RODE Videomic Pro

[Andy Wilkinson]

Just been out this morning with my kids filming them ride bikes in a local cul-de-sac (i.e. fairly sheltered). We have a light breeze right now, about 10 mph according to the local weather page on the BBC News website. I used the TM900 in manual, with manual audio, Rode VMP with the new deadcat and the VMP set at the normal attenuation setting, without the high pass filter engaged.

Two observations having just reviewed the raw clips back home on a big monitor.

1. As predicted, on wider angles of view with this particular camera and its mounting shoe position, you get a few of the deadcat's hairs blowing around in the top right of frame!
2. I got quite a bit of wind noise - much more so than I imagined I would get. I was not monitoring sound with headphones (it was just with the kids playing around on bikes/family type stuff.....please forgive me for breaking one of the 10 commandments of sound!!!!). I did not try the high pass filter (wish I had now...) and I did not try it without the deadcat on - for a true scientific comparison. Claire, I imagine the sound was certainly better than it would have been just with the TM900's on-board mics (I did not try that but I know from experience that this cam's built-in mics are terrible at picking up wind noise even in the lightest of breezes).

For sure, I need to do some more tests with the VMP and its deadcat but from this VERY tentative initial observation I think Colin hit the nail on the head, don't expect too much when it gets breezy!

[Colin McDonald]

Thanks for that, Andy. To be fair, I don't think the VMP will be any worse than any other small condenser in a strongish wind. It probably doesn't do too well under water either:-)

Won't put me off using it but I tend to avoid on camera mics in the wind anyway.

[Andy Wilkinson]

Very true! Here are a couple of pics of the Rode Videomic Pro with its Rode deadcat mounted on the Panasonic TM900 accessory shoe. One shows how the deadcat fits across the back of the mic.

[Andy Wilkinson]

And here is a quick picture of the Rode Videomic Pro with its Rode deadcat mounted on the Canon 7D (with a Canon 10-22mm lens on).

[Chad Johnson]

I think that Rycote furry has shorter hairs, and most likely has better wind rejection. And is anyone has an InVision suspension with show mount - you'll have the mic a bit higher.

[Colin McDonald]

Hey Andy, that's not a dead cat - that's Gnasher from "The Beano!"

[Andy Wilkinson]

LOL! Yeah right, mine's a little more pretty though! Actually, I think the hair is tider on both Gnasher and the VMP deadcat than what I usually see on my 8 year old...

[Colin Rowe]

Hi guys, hope you dont think I am trying to teach you to suck eggs, but.
You can use the most expensive of wind reducing mic covers, and they wont make a bit of difference unless you have every joint, switch, connection point etc of your mic covered. I have Sennheiser and Rode mics, and they all let wind noise in at every one of the above mentioned points. Try this simple test. Switch your camera on, plug in headphones and blow gently around every switch, joint, cable inputs etc on the mic. It will sound like a force 10 gale through the headphones, and just as bad on the clips. Cover these areas and the problem is solved.

[Colin McDonald]

Like I said:

I tried fitting the somewhat larger furry from an NTG-2 on to my VIdeomic Pro and it blowing on it from various angles (went through all this with the NTG-2 when deciding which bits to tape up). The front end was quite well protected but the back end wasn't. I would expect the proper furry to be better but as is often said there's no substitute for a full zepplin/blimp in a high wind.).

[Chad Johnson]

Hmmm. Colin that gave me the idea to try the furry included in my Que Audio Sniper kit. Rather than a sock, it's like a folded napkin with velcro going the entire length of the furry, and I can actually cover my whole VMP with it -almost. It will totally cover my MKE400. That concept is what "TheWindCutter.com has used with their portable recorder furries. They are designed to cover the whole unit for better protection. I helped them develop the furry for the Sony D-50 and it works great.

The Wind Cutter Test - Chad's Sony D-50 on Vimeo

[Andrew Petrie]

Does anyone know if Rode is still providing the free Deadcat?
The local Henrys stores don't have the promotion sticker or card in the box, and I'd like to save the 50+ bucks if possible.

[Colin McDonald]

Still waiting for my free one - that's about 10 weeks now.

Maybe I'm not to get one now after making rude comments here about how well I thought it would work :-)

[Charles Newcomb]

I bought the VideoMic Pro a few weeks ago, registered it immediately and have not received a free Dead Cat. But, they can keep it. I'm looking for something more like my Rode Windjammers.

What I will say is I put the mic to a fair test over the past two weeks and was very pleased with the results. Add to that the fact that while shooting (a documentary about a youth flyfishing/conservation camp) I got a little excited when one of the kids landed a 5-pound rainbow trout, and in my excited state I didn't see the tree branch that separated the mic from its shoe mount. I contacted Rode to order a new mount, and they said they'd send me one without charge. I told them I didn't expect their warranty to cover accidents caused by my inattention, but they insisted on sending a new mount free.

That's a very cool way to do business. I now own 3 Rode mics now, and I'm sure there'll be more.

[Colin McDonald]

I've been contacted about the delay in supplying the Deadcat and a possible glitch with my mic registration.
Never doubt that the companies who actually care for their customers are keeping an eye on dvinfo!

I used the VMP outside in a light breeze on Friday and there was no problem with wind noise. My "Rig for Filming over the Heads of the Crowd" looked a bit silly when sticking up 5 feet over the heads of photographers but it worked a treat - a trick I used first at Disney parades. Here it is in use later, indoors, during a brief period when everyone else was sitting down. When all the punters stood up again to take photos I needed it up in the air again with the monopod fully extended and the camera remote in use.

[Colin McDonald]

I now have my free Deadcat VMP - thanks to Scott Emerton at Rode.

Rode dispatched it immediately after contacting me for confirmation of the details a week ago and it took just over 1 day to arrive in the UK from Australia but then DHL faffed about for 5 days before getting it the remaining 7 or eight miles to me (and that took several phone calls and emails).

So I now have a third furry from the Rode menagerie. Haven't had a chance to try it out yet but it seems to fit very well [EDIT] on the VMP.