Whats the difference

Looks like they used the wrong picture for the mic posted on the second link. They're both selling the same product, but dv247.com used the pic of the regular Rode Videomic (monaural).
 
It does, but I would not recommend the stereo mic for anything other than ambient sounds (sound beds). And even at that, you really want to get the mic away from the camera.

If you're expecting to use this for dialog at all, remember that stereo mics are wrong for that. Dialog is (mostly) mixed in mono/to the center of the sound field. The only exception to that is for effects, such as some one speaking off-camera, or walking out of frame. Even then, their dialog was recorded on a single mic and then panned in post.

Also, on-cam mics will not record usable dialog outside of about a 3-foot range. Again, you'll be better off with a mic that can be used off of the camera, on a boom.
 
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Hmm thats interesting. I thought I could use it for Dialog picking up nice Stereo sound so really ... I will need another mic for ambient or fake it in post and get the Mono mic

Thanks alot :)
 
Recording dialog with a stereo mic will cause you headaches in post. Again, dialog is mixed to the center channel, and by combining the stereo signal to a monaural channel can cause you phasing issues. If you leave it in stereo, it can be a bit unsettling for the viewer.
 
Ah right, I never knew this, so things like birds, rain, cars, etc in the background should be adding in during post, or maybe have another mic but stereo capturing theses sounds
 
TheCase said:
Ah right, I never knew this, so things like birds, rain, cars, etc in the background should be adding in during post, or maybe have another mic but stereo capturing theses sounds
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In most films, virtually all of the ambience and background sounds like cars, doors, footsteps, birds, whatever are added during post. Even if it's sound that is recorded on the location, it's usually recorded separately from the dialog. Dialog recording is focussed on getting it as clean as possible.
 
Oh I never knew this, thanks. I heard bad things about the RODE VideoMic, you heard of the Audio-Technica AT8035? You think it will be any good working with the MiniDisc
 
TheCase said:
Oh I never knew this, thanks. I heard bad things about the RODE VideoMic, you heard of the Audio-Technica AT8035? You think it will be any good working with the MiniDisc
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What are you recording and where?

I haven't used the 8035 so can't give you a yes or no based on personal experience. In general, AT makes decent mics.
 
TheCase said:
Im recording dialog inside and outside
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For dialog outdoors a shotgun such as the A/T you mentioned would work well. Indoors not so much. The way any line-gradient interference tube mic works leads to a 'hollow' sounding tonality when recording in a reflective environment like a typical interior. Indoors a hypercardioid mic is preferred. In both cases, take note of C2V's advice - get the mic off the camera and on a boom so it's up close to the subject. The proper mic placement for dialog recording is within touching distance of the speaker and aimed right at his mouth, moving as he does to follow the action.
 
Would there be a way of removing the hollow tinny sound that the mic will create indoor, maybe like a cover or something?
 
TheCase said:
Would there be a way of removing the hollow tinny sound that the mic will create indoor, maybe like a cover or something?
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No, sorry. The reason is due to the interactions of the sound waves within the interference tube. Those interactions are what cancel out direct sounds arriving from off-axis and give the mic its directionality. But when the side arrivals are reflections of direct sounds waves arriving from the front, they are slightly phase shifted due to the longer travel time and when they interact with the direct wave in the interferences tube it gives rise to comb filtering effects that changes the timbre of the desired sound. To prevent that interaction you'd have to block the side ports completely but then you'd no longer have a directional mic. Also entering into the picture, perhaps even more importantly, is the fact that shotguns are not uniformly directional at all frequencies. They're quite uni-directional at mid-frequencies but can become almost omnidirectional at lower and very high frequencies. Thus the signal from the reflected sounds have a different frequency distribution than does that of their direct sound counterparts. There's no getting around it - there's no single tool that will be suitable for all jobs.
 
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The Case,

TheCase said:
Hmm thats interesting. I thought I could use it for Dialog picking up nice Stereo sound so really ... I will need another mic for ambient or fake it in post and get the Mono mic

Thanks alot :)
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Check out this example. Dialogue requires a really high signal-to-noise ratio for intelligibility. This clip compares the Canon GL2's stereo mic (the Stereo VideoMic will only be slightly better), a shotgun mounted on the camcorder (using a shotgun of much higher quality than the VideoMic), and a shotgun boomed from above (best orientation for rejecting background noise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smQf9W1tx5A


Also, this clip elaborates on Steve's explanation on the limitation on shotguns, and why a hyper is generally used for interiors:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zm51JFq5WI


-R
 
DeeVeeX,

So, I'm not a pro-audio guy. I'm an electrical engineer, who's an enthusiast ...

A pro audio guy would steer you to a higher-level mic.

As an enthusiast, I try to find the best value mics, and use them properly. This gets you 80-90% of the way there ... you'll spend a lot of $ to get that last 10%. But, if you're a pro, it's worth every penny.

I really like the NTG2 for a short shotgun. But, I boom quite frequently, so a mic that doesn't have the added weight/length of a battery is a real plus for me. I also have a AT875R. It's not quite as tight as the NTG2. But, it still sounds great, nice rejection, short and light, and low handling noise. It also runs from 12V phantom, so it's light on the battery. So, the AT875R has become my value short-shotgun go to mic.

Dan Brockett did a nice review of pro-mics. He included the AT875R in there, and you can see how well it stood up to mics costing much more:
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/right_mic_brockett.html

-R
 
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DeeVeeX said:
I was looking at a Rode NTG-2. Is that a decent Shotgun mic for all-around use?
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The Rode NTG-1 and NTG-2 offer excellent price/performance value. They're essentially the same mic, the NTG-2 offering an internal battery as well as accepting phantom power when available while the NTG-1 lacks a battery and so always requires a source of phantom power. As for being for "all around use," just be mindful of the limitations of shotguns in general as has been discussed in this thread.
 
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