• Wondering which camera, gear, computer, or software to buy? Ask in our Gear Guide.

Getting the best from Rode Video Mic?

D

dr stilly

Hi, I have a RVM into a Zoom H1 and to be honest I'm not over pleased at the amount of noise I'm getting. Is there some setting I'm missing? Is there a computer program setting that can reduce the noise? I'm using Sony vegas.

Thanks in advance.

ADD ON:

The zoom h1 makes a faint pulsing noise (like a heartbeat) when recording WAV. has anyone experienced this and know of a way to rid of it?

thanks.
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
How long is the cord you're using to plug it into the H1? High impedance cables act like antennas, collecting static and interference from anything electrical around them. The longer the cable the worse the problems you'll face. You can try shutting off any appliances where you're shooting, like TVs, Microwaves, Refrigerators.

Beyond that, they are both consumer devices. Some noise is to be expected, no matter how perfect the situation is.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dr stilly said:
the cord is about six meters so maybe. so what affordable sound equipment do you recommend?
Click to expand...

You're almost certainly getting interference at 6 meters. If you make the jump to low impedance XLR that should solve most of your problems. I'm not strictly an audio guy, but I'd suggest getting a Tascam DR-100 and an NTG-3, if you could afford it. If not, I'm sure some other people will come in with suggestions.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
SinEater said:
You're almost certainly getting interference at 6 meters. If you make the jump to low impedance XLR that should solve most of your problems. I'm not strictly an audio guy, but I'd suggest getting a Tascam DR-100 and an NTG-3, if you could afford it. If not, I'm sure some other people will come in with suggestions.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I wonder if using a DR-100 or Zoom h4n in this case could make a world of difference. This looks like a great question for a certain "Audio" poster ;)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
theclash4u5 said:
Yeah, I wonder if using a DR-100 or Zoom h4n in this case could make a world of difference. This looks like a great question for a certain "Audio" poster ;)
Click to expand...

The way to summon the audio God is to make the audio incantation. Remember to say three times 'Audio is unimportant,' and he will appear as if by magic, wielding a big @ss boom... :)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
All of these problems are caused by using consumer gear. High impedance equipment, like the RVM and H1, are very prone to hums, buzzes, crackles and picking up radios, cell phones (the pulsing you're hearing is probably a cell phone or PDA or pad) and other transmitting devices.

Chicken Joe said:
What do you think how long can the cord be without getting problems if you can not use XLR?
Click to expand...

About two inches, if you're lucky.:D A lot will depend upon the shooting location. An urban location is full of electronic noise, the suburbs only slightly less so. Even rural locations can be problematical. Ten feet (three meters) is the absolute max even under the best conditions.

It should be noted that I don't like the DR-100/NTG-2 solution, but is at least something on which to build and fits most micro-budgets.


As far as the other noise is concerned - are you booming the RVM, and is somebody competent doing the booming and monitoring the audio?

For noise reduction I'm partial to iZotope RX2 Pro (about $1,400), Sound Soap Pro is passable ($500). The non-pro versions are $300 and $100 respectively. The Waves Restoration bundle is also quite nice at about $1,000.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Alcove Audio said:
It should be noted that I don't like the DR-100/NTG-2 solution, but is at least something on which to build and fits most micro-budgets.
Click to expand...

This is what I am going with and the idea is to build. I hope that soon I will be asking - 'what do I upgrade to?' as the next question.

But also bear in mind the needs of the amateur just starting out. Technically, I have a sound recordist with some Gucci kit agreeing to do this stuff for free but individuals doing stuff for free sometimes get hit by lightning a few minutes before a shoot starts. This means I want my own kit present with someone who can use it and an NTG-2 plus DR-100 will do in a tight spot. It is the same for cameras etc... I have a DP with some fantastic kit but if he is hungover / contracts a mysterious disease the morning of the shoot, I have a backup camera present on the set with someone there able to use it.

I even have a backup actor in case one of my talent accidentally falls down a mineshaft a couple of minutes before we are due to start filming. He isn't great though - he's me...
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Thanks a lot SinEater and Alcove! That means if I decide to use the NTG-2, there are two options:

1. Plug it (via adapter?) into the standard mic-in of my camera (panasonic sd707), what means that booming could be almost impossible. So maybe I would have to put it on my camera :hmm:

2. Buy a recorder with XLR input and record sound separately.

Or did I misunderstand something?

BTW sorry for kidnapping this thread. Please don't hit me :scared:
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Low Z (low impedance) mics can make very long runs - over 100' - as long as the proper precautions are taken, like not running power cables parallel to the mic cable(s) and using well-shielded, quality cables. The XLR connection is also much more secure due to the locking mechanism.

So yes, an NTG-2 with an adapter like the Pearstone LMT-100 can be used to run into a high impedance device like a camera, although the camera still remains a weak point. A separate low Z recorder is a better option.

There are no cure-alls; you still have to follow proper technical and technique protocols, and you may still run into issues. More expensive gear will have better shielding and better construction, which will minimize, but never eliminate, these problems. And the more devices you interconnect the more potential problems there may be. BTW, running off of batteries instead of AC goes a long way to eliminating hum.

I'll be reinstalling all of the gear in my studio next week (I dismantled and moved everything as a precaution against Hurricane Irene), and every single one of the over 100 audio connections will have to be individually checked as I go along with the installation. What a PITA!!!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
All good points made by those in the know on this thread. I agree that you want to avoid using unbalanced connections when plugging a microphone into anything. Using any length of unbalanced cable is asking for trouble. Good quality mic cable should have a braided shield in it, and XLR connections are much more solid and won't pull out accidentaly as is possible with any sort of jack/mini jack. If you are serious about getting good audio you are best to get a dedicated recorder with XLR inputs not any sort of jacks for mic inputs.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Thanks for the feedback and after a few tweeks in vegas i'm getting there. i added the filter: Graphic Dynamics- preset: soft knee compressor/gate. I tweeked the EQ as well. it seems to of done the trick for dialogue.

The lesson learned is, as suggested, use XLR with top notch cables...i'll stick with the RVM for now. so I think I'll re-invest. I'm thinking the zoom H4n. I've done a bit of research and found that the zoom h1 pulsing is a re-occuring problem and they admit that this is a faulty mechanism in some recorders...not cool.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dr stilly said:
I added the filter: Graphic Dynamics- preset: soft knee compressor/gate. I tweeked the EQ as well. it seems to of done the trick for dialogue.
Click to expand...

NEVER, EVER add compression or EQ when recording production sound; limiting is okay, but don't over do it. Once the production sound has been recorded it cannot be undone. Leave compression and EQ for audio post.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
yeh i meant in post. In regards to recording, the zoom has an auto level option that I think may be causing the noise, shall i control the levels myself?...sorry if i sound like an audio super novice...just i am.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
just stumbled upon my own thread so may as well update.

the high noise problem was actually caused by the zoom h1 and not the rodeVM. the zoom H1 when set on auto levels simply sucks! adjusting the level manually (around 40-50, setting the bit rate to 48/24 and keeping the video mic at 0. when in post i normalize and get a pretty clean audio. i tested with a 5 meter cable and got the same results. My next step is to buy shielded cables for low-impedance. so all in all not to bad at the mo so i think i'll invest the extra money on lenses instead of audio ;)
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
dr Stilly - sounds like you are on a good path. Set the mic levels manually, the higher you go, the more noise you get. Cheap cables will pick up stuff from electrical sources and mics will record the refrigerator, the AC fan and the like. welcome to the world of sound !

When recording, how far away from the speaker's mouth ? I hope you are not placing the mic on the cam . Best dialog recording includes always having the mic pointing directly at the speaker.

Remember a good sound person w/ gear is cheaper than good sound eqt
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
IndieBudget said:
Set the mic levels manually, the higher you go, the more noise you get.
Click to expand...

you would think that but a recent result proved otherwise, i set the input at 40 and then one at 60 and obviously raw audio the 40 was lower but after normalizing both to -1 the 60 had less noise, alot less. in fact at the moment 60 is the best results for me so far. Funny thing with my zoom h1's is that when the input drops below 36 the noise rises again and then disapears (completely) at 15. so...

i have ordered a nice little headphone amplifier which i can plug between my mic and zoom which should allow me to turn the zoom input down to 15 and turn the mic up manually. i can't wait to see if that works out.

btw I'm also thinking about getting a juicedlink. good idea?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top