Annoying Low Bass Rumble When with Vlogging Mic

D

DDirector

Veteran
I used both the Rode VideoMicro and now I use the Movo VXR10 for Vlogging.

Both these mics have been producing a deep bass rumble sound.
This happens when I turn quickly or the camera shakes.

I'm assuming this is from the shock mount.
But when I watch other vloggers and they do the same movements I do not hear a thing.

I even tried to tweak the audio but sometimes it happens over my voice and I don't know how to fix it.
What can I do?
 
Let me count the ways...

I don't get this part, "This happens when I turn quickly or the camera shakes."

Is the mic on the cam? If so, the mic is too far away.

Why would your movement cause a rumble unless you are shaking the whole room?

Your recording location matters, computers, ventilation, refers, lights and acoustics all matter. Treat your space.

The mics you are using aren't considered great. Sorry if that burst your bubble. But regardless of what you use, proximity to the speaker matters. Cheap mics can be effective, especially if up close in a quiet treated space.

Do you have the option to use a high pass filter. This can help a lot.

You can do some after the fact fixit in post.

That's a start, maybe can you explain the circumstances a bit more.

Grant

Edit: I didn't mean to dis the video-micro as bad, as I have one. It is what it is and it basically serves as a better built-in for a dslr which pretty much have nothing. Not all bad especially for the $$. But not what I would use for anything that matters.
 
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There is not enough information to answer the question. Pictures help. Show us how the mic is mounted, where it is mounted and what you mean by turn quickly (as in you and the camera make a turn?

I'm guessing the mic is moving and the low rumble is wind noise.
 
This is for VLOGGING -- Not sure if you understood that part.
This isnt a professional project or I wouldnt be using either of these mics.

The mic. is obviously placed on the camera.
When im vlogging and I pan the camera around it makes a low ruble sound.
Its a vibration from the shockmount.
Nothing to do with the space/location
 
Does your camera or the mic have a low-cut / high-pass filter or rolloff? Try engaging that. Or maybe even a wind filter (on some cameras, IIRC, what's labeled a wind filter will also help reduce handling noise)? So many things it could be, but if you can roll off all/most frequencies below say 80Hz or even 160Hz, that could help. Best to do it at the mic. 2nd best at the camera. 3rd best with your editing software. But even 3rd best should help.
 
I was sooo tempted to just give that old joke. A man complains to his doctor "when I hit my foot with a hammer it hurts." and the doctors advises "don't do that".

With out haring or seeing the problem it's impossible to know BUT it sounds like you are picking up either wind noise from the movement or mechanical noise from the movement.

So the best answer is "don't do that" but the practical answer is probably to slap some low filtering on the mic AND make smoother motions. And maybe adding more wind protection? W would start by rolling off the low at 80 to 120 or so. There should be a low cut on the mic, if not you will have to do it in post. For what you are doing you could probably cut as high as 200Hz and not hear a major impact on the sound.
 
Oh, my reply didn't go through.
These mics do not have low pass filters. The rode videomicro & Movo are pretty much the same mics.
Cheaper alternatives to the Rode VideoMic Pro+, which does have a high pass filter.

It is the rumble from movement.
It's not wind or anything else, but caused from the movement.

When I walk, it sometimes rumbles when the camera shakes too much.
But it happens the most when I am vlogging and talking and then rotate the camera the other way and then I hear it.
Its as if the shock mount wasnt doing its job properly?

The Movo mic has a stiffer shockmount. Should I replace it with one that allows it to move more freely?
 
Just to be sure we are on the same page; By wind, we mean the apparent wind caused by the movement of the camera. It takes very little movement to cause a rumble sound due to the mic moving through the air depending on the microphone. The shotgun I have will make a rumble sound just by moving it at a slow speed through the air. To determine if it is the 'wind' or the shockmount, take the mic off the shockmount. Hold the the mic (and camera if necessary) in your hand and move it the same way that causes the rumble. If it's still there, it's the wind. If it's not there, its something else.

You've probably already checked the shockmount for any looseness. If it isn't loose, I don't see a way for it to make the noise unless the mic is not firmly mounted in the shock mount and perhaps it is wobbling around in the mount and causing the noise.
 
So you are just vlogging but are expecting professional results from camera mics that are causing you problems?

It doesn't matter a camera mounted mic with no high pass filter will cause problems if you are using it and expect it to do much more, servo noise and the creaking of the plastic are two other well known problems with camera mounted mics.

Laws of physics will mean that a mic several feet away from a "vlogger" will need more gain and therefore compound the problem so maybe you are using the wrong tools for the job and need to get a mic off the camera and closer or a lav mic on the vlogger.

You could try a 120hz high pass filter in post but if the noise is from bad application and use then you may need to find a better way to do this rather than expecting wonders from the kit you have.

Personally I use a canon HF11 for vlogging but even it has a wind filter and the ability to plug in an external mic to allow me to clip an ECM-55 on the vlogger.

It may be that an in line high pass filter from a mixer of an adaptor could help but if the gain is so high the only solution will be to get the mic off the camera.
 
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Alright,
I did some tests on what you guys were saying and this is what I've noticed...

When I move the mic left/right/up/down quickly I dont near much of an effect. Unless there is somethign rubbing against the mic like the cable.

Every time I touch anything - the camera or the mini tripod that I have attached as a handle, it creates that low rumble sound.
The slightest touch or the slightst movement of my hand and it just rumbles throughout very loudly - Even if my audio levels are low

So especially when I rotate the camera around it will make a very loud low runble.

If its the shock mounts...
The shock mounts I find to be fairly stiff
I looked into the rycote shock mounts but i dont see one that'll work with my mic
Its about 17.75-18mm in diameter. Every shock mount im seeing is for mics 19mm and larger
 
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When you say you touch it is it making a noise without any movement?

By low rumble do you possible mean a low frequency buzzing sound as that would indicate an earthing problem?
 
In Premiere, I also added the Parametric Equalizer and used the Generis hi-Pass filter, enabled the HP and boosted the frequency to 80-120Hz.
It does help get rid of most of the noise for sure... Is that how I should do it? And what about the gain level?
(It doesnt help if I use the default preset and enable the HP)

But it does seem to lower the high quality of my voice. It's not as deep anymore and doesn't sound as clear
Sounds more radio-ish
 
A shock mount does not isolate any mechanical sounds transmitted through the cable. So any handling of the camera or the cable will generate noise that is transmitted mechanically to the mic. You'd have to do something like put a long loop on the cable to hope that dampens the sound.

But then the shock mount may not be effective either.
 
The cable might be part of the problem but even with a good mic with a good shock mount on a boom pole you have to be very carful about handling noise. It sounds like a lot of your problem could be mitigated by just being really carful about handling the mic.
As to roll off. For your issue you want a very steep cut (Q), 12 dB per octave if you can get it. The steeper it is the less it will affect frequencies above where you set it and you may well be able to set it lower. The kinds of "noise" your are talking about are usually below 80Hz, so unless you sound like Barry White it shouldn't have a big impact on your voice. But fixing sound issues after the fact is always a compromise so you may end up having to decide which is worse, the rumble or sounding a bit "radio".
 
The big picture (smile) here is that a large improvement could be made by simply getting the mic off the cam. It would likely remove or improve the rumble from movement, and getting the mic closer to the speaker will also help. This is true for a $50 mic or a $2000 mic. Vlogging on the cheap is no reason to not try and get the best out of what you've got.
 
I've used my Movo VXR400 a little bit and no problems so far, but the cable is a sure fire issue if you are moving around a lot. Every time the cable moves and hits a part of the camera, it will make a dull thud in the audio as the vibration travels up to the microphone. Maybe this is your problem, maybe not.

Otherwise it seems like a decent low price microphone, certainly not any kind of Schoeps, but also only cost $30. It is decent enough for my intended uses with the unbalanced stereo output.
 
Cool. Thanks everyone!

Nothing on my setup moves. No cables can move or rattle.
I've made sure to strap and twist it all together so that it is completely secure.
It's a little complicated to explain without seeing it. Ill be showing my vlogging setup and kit in my YouTube videos in the upcoming weeks.

I did play with the EQ, and I was able to remove most of the noice and maintain fairly good quality in the voice.
But I do end up losing some of that bass because of the hi-pass filter, which im assuming is normal.

Since my mic doesnt have a hi-pass filter, I have to set the hi-pass in the EQ.
My question is; Do I need to be adjusting every single clips EQ or if I create a preset with on clip perfectly, the others will sound good too, even if locations are different?
 
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