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by WJaekel on Sun Jul 23, 2017 4:11 pm
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I’m  planning to get a hot-shoed microphone for my DSLRs. I  know that serious audio would require an HQ external mic, amplifier, recorder and more but I don’t want to spend a fortune and carry a lot of additional staff on my trips the more that my main focus will remain on stills. Videos will just be an occasional addendum to complete my presentations whenever that makes sense.
After doing some research on Google, Youtube and older threads here,  I learnt that the Rode Videomic Pro is a popular product – maybe with the Sennheiser MKE 400 as an alternative. That said, it looks like these shotgun microphones are more suitable for documentary, interviews, podcasts,  etc which are not my primary intentions. I mainly would like to record environmental sound such as bird songs, waterfalls, sounds in the rainforest  etc. while the shotgun mono-microphones seem to focus  primarily on the subject just in front by trying to exclude the laterally sound , see

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9S17Y09mJOk

Based on that comparison I came to the conclusion that the spherical shaped Rode Stereo Videomic Pro incl. mandatory wind shield might be a better option for my goal. It evidentally contains 2 x- placed internal shotgun micros as well. The pretty new Sennheiser MKE 440 with its two V-shaped microphones maybe could be a compromise but its price is 150 € more than the Rode Stereo Videomic pro and I'm unsure if it’s worth the additional costs, see i.e:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45pCHgpJTwQ

Any thoughts and experiences especially with regard to the Rode Stereo Videomic pro , maybe vs the classic Rode video mic pro or possible alternatives are very much appreciated. Thank you in advance

Wolfgang
http://www.wjaekel-foto.de
 

by WJaekel on Mon Jul 24, 2017 2:00 pm
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archfotos wrote: "I honestly would not recommend getting a hot shoe mic for that or as a first purchase. The noise levels are going to cancel out the aesthetics of recording those kinds of sounds.  I would just get a recorder such as a zoom h5......"
Thank you very much for your helpful and detailed comment which makes me rethink the options and maybe reconsider the order of the Rode Stereo Videomic pro that I just had placed yesterday before I had seen your  posting. Maybe I also could keep the mic as an additional recording source once I decide to go for a recorder later or better change it into the Videomic pro shotgun version then (?) Being a novice in audio recording,  I was thinking that the hot shoed Rode Stereo Videomic pro (or classic shotgun videomic pro) would be a good starting point for capturing ambient and direct sound for some videos – at least way better than the built-in micros of the DSLRs. I didn’t know that it’s judged to be a pretty useless "waste of money “ as you say since I’ve seen quite a few photogs using these stand alone tools.  But in fact, the Zoom H5 seems to be a fascinating and flexible option and the more information I’ve gathered based on your comment the more I’m tempted to try that route. On the other hand, I’m still hesitant to add more and more gear to all my lenses, DSLRs, tripod etc. on the trips and want to keep it simple since my main photographic work and focus has been to capture stills to date .
As to the Zoom H5, I don’t know if the capsule micros of the H5 are good for recording ambient sound or if you better invest in an additional external micro (or keep the preordered one) which gives you the chance to record both the sound of the source, say a specific bird, and the ambient source.  However, if you want to mount the H5 on the hot shoe you evidently better buy a shockmount, too, in order to avoid the handling noise but obviously you generally should be VERY careful with the length of the screw for any hot shoe connector since it can easily crash the internal XLR connector of the H5 due to a design flaw, see

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrGyb8J3kbo&t=0s

Technically, I don’t know if you better connect an optional external microphone such as the Rode via the line port or the XLR connection of the H5. What ever the best option is, you anyway need more equipment, such as the VXLR-adapter, shockmount, maybe a Sescom Y-cable for the line-in ports, headphones to control the recordings, wind shields, maybe a remote control if you place the H5 off the camera, spare batteries etc. All that increases the costs and even more important, all the technical hassle could prevent you to spontaneously focus on the motifs and i.e. the bird could easily be gone before you have managed all your set ups unless those tasks are your daily routine. So I’m still not sure which route I go. As said above, it’s no question that the Zoom or Tascam recorder is a fascinating and much better option with regard to the audio quality compared to the bare hot shoe microphone. Nevertheless I'm struggling with the decision to give the simple set up with the preordered Rode hot shoe mic a try as a starting point and add a Zoom H5 later if I decide to dive more seriously into audio recording and have increased my knowledges about it  - or invest in the recorder right now and cancel my order.

Wolfgang
 

by WJaekel on Mon Jul 24, 2017 4:47 pm
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Jeff, thank you very much again for your reply. I followed your advice and just cancelled my order of the Rode Stereo Videomatic pro. So I will go for a recorder as suggested since the benefit to place it nearer to the source for better audio quality and generally use it independently from the camera, too, is a key point. I tend to take the Zoom H5 which seems to have a simplier layout of the buttons mostly navigatable with just one hand (though you found the menu of the Tascom to be more logical). Plus the interchangeable capsule could be an advantage over the Tascam 44wl. The built quality of the H5 seems to be a bit better, too, which would be welcome for the use in the field. From what I've seen, you also can attenuate the line output to mic level  if you want to use it as an on camera microphone without the need of a $ 30 sescam cable and you have 2 outputs dedicated to the headphone and the camera. I don't know about the Tascom with regard to these features and possible adaptations. As to the  - most important - audio quality I guess both devices are similar but I can only refer to some comparisons on youtube again here ;-) which have been done in the studio or just by indoor talking, though, which don't tell much about the quality of recording sound in the field.  I suppose the audio quality is largely dependent on the micros, too and as said the H5 has the option to change the capsule if your not content with the default micros. Of course, I'd be interested to know your experiences as to the audio quality of the H5 vs Tascom in the field. The WiFi capabilities of the latter are a nice feature, of course, but not mandatory for me. Finally, I think I still could add a shotgun micro either via the capsule or via the XLR/line in connections. If Rode in fact upgrades its line to an improved shotgun micro, this could be a future option to connect it to the recorder or I can check the offerings by Sennheiser if  I actually need a more directed recording in addition to the ambient sound, i.e a discret bird song, and cannot place the device close enough to the bird for that. One thing I'm still unsure about is the need of a shockmount if the device is mounted on the camera and if handling noise is a problem if you're using the recorder handheld ? Thank you again in advance

Wolfgang
 

by WJaekel on Mon Jul 24, 2017 9:24 pm
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Thank you again, I will take a closer look at the tascom, too, but as you say they obviously both are similar and if the sound quality is about the same it's a personal preference. The tascam high gain setting for quiet situations might be a plus, though. I've been tending towards the H5 up to now, maybe just because I've become more familiar with it based on the informations I've gathered so far :)

I know that a wind shield is mandatory.

I normally shoot stationary from the tripod whenever it's possible but i.e. if you're on a voyage in the Arctic or Antarctic you also need to shoot handheld at some point, of course. In general it's certainly no issue with handling noise if you place the recorder anywhere in the field near the source and just switch it on and off. But I guess there could be a problem once the recorder is mounted on the hot shoe of the DSLR because you have to operate the camera for zooming, focussing or framing even if it sits on a tripod and you use a cable release. So I will have to see if I will need a shockmount.

As far as I know there are no rental houses here for that kind of equipment but I will check it out again. Of course,  renting and testing both recorders prior to a final decision would be good.

BTW, I guess the upgrades of the Rode microphones that you mentioned to be released next month are the shotgun mic "Videomic Pro plus" and the spherical-built "Videomic pro Soundfield". The latter has the option to adapt the recording angle from directional mono to stereo wide angle and even 3D. Both are said to have an even lower basic noise than the current Videomatic pro and Videomatic Stereo pro mics and include other improvements for example regarding the connectivity and various options for the batteries. There's nothing known about the prices yet. At least the Soundfield will probably cost a fortune, though.

Wolfgang
 

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