RØDE VideoMic On-camera Shotgun Microphone with High-pass Filter and Pad for Filmmaking, Content Creation and Location Recording
RØDE VideoMic conveniently attaches to camera hot-shoe for on-the-go filmmaking.
Key Features
There’s a lot to like about the VideoMic:
- Condenser Microphone for Detailed, Professional Sounding Audio
- 9V Battery Powered
- Integrated Rycote Lyre Shock Mounting to Isolate Handling Noise
- Two Step High Pass Filter (Flat/80Hz) for Cutting Low-End Rumble
- Three Step Pad (0, -10, -20dB) For Recording Louder Sources
Time to Transform Your Video Sound
Get Directional, Broadcast-Audio in your Video.
Having good sound in your video is essential. The RØDE VideoMic gives you clear, directional audio for your video, recorded right in-camera without the need for external recorders or other equipment
- Easy to Use: Attach to camera, turn on, and start filming
- Directional Shotgun Design: Hear More of Your Subject, Less Surrounding Ambience
- Up to An Incredible 100 hour Battery Life on one Alkaline/Lithium 9V Battery
More Details
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Make Your Camera Sound GreatGive your videos broadcast-quality audio with just one single product. The shotgun-barrel design gives improved intelligibility and focus on your speaking subject. | Easy to UseAttach the VideoMic to your camera’s hot shoe, connect the 3.5mm cable and turn it on. VideoMic replaces the audio in your video, without the need to synchronise audio afterwards. | Incredible Battery LifeThe VideoMic will power for up to 100 hours on one Alkaline/Lithium 9V battery – peace of mind you have high quality audio for the whole day’s shoot, and beyond. | Compatible with Accessories to Enhance Productions FurtherThe VideoMic includes 3/8″ thread for convenient RØDE Boompole (sold separately) or tripod mounting. Add a VC1 extension cable (also sold separately) for working off-camera, closer to the speaking subject for the best possible sound. |
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| Ideal For: | Camcorders, point and shoot, entry level DSLR | Camcorders, point & shoot, entry-level DSLR (Not compatible with Nikon D7000) | Camcorders, mid-range DSLR | High-end DSLR, Full frame cameras | High-end DSLR, Full frame cameras | High-end DSLR, Full frame cameras, Smartphone and USB Computer Use |
| Built in pre-amp? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| High Pass Filter | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| +20db Boost? | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | |||
| Rechargeable Battery? | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| Safety Channel Feature? | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| High Frequency Boost? | ✓ | ✓ | ||||
| USB Microphone Capability | ✓ | |||||
| 3.5mm TRRS Smartphone/Tablet Compatible? | With SC4/SC7 Adapter (Sold Separately) | With SC4/SC7 Adapter (Sold Separately) | With SC4 Adapter (Sold Separately) | With SC4 Adapter (Sold Separately) | With SC4/SC7 Adapter (Sold Separately) | Natively (Auto-senses with included cable) |
| Frequency Response | 100Hz – 20kHz | 100Hz – 16kHz | 40Hz – 20kHz | 40Hz – 20kHz | 20Hz – 20kHz | 35Hz – 18kHz ±3 dB |
| Weight: | 340 g |
| Dimensions: | 30.48 x 10.16 x 12.7 cm; 340.19 Grams |
| Model: | VIDEOMICR |
| Colour: | Black and Red |
| Batteries Included: | 1 Lithium ion batteries required. |
| Colour: | Black and Red |
| Origin: | China |
Always been a fan of RDE equipment and this hasn’t failed me! Sturdy feel and easy access to buttons and setting. The auto on & off feature when you turn your camera off is great saving battery life. When research for a mic this was mentioned in nearly all and worth spend slightly more over cheaper models for sure! Since have this I have also bought the RDE Wireless Go which is also a fantastic piece of kit!!
I have tried it with both my Android smartphone and my MacBook Pro laptop and I had no issues. However, I have noticed that I would lose a sound output on my device if I use TRRS cable as that is the nature of the TRRS connector where the device would think it has both a microphone and a speaker connected.
It tried recording the sound on a very windy day and the sound was very clear so I am very happy with the wind muff, however, at the beginning I noticed that it sheds quite a bit of hair. The only thing I dislike about this microphone is that I cannot firmly attach the wind muff to it so if the microphone is shaking too much the muff can slide a bit thus letting the wind hit part of the microphone.
Overall, given the price on a deal, I would argue that it is a good value for money since the recordings sound very crisp and clear and the microphone is compact so it isn’t unwieldy.
Best microphone I have ever used. Fab price to. My yt videos have never sounded better. Definitely recommend. East and simple to use and set up. Just make sure you don’t have any noise or buzzing to close to the microphone from behind I didn’t realise bt it picked up my ring light buzz that I couldnt hear or even knew it buzzed.
I’m using this with a Canon DSLR – and it’s pretty much plug and play. The shock mount work well and the included ‘dead cat’ is great in outdoor situations.
In terms of sound quality – there’s really nothing to fault. It’s so good that I prefer it to using a Lavalier mic for ‘talking head’ pieces.
See video for more detail and examples of it’s quality.
Great mic and dead cat.
Good sound outdoors. Some mention audio gain required. Not so far.
No batteries required.
Light.
Needs an extra cable sold separately for my mobile phone Vlog rig. See images.
Very happy with my purchase.
Th great thing about this little microphone is just that… its little. Plus the fact that it doesn’t need a battery. it works straight off your cameras microphone input.
I purchased this over the Videomic Pro+ (250) because that unit is large and I have professional shotgun microphones when size and weight isn’t an issue.
A good lavalier microphone is better (I have several) but sometimes that’s a hassle to set up, and sometimes you just want something small to stick on top of a small camera and go!
And for that purpose, this unit is perfect.
The sound quality isn’t going to scare a professional shotgun mic, but its very usable and much better than relying on the camera’s internal mics.
Its a little bass shy, but in the typical use case for a product like this (talking to camera) that can be an advantage and aid clarity.
Its a very good little unit, and the included ‘dead cat’ windshield is a nice bonus…especially when Rode’s more expensive mics don’t include one.
Any downsides? Yeah, the shock mount is very weak… not that it feels like it might break, but if you move the camera even a small amount, the microphone wobbles like a nodding dog and this creates rumble noises in your recordings.
So it loses a star for that.
This mic is a great partner with the Rode Videomic Pro+. The Pro+ is mono only and has its own rechargeable battery. Great for isolating the subject, where this one picks out a little more from the front while giving much more a sense of the space. Stereo staging is very natural and it has a more etched sound than the Pro+. As a combo, they’re great because you get the choice.
The Rycote mount is quite soft so the mic does move about if you walk around with it attached. It has a little more self noise than I’d like but it’s insignificant in most situations. The 20dB boost is very welcome and boosts the audio cleanly which means less noise from your camera preamp. I’ve even used it with my GoPro and it sounds great.
I like its sound. It’s natural and you can plainly hear where anyone speaking is in the sound stage. It’s not too wide and does open up the ‘feel’ of your videos. Of course, there’s nothing to stop you combining channels or even using just one in post production if you want mono and this works well for central speech. Sometimes I record twice. Once for speech in mono and then ambience separately. This means you can get the mic close to the speaker and add ambience at any volume you like later giving you a mono track planted inside a stereo ambience track. This gives both a great sense of space as well as a clear sense of where the speaker is with a stereo ambience track.
It’s a great mic. but buy a deadcat with it.
Microphone is excellent for making short podcasts. I use it for making educational podcasts and its perfect. Battery is easy to fit and does not come into shot on a standard camera as some others have written. I only record indoors so cannot say about recording in windy weather.
I picked this mic as it is from a good manufacturer but also because it needs no batteries! It gets powered from the camera body itself, so no more worrying about charging an extra item or carrying around extra batteries. It simply mounts onto the camera body and plugs into the mic input of the camera.
The sound quality is very good. I was amazed by how clear the speaking was, and I was a fair distance from the ceremony. There is also a cover for the mic to reduce any wind or other ambient noise.
At this price, you definitely need one of these in your bag!
The function I wanted is the gain boost, which is something this device offered that other shotgun microphones did not – it gives +20dB and – 10dB gain options on the primary channel (it also can record a safety channel which is handy). This is a great feature because DSLR amplifiers are crap, and by turning this down in the DSLR settings, the microphone compensates with the gain boost – essentially, this gets rid of that annoying hiss you get when you record video and audio with a digital camera.
It works extremely well, switches itself on automatically when it receives auxiliary signal from the master device (be that audio recorder, camera etc) and it has a rechargeable, removable Lithium Polymer battery, which itself lasts between 80 and 100 hours.
Perfect.
The VMP+ is that improvement, and what a significant improvement it is.
There’s hundreds of reviews online so I don’t need to mention the operation or sound quality except to add that in this era of YouTube it’s the audio that can make or break your footage. If you’re serious about video then don’t skimp on the microphone.
The Rode Video Mic Pro delivers on expectations. Following a number of video reviews online I decided to purchase this microphone (and the deadcat) for my professional video work. The -10dB & +20dB ranges make this a very versatile microphone. Just a few things to note, if you’re using it with an older DSLR (like the Canon 5D Mark III) make sure to turn the camera recording volume down as low as possible and use the microphone in the +20dB range, or preferably use an external video recorder as the noise floor of these cameras totally eliminates the benefits of using such a quality microphone. Whilst this mic has a shoe mount and is intended as an on-camera mic, when possible use on a boom or otherwise mounted close to your subject as you’ll get much better clarity and minimise unwanted noises (this microphone has good directionality being supercardiod). All in all a very nicely designed microphone, just don’t forget to turn it off after use.
Audio quality wise, clearer as compared to camera in-build mic, however background buzzing noise in a quiet room still audible with the mic. Good volume of sounds that is directly in front of the mic, whereas if spoken from the sides or behind the mic, sound capture will be reduced in volume. Hence best use by speaking in front of the mic. No difference in sound quality between using windshield or not in a wind-free environment. Unable to comment how useful is the windshield in windy environment as I never had a chance to test it.
Build quality is good, the mic is small and compact, and is made of metal. Mount is made of plastic and the build quality doesn’t feel as good as the mic.
Recommend for those who in on tight budget but need decent sound quality for small video production. If needing more superb audio quality I will recommend getting the more expensive Rode Pro version.
I was looking for an external microphone to use on my DSLR, as I do a lot of content creation work and wanted something to record the environment we work in. The space we share can be quite loud sometimes, especially during our creation, this is why I loved the decibel (DB) setting on the microphone. You can adjust it between -10(my favourite setting), 0 and +20 decibels. -10 is perfect for me as it eliminates a lot of the unnecessary noise within the room and with the microphone set to directional rather than open, this really works a charm. I’d highly recommend this microphone, especially for use in large or open environments as it has the options available to cope with this. It also works brilliants in smaller and quieter environment. You will not be disappointed with the great audio quality.
I was looking for an external microphone to use on my DSLR, as I do a lot of content creation work and wanted something to record the environment we work in. The space we share can be quite loud sometimes, especially during our creation, this is why I loved the decibel (DB) setting on the microphone. You can adjust it between -10(my favourite setting), 0 and +20 decibels. -10 is perfect for me as it eliminates a lot of the unnecessary noise within the room and with the microphone set to directional rather than open, this really works a charm. I’d highly recommend this microphone, especially for use in large or open environments as it has the options available to cope with this. It also works brilliants in smaller and quieter environment. You will not be disappointed with the great audio quality.
Amazing product I took to Africa he did a fabulous job.
Need Replacement Rubbers mount Brackets for Rode VideoMic S/No213628
An excellent small microphone for external sound recording when using a smartphone, camcorder or DSLR to create your video masterpiece. The only issue is that it comes with an included 3.5mm trs cable to connect to a DSLR or camcorder. If you intend using it with a smartphone rig you will need a Rode 3.5mm trrs cable which is sold separately but available on Amazon. I use an android smartphone and am lead to believe that the current crop of iphones don’t have a 3.5mm jack, so you may need a seperate adaptor for an iphone.
great mic! probably best bang for the buck regarding video mics for run-n-gun general shooting
The solution is to use a headphone jack extender and tape the sensitive mic cable section to the gimbal / adapter you are fixing the mic to. That way you minimize any movement of the mic cable.
i wish they used the red type interchangable cable the cheaper video micro uses. Theres no issue with this model.
The solution is to use a headphone jack extender and tape the sensitive mic cable section to the gimbal / adapter you are fixing the mic to. That way you minimize any movement of the mic cable.
i wish they used the red type interchangable cable the cheaper video micro uses. Theres no issue with this model.
What a difference in audio.
I start just me talking in my room, then background noise of a youtube video and then both me and the video making noise. I have a Canon 70D and the audio the mic produces is very defined in the sense that it is natural yet punchy. I can’t place my finger on what makes it so nice (Maybe its because it’s a mono mic).
Listening through a pair of studio monitors (Focal Alpha 65’s pair) It’s obvious I won’t ever use the on board mic’s again. Solid choice, glad i bought it.
Just to clarify some things;
It records mono not stereo
Mounts onto a hot shoe or cold shoe mount
Requires the SC7 patch cable (~10) to work with mobiles (the cable included only works for TRS to TRS)
Audio Quality
Thankfully, they’ve included the windshield because without it, the audio picks up quite a lot of windy noise. Indoor use without the windshield is okay, but for conveniences sake you may as well keep it on. The windshield does an excellent job at keeping the wind out and softening loud breaths when you speak into the mic. I don’t pick up any ‘hiss’ as other people have complained about, but I do get some noticeable background noise. I’ve found that cleaning it up using Audacity makes the mic sound extremely high quality.
Mic Design
The mic feels very high quality with its full metal body. There are no complaints from me about the mic design.
Mount Design
The main problem I have with the product is actually to do with the Rycote Lyre Mount. Since the mic is only fixed on it at one point, the mic is able to rock forward and backward quite noticeably when you are moving about (i.e. walking). This is extremely noticeable on the audio, meaning it is more aimed towards stationary vlogging and filming (thus defeating the point of making it compact and easy to travel with). Using a different mount or using a gimbals should solve this, but falls heavily outside my budget (Rycote mounts are ~50 and gimbals are ~100). Also, the plastic of the mount feels very cheap and susceptible to snapping at any point. You do get 2 years warranty on this though, so I will see if it is needed at all.
Overall, this mic is definitely worth the money. It falls within the budget microphone price while delivering premium microphone quality (especially after editing audio in post). Pick this up if you’re looking for a compact budget mic!
I have spent more than a thousand pounds on the camera and felt that a small investment in a microphone was in order. I was not wrong. The sound quality is revolutionised with this external microphone. The build in mic is a waste of time and a small investment pays enormous dividends if you are thinking of using your DSLR for video.
It comes with a fluffy microphone cover and needs no batteries as it takes power from the camera (make sure the Mic jack is powered).
Well worth the investment. If you’re using your DSLR for video, make this investment – you won’t be sorry!
The quality is just superb, so much better than the built in mic on most cameras, picking up sounds from much further away if needed, but also cutting out ambient noise when using it for interviews for example. When you use it indoors without the wind muffler, the small size means it is much less obtrusive. The audio it captures is almost as good as my professional Shure mic I use in my studio, great for making video clips when I’m out and avoids the need to use a separate audio recorder and merge the audio file. It connects via a fairly short, curly lead with 3.5mm jacks on either end. I had to get a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter for my camera but it worked fine. The fact that the lead is pretty short is good, as it means it doesn’t get in the way too much.
I have been using this with Tascam DR40 and Canon SLRs. The sound quality with the right setup is very nice, especially if you take time to get the settings correct.
Although a shotgun style mic it does still pick up quite a lot of sound from nearby but from my limited experience only far more expensive mics will be more isolating and they cost multiples of this one.
Only minor dislike is the very short cable, which although stretchy Im worried may degrade with use.
I’ve used it for on location filming and for filming voice overs. Very happy indeed, great value piece of kit.
Great product. Exactly what I needed.
Great quality and arrived super quick
Clear sound, looks nice. I use it for vlogging most of the time. Rode mics are top rage and the price is perfect.
It is an awesome mic for mirrorless X-T2. Buy and use very easy..
It is a good mic but your subject needs to be close to it to get the full benefit and sound quality from it.
It is very good the closer you are to it, more depth and clarity over the built in mic on my dslr but the quality gets less and less the further away you are from it.
The battery cover is fiddly to get back on and is not the easiest to see which way to put the battery in.
There is a small sticker on the inside of the battery compartment showing which way to put the battery in but this could be easily missed if you did not know it was there, there is also a image on the back of the battery cover showing battery position as well. This mic is more suited for interviews and vlogging etc, it will pick up noise from behind and sides but this will not be as clear as what is in front of the mic as this is what it is for. If you were looking for a more ambient sound of the area you are in then the rode videomic stereo would be better for this purpose. If you purchase this mic you will also need to get your self a 9v battery as there is not one supplied with the mic, overall i am happy with this purchase.
You don’t get much in the box but then you don’t need much – it’s a microphone at the end of the day. But a very very good one.
Fantastic shotgun mike and works great with the Canon 500d as it has its own power supply.
The package includes the TRS connection cable, a shock mount, a windjammer/deadkitten, and the microphone itself.
I am not planning on this being my main camera microphone. It will be mainly used as a backup. The reason I love it so much is because it is so versatile.
I can use this with my Panasonic Lumix G6. I can use this as an external microphone with my audio recorder. I can connect this to action cameras. I picked up the Rode SC7 TRS to TRRS connection cable too so I can also use my Google Nexus 6P with it too.
It really is versatile and for the size of the microphone it punches above its weight and stands well against more expensive options. My plan is to keep it with my portable little camera bag at all times so that I have it there for whenever I need it. For example, if I just want to record a quick video on my smartphone I can connect it up.
You may have to mess around with the mic level on your camera if you want to get the right sound. On my Panasonic Lumix G6 the mic levels go from 1 to 19. At the highest level (19) there is a lot of buzzing and hissing. I need to set the microphone between level 1 and level 12 so that the sound is ok.
The windjammer works ok. I really like how well it slides easily onto the VideoMicro, though I didn’t find that it reduced noise as much as other windjammers.
Check out my video for a series of audio tests I performed with the microphone. Be sure to leave a question below in the comment area if you have any questions about the microphone. I tested it in a lot of different situations to see how it performed, but I would be happy to answer anything I didn’t cover in the review.
Kevi
Update;
The base of the Lycote lyre Shock Mount had snapped. I got in contact with Rode and they sent a replacement from their England base in London. There is a 2mm bolt which need a 2mm Allen wrench to remove it. I have 1 year left on my warranty so they replaced it free of charge. If you haven’t already make sure you register your Rode microphone for its 2 year warranty. Still fantastic for the price.
I use this in conjunction with my DSLR for vlogs. Audio quality is very good, however the mount in which to mount onto the camera I found to be quite flimsy. This is my only complaint as overall it does what I need it to do.
Superb Microphone for Amateur Video Work at a very decent price.
Quick delivery from seller. Don’t expect pro standard of a full shotgun, this mic is a bit roomy for my liking.
Extremely happy with the product. Purchased this for my Canon 750D and it works a treat for a not so expensive piece of kit.
Brill quality sound. Great price, just remmber to turn off so as not to drain battery
Lovely bit of kit.
Obviously bought off the back of a thousand youtube recommendations; plus a nice discount for a refurb.
Filmed and edited three videos now with segments outside in afternoon rush hour and the sound pickup was excellent. This is not a microphone for serious directional sound but it certainly will cut through noise of the same volume as your subject to produce good useable audio.
As an upgrade from a D3200 internal mic it is a thing of beauty.
I highly recommend and as long as your fingers aren’t six foot wide and long you wont have an issue replacing the underslung battery 🙂
However, if you need a slightly more focused sound at distances over four or five feet then you might want to consider a short shot gun mic – a good cheap option is something like the HTDZ HT 320A 10-inch mic (quite difficult to find these days) which in my tests produced a better, more focused, sound at longer distances than the Rode. But it does not have the convenient form factor of the Rode (direct camera mounting is a bit awkward), and it’s battery operated, whereas the Rode is battery free. So the Rode has definite advantages here.
You could also attach a longer cable and use the Rode off-camera if you wanted to, on a boom pole with the right mount adapter etc. It also comes with a furry wind protector which is useful.
In total, it’s a nice and practical little mic and a very useful accessory within its limits. But don’t expect miracles when recording sounds at longer distances. At around 45 at the time of writing, it’s a pretty good buy. But if you’re even half way serious about obtaining decent sound in different environments, the Rode should NOT be the only mic in your kit.
Love this mike… Hoping to eventually buy the rode videomic pro…I’d like to have 2.
Note – this does not come with a battery but I love this microphone! Fits my budget perfectly and works really well for the price. One thing to remember is to turn it off after using it but a green light reminds you about this
Arrived a day earlier than specified and seems to do the job adequately!
Very pleased with this purchase…used it to record a rock band gig in a club and got a very clear recording.
Bought for Xmas gift, delivered within 2/4 days after ordering. my husband is happy with his gif
Pretty great mic to have on a DSLR, good audio quality and very lightweight. The shockmount is super handy and means that you almost always have decent quality audio.
The only problems I’ve had have been that using the different audio levels on the inside basically ruin the audio and when the battery starts to run out the audio gets fuzzy, with no indication on the mic that the battery is low.
Great rode mic something thats used in hollywood also captures chrisp sound. Will make you look like a pro. I recommend this product to all excellent purchase
bit fiddly with the batteries and button but a good mic with decent quality sound.
Excellent audio quality – use it for recording external audio from my SLR. Fits on the shoe and doesn’t obstruct the lens. Needs a 9 volt battery
This is my second Rode VideoMic, so I was already aware of it’s excellent performance at recording sound – I use it on my XA20 Cano
ice looking product, pity it would not work on my camera
Great mic, HOWEVER you want to invest in a external recording device over this as your camera still records crappy audio mostly.
Its really cool, and the sound stay good… but sometimes we hear some noises… :/
There’s a small buzz on the line when shooting in quiet circumstances.
A bit bulky and pick up pattern introduce a bit of hiss.
I’ve been using this for about four years now and have been very happy with it. The mic produces a very clear sound with very minimal background hiss. Well worth the money in my opinion.
Great product that I’ve made a lot of use out of with my Canon 600D. The sound quality is really good & it’s good value for money. Would definitely buy it again in the future & recommend to others looking for a microphone.
A great mic that significantly improves the quality of the audio you can record.
I’ve decided to keep the Rode Videomic, because, as I said, it records (seemingly) well in a noisy environment, much better than the on-board mic, and I’ve now purchased (after much research) a separate recording device. No one said audio for video was going to be easy, I just thought it would be. It can be complicated, expensive, and time consuming trying to get it all to work the way you want it to, as different situations are going to call for different set ups, but that’s part of the fun, and definitely a major part of the learning process.
As for build quality, it is excellent, the Rycote Lyre Mount works, and, as this is by far the most important thing, it does look very good in the camera rig, especially when it’s sat on top of a camera grip!
Bought this for short videos and never looked back, perfect sound pickup and can attach it to so many points using the hotshoe adapter plate!
Using with the rode boompole to get those long shots in too.
I bought this top mic when I was working on corporate interviews a couple years ago and haven’t looked back since. It’s reliable, sturdy and the recording quality/battery life are great. I’d recommend getting the RDE Deadcat should you be doing a lot of outdoor filming, as this won’t filter out high winds that well.
Just the job! Love the suspension, pretty good sound. With an slr this is quite an efficient set up. I would recommend it.
This went well with a JVC camera very useful to cut out back ground noises, needs slightly up dating to be more compac
having looked at 20-40 pound entry level mics i chose this one, the hot shoe is good quality and comes with a very long guarantee
Good price and fast shippong for this on camera mic. I’m no sound expert but for the price and the ease of use it seems to do a great job.
Same great quality Rode microphone as usual but with a much improved mount.
Sits much more comfortably on my camera and I don’t have to worry about any broken or lost bands.
I have used this at one wedding so far and it records pretty decent sound quality. Miles better than any in camera mic.
Produces awesome sound and battery life lasts a longgg time! Sometimes I’ve left the mic on for a day without realising and the battery is still green and carried on for long time. I recommend this for you film makers, great purchase!
It’s not to bulky and easy to fit. It catches all the sound and its very clear. My brother uses a lot for wedding event and he loves it.
I’ve had other shotgun mics before, but nothing compares to this mics quality of sound without the usual hiss. For the money I’ve not found one that comes close the good results of this one. Mind you I’m just an amateur, but I’m happy with the sound reproduction for home use.
I bought the fury dead cat thing as well but it dangles in front of the lens of my cam Corder 🙁
I’ve been using this to collect ambient sound for video, recording direct to the camera or sometimes a Tascam DR60D. It isn’t a MKH416 by any means, but for non critical ambience – interior and exterior – it produces a reasonably crisp, low noise output which is perfectly usable. The battery arrangement is a little clunky but battery life is sufficiently long it shouldn’t be a problem provided you keep spares on hand and don’t go into a mission critical shoot if you’re not sure of how much juice is left.
This is a great microphone and records sound at very high quality! I use it for everything from film making to voice acting work. With a good, cheap recorder (like the Zoom H1) you can capture most sounds at a very high quality!
Lovely sound quality, only downer is the noise you get from the suspension system.
I tried many different ways to reduce the squeaking noise.
Quality item, which produces first class audio. I use mine with a Canon DSLR and it is ideal. I would suggest buying the RODE deadcat furry windshield to cut out wind noise and further enhance the clarity of audio recordings.
Decent microphone with decent sound. Not too expensive, although well worth also getting a wind-muffler because background noise can be an issue.
My son is very happy with the microphone. Says it works well and would recommend to anyone for home use.
Brilliant product,I use this on shoots and I am very pleased with it. Brilliant mic and brilliant sound quality would definitely recommend.
The directional microphone needs to be used with care. For example if you are interviewing someone who points out something of interest behind you, it’s no good panning round as they continue to talk, as their voice will fade away!
The other reason for purchasing this microphone was to improve sound quality and to lessen the effect of wind. The sound quality of the built in microphone of the Panasonic camcorder was pretty good, and so it was difficult to recognize a significant improvement in general recording, but it did noticeably overcome problems of recording in a light breeze.
The microphone is attached to a mounting system that is designed to cut out camera and it is questionable as to how long the rubber loops will last. However another reviewer has made the point that these can easily be replaced by inexpensive O-Rings and so this is not a problem. The microphone is relatively large and dwarfs my camcorder, but at least it’s not very heavy and so again not much of a problem, as long as you have a bag that it will fit into. Finally, the only real problem that I have had is to forget to switch it on. I would strongly recommend that once you start filming for the day switch it on and leave it on. The pp3 battery is supposed to last for more than 100hrs, and so the cost of doing this far outweighs the cost of losing valuable footage!
The directional microphone needs to be used with care. For example if you are interviewing someone who points out something of interest behind you, it’s no good panning round as they continue to talk, as their voice will fade away!
The other reason for purchasing this microphone was to improve sound quality and to lessen the effect of wind. The sound quality of the built in microphone of the Panasonic camcorder was pretty good, and so it was difficult to recognize a significant improvement in general recording, but it did noticeably overcome problems of recording in a light breeze.
The microphone is attached to a mounting system that is designed to cut out camera and it is questionable as to how long the rubber loops will last. However another reviewer has made the point that these can easily be replaced by inexpensive O-Rings and so this is not a problem. The microphone is relatively large and dwarfs my camcorder, but at least it’s not very heavy and so again not much of a problem, as long as you have a bag that it will fit into. Finally, the only real problem that I have had is to forget to switch it on. I would strongly recommend that once you start filming for the day switch it on and leave it on. The pp3 battery is supposed to last for more than 100hrs, and so the cost of doing this far outweighs the cost of losing valuable footage!
I first got my Rode to do complete a multimedia project that required better audio that could be attained that through the my 5D’s mic. I rather foolishly used it straight into the audio input and not my Zoom audio recorder (a h2 or h2n, I think!) The first time I used it I was amazed by the clarity, if a little bland. A couple of weeks later I used it for the interview section of a mockumentary. It could not pull speech so I was left with the annoying hum of a desk fan (it was one of those rare English heat waves) and that really disappointed me. Since then I have used it to record a couple of song’s. I originally (in a test) used it to record drum overheads, it was good, and the stereo image was noticeable, but it wasn’t brilliant. My 2 new AKG C 414’s (XLS) are much better. I have since used it on guitar and piano, though vocals (against Rode’s very own words-just watch their product demo) just fail with this mic, and the sound leaves a lot to be desired.
Pros
Good Sound Quality
Ok in a studio
Good on a boom pole
Cons
Rubbish at vocals
Rubbish at pulling speech.
You get what you pay for!
I spent a lot of time doing the AGC hack instead of using the manuel audio levels on the Canon 600D as that still makes the hiss. if you want to use this microphone on a Canon DLSR, make sure you look up on google or youtube about the AGC (auto gain control) hack as this will get the best audio for your Canon DSLR without the use of a seprate recording device like a ZOOM H1.
Basically the AGC hack works like this… you spilt the stereo sound using a simple cable and then effectively you have two separate mono channels, no need to worry the rode video mic is mono on two channels anyway, so on one channel you play a 19khz tone from a ipod shuffle, and in the other you put you microphone in. adjust the level fo the tone on the ipod to change the level fo the mic and there you have it, no hiss 🙂 i recommend looking online for a better explanation as that was only brief
I fully reccomend getting this pmicrophone for any camcorder/DLSR as it will be a lot better than any on board micrphones. again if your getting this micrphone for a Canon DLSR make sure you research about the AGC (auto gain control) hack or else you will be disappointed in the quality as the Canon DLSRs do not have good audio recording.
Great microphone and good value for money – a little on the large side however.
This microphone is a mono mic for interviews, one on ones etc, I ordered it to record music and got disappointing results.
I sent it back and now have the Rode stereo video mic at twice the price!! The stereo video mic does what I wanted it to do.
I bought this Mike as a gift for hubby after he borrowed his friends, he is thrilled to bits with it.Finds it very easy to use and has recommended it to friends
Here is a relatively inexpensive solution. The Rode Video Mic.
Great mic and plenty of settings to play around and experiment with.
The switches do make a difference, so dont be shy trying them all until you have one that suits your type of work.
Some have commented on the rubber mountings breaking?
I can see, in my situation, how this might happen, which is due to the leaning angle of the Mic.
When placing your camcorder down, especially if you use a videocam stabiliser system as I do, then you will notice that the mic leans to the right, so I dont place your camcorder down on its right side or it will place pressure on the mics mountings possibly causing them to snap.
I have had no trouble with the mic, other than strong winds affecting sound, which is a normal challenge regardless, in my opinion.
I also use a rechargeable 9v battery and this works fine despite the instructions advising a normal 9v batt.
I have used this a number of times now and can not recommen I highly enough. It’s VERY sensitive at picking up sounds. But do be advised as it’s not stereo. Same signal is fed into both left and right channels.
I chose the Stereo Video Mic because I thought it would be more versatile, maybe not as directional and as good with voice as the Video Mic but would still be OK (it’s two of the same condenser mics) but of course it can do stereo when required, which the other clearly can’t do.
In use it’s a bit bulkier than the Video Mic, but it’s not out of place on a 5D which is a sizeable camera. Fitting it though was the problem – the first one I was sent just didn’t fit the hot-shoe of any camera I owned so I contacted Rode and they replied quickly saying that it should fit a 5DII and they advised I returned it. I did and the second I received was also tight but once eased on it became easy to fit and remove; a small burr of the aluminium was rubbed away by the first fitting. Another reviewer here had similar problems so it looks they know how to build good mics down under but aluminium castings are proving a bit harder!
Once in use the quality is great – rich and full, much better than the built-in, hollow sounding mic on my camera. It’s worth also noting that the optimum range (according to Rode) isn’t too far – only 2m – and unlike camcorder mics it won’t ‘zoom’ so an extension cable and somewhere to mount the mic can come in handy. Certainly inside at about 3m away it was fine, but in a noisy environment it might prove more problematic to get ‘broadcast quality’. I haven’t needed to use the included ‘dead kitten’ yet so can’t report on that.
In use it’s easy to set up, with basic filters for hum and booming issues but I imagine most decent editing software can apply similar things in post processing, for hum anyway. I’m using Final Cut Express and that has certainly has a reasonable sound editing tool-kit.
All-in-all I can thoroughly recommend this product – a very well made mic with a 10 year guarantee so you can’t really go wrong, though if you want to do only voice and want to stay with the mic on camera then the standard Video Mic may be a better bet. If I hadn’t had the accessory shoe mount issue it would have easily got five stars.
I chose the Stereo Video Mic because I thought it would be more versatile, maybe not as directional and as good with voice as the Video Mic but would still be OK (it’s two of the same condenser mics) but of course it can do stereo when required, which the other clearly can’t do.
In use it’s a bit bulkier than the Video Mic, but it’s not out of place on a 5D which is a sizeable camera. Fitting it though was the problem – the first one I was sent just didn’t fit the hot-shoe of any camera I owned so I contacted Rode and they replied quickly saying that it should fit a 5DII and they advised I returned it. I did and the second I received was also tight but once eased on it became easy to fit and remove; a small burr of the aluminium was rubbed away by the first fitting. Another reviewer here had similar problems so it looks they know how to build good mics down under but aluminium castings are proving a bit harder!
Once in use the quality is great – rich and full, much better than the built-in, hollow sounding mic on my camera. It’s worth also noting that the optimum range (according to Rode) isn’t too far – only 2m – and unlike camcorder mics it won’t ‘zoom’ so an extension cable and somewhere to mount the mic can come in handy. Certainly inside at about 3m away it was fine, but in a noisy environment it might prove more problematic to get ‘broadcast quality’. I haven’t needed to use the included ‘dead kitten’ yet so can’t report on that.
In use it’s easy to set up, with basic filters for hum and booming issues but I imagine most decent editing software can apply similar things in post processing, for hum anyway. I’m using Final Cut Express and that has certainly has a reasonable sound editing tool-kit.
All-in-all I can thoroughly recommend this product – a very well made mic with a 10 year guarantee so you can’t really go wrong, though if you want to do only voice and want to stay with the mic on camera then the standard Video Mic may be a better bet. If I hadn’t had the accessory shoe mount issue it would have easily got five stars.
I bought it to go on top of a Canon HV-30 camcorder and the results are really good.
I’d certainly recommend it.