HEAD-TO-HEADMIC TEST
RODE SC6-L MOBILE INTERVIEW KIT £179/$199 www.rode.com
SPECIFICATIONS Price: £179/$199 Microphone type: Omni-directional Frequency response: 20Hz – 20kHz (SC6-L), 60Hz – 18kHz (SmartLav+) Signal to noise ratio: 69dB Equivalent noise: 25dB typical Power requirement: Powered from iPhone TRRS socket (2.7V) Output connection: 3.5mm headphone output (SC6-L), gold-plated TRRS plug (SmartLav+) Analog outputs: 3.5mmTRS headphone output Computer connectivity: Lightning (iPhone/iPad/iPod)
If you’re a run-and-gun practitioner then one situation you’re likely to find yourself in is an interview, perhaps with a subject that you’re featuring in your filmor maybe a person in the street that you’re looking to do a vox pop with. We know you can’t use a camera’s built-inmic to record professional quality audio and the chances are that the directional nature of an on-camera shotgunmic will capture your subject’s words beautifully while missing out or downgrading the volume of the questions you’re asking frombehind the camera. The result will be a poorly balanced audio sequence, and it’s a situation that Rode’s Mobile Interview Kit is designed to avoid. What you have here is a very simple set-up, a small box that plugs into an Apple iPhone’s Lightning socket that contains outputs for two tiny wired SmartLav+ lavalier microphones and a further socket into which a set of headphones can be plugged. And that’s about it: power is supplied from the phone and in theory you should be able to set up the audio for an interview in a matter of seconds, and both you and your interviewee will have a dedicatedmic to ensure that both voices are independently recorded loud and clear.
There’s nothing in the way of controls on this device; you need to download the free Rode Reporter app, which will enable you to do such things as configure the recordmode, turn direct monitoring on and off and adjust the mic pre gain. I was up and running in no time with this kit and it worked really well. There’s a couple of clips included and you quickly get used to pinning on and removing the mics. They’re so small that they’re not distracting, allowing people to speak naturally without the risk of the mic moving away from their voice. There are downsides of course. Lavalier mics can work wonderfully, but they can pick up rustles if you don’t place themcarefully. They can be subject to wind noise, though the mics both came with a foam covering to negate this a little. The biggest issue I had is that the wire supplied with eachmic wasn’t very long, so you have to sit quite close to your subject, which can be a bit restricting. There are wireless alternatives out there, but that immediately puts the price up; the essence of this kit is that it’s so affordable. For what it is, plus the fact that it can slip easily into a pocket, I Galaxy user so this kit is not going to benefit my filmmaking overmuch, but the hope is that RODE will eventually reach out to Android types. would rate this kit very highly. Unfortunately I am a Samsung
Bit depth: 24-bit OS Requirements: iOS 11 or higher
Weight: 53g Dimensions: 20.2 x 11 x 40mm/ 0.7x0.4x1.5in
PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 9/10 Really innovative piece of kit that’s easy to use and to carry around, and it’s guaranteed to improve audio quality. Pros: Power supplied by smartphone Cons: Only available in iPhone fitting at themoment
IMAGES The Rode Mobile Interview Kit comes with two mics and a box that plugs into an iPhone.
THE VERDICT
Not a true head-to-head it has to be said because despite some overlap, these two products are very different in terms of what they offer. The Mobile Interview Kit is by far the more traditional product and will be fully understood by the run-and-gun filmmaker, and it has the potential to be all you need for a filmed interview. The Memory Mic on the other hand is a true one- off and only suitable for those filming with a smartphone, but if mobile filmmaking is your bag this could also do a great job.
“It’s positively spooky when two great rivals deliver similarly groundbreaking products at the same time”
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WINTER 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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