Electric Ears Get Smaller

The video shooters amongst us - and there are more every year - are a versatile lot. We see them come into the shop for a variety of equipment and accessories that were frankly unheard-of a decade ago. Apart from odd tapes, monitors, and aluminium Jungle Gyms...also known as video rigs...they need microphones.

We've had some beauties - big things from Sennheiser and Røde. Stereo, mono, shotgun, cardioid, powered, non-powered, and a variety of sizes. Many were intended to go on top of quite large DSLR cameras and featured complex suspension mechanisms. Some were quite daunting.

Well, mirror-less cameras are here and mobile phones and tablets with recorders have become quite fashionable. And they are capable of quite decent sound recording...but they are sometimes let down by their in-built microphones. It's not surprising, really - the internal mics are close to all the noisemaking electronics and mechanicals in the camera and close to the noisy hands and fingers that are operating it. A stray puff of wind can make a roar like an express train*.

Mirror-less in most cases means a smaller camera. This in turn may make a larger microphone hard to handle - or maybe it is the other way around - the whole rig becomes quite clumsy. Røde have now introduced two solutions:

1. The Røde Video Micro is intended for mirror-less cameras with a hot shoe, Rycote Lyre suspension mount , and a jack plug feed off the rear of the unit into the side port of the camera. A furry windshield is included in the package for increased wind resistance. The whole thing is less than half the size of other Røde microphones and sits well within the profile of the smaller cameras. At $ 79 it is not a bank breaker.

2. The Røde VideoMic Me is what I suspect to be the same basic capsule and body of microphone as the previous item, but with a dedicated mount for the Apple iPhone and iPad. The fact that it plugs into the side of the smart device while pointing forward means that there is a spare socket at the rear of the unit like the Video Micro. In this case it is plugged for a headphone play-through jack. Furry blob windshield is also included in the box. Again only $ 79.

If you'd like to hear the microphones in operation please go to the Røde site:

rode.com/videomicme   or  rode.com/videomicro

They're in stock at Camera Electronic right now.

*Do any of the children know what an express train is...?

Røde Talk - You Listen - People Watch

Making a video? Making it on your DSLR, mirrorless, or cine camera? Thinking to have someone out there in the middle distance do some talking? Would you like to hear what they have to say?

So would your audience. Trying to get to get clear speech recorded from the camera position with an in-built microphone can be impossible. Even using a shotgun microphone with all the housings, mufflers, and booms can still result in bad sound - the wind and background noises can conquer all your efforts. You either have to have the actors hold up signs with their lines printed on them or hire Marcel Marceau...

The answer is a small microphone attached to the actor and some way to transmit this back to the camera wirelessly. Røde have now introduced their equipment for this - the Rødelink Filmaker wireless microphone/transmitter/receiver set.

The pack shot is included above to show you the basic boxes for the set - there is an omnidirectional lavalier microphone and a number of connecting cables in the carton as well, but it seemed a pity to unpack it when it was such a cute parcel.

The range of the transmitter/receiver combo is 100 metres and it throws the signal with a series II 2.4 GHz digital transmission. The signal is encrypted as it goes so only you share the info with yourself. If you need to adjust the gain control there is a three-level system.

At last - a neat, clean, Australian sound linkage. No mimes need apply...

The Death Star And The Wookie - The Revenge Of The Røde

When we saw the wind screens for the new Røde Stereo VideoMic X we were transported to a galaxie far away...

This is seriously stylish sound gear for serious video enthusiasts.

The microphone shoes onto the top of DSLRs or video rigs and locks solid with a milled ring. No wobble or flop on the main metal body of the device - the decoupling elements are with the two condenser capsules in the X/Y orientation. Needless to say, these are carefully -matched and they run out to balanced XLR outputs.

Okay, it is broadcast quality. And as sturdily and precisely-built as a gun breech. It will last  - probably better than the camera it is attached to - and it is definitely tougher than most video makers I have seen.

There are attenuation and curve settings by switch on the back panel. And the Røde designers have made their greatest improvement ever - they have made the battery door easy to pen and close. Don't laugh -'twas not always so...

This microphone has a Red Dot award for 2014 and  Good Design award.

It would be equally welcome in the Empire and among the Jedi.

PS: Please don't send the lawyers after me. Mr. Lucas. I have paid to see all your films.

Uncle Dick

Pardon My Packshot

Some packages are just too good to unpack.

Witness the neat job Røde have done on the new model stereo microphone for the iPhone 5, the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.

Plug it into the appropriate Apple product and add the appropriate app and you can record stereo sound in 24-bit/96 khz with a high=pass filter and windshield. that's studio quality in the field.

Now you can attach it to your DSLR and make movies or just thrust it under a politician's nose and make trouble.

In-store right now. We've also got them for the older models of iPhone as well.

Save Your Ears, Save Your Reputation

Lots of people start out to make award-winning cutting-edge iconic masterwork video productions. They get a DSLR or a mirrorless camera from a bucket shop, an orphan tripod from Cashies, and the earphones from their sister's old Walkman. The script is written over pizza and a slab and the iconic video master 's mates all agree to be stars in the video. Generally the hoped-for audience does not eventuate, but the cameraman's sister eventually misses the earphones and then all hell breaks loose.

One feature of the video as made on the DSLR is the lousy sound. This is a blessing as it disguises the voices.

Should you, as an iconic video master, wish to avoid the wrath of the sister and the contempt of the crowd may we suggest that you buy your own set of professional headphones and an adequate professional microphone. Sennheiser have these and we have them in-store right now.

The MKE 600 is such a microphone. Super-cardioid pattern, 40Hz to 20kHz, max SPL 138 dB. Comes with stand mount and wind shield. Pro quality and clean sound.

You can hear that clean sound - or at least hear how bad your mates sound - on the Sennheiser HD 28o Professional with its high passive noise attenuation. you will be able to hear whether you are making too much noise operating the camera as well. Beware.

If it all sounds dismal, take heart. Learn to draw cartoon mice and dress them in white gloves. It worked for Walt and it can work for you.

Go App Yourself With Røde

Yesterday we had a training session with the chaps from Røde Microphones. The subject they covered was...microphones.

It was very detailed and informative. I had no idea that this Sydney firm was making the microphones here in Australia and had achieve3d such world-wide success with the broadcast and recording industry.

The real ear-opener yesterday was to watch  a particular Røde app on an iPad. They have a couple of these comparison programs that you can get free from the App store that basically allow you to hear the same speaker in different situations but through a whole range of recording microphones. I think they bedecked an actor with lavaliers, headsets, and handheld mikes and had her read out a script.

She was outside in front of a theatre and there was wind and passing traffic as she did her speaking. They recorded the result through the camera's basic in-built mike and at the same time on all the other ones. You can stream the things together and hear the difference between the various mikes quite clearly.

The most startling one was the basic camera compared to an inexpensive reporter's mike with a similar pattern of pickup. While the camera did pick up clear sound it was somewhat restricted and all the traffic noise came in with the voice. The reporter's mike canceled all the traffic and the actor's voice was far cleaner - the difference between a professional sound and a real mess.

If you pop over to the Røde site, and then off to the App store you can get yours for free and see what I mean.  It shows that just a little accessory can make all the difference.

iSee You And iHear You

iHave recently purchased an iPad for use in travelling and am undergoing instructions from my daughter in its operation. iAm not quite the dinosaur she thinks me, and have been able to switch it on and off quite unaided. You just whack it on the edge of the table and it goes off.

For those of you who are also on the road and are using the iPhone we have a number of Røde accessories that might assist you.

1. iGrip - this is a metal bracket that grips the iPhone securely and lets you hand hold it or attach it to a standard tripod. This means you can record sound without picking up shuffling fingers.

2. iGrip and lenses  - here is the iGrip with additional supplementary lenses to fit the iPhone. more options for camera reportage.

3. SC2 patch cable to let your iPhone take the audio from your DSLR camera.

None of these will help me attach my new iPad to my Linhof Kardan E monorail camera but I am going to ask Ernest to make a special fitting. He's good with engineering solutions.

iCan look forward to his response.

Listen To The Duck

Here is the newest Camera Electronic employee - Ms. Jemima Puddleduck - demonstrating the new Røde Lavalier microphone.

While she is using it as a wing-held mic, you will probably find it most useful as a lapel microphone for interviwes. The DSLR owner who wishes to do video sometimes finds that the in-built microphones can pick up noise from the mechanism or cannot reach out to someone speaking away from the camera position.

If they clip a lapel mic to their speaker and either feed the resulting audio back to the camera with a wire - or elect to record it out at the speaker's position with a small recorder or mobile phone - the sound is much better.

Please note that the kit comes with a waterproof carry case, a dedicated metal lapel clip, and a windshield. The larger furry windshields are referred to as dead cats or dead kittens...this one is a dead shrew.

Or it could be one of the dust balls from the anime film " Totoro"...

Listen Up Dummies!

Those photographers who wish to listen to their clients...and listen in stereo...will be pleased to see the new microphones and recorder that have come into the store.

The Røde microphones are made in Australia. Here. Where you live. Buy one and the money stays in the country. ANZAC, meat pies, kangaroos, beer. Wave the flag and go all tearey-eyed. Now that we have gotten that out of our systems, the microphones are good quality and good value for money. The one you see mounted on the Cullmann Copter tabletop tripod is stereo and intended generally for the top of a DSLR - a wedding show or a school concert would be perfect for this one. it is not heavy, despite the size. It is adaptable to most DSLR's directly or you can go the super-professional route by connecting it to....

The Tascam DR-60D Linear PCM recorder. The device records sound onto SDHC cards - in stereo normally or in up to four separate channels. Input connectors for regular small jacks as may be found on the cameras are on the left hand side of the box. There are also the big plug and cannon plug inputs there as well - you can feed it from a variety of microphones.

On the right hand side is the card slot as well as headphone, line, and USB output. Joy of joys - the battery compartment in the back is accessible without dismantling the rig and it only takes 4 AA batteries!

Note that there is a camera attachment on the top and a tripod attachment on the bottom - you can bundle the lot up and then run, gun, or sit on a tripod just as the occasion presents. Please note the little bars on the sides of the front fascia. I was initially afraid that they were just an attempt at fake rack handles to make for cosmetics but I've decided that they are for attaching straps to let you hang it off your shoulder. Cool.

Peak display on the front, Three sets of channels coming in. Easy start and finish buttons. Retire the dear old Nagra field recorder and give your Revox A77 to the Sally Ann. This one looks like a winner.

Please note: The purple tripod is completely professional. It's just a different profession...