RODELink Wireless Audio: Initial Test & Overview
https://youtu.be/o6P59ZxpANI You voted that you wanted a review of the RØDELink wireless audio system a few months back and here is the initial test as I put together the full review over the next few weeks. So far, this system looks like a nice fit for enthusiasts and pros working with small crews. One thing that really impressed me was that the Filmmaker kit comes with the RØDE Lavalier microphone which on its own is normally a $250 US microphone which is more than half the price of the filmmaker kit. In my initial tests I have not experienced a single drop out though admittedly, I haven’t yet stress tested it by taking two units into a heavy wifi environment (that’ll come in the full review). So I hope this whets your appetite while I work on the full review.
My initial impression is that the RODELink Filmmakers Kit hits a very nice combination of price to build and audio quality. We're planning some stress tests (throw a bunch of wifi at it and record with two transmitters and receivers in an interview, distance) and should have the full review up in another couple of weeks. Let me know if you have any questions you would like answered specifically!
Will That Microphone Work With My Recorder/Camera? Plugs, Power, Connectors
https://youtu.be/n6C6yzt2Hgc As you might guess, this is a question that almost everyone asks when getting started with sound for video and film. It isn't the sexiest subject, but it was time. I hope this helps those of you that are scratching your heads, trying to figure out which mic you need to begin your audio journey.
In this episode we cover the different types of microphone plugs and power so that you can find a combination that will work for you. We’re not covering specific mics and cameras and recorders, but teaching you the various types of plugs and power so that you can find a combination that works for you.
To access the links, view the video over on YouTube and check out the about section (you can get to it by hovering over the video and clicking the YouTube icon at the bottom left).
Monitoring Audio: Headphones or Near-field Monitors?
If you're looking to improve the sound for your film or video projects, you need a way to listen to your sound so that you know whether it's as good as you'd like. If you're like me, you're not doing your audio post-production work in an acoustically treated studio or control room. More likely you've got a home office or spare bedroom.
And you don't typically want awesome hi-fi speakers for this job because hi-fi speakers are meant to make everything sound as good as possible. They are usually designed to add a little more bass and a little more treble.
What you really need is a brutally honest sound that is as accurate as possible. And that's the job of near-field monitors and reference headphones.
So in cases like mine where you're working in a spare bedroom, do you go with near field monitors or do you go with a good set of headphones? Do you try to acoustically treat your room? Ideally, both.
That's a tough question that I haven't totally answered even for myself. I have a set of the KRK Rokit 8 near field monitors. But they're not exactly perfect, particularly since the room I'm working in is FAR from acoustically perfect. I recently bought a reference measurement mic and used FuzzMeasure to see how long various frequencies hang around in my room. It wasn't pretty at all. Like almost all small household bedrooms, the bass lingers forever. And you might think, "You must get amazing bass sound in that room." But no, it is actually quite the opposite. The bass is mushy and creates all sorts of comb filtering. So I'm not getting an accurate picture of my recordings at all. How frustrating!
So I've got a DIY project in motion to see if I can address that issue by trapping some of that extraneous bass. More on that in the future.
I also have a set of Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 32 ohm headphones that I bought several years ago. These are closed-back headphones that sound very good, but they have a closed back design. This makes them very good for use when you're recording (so that sound doesn't spill out and back into the mic) but to get the most accurate sound, most reference headphones have an open-back design. Evidently you just can't get reference accurate sound in a closed back design.
So I'm now on the hunt for a decent pair of reference headphones. I've got my eyes on the AKG K712 Pro reference headphones. Anyone out there have experience with these? There are several other options in the same pricerange. Audio Technica has a new offering but their marketing materials say very little about accuracy. I realize that's very difficult or impossible to capture in specifications.
Tascam DR-05: Small Recorder with 3.5mm Input for Lavalier Mics
If I were working with a budget of $150 USD to get a decent "wireless" lavalier microphone setup, I would look to the Tascam DR-05 Audio Recorder and JK MicJ 044 lavalier as a solid combination. The nice thing about this combination is that the talent aren't tied to a single spot and can work untethered. Then you just have to sync the audio to the video in post which is not nearly as difficult as we often assume:
Why the Tascam over the Zoom H1? Feature wise, they are nearly identical. Audio quality wise? Nearly identical. The main thing that would push me to the Tascam is that build quality is just slightly better than the Zoom. The plastic is slightly higher quality. Some say that the preamps are slightly less noisy though I haven't confirmed that 100%. They're certainly in the same league as the H1.
Sony Sound Forge Audio Studio with the Tascam DR-05 which is a nice little addition if you don't already have an audio editing app.
Sennheiser MKE 2 Digital Lavalier for iOS Devices
While at NAB last month, one of the interesting new lavalier microphones I saw was the Sennheiser MKE 2 Digital. They've had an analogue version of the MKE 2 lav for a long time to fill the niche as the higher-end lavalier mic in their lineup. This new digital version is unique in that instead of a 3.5mm plug, it has a Lightning connector to connect to Apple's iOS devices like iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. That means that the signal needs to already be in digital format going into the Apple device. So Sennheiser partnered with Apogee, a well respected company that produces high-end audio gear, to design a very small analog to digital converter in a tiny box inline with the cable of the mic. Apogee is known for very high quality pre-amplifiers and analog to digital converters so this little mic from Sennheiser really piqued my interest.
Why not just put a 3.5mm TRRS plug on the thing? My guess is that with this new mic, they designed an analog to digital converter of much higher quality than is built in to any of the Apple or Android or other mobile devices out on the market. Does it really make a difference? My experience is that it can make a difference, if they did a good job of it.
I had a chance to experiment with it just a little there on the show floor and was impressed with the sound. Granted, one cannot properly evaluate sound quality on a noisy convention floor with over-ear headphones. I recorded a 30 second clip of my voice and played it back. Very balanced, uncolored sound, good strong signal, quite impressive in light of the limiting circumstances.
I did the same with their new Clip Mic Digital, a less expensive "digital" version of their ME 2 lavalier microphone. It sounded a little too harsh in the higher frequencies and especially the sibilance range. But it will retail for about $300 less and might work well concealed under a shirt. But again, hard to make a final evaluation out on the convention floor.
And that brings us to the potential downsides on the MKE 2 Digital. It is priced, at least initially, at $500 USD. That puts this mic in the same price league as many of the pro-level lav mics (think Sanken, Countryman, etc.). Of course you can't record with those directly into your phone, but if you're doing pro-level work, you probably wouldn't consider doing that anyway. I'm not suggesting that pros shouldn't or wouldn't consider using the MKE 2 Digital, just that it seems it will appeal to a rather niche group of recordists.
And one nagging question I can't get out of my head is what if Apple goes and changes all their iOS devices to USB-C connectors? And while that might sound outlandish, it could happen. I sort of get the feeling that they made the Lightning connector because they were horrified with the USB committees first stab at micro and mini USB 3 connectors (they were quite bad and clearly designed by a committee that didn't quite see eye to eye). And yes, they'll probably have Lightning to USB-C adapters but that sort of messes with the convenience of a mic that plugs directly into the phone.
In any case, I applaud Sennheiser and Apogee for trying something different. If the MKE 2 Digital were closer to $200, I'd buy one right away. But since they're $500, I'll probably buy a Countryman instead.
RØDE NTG4+ Shotgun Microphone Review
https://youtu.be/B8aE0loboMA It's here and everything I had hoped it would be! But is it for everyone?
A couple of months ago you all voted on what you wanted to cover next and one of the things you voted for was a review of the RØDE NTG4+ shotgun microphone. This is RØDE’s next generation enthusiast/pro shotgun mic and it has a few interesting features:
- The "+" version has an inbuilt lithium battery that can power the mic for 150 hours - A re-designed microphone capsule (which I think sounds a bit more natural than the NTG2 with less of the low frequency boost that sounds like FM radio announcers) - Electronic buttons for high pass, high frequency boost, and -10 dB pad as well as mic power
We’ve spent a few weeks working with it and it is a great, very versatile mic! RØDE has done a great job filling a hole in the shotgun mic market. Better quality than the $100 - $300 mics and added features that make this mic incredibly versatile.
Amazing Pricing on Tascam Recorders
Again, evidently today only, amazing prices on both the Tascam DR70D 4 XLR input recorder ($179) and DR60DmkII 2 XLR input recorder ($129). Here's my original review of the DR60DmkII. Tascam DR-70D
RODE NTG4+ Shotgun Microphone Initial Test
https://youtu.be/ZGftygBBOhE Very excited that the RODE NTG4+ Shotgun mic arrived! I have just gotten started putting it through its paces and so far, it seems like a worthy upgrade to the NTG2.
A couple of months ago you all voted on what you wanted to cover next and one of the things you voted for was a review of the RØDE NTG4+ shotgun microphone. This is RØDE’s next generation enthusiast shotgun mic and it has a few interesting features:
- The + version has an inbuilt lithium battery that can power the mic for 150 hours - A re-designed microphone capsule (which I think sounds a bit more natural than the NTG2 - Electronic buttons for high pass, high frequency boost, and -10 dB pad as well as mic power
A full review will follow in the next few weeks.
I will be getting my hands on a Zoom H4n to use as part of the review because I know that many people use this recorder. Some found that the NTG2 didn't seem to have output strong enough for the H4n so I want to see if the NTG4+ helps with that.
Tascam DR-70D Special Pricing, Again
While at NAB, I had a chance to see the Tascam DR-70D up close and it is even smaller than I expected, a much nicer form factor than the DR-60D and two additional XLR inputs for a total of 4. And, it just so happens that Amazon has special pricing on it right now for well under its regular $299 price. If I were buying today, this is the one I'd get.
Color Correction and Grading with Alex Jordan
https://youtu.be/p8R4CLOk2gU After several false starts, we were finally able to have a discussion about color grading with DP Alex Jordan. Alex has a series of both free and paid tutorials on how to get started (through intermediate) color correcting and grading with Blackmagicdesign DaVinci Resolve and Adobe SpeedGrade.
The thing I really like about Alex's courses is that he has a knack for describing complex topics very concisely and clearly. I was able to work through about 2/3rds of his DaVinci Resolve Simplified course over 3 evenings and learned an amazing amount.
Check out FilmSimplified for Alex's free and premium color correction and color grading courses and to save up to 15%. Thanks to Alex for this offer!
In the spirit of full disclosure, this is an affiliate link which means that if you subscribe, I will receive a portion of the earnings which will go to future content on our channel - gear reviews, tutorials, etc. You will not pay more by using this link, in fact, you'll pay less!
