Rode Videomic

[Ty Ford]

Hello Justin and welcome to the Cow Audio Forum.

The Rode VideoMic (or any camera mounted mic) would not be my choice for recording bands.

Also, the Rode is pretty sensitive. It’s likely to overdrive the camera input in a loud sound field that a band with PA is likely to generate.

The Rode SVM Stereo Video Mic has a 10 dB pad to knock down some of the level to the camera, but if the sound field is loud enough to distort the mic capsule, you’re still out of luck. I don’t remember how sensitive the SVM is and whether it would take the level.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
Watch Ty play guitar

[Justin Leyba]

But would it be really better than the mounted camera mic in recording a live band?

[Ty Ford]

Justin,

There is no way to answer that question given the present information.

Regards,

Ty Ford

Want better production audio?: Ty Ford’s Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
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[Jordan Wolf]

Is the Rode Videomic also good for band performances?
– It would depend on the genre, but, in general, I wouldn’t consider a single microphone a great way to fully capture a performance’s many dynamics and subtleties. Two microphones (as in a true stereo mic setup) can very nicely do this, if selected and placed appropriatetly. At this point, I think you have much to learn, so I won’t go into further detail just yet.

And does it give you professional sounding movies/ short films?Let me help you get a proper perspective on the gear that you use: your camera, microphone, editing software, etc. are all tools at your disposal with which you can modify/edit what you capture with them. Microphones have patterns, cameras have lenses and filters. It is up to YOU to MAKE them work for you. It takes time, experience, and failure to learn what to use when, and how to use it.

All that said, here is some reading for you. You’re past the breakers and getting into open water – get ready to tread water! Some of this stuff will be over your head until you are able to apply it in the field.

DPA Microphone University
Rane Pro Audio Reference
ProSoundWeb Study Hall (Sound Reinforcement/SR, but MANY things apply to on-location audio, especially if you are looking to record bands).
ProSoundWeb Forums (For more SR-related questions)

Wolf
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