Over the past week, I’ve been testing small on-camera mics out in the field. In this video, I put them together for a head to head just to get a clearer idea of their sound differences. The one that I ended up recommending was a surprise, although it was a close call to be honest. What surprises me is just how good cheap mocrophones can sound. In general, they do a pretty good job. In the case of the Takstar, I think that it is a close equivalent to mics that are much more expensive.
Hi Ian. Would appreciate some advice, please. I use a Boya BY-WM4 Pro (single channel) wireless lav system to record with my iPhone 11. I film in cars while driving and the audio always comes out crackly or with interference from what I think is the wriggling of the cables. Do you think one of those mics that plug straight into the lightning port will work better? Like a Saramonic or an upgraded Boya with the lightning port interface instead of all those trrs adapters and things? Cheers mate.
Hi Pritesh. I don’t honestly know. If you have an adapter in line, then you may well get issues so using a lightening connector could help more if it was direct. It could be a loose socket on the phone as well. I’m guessing that all trrs plugs give problems, in which case it is probably the socket on the phone.
@@iancraig Thank you. I will get the phone checked. It might be that. I have tried Boya cables, Rode cables, nothing helps the crackle and cut out. I have a new set of cables and a new lightning to 3.5mm jack, so will try that then if it doesn't work, I'll get the phone socket checked. Keep safe out there sir!
Great comparison video. Just what i needed. I have a Rhode shotgun mic and i was looking for something smaller and this has made my mind up . I do like the sound of the AndyCine. I live in an area that gets wind most of the year and your test on the AndyCine when it came to wind was shocking , i never thought it would sound so good . Thanks 🙂
Great test Ian, I like the sound from the Takstar so that would be my number 1 choice but the Rode or Movo are a good second choice. To be honest they all sounded great and are excellent value for money. Stay safe best wishes Jon.
I like the Takstar as well Jon. It has a very loud output too, so you can turn the camera preamp down and no need for an external preamp. Out of the shorter mics, I like the Andycine. Really crisp sounding and good rejection of wind.
Alright Ian. Great comparison. The Takstar is very impressive and a total no brainer for the price. The clarity on the Andycine was a nice surprise and well worth a look. Cheers, Dave.
The Andycine is a great mic. However, in a couple of weeks, I’m doing the Movo VXR10 pro and that one is a really good one with maybe a bit more mellowness to its sound.
Once again Ian first-class review. I love the fact you are not concentrating on the expensive microphones. Something I want to ask is. The actual makeup of the dead cats. You know 1970s women fake fur jackets, bodywarmer type things. They are a course Knit material that the fur is connected too. I know this as my parents worked for years in charity shops. So I got to see a lot of the fake fur stuff. If you look inside the lining. Do you have much experience of the dead cats you use? Are they all the same Knit inside of them. Are they all made in china. Are the Pro ones Made in a different way, ie better quality? Do you see what I am getting at? I do not think a good dead cat will make a cheap Microphone great. I do think it could affect it though. Keep up the good work Ian. Maybe some of your viewers can give us input on this as well. Thanks
Thank you, banditman. I am constantly surprised at just how well some of the cheaper offerings perform. Especially when you put them alongside some of the more expensive mics. The sound isn’t always related to cost in some cases. Having said that, with more expensive microphones from the well known companies, you often get a better build quality or sometimes, something really subtle is superior. For instance, this morning I compared two condenser handhelds. One cheap and the other more expensive from a better known company. On the face of it, the cheap one is quiet and sounds fine. Then plug in the other one, and the tonal differences are there, albeit quite subtle but in fact, it does add to the overall clarity of the sound. Plus the build is way better, so you do really get what you pay for, but the differences can be more subtle than many might think in real situations. The Takstar is an unusual one in that it is performing above what its price would have you think. I don’t like to mention brands (especially if it’s a lot more expensive) because that can start the ‘protective gangs’ up. You know, people who are protective about gear because they have invested in it. But the Takstar is uncomfortably close and is a fraction of the price. (I’ve also found this over the years with headphones) The star buy for me is the Takstar, but I still like my more expensive alternatives a great deal. As far as deadcats go, I’m not sure where they are all made. The cheaper ones certainly do affect the sound more. Unfortunately, so do many of the more expensive ones. Some mics (more expensive ones) have a compensation switch to help this. For instance, I have a Rode NTG4 which has a treble boost if you have a deadcat that takes the top end down, which many of them do. Some deadcats muffle the sound more than others. Generally, I have found that you DO get what you pay for with them. No idea why. So the ones I tend to use are more expensive. Generally, Rode ones or even nicer sometimes, Rycote who are a professional company and certainly not cheap, but their stuff just works. The thing is that mics are designed to work with air around them and once that gets restricted, then sound changes. It seems a shame to get a lovely crisp mic that has its sound destroyed by a poor deadcat! Defeats the object. You might as well get a really cheap mic with the cat. Outside is a totally different animal to indoor recording which is why it can be difficult to judge a mic’s capabilities when you see reviews restricted to indoors at ‘perfect’ distances. While this shows the best that the mic can do, it doesn’t really show what that mic will do when flung about on the move or when wind hits it. For a lot of people, that is more important since so many of us video outside on the move, whether vlogging or on holiday. So this week, I tested the mics individually while out on a walk as well as in my house for this one. Deadcat tests are a bit of minefield. Most people might not hear differences; especially after being mangled by RU-vid. (I’ve noticed the mangling effect on the picture quality of some of my videos!) Also, different mics react in a different way to them. Unfortunately, it can be trial and error (and expensive) Generally, I stick with Rode or Rycote. Both are pretty responsible companies who try to produce high quality gear. Deadcats are very important to retain sound and pick up soundwaves, but ignore wind hitting the side. Difficult job, but they make all the difference to mic performance outside. You are auite right though ..... no deadcat will improve a poor microphone for sure!!
It’s a bargain, Carl. I did a separate video with it as well this week, so you can hear it outdoors. I got a real surprise when I heard it at home. Sounds fantastic. That and the Takstar are my favourite budget mics now. When commenting, I guess you will point the mic backwards towards your mouth? Used that way,the audio is top notch.
Ian Craig - Audio, Video, Reviews & Tips I’m pointing it at the pitch so you get more atmosphere and so it doesn’t record me breathing. I’ve got the old Takstar but this is just to bang on the Osmo Pocket. Great reviews, thanks!
This one fits over the whole mic ... Amazon www.amazon.co.uk/Rycote-055455-Mini-Windjammer-VideoMic/dp/B00MHS3IKM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Rycote+windshield+for+rode+go&qid=1601129299&sr=8-1
It doesn’t fit it tightly. It goes over the whole mounting system and it’s quite loose over the barrel but actually, that space in there makes the deadcat really effective. I tried a thin one but it was pretty useless.
Hey! thanks for the review mate I was confused between chossing one of those microphones. Now I only want to know one more thing, how does the takstar sgc-600 compare to the deity D3 (non pro version) sound quality wise? I don't care about any extra feature, I'm just looking for a good sound quality close to the deity s2. I'm going to use the mic on a boom pole for a movie.
The Takstar is more focused on the treble where the D3 is more 'mid' orientated. Also, the Takstar is super cardioid, I think whereas the Deity is cardioid. It's actually quite a difficult choice tbh. The Takstar is quite a bit cheaper. I must admit, it performs at a higher level than its price suggests.
@@iancraig Thanks for the response. The deity says it's super-cardioid, did it sound like a cardioid mic from your tests? Plus, I've seen a lot of comparaisons between the deity d3 and other high end mics like the deity s2 and sennheiser mkh 416 and the D3 held up pretty in terms of sound quality. Do you think the takstar sgc-600 can be also compared to those high-end microphones and have a similar sound quality to the Deity D3?
Sorry, I wasn’t quite sure about the pattern of the d3. I think the Takstar does hold up against much more expensive mics actually. Really, they’re both cheap mics but I have to admit that the Takstar was embarrassingly close to way more expensive options. Eg Rode NTG would you believe? I’d say the Rode has more weight but they are too close for comfort given the price difference. I’d say the Takstar has a more defined top end than the Deity.
@@iancraig I'll need the microphone for a short film. Based on your testings and experience do you advice me to buy the Deity D3 (non pro version) or the takstar sgc-600? which would be better overall; noise isolation, EQ capabilities in post,... do you think that the extra 60$ of the Deity D3 are worth it?
For a pro type film, I wouldn’t use either tbh. When I’m doing serious stuff, I boom a Sennheiser mke600, Rode nt4 or an se electronics pencil mic. All are a bit more expensive, around £150 to £250. They’re a little more like ‘serious’ budget options for film making if you’re releasing it to a customer. Choosing between the Takstar and Deity is just two different ‘flavours’ really. On the safe side, the Deity would be a safer bet although I’m not convinced that it’s better value than the Takstar. Both are real budget mics so if you’re filming studio stuff, both might be needing noise reduction. Especially if you’re sending audio straight into a camera. The thing is, with proper studio mics, you need a preamp which provides 48v phantom power so you get a good dynamic range and (depending on your preamp) low noise. I also record the audio separately onto a decent recorder, not into the camera. For anything I film for a local photography shop here, I use the Senn, Rode or Se Electronics mics as a minimum for public consumption. For RU-vid, I’m less fussy because most are listening on a computer or phone. The Senn is ideal on top of your camera because it works with a battery as well as a preamp. I have a portable preamp which fixes to my camera, so that can supply 48v. The SE Electronics is lovely boomed. It’s a cardioid and very light so nothing topples. It’s one of the lowest noise pencil mics you can get. The Rode is phantom power only and has that Rode ‘chesty’ radio sound, i also sometimes use either a shure sm58 dynamic or even better, an SE Electronic V7x dynamic. Great for location shooting and nobbling other sounds around you. So if I’m doing something important, I wouldn’t use either of those mics. BTW, your name is not spelt correctly, unless you meant it that way .... professional not professionel.
I am using a Gopro Hero 7. Just with the stock mic I am picking up a lot of low sounding roar from traffic. What mic would be best for not picking that traffic noise?
All of these mics will do a better job than the GoPro mics. That’s because they are directional. If you face the traffic with them, it will be just as loud, but if you point away from the traffic, they will be better. In all honesty, they will all do pretty much a similar job rejecting the noise. Bear in mind that the GoPro has a very wide field of view so those mics with bulky deadcats might well show. Imo, the Takstar ‘sounds’ the best. But with all of them, you may have to use the narrowest field of view.
Movo on windy days. Takstar on calm days or indoors. The Takstar is a big improvement on the first version actually and was a bargain buy when it was released. Not sure what it sells for now. In the end, I put an oversized deadcat on it which worked quite well because Takstar never made one small enough to fit the thin barrel of the mic.
