Thanks Chad and Andy, will try and release the cable but am always so wary when it seems one if forcing things!

Andy, found the Rycote furry. But how to tell if I'm not wasting my money!? It looks ver simlar but perhaps a bit less tight?

Rycote Mini Windjammer For Rode Video Mic Pro (http://www.pinknoise-systems.co.uk/rycote-mini-windjammer-rode-video-p-709.html?oscsid=mzrsidrh)

There is a slot that holds the cable in place. I removed mine. Just don't yank it. It looks like it may be hard to put back in, but it will be fine. I haven't tried it, but I would guess the Rycote Wind Jammer does better than the Rode Furry. I have other Rycote stuff and it does a good job. Nothing is magic remember. And if the wind is still getting through with the wind jammer/dead kitten, that is the point you engage the low-cut filter, which will kill low rumble. In strong wind there may still be wind sound, but the audio will be much better and good enough to use. You can always further remove wind noise using iZotope RX if it's a narrative film or something.

I'm in love with my VMP. the db switch on the mic is a life saver. Filmed a wedding with loud speakers within feet of the camera and after reducing the DB on the mic the sound came out perfect...

The NTG2 would (and was) totally overblown...

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).
Photo at post #78 http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/all-things-audio/490160-rode-videomic-pro-6.html#post1642420

Andy, I should have looked a bit more carefully at your picture instead of making silly comments on it.
Had I done so, I might have noticed that the tag goes <on the top> and mine not have been on <upside down> since July. You even pointed out how it fits at the back.

Maybe I was subconsciously reassured by having the bald bit at the top instead of underneath in the shockmount where it's meant to go.

I should email Rode and tell them that they need to include step by step instructions so that thickos like me can fit it the right way up!

We all make mistakes! I agree that it is not immediately obvious which way it is meant to go on so tried it both ways and decided that the one in my pic was probably correct. Sure, Rode should have provided a clear picture of it on the VMP showing its correct fitting.

It could have been worse - someone somewhere has probably tried fitting it inside out...!

I will say that even with the deadcat correctly fitted on the VMP is only suitable for use in light breezes. The low cut filter sure helps a bit too. Still very pleased with mine overall. I even managed to change the battery in front of a client last week without looking a fool - I mastered the battery compartment cover some time ago :-)

Well, thanks to all the nice things you've said about the VMP, I got one myself :)

As a first rough test, I cranked up the music inside my room to a neighbour-unfriendly volume, and then talked to the camera which I held at about 75cm from my face (with the microphone attached to it). Not only did my voice come through CLEARLY, the mic did a good job of cancelling quite a portion of the background music (which came from its opposite side). I have yet to test it outside, but something tells me it will perform very well.

I do have a question - how do you guys use it on the Panasonic TM900? I decided to set the mic level inside the camera menu to its lowest setting (-30), turn AGC off, then set the VMP to 0db. In this setting, when I was really close to one of my speakers, the sound meter reached one red bar, and therefore it was a bit distorted. But that's what the -10dB is for, I guess.

Many have reported problems with wind noise with the VMP. Some speculate that it might be from the switch holes at the back of the mic. When you do your outdoor test, you might try it with and without some gaffers tape on the back of the mic to see if that helps. Of course, you would want to use a furry wind filter of some kind as well.

"Anyone know of a source for a super high quality 1/8" mini extension cable?

Just so happens I re-did my bag two months ago. I used Canare "L-2E5 mini microphone cable" and "L-4E5C mini star-quad". For any 1/8" plugs I used Neutrik NT3RC (right-angle) and TecNec M3.5S locking.

My above post was making y'own.
Markertek, Trew, Gotham, Dale, ect. would gladly make cables using the same or other premium components.
Big box stores like B&H do not make cables. And if they they have a specific cable, it will likely be mass-produced w/molded plugs and low-cost cable stock... which may be fine, for occasional usage and in a 'perfect world'.


So what do you think of this cable... will it preform well (shielded, no hum/EMI) with the Rode Videomic Pro? Is it worth the price? Is it the right cable/connectors?

Canare Headphone Extention Cable, 3.5mm TRS Male to 3.5mm TRS Female, 25 ft. | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canare-Headphone-Extention-Cable-3-5mm-TRS-Male-to-3-5mm-TRS-Female-25-ft-/150743015353?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2318fbdfb9#ht_500wt_922)

Thanks for your help!

It looks like it would give you more protection than a standard 3.5mm cable.

So what do you think of this cable... will it preform well (shielded, no hum/EMI) with the Rode Videomic Pro? Is it worth the price? Is it the right cable/connectors?

Canare Headphone Extention Cable, 3.5mm TRS Male to 3.5mm TRS Female, 25 ft. | eBay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canare-Headphone-Extention-Cable-3-5mm-TRS-Male-to-3-5mm-TRS-Female-25-ft-/150743015353?pt=US_Audio_Cables_Adapters&hash=item2318fbdfb9#ht_500wt_922)

Thanks for your help! Would work better than the typically unshielded "headphone extension" cables you find at Radio Shack or Best Buy but the output of the Rode VMP is unbalanced and as such is more susceptible to hum and EMI pickup than is the balanced output of most professional mics, even with well shielded cables. You could expect LESS hum and EMI susceptibility but not NO susceptibility. That's just part of the nature of unbalanced audio connections. It's not the cable that makes it balanced, that's only part of the puzzle, it's the wiring of the output that's feeding signal to the system and the input at the other end of the cable that the signal is fed into.