BUYERS’ GUIDE
“External shotgunmics aremore directional and cut down noise from around the camera”
AZDEN SMX-30 £249/$229 azden.com
The Azden SMX-30 is a DSLR-style mic that goes right on the hotshoe and can record in stereo or mono, unlike many rivals. It has a conventional, short shotgun mic tube and two wider, cardioid-pattern mics to record a broader signal. There’s a shock mount to reduce handling noise, too. Housed inside an innovative single casing, the SMX-30 is two microphones packaged into one. The stereo mic is positioned at the top and consists of two cardioid polar patterns, spaced apart at a 120° angle. The mono microphone uses a supercardioid polar pattern to focus on sound in front of the camera. Using the built-in +20dB gain booster to get a strong, clean audio signal into your camera, the SMX-30 minimises the need to turn up noisy preamps, also including a -10dB pad to protect against distortion when recording in loud environments, such as live concerts and motor sport.
Pros: Wide, 40Hz-20kHz frequency response Cons: No XLR connections
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