EEVblog #182 - Rode Videomic Shotgun Microphone Hack

[pmrlondon]

Well, that was just the kind of mod I like - obvious and simple, but it corrects a real annoyance. It is frequently you find a product that, on the face of it, is very good but it has one downside. You either have to live with it or put it right.

As far as the power usage goes, I was surprised! The rear LED accounts for most of it.

[EEVblog]

Yes, I didn't bother to check that. But it turns out the LED does indeed account for the majority of the product current consumption.
Not happy with that, so I'll go back in and tweek that value down.

Dave.

[Richard W.]

A superbright LED lights at about 50µA up as bright as a standard LED.

[Lightages]

Dave:

A nice simple mod to correct a problem that was never considered by RODE. RODE does make nice gear and I own their mic blimp system. They spend a lot of time thinking things through when they design things and it shows. While the RODE Video Stereo mic is a nice mic, it is hardly the best "shotgun" mic on the market. It is certainly a good bang for the buck device and well thought out for its purpose. Perhaps you should suggest to them that they add an LED to the front of their self powered mics.

One thing a video producer notices immediately in any video is any hint of room sound. Your workshop has lots of course and was never designed as a sound stage. If I can make a suggestion to improve your audio..... get a lapel mic. Getting a microphone closer to the source is the best way to eliminate room sounds and variability in audio level when you move around working on the things at hand while doing your video. There are wireless mic systems, but seeing as you are in a relatively confined area in your shop you might consider a wired lapel mic. A good wireless mic system is not cheap. If you wish I can make a recommendation that is not expensive.

I do enjoy your blog and appreciate your contribution to rational thought and electronics. Keep up the good work!

[EEVblog]

I do have an Azden WR-PRO wireless mic, however I've found it's audio quality is not that great. I only use it for location shoots where the Rode is not suitable.
I also have a sony wired lapel mic, but once again the quality is not great.
I find lapel mics a real pain, you have to set them up, and  can get all sorts of introduced sounds when you move around a lot as I do.
The shotgun is just much simpler and better for the workshop. There is a lot to be said for no fuss simplicity.
Lapel mics aren't magic I'm afraid, and a wired lapel would be a PITA in the lab I think.

But if you have any suggestions then I'm always open.

Dave.

[Bored@Work]

Yes, I didn't bother to check that. But it turns out the LED does indeed account for the majority of the product current consumption.
Not happy with that, so I'll go back in and tweek that value down.

Could be part of your soldering tutorial series. Although picking off an SMD resistor with two irons and replacing it with a larger value does maybe not fill a full episode.

[Lightages]

I do have an Azden WR-PRO wireless mic, however I've found it's audio quality is not that great. I only use it for location shoots where the Rode is not suitable.
I also have a sony wired lapel mic, but once again the quality is not great.

Yes, unfortunately, like I said, a good wireless system is not cheap and the Azden (I had one) you have is very noisy and has a poor mic. I do not know what Sony wired mic you have but I know that Sony is not highly regarded in the pro video world. I have this mic system as one of my wireless setups: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/68056-REG/Audio_Technica_W88_24_829_W88_13_829_Camera_Mountable_VHF.html and it is far better than the Azden. I use this when I need extra mics and don't have enough of my other (much more expensive) wireless systems left to use. Another alternative is a mic from this guy:
http://www.giant-squid-audio-lab.com/gs/gs-micline1.html . But I don't know exactly which setup he has would be suited to your camera.

I find lapel mics a real pain, you have to set them up, and  can get all sorts of introduced sounds when you move around a lot as I do.

One of the bigger problems with some lapel mics is the cable picking up cable rubbing noises as you move around. Some are much better than others. Again, it is usually the lower end mics that suffer cable motion pickup than others. And yes, setting a lapel mic up properly can be a pain and I understand the wish to avoid them from that perspective.

The shotgun is just much simpler and better for the workshop. There is a lot to be said for no fuss simplicity.
Lapel mics aren't magic I'm afraid, and a wired lapel would be a PITA in the lab I think.

But if you have any suggestions then I'm always open.

Dave.

Of course there is no magic, just better suited gear for different situations. The biggest tip for micing is get the mic as close to the subject as possible. So what I might suggest, given your preference to not use a lavalier (lapel mic), is to get a cardioid mic and have it mounted on a boom right over your head just out of camera frame. You could also just hang it from the rafters of your shop. If you can halve the distance between the mic and your mouth you also will halve the background noise and room sound. You could try just hanging your current RODE mic that way too. Anything more than this gets into hundreds of dollars and probably not what you want to spend.

I am just being picky. There is nothing really bad with your setup, just being a nit picker.

[EEVblog]

I was looking at those Audio-Technica ones the other day. Not for the lab, but for field work to replace the noisy Azden.
There really isn't much point trying to get the mic closer in the lab, I've tried. The Shotgun is only 1m away when seated, and much closer when I'm shooting stuff on the bench and am behind the camera.
The best solution is better acoustics in the lab which is in progress.

Dave.

[EEVblog]

Do you know if the Audio-Technica ATR-288W is just as good?

Dave.

[sacherjj]

I always used a Sennheiser ME-66/K6 on my Canon GL2.  But both the camera and the mic are large.  I got left behind on the HD revolution with camera, but this mic is still first rate.  It is a pricey mic, but with a good cat hair wind screen, you can make wind noise disappear.  This is what I use when I needed shoot and run audio.  We also would have one on a boom for production video. 

I know many would use the AT835b and AT815b as cheaper substitutes for the ME66.  I'm sure Audio-Technica has improved something since I was deep into video/audio in the early 2000s.

[Joshua]

I have some Audio-Techinca 2020 and 3035. They are lovely mics, especially the 3035. Granted, you would have to have a mixer or box to supply 48v phantom power. But they would pick up your voice up to a couple of meters away. Also, have you ever tried some software cleanup to get rid of background noise?

[Lightages]

Do you know if the Audio-Technica ATR-288W is just as good?

Dave.

The radio packs are the same as the other one I recommended, but the microphones included with this package a rather sub par and while not quite as noisy as the Azden, they are still quite the compromise to get two mics into the package and be lower in price than the W88 series. The 829 and 830 model mics from AT are very reasonable mics. The other thing is, the 288W is available in only one frequency and if you have any VHF repeaters or TV towers around you and they happen to be on the same frequency as the wireless pack you can count of problems. The W88 series allows you choose the frequency of operation when you purchase and if you decide you need two packs later you can then also select another frequency.

[Lightages]

I always used a Sennheiser ME-66/K6 on my Canon GL2.  But both the camera and the mic are large.  I got left behind on the HD revolution with camera, but this mic is still first rate.  It is a pricey mic, but with a good cat hair wind screen, you can make wind noise disappear.  This is what I use when I needed shoot and run audio.  We also would have one on a boom for production video. 

I know many would use the AT835b and AT815b as cheaper substitutes for the ME66.  I'm sure Audio-Technica has improved something since I was deep into video/audio in the early 2000s.

The really great bang for the buck shotgun microphone from AT right now is the AT875. It costs less than $200 and does a very good job. Not quite up the the Senn 66 but close. Seeing as Dave already has the RODE, he really would not benefit from anything better unless he spent the $700 or $800 or more on a higher end mic. But without a sound guy to hold a boom and keep the mic close to the subject, it would be a waste of money. Shotgun mics are not sound telescopes, they have rejection of side sounds as their main advantage. The perform no better at gathering sound from a distance than does a cardioid or even a omni. Actually, shotguns are not the best choice for indoor areas as the way sound bounces around a room can cause the mic interference tube for side sound rejection to actually add weird phase shifted echoes and frequency distortions to sound that does get picked up from the random reflections. A much better mic for this use is a cardioid type.

[EEVblog]

Also, have you ever tried some software cleanup to get rid of background noise?

Yes, and any way I do it, it's a PITA. It just adds extra steps to my video processing workflow, which already has too many steps...
Those sorts of things are find when you are doing an important video to do, but no good for a regular video blog. Anything that adds to your time becomes a pain you just don't want the hassle of. That includes messing around with lapel mics, tweaking audio and video quality etc.

Dave.

[Lightages]

Not only is trying to remove background and room sound a pain, it is basically impossible without making a mess of the desired audio.

You want no hassle Dave? I think you already have it hand with what you are doing and planning to do. If you don't want to do lapel mics, then using a directional mic (RODE) and deadening the room sound is the best option.

[Joshua]

I agree, I think the audio quality is just fine. I've never had a problem with the quality of audio of your blogs.

[DrGeoff]

I have some Audio-Techinca 2020 and 3035. They are lovely mics, especially the 3035.

The 3035 is a great mic for brass and woodwind recording. Have a bunch that I use for this. When Dave picks up a trombone then he'll know to use one of these