I bought my Rode Videomic after deciding I needed better audio than the standard onboard camera microphone could give me. One thing that always comes through seems to be handling noise on the camera and with the feature of an integral shock suspension mount as standard I considered it to be worth a shot. After some hunting around I finally bought from an eBay dealer, and including postage it cost me just short of eighty quid.
With claims like “Studio Recording Quality” and “Low Noise Circuitry” combined with Rode’s good name my expectations were high. Perhaps unrealistically high? Well, the Rode impressed me even from the pictures and specs on their website. In my hand I was doubly impressed. It looks the part, is fairly sizeable and has RODE in large white letters down each side of the foam shield. The shock mount looked good and the mic sat there wobbling slightly in its mounts.
So, I stuck the battery in (A bit fiddly to begin with but patience won out in the end), mounted it atop my Sony, plugged it in and went filming.
My impressions? Some good, some not so.
The shock mount system does little to reduce camera-handling noise at all. The mic sits in an elaborate system of small elastic bands, which one would expect to be effective but it just doesn’t happen. As fingers make contact with controls on the camera, the sound of the hand moving is picked up just as clearly as the on board mic. I found that to be the worst aspect of the kit. On a positive note, a bag of spare bands is included in case they should get lost or damaged. The whole assembly sits on top of the camera via the hot shoe mount and a curly cable terminates in a mini jack plug. Usefully, there are eight clips in various places around the shock mount to clip the cable into and stop it floating around. A neat, tidy and very useful idea.
The mic itself is driven by a 9v PP3 battery. The instruction manual claims an expected life of 100 hours. Mine lasted around four hours with continuous use before the warning LED turned red, indicating need for a change. Fortune smiled on me as the store I bought my Duracell from had a two for one offer, so a spare was to hand. Must remember to carry plenty of spares in future!
In terms of audio reproduction though, the news is a lot brighter. The mic seems to have good directional characteristics and the reproduction seems reasonably true. I’ve yet to do a proper ‘this mic then that mic’ test, but my ears tell me straight away that the audio quality of my recordings has improved. In percentage terms I would guess at about a 50% improvement. Top, middle and bass frequencies all seem clear and unhindered even with the supplied foam windshield in place. There is a High Pass Filter switch integrated with the On-Off switch on the rear of the mic that claims to reduce rumble and unwanted bass frequencies, but I haven’t found that particularly effective.
For the price (and that’s the key, in my humble opinion) the Rode Videomic is not a bad piece of kit. It certainly looks the part. With a response range of between 40Hz and 20,000Hz and its good directional polar pattern, it has to be an improvement on the standard camera microphone. A two-year warranty is included in the price and that alone has to be worth something in this day and age. A good quality mic is something of an essential for any videographer and short of spending maybe three or four hundred quid on something truly spectacular the Rode fills a gap in the market place to the cameraman on a budget.
Finally, one of the ‘features’ Rode list is “Designed and manufactured in Australia”. I’m not sure I would brag about that part myself, but I must stress the Rode is value for money. Just be realistic about what your hard earned pound, dollar or yen will buy you.
For me then: Audio Reproduction 7/10. Build Quality 8/10. Shock Mount 2/10 Look and Feel 8/10
Overall – 7/10. For around eighty quid though, who’s counting? I’m glad I bought mine.
About Turn Media: Turn Media offer a wide range of services to the Entertainment Industry, including Live Performance filming, Showreel Production and a total design package for the resulting DVD. Turn Media Ltd has been formed for entertainers to produce a live DVD of their show, or alternatively showcase their talents to agents and bookers with a bespoke DVD Showreel. Serving clients from Alvin Stardust, to Vince Eager, to The Billy Fury Story and lesser known names like Complete Madness, Michelle Montuori, Replay, Andy Greaves, Craig Leach and others, they are built on reputation.
