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Rode NTG4 mic driving me nuts… Anyone know how to get decent sound out of it?
I watched a few youtube reviews on this mic and all said it was an amazing tool for capturing quality audio. I picked one up.
I am attaching it to a Zoom H4 via XLR cable. It’s on a boom pole and is about a meter away from the subject in a quiet room. With the zoom turned up to 90 / 100, the rode mic picks up sound of about 24Db…. It’s just so quiet.
The mic turns off and on, charges etc so looks fine. But it just doesn’t pick up audio.
Is it a faulty mic or am I doing something wrong?
Thank you,
xxx
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31 Replies
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Do you have phantom power turned on to power the mic?
\”I push the RECORD button and hope for the best\”
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It’s a self powered mic. Why would it need phantom power?
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No it’s not self powered meaning it does not have an internal battery. The NTG 4 requires 48v phantom to be active. RTFM.
\”I push the RECORD button and hope for the best\”
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My mistake… should have mentioned this is the NTG4 Pro, hence there is an internal battery.
Any ideas why it’s only getting -24Db when a meter away from a subject in a quiet room with a Zoom turned up to 90?
Does this thing have to be spoken into like an actual lav mic? I just can’t get a decent signal from it.
Thanks
x
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1m is rather outside the reasonable operating for a shotgun microphone. Perhaps you have unrealistic expectations.
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Recording audio without metering and monitoring is exactly like framing and focusing without looking at the viewfinder. -
You seem to have only two solutions to your problem. 1. Move the mic closer to the person talking or 2, have the people speak louder. I think the first choice will work better in your case.
\”I push the RECORD button and hope for the best\”
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??? I’ve used shotgun mics at 1-2+ meters in many situations for years. That’s what they’re for. Even a good cardioid should give good sound levels at that distance. No idea what your level issue is the the Rode–more familiar with Sennheisers. But the Rode should do better than you report. Careful targeting of shotguns is important, of course. Must “focus” on the mouth of a speaker. I’ve had good results with Sennheiser 416 and Marantz digital recorder at these distances.
Robert Withers
Independent/personal/avant-garde cinema, New York City
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If I put the mic any closer to the subject, it’s getting closer to edge of frame, and if it works a meter away, do I really need to close that distance any more? What about thousands of run and gunners that are mounting lesser shotgun mics on the top of their cameras and running and gunning? I can’t see weak as a kitten sound complaints anywhere on the internet.
Perhaps it’s just not targeting the mouth area. I just can’t imagine I’m more than a few inches off that though as I’m holding the boom and directing it by hand.
I’m clearly doing something wrong because I had a Sienheiser condenser before and I had exactly the same problem. I just can’t figure out what it is.
Any more ideas would be gratefully received.
Thanks
Phil
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Check the input settings on your recorder. Make sure they are set for mic level input and there is no attenuation set in the input circuit. If you’re using the internal mic battery for power be sure to turn off any phantom power settings.
\”I push the RECORD button and hope for the best\”
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Hi Guys,
So none of these things are working. Would anyone have any ideas of whom I could possibly reach out to to help me solve this problem?
Thank you to all who have helped so far.
Phil
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