There are two main scenarios in which a filmmaker who isn't a dedicated sound recordist will need to own a microphone.
The first is when a mic is needed on camera. Even if you are running dual-system sound, you always want something nice on the camera as an extra backup microphone just in case everything else goes wrong.
The other is when you need scratch VO in an edit session or when recording your podcast locally, in which case you'd benefit from a good USB microphone.
The VideoMic NTG from RØDE is designed to be both your on-camera microphone and your USB microphone, in one affordable little unit.
The original RØDE VideoMic is of course hugely dominant in the on-camera microphone space. It works automatically with both TRS (for DSLRs), and TRRS (cellphones), auto-detecting what signal to deliver. It puts out line and microphone level. It has an on-unit gain control, and it has a built-in shock mount for isolating the microphone from camera handling noises. Combined with the high-quality sound you get from the incredibly flat frequency response, it's one of the most popular on-camera microphones for a reason.
But the killer new feature is adding in USB.
First off, when you are editing, there are countless times you want to just record quick scratch audio, a bit of VO, or a sound effect. Being able to do that via USB nearly instantly is something most filmmakers will appreciate.
On top of that, podcasts are becoming dominant for marketing our projects, and if you ever want to be a guest on a podcast remotely, and co-host for promotion, the ability to record high-quality audio locally is a vital one for any filmmaker. The ability to take a single microphone and get both functions from... that is a killer combo.
Tech Specs
- Capsule: Electret Condenser
- Pad: -20 dB
- High-Pass Filter: 75 Hz
- On-Board Controls: Gain, High-Pass Filter, HF, Pad, On/Off
- WindscreenFoam (Included)
- Frequency Range: 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- Impedance . 10 Ohms
- Dynamic Range. 105 dB A-Weighted
- Signal-to-Noise Ratio 79 dB A-Weighted
- Equivalent Noise Level 15 dB A-Weighted
- Output Connectors1 x 1/8" / 3.5 mm TRRS Female (on Mic)
- A/D Conversion 24-Bit
- Sample Rate 48 kHz
- Operating System Support. Android, Windows, iOS, macOS/OS X
- Available Port. USB (Interface Unspecified)
- Bus Power USB
- Battery Type . 1 x Built-In
- Battery Chemistry Lithium-Ion
- Battery Capacity 350 mAh
- Approximate Battery Life 30 Hours
- Mounting 3/8"-16 Female, Camera-Mount, Shockmount (with Included Hardware)
- Aluminum
- 0.85 x L: 6.73" / ø: 21.6 x L: 171 mm
- 3.32 oz / 94 g
The RØDE VideoMic NTG is available now for $249.
