5 Shotgun Microphones: Audio Samples and Off-Axis Test

In this episode we listen to five different shotgun microphones and also listen to how each of them sound when off-axis (the person speaking is off to the side of the mic).

Gear used or mentioned in this episode:

Azden SGM250 Shotgun Microphone - Entry level mic with good off-axis rejection. Sounds decent but not particularly warm.

RODE NTG2 Shotgun Microphone - Entry level mic with nice warm sound. Off-axis rejection is not as pronounced as the higher-end mics, but decent.

Aputure Deity Shotgun Microphone - Nice sounding mid-level mic with warm sound. Off-axis rejection is not as extreme as Azden, RODE NTG4+ or DPA 4017B.

RODE NTG4+ Shotgun Microphone - Mid-range mic with decent sound and good off-axis rejection. Not as warm as NTG2 or DPA 4017B

DPA 4017B Shotgun Microphone - Great, warm, but articulate sound with good off-axis rejection and more natural off-axis falloff compared to other mics here.

Sound Devices 633 Audio Mixer/Recorder - My main recorder/mixer. Great sounding, low-noise preamps. Can also be controlled remotely with iPad or iPhone (adding the Wingman USB transmitter)

Copyright 2017 by Curtis Judd

Sound Comparison: Pro vs Enthusiast Audio Recorders

Do you need to spend more money to get great sound for your video or film projects? Is a $200 USD Tascam recorder with XLR inputs good enough? Or do you need to move up to a Zoom H6? Or, do you really need to invest thousands in a SoundDevices or Zaxcom professional grade field recorder?

In this episode we compare audio clips from Tascam, Zoom, and SoundDevices recorders so that you can evaluate for yourself.

Scott Vanderbilt kindly pointed out that a very important assumption I made was incorrect: The Sound Devices USBPre 2 and Sound Devices 744T field recorder do not appear to share the exact same preamplifiers (because their specs are different over at the Sound Devices website). The analog to digital converter specs appear to be identical but even so, this does not mean that they are identical. So really we're not comparing a $4400 USD field recorder to a $200 USD Tascam recorder. We're just comparing an $850 USBPre 2 to a $200 Tascam and $400 Zoom. My apologies for the mixup and thanks again to Scott for pointing this out.

Nevertheless, the comparison is still useful to understand how the audio quality differs on these devices at different price points.

NOTE! I am NOT suggesting that if you like the sound of one of the less expensive devices that there is not value in the higher priced device. In the case of the Sound Devices USBPre 2, it has a lot of things that neither the Zoom nor the Tascam have:

• Far superior build quality that could easily outlast the other two
• Repairability - Sound Devices has built the USBPre 2 to be repairable. I don't get that impression with the Tascam or the Zoom
• Far superior metering with 20 segment meters. It is surprising how much this actually makes a difference when it comes time to set your gain and faders
• Pro outputs (XLR) so that you can send audio to pro cameras
• Timecode in and out so that it is much easier to sync sound with footage in post, especially on multicam shoots
• Much more robust powering options, not just mini USB, but also fully metal, hirose 4 pin connectors to hook up bigger, pro quality Anton Bauer and Sony V-mount batteries

So please don't walk away with the wrong impression. I really like the USBPre 2 and will have a review up here on the site in a few days.

The real take away message: Don't wait until you can afford an $800 piece of audio gear to do your passion project. The less expensive recorders can get you the same audio quality. If you're hired on larger productions, of course you would then need to rent or own a pro-level recorder for a lot of reasons other than just sound quality.

RODELink's Lavalier Audio Comparison to Audio Technica AT899

**Status Update 17 June 2015** In further experiments, I've found that the RODE Lavalier sounds a whole lot better when hidden under the talent's shirt. Sounds like this mic was designed for that which is not surprising as this is how they are often used when shooting film (not as much with ENG/News/Doc). Now it makes even more sense that RODE calls this the RODELink Filmmaker Kit. Final review should be out later this week.

I’ve been testing the RODELink to put together a review and a few times paused while post processing and thought to myself, “hmm…this audio seems sort of harsh…” So I did several things to narrow down the issue. I think it is just the nature of the RODE Lavalier mic. Here we have a listen to a clip from the RODE Lavalier and then compare it to a clip from the Audio Technica AT899, a similarly priced lavalier (~$200 USD).

Neither of them are perfect. I would describe the sound of the RODE Lavalier as a little more “forward” or “in-your-face” and the AT899 as smoother in the mid-range but more sibilant. They’ll each complement other’s voices differently than mine. Which do you prefer?

What's the Difference Between a $200 Field Recorder and $900 Audio Interface?

https://youtu.be/TRoIMPHS91U I've been using a Tascam DR-60DmkII Audio Field Recorder to capture the audio for my film projects and am quite happy with the results in almost every case. And while I'm really happy with the Tascam, the DR-60DmkII isn't perfect. The build is quite plasticky and the battery life isn't amazing. So I attached a massive USB battery to the back of the recorder with industrial grade velcro and that powers the recorder for longer than I am able to measure (I suspect about 50 hours because I have to charge it every other month or so). And that's with the recorder phantom powering mics.

But why do the pros use things like Sound Devices and Zaxcom field recorders that cost thousands? Is it that the pre-amps are night and day better? Better build quality? Better analog to digital converters? Lower self-noise in the signal path? More audio processing features built-in?

Here's my guess:

• More durable build quality as in solid metal or carbon fiber body, bigger, more durable potentiometers (the fader knobs)

• Cleaner pre-amps with more gain

• Better analog to digital and digital to analog converters. In practical terms this should result in being able to capture a greater dynamic range in terms of amplitude (just like on cameras where a camera with more dynamic range can differentiate between a wider range of luminance values and often makes for more pleasant highlight rolloff)

• More routing options, and especially more pro grade outputs (XLR outs, sometimes just stereo, but sometimes even more). At a practical level, this makes it so that you can meet requirements that often come with higher budget shoots. For example, while you'll record the production audio on your pro-level audio recorder, you'll also send a stereo mix to camera

• Often, more robust powering options either built-in or by using robust connectors for external batteries and AC adapters.

• High quality timecode generators

I have my suspicions and I think it might be time to test two of these hypotheses: Cleaner pre-amps with more gain and better analog to digital converters.

To do that, I sort of wanted to dip my toes in the water without making a huge financial commitment. So the very kind folks at B&H have arranged to lend me a Sound Devices USBPre 2. No this is not exactly a field recorder, it is more of an audio interface that you would normally pair with your desktop computer. However, it has the same pre-amps and AD converters that all of the 7xx series recorders from Sound Devices have. So that allows us to compare the difference of those two dimensions in the real world.

The USBPre 2 looks like a pretty interesting desktop audio interface. In terms of specs, it is better spec'd than my current Focusrite Saffire Pro 24DSP in terms of AD dynamic range and amount of gain. But specs, of course, never tell the entire story. And in fact, this would be a step back in some ways from the Focusrite in terms of the signal processing that the Focusrite offers - real time compression and EQ. And while I don't use the EQ all that much, I do sometimes use that compressor when recording live like on Google Hangouts. No biggie. It isn't like I have to get rid of my Focusrite if I were to invest in the USBPre 2.

Its on it's way so standby for updates over the next few weeks and let me know if there are any specific questions or curiosities you might like to explore in the test.

Mid-range Lavalier Mic Blind Comparison

I bought another mid-range lavalier microphone and as I work with it for a bit, I wanted to let you hear it relative to another microphone in the same general league. Both mics cost between $100 and $200 USD, both have XLR connectors so they need an XLR based pre-amp/recorder. Let me know which one you prefer in terms of sound and come on back in a couple of days to see the review! For this comparison, I recorded both mics using the new Tascam DR-60DmkII. So far, so good. Still working with it before posting a review but so far, its sounding really good! The pre-amps are impressive for a $200 USD field recorder.

http://youtu.be/BZd2bA3RBZA