nice review, if you are looking for a more directional microphone we would recommend the other mics in the VideoMic family like the VideoMic GO & VideoMic Pro
+prettygeekyphotos what about the distance that it can pick up the sound ?how far can it pick up (approxiamtely) a persons voice when they are speaking normally
+jacky lee Take a look at the 6:58 mark in the video. We're speaking normally and about 10ft away from the camera. We haven't tried recording it outside of that practical range yet.
+RØDE Microphones Hi Rode!! Been using the VideoMic Rycote for a while but it just only fits in my bag (with some forcing) so was looking into the Pro but I don't like the batterys + it's expensive. So then maybe the GO, but I wasn't convinced of the quality, but this might be the one to go for. I record a lot of fireworks, so how does this pic up some loud bangs and bass?
Hi, when I connect Rode VideoMicro mic with SC4 adapter to my iPhone 4, iPhone 4S or iPad Mini I get a really really low volume, did you had a similar experience with it? I've tried default Apple's camera recording and voice recording and sound is low. The only feedback I could get from RODE's support is that I should use their app for recording the voice so that I can get more gain to the mic with volume control, but what's the point if I can't record the video within the app... :P . Tho, when connected to my dSLR sound is fine! Thanks! :)
Thank you because of your info, I just purchased one for my Canon 5D Mark ii, been a photographer since 1977 and I didn't know my camera could do video, Yes now just one camera on vacation
I bought this micro for recording live performances and I couldn't be happier. I use with an 80D. If the wind is blowing out side, the dead cat is worthless however. On any mic
Thank you for the great review! I was looking for some side by side audio comparisons because I’ve been using the built-in mic of my m50 and the echo has been an issue for me. So much so that viewers complained about it. So I hope this can reduce the echo a bit until I can afford something more high-end. Have a great week! -DJ
The pre-amp on the Sony is really good, I don't hear any noise like other tests with DSLR's. Its a pretty awesome sounding microphone I heard a lot of nice bass in the sound and very depthy for such a cheap microphone
Hey man I'm looking at the micro or the go, I already own the pro which I'm using for my 7D but I was wondering if I should get the go or the micro for my 700D I film live gigs so which one would you recommend for this? Thanks
prettygeekyphotos dude this was a great video comparing the products. im getting the gopro 4 black for christmas and i found the mic to go with it. thanks for the awesome video!
How did you manage to get such good audio. I've got the sony a7 and comica vm 10 ( very similar to the rode video micro). And it sounds terrible way too over sensitive. Even worse then the internal mic! How did you manage to get such good results?
I have also ordered the Rode VideoMic. Why? I wanted an small, handy alternative to the big Rode pro/ or go. (I'm using a canon EOS M) And, another reason why i bought it was the included windbreaker. I mean, most mics do not offer that thing in one package. I think thats great. Especially fr filming outdoor.
Hmmm, why is your shock absorber black and mine is red? I would’ve loved a black shock absorber. LOL. But this mic goes great with small, mirrorless cameras, like my M6! I will keep using this M6 until canon comes up with something worth buying!
I just bought this. It seems really flimsy once you have tightened it up on the shoe. I tried to tighten the tiny screw on top. Should it be this flimsy please.
Good video. Do you need to use the dead cat indoors? Also, I want to video live band performances as well as individual guitarist in a very guitar setting. (of course an audio studio would be nice) Do you think this mic would work ok for that. thanks.
I think any type of live performance would be better served with portable recorders like the Zoom H4n. This Videomicro is best used for interviews and such since it is a mini-shotgun type mic.
I think this new one is way better but not perfect, you still get loads of surrounding noise and obviously you have to make a compromise between these mics against lavalier or pole mics. So, convenience versus ultimate quality. Thanks for sharing.
+Michi Bornemann Glad it was helpful. A real world environment like a restaurant is how we normally vlog so it was something we were looking forward to testing.
Hi, I bought the video micro but I'm a novice with my DSLR, so I'm not sure if I'm supposed to fix some kind of settings on my camera to get a better sound quality? As of right now, all I've done is plug it in and record. I'm so disappointed right now because it only has a slight difference from my in camera microphone and actually had a LOT of background noisiness that is ridiculously LOUD, more than my in camera mic!! This is with me shooting indoors in quietness... I had compared sample tests I listened to on youtube of both this product and the Rode VideoMic Go and actually liked the sound of this one better because oddly it seemed to have way less noisiness than the VideoMicGo...... but now that I have the Micro and am using it, that doesn't seem to be the case, seems extremely noisy too. Would love to hear back from you with advice. Thanks!
+Marie Karlington If it is only slightly different than your in-camera mic, then there is definitely something wrong. There should be a night/day difference in quality-- any mic is better than the in-camera mic. Check the microphone gain level in your camera, make sure it's not too high. For my settings, I like the mic meter to be hovering around -9db to -12db when I'm speaking (on my Sony A7II, it's about the halfway point of the live mic gain meter). Try that and see it it helps? Let us know!
+prettygeekyphotos Thank you for such a fast response! I subscribed to your channel for any future need to see techy videos :-) I am a super newbie to everything and I figured out how to fix the mic meter through googling, I think the problem might have been that I didn't have my mode set on M, Av, Tv, or P at all, it was on one of the picture modes while recording video. Could that have been the issue? It seems to be better now, but the sound seems lower now, do you have a tutorial or tips on how to fix sound noisiness and loudness in post?
Marie Karlington Glad it's working better. Looks like you have a Canon? Not too familiar with Canon since we use Nikon and Sony, but generally the Picture mode usually doesn't have anything to do with the audio quality. In my review, you can see how it's supposed to sound in a quiet room. The VideoMicro is more directional so it will focus wherever it is pointed to. Also, on Rode's website they state that there could be possible knockoffs going around, so make sure you purchased from an authorized dealer. As far as fixing sound in post, videography is definitely not our thing. But the key is to try to get it right in-camera as much as possible. Loudness is easy to bump up with a volume slider, but getting rid of noise becomes a hassle.
+prettygeekyphotos I purchased from an authorized dealer. I don't know if the issue is that I have a Canon t5i?.... But I'm still having issues, the quality just doesn't sound comparable to your youtube video, even your Ebay mic! I played my iphone recording next to it to compare and my iphone sounds quieter and less noisy. Overall so disappointed and have to return this.
Do you know if with this microphone i need to set the camera in manual mode and lower the in camera audio in order to use the audio coming in from the mic or can I leave the camera in auto mode?
I was wondering if you could help me. I just bought this microphone and I do vlogging. When I am walking around with the camera or when i pick it up or touch it the shock mount shakes making the microphone shake. Is this the same with your to or did I just get a broken one?
I already bought the RODE vmp last year for 250 dollars.. and today i just bought the RODE Micro for 91 dollars Canadian with no hesitation.. If i find that it's better, i will sell my vmp mic. But one of the biggest reasons why i bought it was because of its dead cat... the deadcat for the vmp is like $50 itself and the micro was 91 so i made the choice of just getting an extra mic. Is there a recommended sound setting to use the micro?
+Stevo Canuck I agree about the dead cat, to have that included with the mic is a huge bonus! As for sound setting, it will just depend on your camera. Set your camera microphone settings to Manual and adjust the level as needed.
+Andre Machado I cant confirm, since I do not have the canon T3i. But look for a microphone input jack (usually colored in red). If you camera has a mic jack, it should support this microphone as is.
Hey prettygeekyphotos, I was wondering how did you remove the noise with the videomicro? I recently purchased mine and I cant get away from the noise. Thanks, Peter
Peter Dzula yoo im having this issue too, and nobodys talking about it anywhere. I complained and got a second one for free and its still noisy! It can be fixed somewhat in post but sacrifices quality. I feel ya
I figured it out! If you have a Rode VideoMicro or a mic without batteries you need to buy a Saramonic SmartRig 2 channel for around $100. If your mic requires batteries, than you can buy the cheaper Saramonic option for $30. DSLR video shooter has a video on this. The reason our mics have alot of noise is because nikon and canon, for instance, have really bad built-in pre-amps.
I was just about to comment this, Peter! I have a Panasonic and apparently it has a lot better built in audio pre amps, because I haven't noticed much noise on the footage I just gathered with mine. Nifty little microphone but does depend on your cam's audio pre amps a lot.
We dont have much experience recording live concerts. But this mic will output dual mono and is directional. If you want something less directional and stereo I would look at some of the handheld recorders like the Zoom H4n.
+Benoît Detry This mic is not a stereo mic, it is dual mono. With that said, not sure why it's showing up on the right speaker only, but duplicating the right track to the left will create the same effect as dual-mono.
I have had a problem using the Rode VideoMicro with the iPhone 6S Plus for video recording. I bought the special Rode connector plug for iPhone and all seemed well at first. The voice is captured clearly and the noise-floor is very low. Then I noticed sometimes I was getting crackling sounds and occasionally complete sound drop-outs when recording. This was unpredictable but of course catastrophic when it occurred and the recording was important. I thought the mic itself was about to give out. As it was under warranty I planned to send it in for repair/replacement. Then I noticed the problem was actually with the mic plug-jack connection. If I pulled only very slightly on the plug it would slide out a tiny fraction of an inch, but that was enough to produce all the problems I was getting. Basically the phone was flipping between external and internal mic inputs. Clearly the Rode mic plug does not provide a particularly reliable connection to the iPhone mic jack. Now I have to be very careful when recording video not to disturb the mic cord and continually need to check visually on the dBFS meter (I use the Mavis app) that I'm getting a good signal on the external input. Unfortunately there is no way to monitor audio input with headphones when using the Videomicro, which would provide the best confirmation of capturing good audio. Obviously this is not a workable situation and I have decided to go a completely different route and now have on order the iRig Pro and a short shotgun mic (Audio Technica AT875). This way I bypass the iPhone audio jack completely and go in via the lightening connector. It also allows for headphone monitoring - a very reassuring prospect - and should also offer better sound quality (not that that was the prime issue) but most importantly a reliable audio signal. This is a more expensive audio solution, but worth it IMHO for doing any kind of serious work.
+Pang teang kaang To use this mic on an iPhone, you would need the TRRS adapter cable (Rode SC7). If if you are specifically looking for a cellphone mic, take a look at the Rode VideoMic Me.
+Lil Ac9 If your camera has a microphone level, try turning it down. Also try the micro on a different camera to help trouble shoot. Different cameras have different quality DACs, for our 3 cameras (2 Nikons, 1 Sony) the microphone works great.
+588ta In the small quiet room where there is no other noise, yes both will sound similar. But once you add in other noise, the small ebay mic will pick up a lot more than desired since it is omnidirectional. The Rode videomicro will be more directional and isolate more of the audio you want.
