Which could sound better? the Zoom H4n or Rode VideoMic Pro?

Talent in the 1st video has his lav too low on his lapel, and he's taping in a very small room with all hard, reflective surfaces. That's where all the room noise comes in -- he might as well have used a cardioid on a stand just out of frame, it would've sounded as good or better. Even just a couple of inches can make all the difference with lavs, but then you have to actually monitor during setup, not just clip it on and go.

The cheap AT is a decent lav, a bit noisier and raspier than the DIY lavs I have now but I used it for years and it's a great value at $20-30. With a powered input like the Zoom's you can even cut off the battery lump and just solder the mic straight to the cable, it's just an unbalanced coax.
 
xenogears said:
My question is, is the reach and quality of the audio from the mics of the Zoom H4n better or similar to the Rode VideoMic Pro?

Cheers
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Personally, I think the built-in mics on the H4n will do a better job of recording ambiance and live music (when handled properly by the operator, of course). The VideoMic Pro is the better choice for dialog.
 
Personally I spend 10 times the amount of time fixing up audio issues in post than video...

I have Lav's.. boom mic's etc... and normally there's always some kinda audio screw up...

I wish I could afford to double head everything and hand it back to the good old soundo...

Where has that bloke gone from our shoots...

Cheers
 
noisy indoor interiews

noisy indoor interiews

Hi, good thread.

Ive got the canon 550d with magic lantern to turn off the autogain function and be able to monitor audio. Ive got to shoot 2 people interviews in a noisy expo and was wondering the original question from the post, zoom H4n or the new Rode videomic pro? Would any of them do the job good or is the best option to get the H4n with a handheld mic? Ory any other setup recomendations?

Thanks pro's!
 
I never had H4n or any recorder with a crossed cardioid stereo mic array.

Recently I got AT875R shotgun mic. It sounded pretty good in noisy setting ONLY IF interviewee was holding the mic close to her where the input gain was low. I guess Rode mic would perform similarly.

GH2's audio meter reading feature seems like a game changer. Whether dual recording or not, connecting input to GH2 seems no brainer.
 
elcarlio said:
Hi, good thread.

Ive got the canon 550d with magic lantern to turn off the autogain function and be able to monitor audio. Ive got to shoot 2 people interviews in a noisy expo and was wondering the original question from the post, zoom H4n or the new Rode videomic pro? Would any of them do the job good or is the best option to get the H4n with a handheld mic? Ory any other setup recomendations?

Thanks pro's!
Click to expand...

A properly used handheld mic (like the Eletro Voice RE50/B) held just below the chin of the person speaking will likely sound better than the Rode VideoMic Pro.
 
Sam Mallery said:
A properly used handheld mic (like the Eletro Voice RE50/B) held just below the chin of the person speaking will likely sound better than the Rode VideoMic Pro.
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Just as an aside, many people become uncomfortable when they suddenly have to hold a microphone. Something to consider.
 
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