RØDE PinMic REVIEW!

Chadfish

Chadfish

Veteran
Here's a video I just made about the RØDE PinMic. The more I use it, the more I like it. The audio in this was recorded hardwired into a Sony EX1 camera, and nothing was done to the audio in post. So turn it up and check it out. Also there is some comparison with the RØDE Lavalier, which proves to sound exactly the same as the PinMic, though in the "street musician" test the PinMic sounded more open due to it's orientation. But you be the judge.


RØDE PinMic Test 1

UPDATE: I made a whole song usng the PinMic, Lavalier, and HS-1 headset mic. God I have too much time on my hands...
 
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WARNING !! Do not drink a soda in front of your computer as you watch the first clip... with the introduction of the Jo Jo scale my monitor is now covered with diet soda...

Awesome job on the review..
 
great review, i am extremely happy with the quality..... This is a God send. Ordering two of these tonight
 
Hello Chad,
Very nice job! I love your approach to reviewing. I just listened to it on my laptop. As you say they are very close in character but I thought the pin mic was just a touch brighter sounding. I'm going to listen on some better speakers and see if my perception is the same. Both mics sound really good and would be nice to have in the kit. I hope Rode comes out with the adaptor for Lectro pretty soon. It would be a shame to have to butcher the end adaptor off to solder on a TA5.
Best,
Bernie
 
Hi Bernie. Though the difference is negligible for normal voice, I do hear more brightness in the PinMic, but I think that is due to position. It's most obvious when I'm singing, and the mic switches from pinmic to lav, and the lav sounds darker. And the guitar definitely sounded better with the pinmic. But with my Sennheiser HD 25-1 II cans I was having trouble telling the difference when I was just talking normally. I really thought I had recorded the same mic on both channels. I had to wire back up and turn on the camera to test it out. Either way, I'm pretty stoked with the sound I'm getting.
 
Chadfish said:
Hi Bernie. Though the difference is negligible for normal voice, I do hear more brightness in the PinMic, but I think that is due to position. It's most obvious when I'm singing, and the mic switches from pinmic to lav, and the lav sounds darker. And the guitar definitely sounded better with the pinmic. But with my Sennheiser HD 25-1 II cans I was having trouble telling the difference when I was just talking normally. I really thought I had recorded the same mic on both channels. I had to wire back up and turn on the camera to test it out. Either way, I'm pretty stoked with the sound I'm getting.
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Glad to know I was hearing accurately. Those are two very nice sounding lavs and I really appreciate the chance to hear them. Thanks again! I'm sure the standard lav will give Sanken a run for its money. Your previous shoot out told me why the COS11 isn't one of my favorites. To my ear its got a harsh high end, and the cable noise on the ones i've used in the past was a deal breaker. Expensive as well. Will get a pin mic as soon as the Lectro adaptor comes out.
Best,
Bernie
 
Yeah, I may just sell my COS11d! I'd have to do more testing. I think for under clothes it's great, and on a male voice with deep resonance the mic sounds great.
 
Thanks Chad, with some humor mixed in! The mics, both pin and lav, sound very similar to my Trams and OSTs. A good plus is that Rode provided LOTS of accessories for each kit. Comparing to the COS11 there's more midtone, but the COS11 sounds more bass heavy. Some tradeoffs between all the regular mics.
 
Alan my shootout (Lav Shootout!) to me sounded like the Tram was much darker sounding than the Rode Lav. But when I use the Tram with nothing to compare it to it sounds fine. Most mics are like that. Funny thing. You get used to the sound of anything. Yes my COS11D sounds like there is a smile shaped EQ curve, and I like it, but the highs can get annoying. I found the pop filter/cap on the COS11 was making the highs more annoying when I was doing the 4 lav shootout.
 
I did watch your Lav Shootout awhile ago and was quite amazed at how well the Rode mics stood with the others. The Trams do sound darker so that's always used on female talents. Although the COS11 on females with ear-piercing mids sounds great, smiley faces make it sound more even. Worse when Ss and Ts are present. On males, the COS11 has a rougher lack-of-term highs and grittier lows. Sometimes I find it quite hard to use with a boom. Enough of the COS11 already... The Rode that you've presented thus far excels both on your voice and the other female talents that you've auditioned with. It nearly doesn't have as much mids as a Tram and the highs are smoother w/o a bump. I thought the PinMic was big and a bit clunky, but doesn't look too bad when placed onto your shirt. Love the presentation.
 
I'm surprised how balanced the lav/pin sound. I am actually recording a whole pinmic song using only the pinmic, and maybe a little lav. I did electric guitar, bass and vocals already and it sounds pretty good considering.
 
The "PinMic" song is in full production! I'm recording drums, guitar, bass, vox, and whatever else I can find - only using the PinMic, and maybe the Lavalier when I need 3 mics at once. Yes I'm nuts.
 
thanks Chad for your - as always - highly useful tests. Since it seems no one who actually bought and uses the two mics seems to want to post their experiences with them I would be very interested to hear/read about them in the field, e.g. on exteriors, in windy conditions, hidden under clothes, surrounding noise etc.
 
Those reports will have to come in time. I don't do a lot of outdoor stuff, and much of my work is me doing VO in the studio, then using B-roll to make an ad. But I'll be using the Rode mics for whatever comes up lav-wise. But really, you know how it sounds. Any mic will have issues to overcome under clothes or in wind, and we all know that the solutions tend to degrade the sound somewhat. I wouldn't buy a mic based on how it sounds in harsh environments because that sound totally depends on the particular environment. How can you tell how windy it was? All these mics are foweled by plosives and wind. And those furries look lame on any mic. All I can say is that I like the sound of the Rode Lav, and with a 250.00 budget, that would be the mic I'd get. The ability to use multiple connectors alone will potentially save hundreds. As far as under a shirt goes, I would bet the COS11D has the advantage because it's brighter sounding. You can always return a mic you don't like. Just try it if you need one.
 
Just trying to help! It's a lav, not a potential wife! He he. On the other hand, I've hooked up with women with less research than I've put into microphones I bought.
 
Call me crazy, but I just had to do it. I recorded a drum track using only two RØDE PinMics and one RØDE Lavalier. I used the Glyn Johns mic placement method (google it) to get a big Bonham sound. I think it sounds pretty good!

 
Chadfish said:
Just trying to help! It's a lav, not a potential wife! He he. On the other hand, I've hooked up with women with less research than I've put into microphones I bought.
Click to expand...

Yeah, but how did these women rate on the "JoJo" scale? LOL.

It's interesting how the small capsule endures such high SPL's so smoothly. I bet some of the folks that do "stealth" concert recording are going to be getting Pin Mics.

Have you tried taking the metal wind screen off? The Pin Mic then becomes much smaller. I'm just worried about fluid hitting the capsule (rain, spit, sweat etc). I have the original Pin Mic and it's interesting how the capsule of the previous version had side ports and the new RODE version is front facing.
 
Guy do you have a link to this original PinMic? It would be interesting to see what you're talking about.

I would think that you may get a decent stealth recording IF there weren't a lot of people talking between you and the band. The OMNI will pick up everything. But maybe 2 pinMics on your front/shoulders could grab a bit of stereo separation in a sit-down theater situation, as long as you don't cough or sneeze. Anyway, I have used the Pinic in multiple non-traditional ways, and it's held up. I put it behind a pop filter and sang loudly straight into it and it didn't distort. I played my big Mesa amp, and even miced my bass cab with it.
 
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