AUDIO BASICS: CHOOSINGANDUSINGAMIC
RØDE VIDEOMIC PRO £185/$224 The mic that has been the DSLRmainstay for years
RØDE STEREOVIDEOMIC PRO £189/$299 If you need a steroe mic then this is an affordable option
RØDE VIDEOMIC GO £69/$99 As simple as it gets but does a great job
amplifier, which boosts the output so the camera will receive a good signal level and not turn up its gain. This mic is powered by a standard 9V battery which works for more than 70 hours, gives broadcast quality audio, a two-step High Pass Filter (flat, 80Hz) and three position level control at -10dB, 0 and +20dB. It comes with a windshield and shock mount, too. Røde recently unveiled an upgraded and redesigned version called the VideoMic Pro +, which costs £296/$299 and can run on two AA batteries or the included rechargeable lithium cell, or via
rubber windshield to cut down on wind noise. Compared to the internal mic, it gives a far crisper sound that’s significantly better. Spend a little more and you can take a step up tomicrophone types that have become almost industry- standard with professional filmmakers who use small cameras. These are poweredmicrophones offering adjustable gain so you can fine-tune the audio levels, plus a super-cardioid recording pattern that cuts down evenmore extraneous noise. The £185/$224 Røde VideoMic Pro is typical of this type, and uses a 20dB pre-
microUSB. To save power, the mic also switches itself offwhen it’s unplugged from the camera. All these mics output twomono channels, ideal for most recording of dialogue. But for capturing environmental and ambient sounds, as well as live music, a stereomic such as Røde’s £189/ $299 Stereo VideoMic Pro is a better solution. It has a pair of high-resolution condenser capsules and a selectable high-pass filter to cut out noise from things such as air conditioners and traffic. A -10dB level setting allows recording of loud sound sources, such as live music or motorsport.
ABOVE With a mic to suit all budgets and for all uses, there’s no excuse for bad audio.
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AUTUMN 2018 PRO MOVIEMAKER
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