Rode video mic "Go" + field recorder as a starter kit

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doubledark

Well-known member
Hi all
I'm a photographer and I'm about to dip my toes into the world of shooting video on a dSLR.

As a starting point, I'm looking at using a Rodeo Video Mic "Go" plus a field recorder (either Zoom H1 or Tascam DR_05).

I plan on connecting the headphone socket to the dSLR via a Y cable so that I can still monitor the audio.

It's a starter kit which will eventually be used as a backup solution as funds become available.

Initial use will be for "talking head" interviews

Are there any negatives in starting this way ?

cheers
 
doubledark said:
Thanks for the reply; however, I never said that the microphone would be "mounted on the camera".
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Well then how are you going to mount it?

Do realize the mic comes with a hotshoe mount for camera mounting, and has a hard wired cable and plug for a DSLR mic input requiring power from camera.

As a side note... purchasing a boom pole, mount, stand to hold pole, cable long enough to reach your camera, will cost much more that that microphone.
 
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David W. Jones said:
Do realize the mic comes with a hotshoe mount for camera mounting, and has a hard wired cable and plug for a DSLR mic input requiring power from camera.
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Yes, I understand. I intend to use with a field recorder that is able to supply power.

David W. Jones said:
purchasing a boom pole, mount, stand to hold pole, cable long enough to reach your camera, will cost much more that that microphone
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Sure, but these items wont be wasted when I decide to upgrade to a better mic.
 
I understand your future proofing... though I'd spend the extra few pennies and get a VideoMic Pro. It allows you to bump up the gain on the mic by +20, leaving you less reliant on the pre-amp in the recorder. Even though the external recorders have far more capable pre-amps than those inside your DSLR, you will still get noise if you push them... the VMP will give you more ability to stay above the noise-floor. Also, the VMP will serve you better in the future when it is relegated to on-camera reference/back-up audio when you finally upgrade to a full shotgun mic.

Also, to get closer without spooking your interviewee, I'd consider mounting it on a micro-tripod like the Manfrotto Pixie, and plug it into a cheap external recorder (like the Zoom H1 which will also come in useful as a low budget non-sync wireless set-up that will allow you to transition cheaply into lav mics). Using a micro-tripod in this way will work as long as you are stationary with a table/chair/stool handy to sit it just out of shot, and will save you the immediate expense of having to buy a boom etc.

This way you can future-proof yourself on two counts, while also saving yourself from making unnecessary immediate purchases.
 
William
thanks for your constructive reply.

You've clearly understood what I am trying to achieve and have seen several flaws in my thinking.

I would be silly to ignore your advice, so save a bit more it is.

I'll also look into the "Pixie" you suggested.

Cheers
 
WilliamGuy said:
Also, to get closer without spooking your interviewee, I'd consider mounting it on a micro-tripod like the Manfrotto Pixie, and plug it into a cheap external recorder (like the Zoom H1 which will also come in useful as a low budget non-sync wireless set-up that will allow you to transition cheaply into lav mics). Using a micro-tripod in this way will work as long as you are stationary with a table/chair/stool handy to sit it just out of shot, and will save you the immediate expense of having to buy a boom etc.
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In my professional opinion this is a poor way to capture interview audio, and is not a replacement for a properly positioned microphone.
 
David W. Jones said:
In my professional opinion this is a poor way to capture interview audio, and is not a replacement for a properly positioned microphone.
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I completely agree! Infact, I'd be more inclined to recommend getting a Zoom H1 tucked into your interviewee's pocket, connected to one of Rode's SmartLav lapel microphones via their TRRS > TRS adapter -- they released an upgraded SmartLav+ today :). This would give you far better audio for an interview, and would be my way of tackling the problem, given the budget concerns.

Such a set-up as I recommend in this post, combined with my VMP recommendations above, would be my ideal audio set up for those times when you have less than ideal budget. It's a good place to begin, and will do an OK job while you develop your skills and save for the real gear.
 
Another option would be to get a shotgun mic like the AT875R, which can be powered by the line connector on the H1n if you use and XLR-minijack adapter.

And it sounds better than even the Rode Videomic Pro, for around the same price (which is a bit more than the "Go" version).

You could then use it with a better recorder later on, enhancing the upgradeability.
 
WilliamGuy said:
I completely agree! Infact, I'd be more inclined to recommend getting a Zoom H1 tucked into your interviewee's pocket,
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William, I am NEVER, EVER going to "record" video without a) monitoring via headphones or b) having a backup solution that I monitor via headphones.

It's like the first time I shot an assignment and the film slipped off the sprockets because I didn't load it properly. You only make those mistakes ONCE :(


roly said:
Another option would be to get a shotgun mic like the AT875R,

And it sounds better
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Thanks for your reply Roly. That video is great, well presented and easy to understand.


So, the issue is, if I buy a cheap mic now to get started, what do I do I with it down the track when I eventually get a "good" mic.

After watching some many hours of reviews, I purchased a lav mic which will do for the time being. This will be used with a field recorder (either a DR-05 or H1) and I will run a cable to the camera. I will use headphones to monitor.

I already have a SmartLav but struck disaster the first time I used it. I now know what to do and this can be used as my backup.

I'll test to make sure I'm not introducing any unwanted noise with all these connections and if I'm happy, I'll proceed to the first interview.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to reply. ALL comments are appreciated and apologies if my replies sounded a bit rough - there is no bloody tone in email/forum replies!
 
If only for interviews, you should also consider going with a wired lav and recorder combo. Less equipment to carry around (no booms or stands needed)
 
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eiker_ir said:
If only for interviews, i would go with a wired lav and recorder combo. Less equipment to carry around (no booms or stands needed)
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Excellent advice here.
If you want cheap, yet quite good affordable setup, you might consider the Tascam DR-05 along with the Azden EX-503 lavalier mic. Start recording on both device, clap your hands and then you'll be able to sync in post easily. Use a wired mic plugged in the camera to ask question, then you'll have both excellent tracks for the interviewer and the interviewee.
Quick video demo here, plugged directly in-camera, but you'll get the point, and a good idea of the audio quality:

EDIT:
doubledark said:
William, I am NEVER, EVER going to "record" video without a) monitoring via headphones or b) having a backup solution that I monitor via headphones.
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You can clap your hands at the beginning to set the levels, then if you setup the lav properly, no need to monitor the sound after that. Pretty easy.
doubledark said:
So, the issue is, if I buy a cheap mic now to get started, what do I do I with it down the track when I eventually get a "good" mic.
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A cheap mic properly used will always be handy, more than the opposite. I still have that EX-503 and it performs well so far, for the work I have to do.
 
You can't be serious?
Using a 3.5mm unbalanced cable or even worse an extension on it, even worse at mic level........ You obviously haven't been in this business long or haven't been caught out with hummmmmm problems.......... YET !!!!
 
OzGizmo said:
You can't be serious?
Using a 3.5mm unbalanced cable or even worse an extension on it, even worse at mic level........ You obviously haven't been in this business long or haven't been caught out with hummmmmm problems.......... YET !!!!
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Do me a favour; just go away. I'm too old to put up with your sanctimonious baggage.
Go back and read the first sentence of my my original post.
Then read all the replies. Everyone has been super helpful bar one.
 
THought I would weigh in since I have done post on a fair number of doc.s that were very low budget and shot, at least originally, mostly by the filmmaker with little or no crew.

So on camera mics. For narrative films total waste. For docs not always so. It really depends on how close you shoot and how loud the space is. A sit down in an office not too far from the subject in a room that isn't bounce heaven and it can be not bad at all. Much better in fact than a poorly placed lav.
A boom op is the best choice hands down. Wireless or wired lav can be good IF placed properly and monitored closely. A plant mic can also be good IF the subject stays pretty still and doesn't turn their head to point out something.

Balanced lines are the best choice, but relatively short runs of unbalanced and even pretty long runs if you are not in a RF heavy space can be fine. All the mics that use plugin power are unbalanced so that includes the mics the OP was originally talking about.

Both with unbalanced and 1/8" (3.5mm) connectors are more trouble prone so you have to be more careful and really listen to what is going on so you can catch and correct the problems before you have to try (and fail) to fix it in the mix, but they certainly can work and have been used by many people with out problems.

I would also point out to Mr. OzGizmo that the lectrosonics UCR100 is an unbalanced out put and I do think they are serious.

The two biggest mistakes I have run into are #1 not monitoring sound properly while recording. Not just listening to make sure something is getting through but laying down a decent level and hearing those cloth rubs on the lav and then fixing the mic placement so it doesn't keep happening. I've gotten tracks that were recorded so low you couldn't see a waveform. If your peaking below -20 there is not much post can do to make it understandable and still sound like a human.

The second biggest problem, again VERY common, is talking while your subject is talking. Don't "uhu", or "really?" or "yes" while they are talking. There is really no way to remove you. So unless you are going to shoot some coverage of you talking and be a character in your film zip it up while they are answering your question.

After that in a doc you are probably in good shape. There are places you are going to interview people that are problems but that is what it is. Hiss and even hums have a good chance at post clean up so those are much lesser sins than not getting decent track levels and not talking over people.

Speaking of hums a third don't is to turn off any mechanical thing you can. Computers and refrigerators produce a complex and not terribly steady hum that can be a bear to get rid off. Noise AC and such is generally much easier to reduce.
 
Noiz2 said:
Balanced lines are the best choice, but relatively short runs of unbalanced and even pretty long runs if you are not in a RF heavy space can be fine. All the mics that use plugin power are unbalanced so that includes the mics the OP was originally talking about.

Both with unbalanced and 1/8" (3.5mm) connectors are more trouble prone so you have to be more careful and really listen to what is going on so you can catch and correct the problems before you have to try (and fail) to fix it in the mix, but they certainly can work and have been used by many people with out problems.

I would also point out to Mr. OzGizmo that the lectrosonics UCR100 is an unbalanced out put and I do think they are serious..
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May I point out that the o/p of the Lectrosonics UCR100 and many other RX units like Sennheiser G2/3, Sony etc. may be unbalanced but they are LINE not mic level and normally you wouldn't run them l-o-n-g distances from the RX unit to the mixer / recorder. So running a signal @mic level UNBALANCED, thats about 40-50 db below line level for 5-10m is just asking for trouble.
The other option is to use a short mic cable and then a long headphone extension... but how would you adjust / monitor the levels on the recorder?

But what would I know? I've only been earning a living in live to air broadcasting for for the last 35+ years...........
 
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Well good for you. Are we now going to compare sizes? I have more years than you and not just in broadcast but live theatre and film so does that mean I rule? Not at all. Just means I also have a lot of experience , and by your description I have a LOT more experience dealing with poor field recordings so I probably have a better idea on what can get cleaned up in post and what can't.

One thing I have learned is that there are few absolutes in sound. Balanced is better, more reliable, more fool proof, better at long runs etc. If your going live and your getting paid for it those features trump a lot of other things. If you are making a doc. on a shoestring they don't necessarily. If you get a monster hum you cant get around when filming you can probably get rid of it in post. If not you don't use the sound from that clip. That is not an option for live broadcast. So in your shoes I would completely agree with you. You could get unemployed in a heartbeat for using something like what the OP wants to do. BUT he is NOT doing what you are doing. He is going to be shooting at maybe 20 to 1. He is going to have the opportunity to do post AND use tools you can't live. And he has the option of not showing anything he screwed up too badly.

Since it is his thread about his project advice should be tailored to what HE is doing, not what YOU do.

I personally would not use what he wants to use if I were shooting a doc, but then I have a lot better equipment at my disposal.
 
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