Using Rode Videomic Pro

[JacePhoto]

Hi All,

I have the Rode Video Mic Pro but am getting unhappy results with it. It does not pick up sound as good as i thought it would and it sounded like a cheap shotgun mic of SGD 80. In addition, the sound is softer, hissing more prominent. I tried it on D800, D3300, Sony PJ-660EV. All three, i have switched the microphone to manual (no auto gain).

I think i must have used it wrongly or i must have had a lemon.

Could anyone advice me?

Thanks.

 

[kandinsky]

Hmm, might be possible that you're using in situations/environments beyond the VMP's capabilities, perhaps of even higher end shotguns like NTG3 or MKH-416. E.g, If your mic is camera-mounted and your source is a distance away, it's quite likely that there's poor signal to noise ratio (the source is not much louder than the ambient). If you're familiar with the inverse square law when thinking about flash intensity over distances, it also applies to sound intensity.

I've found that it performs pretty okay around 0.5m-1m from source. The noisier the ambient, the closer you'll need to be to your source (if the talent is speaking at normal volume). Even with higher end shotguns, still need a certain SNR to capture good audio — If the ambient is quiet and your source is loud, you may get a longer working distance. Beyond that, you either need to boom the mic to get it closer to the source (tight shots), or use lavs (wider shots).

Settings-wise, most tips I've read for when recording in-camera recommend setting your camera volume as low as possible (no AGC), then use the +20db setting to boost using the mic's preamps when needed, which is what is recommended by Rode:

The right setting (+20) will increase the signal level by 20dB. This is useful for recording quiet sound sources, or when your camera requires a higher input level for better signal to noise ratio (as in many digital SLR cameras).

Please note that when setting the input level you should always be mindful of your camera’s internal audio level setting. If you have the +20dB level selected on the VideoMic Pro you may need to reduce the input level on your camera.

For best results reduce the camera’s input level as much as possible, selecting the +20dB input level on the VideoMic Pro and working downward until the appropriate input level is achieved.

This will result in a much lower noise floor and an overall clearer recording when plugging the VideoMic Pro into the typically low quality mic preamps found on most DSLR cameras. The VideoMic Pro has been designed to work best with the camera’s Auto Gain Control switched off. As always we recommend you test your audio first before recording anything of importance.


http://wpc.660d.edgecastcdn.net/80660D/downloads/videomicpro_user_manual.pdf

Just to add, perhaps you may also have a misconception (which I once had) about shotgun mics, that they kinda work like telephoto lenses and that they allow you to 'capture' audio from a distance. Here's something I read that helped my understanding:

People often expect way too much from shotguns. The following is a quote from a public radio colleague, and it is an excellent description of microphone reality:

"Working distance and the meaning of life in audio.

If you like the sound you are getting out of an omni microphone a standard cardioid microphone will give you a working distance of about 1.7 to 1.8 times the distance of Omni.

A hyper-cardioid gives you about 2 times the working distance of an omni.

A short shotgun like a Sennheiser MKH 416 will give you about 2.2 times the working distance of an Omni

A long shotgun like a Neumann KMR-82 or a Sennheiser MKH 70 will give you about 2.8 to 3 times the working distance of an omni.

The longer the shotgun generally speaking the better the low frequency pattern control and the tighter the HF pattern. Off axis performance is usually dependent upon how tight the HF pattern is. For example the now discontinued Sennheiser MKH 816 had a very tight HF pattern. It had a tendency to sound "telephone" like off axis. The Sennheiser MKH 70 on the other hand has about twice the HF "width" as an '816 but off axis is truly HiFi and we use them along with the Neumann KMR 82 (narrower than a '70 but not as narrow as an '816) as spot mics for opera soloist on Colorado Symphony Orchestra sessions. Usually at about 6 foot in front of them on a low mic stand (about 18 inches) aimed up.

Shotgun mics are not the miracle devices depicted in TV and movies as able to hear conversations in the middle of Times Square during rush hour at 100 yards... Even the parabolic mics we used on the sidelines of football games "fell down" when there were 60,000 screaming drunk fans (which is why the Line Judge is equipped with a wireless mic that TV uses to get the snap count).

On a quiet fairway you could pick up a golfer at 25 feet whispering to his caddy. At a press conference in a noisy room with acoustics designed by Hellen Keller that same mic would be hard pressed to delver usable audio at 3 feet. Getting your News Ferrets to understand this can be a challenge and generally requires training that includes demonstrations in both quiet and noisy environments.

Inexpensive shotgun mics can do a good job when worked within their limitations. Typically the issues are pattern control, noise floor and frequency response both on and off axis. And this will impact their working distance and resultant audio quality."

http://www.controlbooth.com/threads/inexpensive-shotgun-mics.22221/

*Disclaimer - Audio noob with limited experience*

 

[JacePhoto]

Hi Kandisky,

I think you are right. I am expecting the shotgun mike to perform like a tele-photo lens.

When i used the Seinheisser G3 (wireless lavelier mic) placed on the table with two person, the conversation picked up was even better than the Rode Video mic pro

Your article is enlightening. I wonder if there is anywhere to test out those higher end mike? haha

 

[Deunamist]

JacePhoto: try this! http://www.rodemic.com/soundbooth_broadcast

 

[hamanoshun]

Hi Kandisky,

I think you are right. I am expecting the shotgun mike to perform like a tele-photo lens.

When i used the Seinheisser G3 (wireless lavelier mic) placed on the table with two person, the conversation picked up was even better than the Rode Video mic pro

Your article is enlightening. I wonder if there is anywhere to test out those higher end mike? haha

Shotgun mics, if you have read up about it, were never meant to work like a telephoto. It's about the pickup pattern that a lot of people use it for, and it's for subject isolation.

Shotgun mics have a highly directional polar pattern, meaning it picks up sound from the sound source it's pointed at, and eliminates, to a certain extent, signals from surrounding sources. However, the quality of each shotgun mic's isolation is also proportionate to their price. The Rode NTG-3 and Sennheiser MKH416 runs in the 700-900 range and 1300+ range respectively as an estimation.

 

[JacePhoto]

JacePhoto: try this! http://www.rodemic.com/soundbooth_broadcast

Wow! cool! Gives a clearer picture. Thanks!

 

[JacePhoto]

Shotgun mics, if you have read up about it, were never meant to work like a telephoto. It's about the pickup pattern that a lot of people use it for, and it's for subject isolation.

Shotgun mics have a highly directional polar pattern, meaning it picks up sound from the sound source it's pointed at, and eliminates, to a certain extent, signals from surrounding sources. However, the quality of each shotgun mic's isolation is also proportionate to their price. The Rode NTG-3 and Sennheiser MKH416 runs in the 700-900 range and 1300+ range respectively as an estimation.

Yes, we know the theory part but since sound wave is invisible and not everyone has a trained ear/ gear, it's hard to learn

Thanks for the tip

 

[JacePhoto]

Is there a Seinheisser showroom in SG where we can try before purchase?

 

[JacePhoto]

I found a website with shotgun mic comparisons:

[video=youtube;2Haqm-6DjuM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Haqm-6DjuM[/video]

What i have learned is to keep the subject and camera+shotgun mic to just 1 meters. Is that correct?

 

[kandinsky]

What i have learned is to keep the subject and camera+shotgun mic to just 1 meters. Is that correct?

Dunno if it's 'correct', but yeah, 1m has been a 'safe zone' for my VMP.

I've read a similar tip that seems to describe an approx 1m distance too:

The optimum distance for boom mics is when the talent can almost touch the mic by reaching up at about a 45-degree angle.

Television Production Handbook, Herbert Zettl

This pdf from Shure has some basic tips - Audio Systems Guide for VIDEO AND FILM PRODUCTION: http://cdn.shure.com/publication/upload/403/us_pro_audiovideoproduction_ea.pdf

Shotgun microphones are not telephoto lenses for sound or
amplifiers. They do not allow you to zoom in on a conversation from
100 feet away. Here’s a much more accurate analogy: imagine
looking through a long tube at a person standing 20 feet away.
The person’s image does not appear to be any larger or closer, but
is somewhat easier to see, because the eye is not distracted by
things happening off to either side. This is exactly what shotgun
mics do best: screen out sounds coming from the sides, making
the sound coming from in front easier to hear.

 

[JacePhoto]

Thanks Kandinsky, hamanoshun and Deunamist for your pointers.

Lots of learning from here!