rode stereo videomic at DVinfo.net

Jason McDonald · January 24th, 2010, 10:44 PM

Has anyone compared the quality of the rode stereo videomic and rode videomic?

I'm still new to audio. I need something compact though and will eventually invest in wireless lavs (I have the Zoom H4n). I see Phillip Bloom has these 2 mics set as his favorites for the HDSLR's (Which is what I'm using). Can anyone tell me what I could expect as far as a difference (Other than the price) of these 2 mics?

Allan Black · January 25th, 2010, 03:47 AM

Yep, I have both. The biggest difference is of course the VM is mono, the SVM stereo so you need both for a good mic selection.

Cheers.

Richard Gooderick · January 25th, 2010, 05:18 AM

I use the stereomic all the time on my 5Dmk2. It gives very good results recording ambient sound when plugged into the camera. I'd rather have this in stereo. It can be converted to mono if desired.

Most of the time it captures speech very well too. But you would need to record separate sound eg to the Zoom, on a paid gig because you don't have any control over sound levels with this camera.

Jason McDonald · January 25th, 2010, 05:37 AM

If I were in the business of paid gigs I would hope to have a variety of mics (Lavs are next on my list).

I just put in my order for the stereo mic.

Jason McDonald · January 31st, 2010, 09:07 PM

An example of when using it inside a chapel. The hissing noise really bothers me. I will be taking this video again using the H4n

Marcus Martell · February 1st, 2010, 03:56 AM

Hi, what u mean when u talk about hissing?

Steve House · February 1st, 2010, 05:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason McDonald

An example of when using it inside a chapel. The hissing noise really bothers me. I will be taking this video again using the H4n

Nella Fantasia on Vimeo

The mic is far too far away from the vocalists. To compensate for the low level due to distance, you've had to turn up the recording gain and so doing turns up the level on the circuit noise in the mic preamps as well as the desired sound of their voices. Hence the hiss. Given the room slap from the hard brick walls in back of them and to their sides, it's surprising it sounds as good as it does.

Jason McDonald · February 1st, 2010, 05:50 AM

This is without the mic, just using the onboard 7D audio. Does this sound somewhat better? This was a smaller room with wood walls and a ceiling I could touch if I reached up. There is no hiss here.

In the first video I posted I had the db set to -10 on the mic.

Ray Barber · February 1st, 2010, 06:30 AM

I don't think the audio does the young lady justice. An on-board camera mic. is always going to sound 2nd rate IMHO. I was also put off by the hand-held wobble!

Jason McDonald · February 1st, 2010, 06:40 AM

It was not a situation where I was able to set anything up. I will try at her next performance Friday.

Jason McDonald · February 1st, 2010, 08:05 AM

How is this for a slight correction?

Colin McDonald · February 1st, 2010, 12:23 PM

For me the mic is also too far away for another reason as well - the audio "framing" doesn't seem to match the video. You said that you are using an on-camera Rode Videomic, but the effect is that it looks and sounds like the camera is much nearer the singers than the mic. It needs to be the other way round. For that audio, I would expect to see a much wider shot taken from further away (not even a W/A shot from the same place). You need to separate the mic from the camera much more even to make it sound as if it was recorded from the same spot, and if it is to sound professional, the mic needs to be much closer to the performers as has been said by Steve and Ray.

And while I'm at it, it seems a bit odd not to see the violin that we are hearing with the same clarity as everything else.

Just trying to be helpful - ignore me if you wish, but I do a lot of this kind of thing both as a musician and cameraman recording other people.

Jason McDonald · February 1st, 2010, 11:49 PM

All criticism is welcome. I'm new to the audio world.

The purpose of this was to test the mic attached to the 7D HDSLR so I could run around and shoot stuff for fun, not work. I was expecting something with less 'hiss' than what I got in the first clip. Something better than the onboard mic. That's the only purpose of having this mic (Compact and better than onboard) For future work/play stuff I would be using a different mic setup.

Michael Nistler · February 3rd, 2010, 11:16 AM

Hi Jason,

Thanks for sharing. The singer really has a wonderful voice! As others have mentioned, you really want to avoid having the mic more than a few feet away from the subject if at all possible (especially with a room full of reflective echos). Our enemy is known as the proximity effect, with the audio dropping off dramatically every time we double the distance (the inverse square of distance, not a lineral dropoff).
Inverse-square law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'm sure your new gear and improved technique will make a dramatic difference.

Good luck, Mchael

Steve House · February 3rd, 2010, 12:41 PM

Not to be picky, Michael, but what you're talking about is the inverse square law, not the proximity effect. The inverse square law says the intensity of a sound drops by the square of the distance - a sound at 2 feet is 1/4 the level of the same sound at 1 foot and at 4 feet, 1/16th the level. The proximity effect is an unnatural buildup of bass frequency response when the mic is less than a certain distance away from the source. The exact distance where it kicks in depends on the mic type and design. It's why mics have an optimum working distance and can actually be too close as well as too far away.

January 24th, 2010, 10:44 PM	#1
Jason McDonald Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Japan Posts: 295	rode stereo videomic Has anyone compared the quality of the rode stereo videomic and rode videomic? I'm still new to audio. I need something compact though and will eventually invest in wireless lavs (I have the Zoom H4n). I see Phillip Bloom has these 2 mics set as his favorites for the HDSLR's (Which is what I'm using). Can anyone tell me what I could expect as far as a difference (Other than the price) of these 2 mics?

January 25th, 2010, 03:47 AM	#2
Allan Black Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Sydney. Posts: 2,887	Yep, I have both. The biggest difference is of course the VM is mono, the SVM stereo so you need both for a good mic selection. Cheers. __________________ Drink more tap water. On admission at Sydney hospitals more than 5% of day patients are de-hydrated.

January 25th, 2010, 05:18 AM	#3
Richard Gooderick Major Player Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: London, UK Posts: 795	I use the stereomic all the time on my 5Dmk2. It gives very good results recording ambient sound when plugged into the camera. I'd rather have this in stereo. It can be converted to mono if desired. Most of the time it captures speech very well too. But you would need to record separate sound eg to the Zoom, on a paid gig because you don't have any control over sound levels with this camera. __________________ http://www.gooderick.com

February 1st, 2010, 05:50 AM	#8
Jason McDonald Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Japan Posts: 295	This is without the mic, just using the onboard 7D audio. Does this sound somewhat better? This was a smaller room with wood walls and a ceiling I could touch if I reached up. There is no hiss here. In the first video I posted I had the db set to -10 on the mic. Chigusa on Vimeo

February 1st, 2010, 06:30 AM	#9
Ray Barber Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: UK Posts: 103	I don't think the audio does the young lady justice. An on-board camera mic. is always going to sound 2nd rate IMHO. I was also put off by the hand-held wobble! __________________ Six out of seven dwarves are not Happy

January 25th, 2010, 05:37 AM	#4
Jason McDonald Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Japan Posts: 295	If I were in the business of paid gigs I would hope to have a variety of mics (Lavs are next on my list). I just put in my order for the stereo mic.

January 31st, 2010, 09:07 PM	#5
Jason McDonald Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Japan Posts: 295	An example of when using it inside a chapel. The hissing noise really bothers me. I will be taking this video again using the H4n Nella Fantasia on Vimeo

February 1st, 2010, 03:56 AM	#6
Marcus Martell Trustee Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: spain Posts: 1,202	Hi, what u mean when u talk about hissing?

February 1st, 2010, 06:40 AM	#10
Jason McDonald Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Japan Posts: 295	It was not a situation where I was able to set anything up. I will try at her next performance Friday.

February 1st, 2010, 08:05 AM	#11
Jason McDonald Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Japan Posts: 295	How is this for a slight correction? Nella Fantansia (Slight Audio Correction) on Vimeo

February 1st, 2010, 12:23 PM	#12
Colin McDonald Trustee Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Posts: 1,546	For me the mic is also too far away for another reason as well - the audio "framing" doesn't seem to match the video. You said that you are using an on-camera Rode Videomic, but the effect is that it looks and sounds like the camera is much nearer the singers than the mic. It needs to be the other way round. For that audio, I would expect to see a much wider shot taken from further away (not even a W/A shot from the same place). You need to separate the mic from the camera much more even to make it sound as if it was recorded from the same spot, and if it is to sound professional, the mic needs to be much closer to the performers as has been said by Steve and Ray. And while I'm at it, it seems a bit odd not to see the violin that we are hearing with the same clarity as everything else. Just trying to be helpful - ignore me if you wish, but I do a lot of this kind of thing both as a musician and cameraman recording other people. Last edited by Colin McDonald; February 2nd, 2010 at 01:52 AM. Reason: correction

February 1st, 2010, 11:49 PM	#13
Jason McDonald Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Japan Posts: 295	All criticism is welcome. I'm new to the audio world. The purpose of this was to test the mic attached to the 7D HDSLR so I could run around and shoot stuff for fun, not work. I was expecting something with less 'hiss' than what I got in the first clip. Something better than the onboard mic. That's the only purpose of having this mic (Compact and better than onboard) For future work/play stuff I would be using a different mic setup.

February 3rd, 2010, 11:16 AM	#14
Michael Nistler Major Player Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Petaluma, CA Posts: 456	Hi Jason, Thanks for sharing. The singer really has a wonderful voice! As others have mentioned, you really want to avoid having the mic more than a few feet away from the subject if at all possible (especially with a room full of reflective echos). Our enemy is known as the proximity effect, with the audio dropping off dramatically every time we double the distance (the inverse square of distance, not a lineral dropoff). Inverse-square law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I'm sure your new gear and improved technique will make a dramatic difference. Good luck, Mchael

February 3rd, 2010, 12:41 PM	#15
Steve House Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,742	Not to be picky, Michael, but what you're talking about is the inverse square law, not the proximity effect. The inverse square law says the intensity of a sound drops by the square of the distance - a sound at 2 feet is 1/4 the level of the same sound at 1 foot and at 4 feet, 1/16th the level. The proximity effect is an unnatural buildup of bass frequency response when the mic is less than a certain distance away from the source. The exact distance where it kicks in depends on the mic type and design. It's why mics have an optimum working distance and can actually be too close as well as too far away. __________________ Good news, Cousins! This week's chocolate ration is 15 grams!

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