Røde Video Wireless Compliment

[puredrifting]

I owned two of the Røde video wireless mic systems, we've been using them for a year on two of our documentaries when we have shoots without a sound mixer (which has been most of the time). I have to say, if you are a more video-centric person who just needs a wireless system to work, the Røde is sort of miraculous. You turn it on for the first time, pair it and from then on, IT JUST WORKS! No frequency allocation or scanning, no HD broadcasts infringing on your frequency. It killed me, both systems were accidentally left behind on a shoot in LA, they are gone. We did our next shoot and I used my friend's Sennheiser G3. It was awful, even after checking the charts and doing a scan, repeatedly, I got stepped on three times in two run & gun interviews. Blasts of static, white noise, mosquito noise, random hits. I seriously was ready to detach the thing from my camera and chuck it into the ocean. I am so done with UHF, period. Frequency agile 2.4Ghz works so much better and it shouldn't but it does. I ordered a replacement Røde the next day. Yes, plastic construction, not metal. Yes, the transmitter is rather large. But those are a small price to pay to have a system that just works. In a year, I only had one issue, I was inside a corrugated Aluminum building and my talent stepped outside about 50' away and the signal came and went. But once the talent came back inside, it sounded flawless. Other than that once instance, which wasn't even during shooting, the Rødes have been flawless in all building, situations, etc.

I also lost the brass 3.5mm retaining ring from the microphone, called Røde in LA and a few days later, three spares, gratis, showed in my mailbox. Great customer service. The Røde, for what it costs, is untouchable.

 

[NorBro]

My first and last foray into wireless audio...amazing system.

 

[ozmorphasis]

+!

Been serving my needs VERY well. Just need to augment with a lav that does well through clothing. The stock Rode lav sounds great when exposed directly to the air, but too muffled underneath clothing. Aside from that, they are fantastic.

 

[cyvideo]

+1 will second these comments. Last year in Europe I took the Rode wireless kits as a backup to our normal diversity kits. In London where you can often experience frequency problems, as we did, we reverted to the Rode kits and they worked flawlessly. I had the Wi-Fi analyzer app on my phone and when looking at that we were surround by a massive amount of Wi-Fi action but never experienced one problem in some thirty hours of interview recordings in various locations across London and the UK. Amazing performance for the price. Just wish the TX's were a bit smaller. In practice though this wasn't a major issue. They do have a 3ms delay which in post hasn't proved an issue. We chose the Rode units over the Sennheiser AVX's kit because they had a 19ms delay which did prove problematic in post when we tested them. 19ms is close on 1/2 a PAL frame.

Chris Young

 

[Greg Smith]

I haven't used my three Rode systems heavily yet, but they have worked flawlessly on a few small projects up to now. I find the audio to be crisper and quieter than my two Sennheiser UHF systems as well, and they seem much less touchy about setting the transmit audio level. The Rode lavaliers are good enough that I have six and use them exclusively, both wired and wireless, except when they must be hidden under clothes. Something brighter like a Sanken COS-11d would work better then.

My only real complaint is that the bodypack transmitter really is pretty huge when compared to the Sennheisers. Once in a while, that is an issue.

- Greg

 

[puredrifting]

Agreed about the limitations but they are pretty amazing at what you are getting for under $400.00. Very usable in most wireless situations. I use the Røde mic with the Rycote Overcovers underneath clothing and it sounds fine, if a tiny bit muffled, to me?

 

[brettsherman]

The Røde, for what it costs, is untouchable.

I really want to get this system as my G3 is in the soon to be no-go 600mhz range. However, I use a plug-on transmitter about 90% of the time with a shotgun. Only 10% lavalier. And even now, with the sound superiority of the Instamic over lavalier mics, I'm not even doing that much anymore. The plug-on transmitter is so enormous that it is impractical for use on the back of a shotgun mic. There would be no way to get the thing balanced on the mic clip. I just don't know if it's at all workable. I may give it a shot, even adding weight to the microphone to try and get it balanced. I just wish they had made the plug-on much smaller.

 

[Greg_E]

Your experience with Rode is certainly very different from mine, I'll not buy another of their products.

But I will say that the G3 system seems to be very fragile, we need to send out 4 more transmitters for repair because they seem to have gone bad mostly sitting in a drawer in our studio. I think the RF section has some part that just can't handle even small amounts of vibration or shock. Sent 4 out for repair and three came back working again. The fourth came back with audio noise with or without a mic and visible on the AF meter on the transmitter. Also the up/down button on the front of the g3 get damaged very easily and either no longer make contact, or are stuck making contact. Not as good as the older designs in my opinion. Lectro would be my main choice if money was no object.

 

[Noiz2]

I really want to get this system as my G3 is in the soon to be no-go 600mhz range. However, I use a plug-on transmitter about 90% of the time with a shotgun. Only 10% lavalier. And even now, with the sound superiority of the Instamic over lavalier mics, I'm not even doing that much anymore. The plug-on transmitter is so enormous that it is impractical for use on the back of a shotgun mic. There would be no way to get the thing balanced on the mic clip. I just don't know if it's at all workable. I may give it a shot, even adding weight to the microphone to try and get it balanced. I just wish they had made the plug-on much smaller.

You could use a short cable and tape the transmitter to the mount. Or if your booming run the cable down the pole and stick the transmitter in a pocket.

 

[paulears]

My experience with digital is similar - totally solid performance with up to 6 units (line 6 in my case). I have a dozen G2/G3 systems too. The Sennheisers are good, but are NOT a self-set and forget product. You need to check for co-channel and other active channels, you need to pick frequencies carefully and you MUST have a trained set of ears to work them, not the cameraman on an earbud. The Line 6 systems have two modes 'Friendly' where they mix well with other 2.4G users and 'stamp' mode, where they become 100% reliable, and kill wireless for other users. I use mine on stamp mode all the time, and when I hear the lighting and sound guys complaining their pads have stopped working and keep dropping out, I keep my head down. They are NOT well built however. The handhelds have been broken a few times and the pack battery covers wear very quickly and become unreliable. They were the same price as a G3 when I bought half a dozen.

 

[puredrifting]

Lectro would be my main choice if money was no object.

Lectro is by far the best wireless system on the market, bar none and I have owned and rented them in the past. But at ten times the price of the Røde, they are just not practical for the working camera op generally. They are better sounding and built than the Rødes but probably not ten times better. The Røde, for what it is, is pretty amazing. Too bad you have not had good luck with them Greg, I certainly have. They definitely would not stand up to abuse, but my problem lately has been stupidly losing them, not dropping them ;-) Can't believe I lost two systems, that was a painful lesson in staying better organized on shoots.

 

[Greg_E]

One of my biggest gripes has been with Rode support, the second biggest has been garbage cables on their lavs. A few students have had camera mounted Rode "shotguns" and have had problems too, and zero support from Rode.

That said, I've generally wondered about some of the import 2.4ghz wireless systems, but most of the time when I read the reviews, someone brings up delay and then I move along to another system to think about. Maybe I'll pick up one of the less cheap 2.4ghz off brand systems and give it a try with a clap test and see how far off the audio might be, I normally only need a few feet from the camera and I can test it in a completely saturated wifi area (we use every channel on campus at work, and most of those overlap building to building).

 

[fboonzaier]

Lectro is by far the best wireless system on the market, bar none and I have owned and rented them in the past. But at ten times the price of the Røde, they are just not practical for the working camera op generally. They are better sounding and built than the Rødes but probably not ten times better. The Røde, for what it is, is pretty amazing. Too bad you have not had good luck with them Greg, I certainly have. They definitely would not stand up to abuse, but my problem lately has been stupidly losing them, not dropping them ;-) Can't believe I lost two systems, that was a painful lesson in staying better organized on shoots.

Can you please list the model/number of the unit you are referencing?

 

[klk]

Not to hijack, but a few years ago (before Rode was released) I picked up two Audio Technica System 10 wireless lavs, without a problem. (my understanding is they have similar underlying technology) I work as a dp, but as we all know, sometimes you just need to grab a little audio. The stock lav kinda sucks, and I did pickup the AT899CW and also a Sanken COS11D. I actually prefer the AT899 as I usually clip the lav right under the collar, jacket, shirt and not buried underneath clothing.

The downside is the receiver, while pretty small, uses an internal rechargeable battery. Ok for me, not valid for a full time mixer. I usually keep a battery bank on hand in case with USB cable. (I did test it, once- it worked as external power source.) The other downside is that there is not, to my knowledge, a companion transmitter with phantom power to use with a boomed mic. I have not had significant delay issues like the AVX going to various Sound Devices recorders. The construction is also plastic like the Rode, but nothing has broken so far. I think I'll pickup the Rodelink kit pretty soon.

Bottom line is this technology works, and works well for those of us who are not quite ready to invest in Lectros.

 

[IronFilm]

For videographers who value simplicity and low cost above all else then RodeLinks can be great, for everyone else, look elsewhere for your next wireless rather than buy a RodeLink.

Personally I almost never use my RodeLink Filmmakers Kit, in hindsight it was a mistake to buy as my first ever wireless kit back when they first got announced.

In my case it is Sony or Lectrosonics for the win.

 

[IronFilm]

Can you please list the model/number of the unit you are referencing?

If you meaning the Lectrosonics, there are dozens of Lectrosonics products! Both current products and others from past years. Why, what are you interested in?

Lectro is by far the best wireless system on the market, bar none and I have owned and rented them in the past.

That statement is very debatable.... I own half a dozen channels of Lectrosonics, but if money was no object then I'd probably instead have purchased the latest Zaxcom wireless. Audio Ltd and Wisycom also make very good wireless equipment.

 

[PeopleCanFly]

I've had nothing but a positive experience using the RodeLink NewsShooter kit. It's also my first foray into wireless audio but it has been solid! The ability to use it with both XLR and 3.5mm mics has been nothing short of fantastic for me. I don't have to worry about batteries either since it can use Sony batteries. Mobile interview on a steadicam? Wireless boom op? And all with audio straight into camera? What more could I want at this price? The audio is more than good enough for the type of work I do!

 

[Publimix]

I had both newsshooter and the filmmaker kit. But using two systems at the same time was a bit of a pain. Two receivers on my FS7 was a bit too much. So I sold the Rodes en went for a Sony UWP set. Works with one receiver and two transmitters. The price is slightly higher but the quality is better. The Rodes were OK but they never reached the promised distance (outside without anything in between).

 

[voxwerx]

We bought a filmmaker kit (school district media dept). We don't have a massive budget, so when you start getting into the price range that many people are used to for wireless audio, people start to wince. We've been using Sony and Sennheiser gear for ages, but their products in our typical price range have gone up in price. I did a little research- Rode shows up, and most of the reviews were positive. While I dislike the form factor (bulky packs) the wireless unit has been flawless and has not had any of the typical audio artifacting that occurs with our previous wireless units. Where we work is a fairly signal rich environment (for us, anyway) and having clean audio like this has been great. The Rode seems to have just a little more ambient noise (baseline stuff), but seems to clean up easily in post (if needed at all). To be honest, the supplied miniature dead cat style wind screen has been just amazing- we work in a very windy area, and the performance with the wind screen on has been amazing! I have been able to get more out of my audio outdoors than ever before. Granted, the wind screen supplied would have similar results for any manufacturer- but this one came with the Rode- and is really appreciated here.

 

[Noiz2]

Just an opinion, based on some experience.

The WiFi based systems are not going to be as "robust" and have the range of a high end conventional wireless properly set up by someone who really knows what they are doing. You can tune them and get directional antennas and lots of "stuff" that can make them work in very challenging situations. The WiFi is higher frequency and so more line of sight, and in general not as flexible.

BUT how many non big budget features have someone who is knowledgeable enough to optimize a wireless set up? I don't qualify and I have a HAM radio license. I know the principals and I could probably work at it but still I would want someone who really knows the system if I was the producer.
I have used a bunch of wireless and it's been in more controlled situations mostly and I spend some practice hours before anything important, but still I would not hire me for a $$ wireless shoot.

I did some tests, very unscientific, comparing some Lectro 200 series with the super cheap "monoprice" WiFi units and was a bit shocked by the range a quality level of the (then $10 a set) WiFi units. They didn't "sound" as nice, but better overall units like the Rode should sound a lot better. The range was really a shocker. I didn't drop out going through two floors and an exterior brick wall. The big issue with the super cheap units is they had a very noticeable delay that varied with distance.

My general point is that these WiFi units are not going to get used much in narrative shoots with good budgets, they are just too "magic box" where it works if it works and if it doesn't you are pretty SOL. But for 90% of the people on this list who are doing events, low budget films, and Run and Gun work I think they are a great choice. You have very little opportunity to screw them up, and lets face it if you really look at most issues you have had with equipment it boils down to user error (mine certainly have been). And they are surprisingly stable and trouble free. Plus they are cheap compared to the high end wireless.

And if you travel they eliminate having to worry about frequency restrictions.