot-Pothier Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 59	Understood, thanks for updating me on the subject. I'll try to get an angled cable, which should improve performances. __________________ http://www.EDPimagerie.com Canon XH A1 - Rode NTG-2 - Canon 7D - 8" HD - 50mm f1.4 - 11-16mm f2.8 - 70-200 f4L

December 27th, 2009, 01:58 PM	#14
Bill Grant Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Location: Columbia,SC Posts: 806	Also, make sure the camera is set to Man audio not Auto Auto gain kicks in and gives a hum and fluctuations. I use the battery powered phantom instead of camera phantom which seems to work better. Bill __________________ Cinema Couture www.cinemacouture.com

December 27th, 2009, 02:33 PM	#15
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,927	Hi Bill, what battery phantom do you use and how is it better? Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.