Whenever somebody asks “what’s the best microphone” the response is often “well it depends what you’re recording.” Rode’s new VideoMic Go II, because the identify suggests, wouldn’t be appropriate for podcasting. Would it?
Very clearly, the VideoMic Go II was designed to sit down atop a digital camera. That’s only a reality, however with USB and three.5mm outputs and compatibility with Rode Connect – the corporate’s USB-friendly podcasting app – it seems this light-weight, $99 mic may very well be extra versatile than it first appears.
If you’re on the lookout for a mic on your DSLR, know that the VideoMic Go II has a chilly shoe mount, the aforementioned 3.5mm out (which will also be used for monitoring) and it comes bundled with a Rycote shock mount and a windscreen within the field. There’s no secondary/security/stereo recording right here or on-mic achieve management, however that’s regular for one thing on this value vary.
Performance-wise, the sound is surprisingly wealthy for a mic of this dimension with out sounding too “dead.” There’s no notable distinction between the audio you get out of the USB port in comparison with the three.5mm port bar a bit of variation in achieve. When evaluating it towards Rode’s VideoMic Me and VideoMic NTG, the VideoMic Go II would possibly properly be my favourite of the bunch. It’s pure, centered with simply the correct quantity of ambiance/sense of area.
Where the VideoMic Go II will get extra fascinating is the way it performs in different use circumstances. When plugged into a pc and positioned on a desk the VideoMic Go II sounds simply as sturdy as far costlier dynamic microphones. So a lot so it threw me for a second.
Perhaps one of the best illustration of that is after I examined it towards the $400 Shure SM7B and Rode’s personal $99 NT USB Mini. Given that each of the Rodes on this check are condenser microphones and value about the identical, you would possibly assume these two can be the nearer match, nevertheless it seems that the VideoMic Go II sounded a lot nearer to the SM7B. This isn’t to say it’s pretty much as good because the SM7B (there’s a bit of extra depth within the Shure and a contact extra dynamic vary maybe) however given the disparity in value, it undoubtedly wasn’t anticipated.
This similarity is additional compounded when you think about that the totally different sort of capsule – Rode’s condenser versus Shure’s dynamic – alone would sometimes give them a really totally different sound. You can hear all three microphones within the pattern under. It begins with the Shure, then the VideoMic Go II after which the NT Mini. The transition between the primary two is refined, but the final one is clear. Oh, and the VideoMic Go II was about two inches additional away from my mouth than the SM7B was.
Of course, this is only one check, in a single situation in a single particular room. But for a fast comparability of what a $400 mic can do off the cuff in comparison with a $99 one, it’s a very good place to begin. Despite the shortage of on-device controls, there are some configurable choices through Rode Central. When related to the app (cellular or desktop) you’ll have the choice to tweak the achieve stage, apply a excessive go filter / high-frequency enhance and alter the monitoring quantity. It’s much less handy than bodily on-mic controls, however nonetheless permits you some management over the way it sounds or responds to totally different inputs. (If you are questioning, the audio above begins with the SM7B and switches to the VideoMic Go II at “two condenser microphones”).
Given that Rode added compatibility for Connect, and the USB choice makes it telephone and tablet-friendly, immediately the VideoMic Go II might very properly be a very good all-rounder for the worth. A mic that has video chops however also can do double obligation as a podcast mic (and, due to this fact an all-purpose laptop mic) there seems to be quite a lot of bang for the veritable buck.
Of course, when you actually do want one thing that information a security channel, has bodily variable achieve controls or if XLR connectivity is a should, this isn’t the one to go for. But for many basic creator makes use of? It lastly may not solely “depend on what you’re recording.”