RODE Microphones STEREO VIDEOMIC PRO User manual

VIDEOMIC PRO

INSTRUCTION MANUAL

www.rodemic.com

Thank you for investing in the RØDE VideoMic Pro.

When RØDE released the original VideoMic in 2004 it was the only mic of

its kind on the market. Just like many great innovations it was born from

a personal need. At the time MiniDV cameras were the latest technology,

offering consumers and independent ﬁlmmakers unprecedented freedom

and creativity for their video, but neglecting audio quality. I went shopping

for a solution but found that the only offerings were either cheap inferior

quality or high cost shotgun microphones not designed to integrate easily

with the cameras.

Thus the VideoMic was born. Almost a decade later its broadcast audio

quality, integrated shock mounting and accessible price tag has made it the

world’s largest selling microphone for consumer cameras.

However in this time there have been numerous innovations in video cameras,

from hard drive, solid state and network cameras, through to high deﬁnition

Digital SLR and onwards to large sensor video cameras. The technology has

gotten larger but of course the form factor much smaller, thus the decision

to create the high performance, yet conveniently compact VideoMic Pro.

Creating a high performance microphone as lightweight and manageable

as the VideoMic Pro was quite a technical challenge. Other companies have

attempted and failed, simply because a directional microphone depends on

the length of the microphone barrel to reject the surrounding ambient noise

that you don’t want to pick up.

Leveraging the technology developed alongside our award winning NTG1,

NTG2 and NTG3 shotgun microphones we’ve ﬁnally realised a professional

microphone with a much smaller form factor.

Please take the time to visit www.rodemic.com and register your mic for a

full ten year warranty.

Peter Freedman

RØDE Microphones

Sydney, Australia

INTRODUCTION

SPECIFICATIONS

FEATURES

WHAT’S IN THE BOX

VIDEOMIC PRO STRUCTURE

SETUP AND USE

Installing the battery

Mounting and connecting

VideoMic Pro controls

Replacing shock mount bands

Recording Tips

OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES

SAFETY / CARE INSTRUCTIONS

TROUBLESHOOTING / FAQ

PRODUCT WARRANTY

SUPPORT AND SERVICE

INTRODUCTION CONTENTS

10.

12.

13.

15.

16.

18.

SPECIFICATIONS

Acoustic Principle: Line gradient

Polar Pattern Super Cardioid

Frequency Range: 40 Hz ~ 20 000 Hz

Frequency Range:

(High Pass Filter)

Selectable HPF

@ 80 Hz / 12 dB /octave

Variable Level: 3 position switch

(-10 dB, 0 dB, +20 dB)

Output Impedence 200

Signal to Noise Ratio: 74 dB

Equivalent Noise: 20 dBA SPL

(A-weighted as per IEC651)

Maximum SPL: 134 dB

Maximum Output: +6.9 dBu

(@ 1% THD into 1K load)

Sensitivity:

-38 dB re 1V/Pa

(12.6mV @ 94 dB SPL)

± 2 dB @ 1kHz

Dynamic Range: 114 dB SPL (as per IEC651)

Power requirements: 9V alkaline battery

(Current 7.8mA)

Output Connection:

3.5 Stereo mini jack plug

(dual mono)

Tip – left channel

Ring – right channel

Battery Life: > 70 hours

Weight (No Battery): 86g (3oz)

Dimension (W x L x H): 43mm x 150mm x 95mm

(1.69” x 6” x 3.74”)

POLAR PATTERN

FREQUENCY RESPONSE

dB re 1 V./Pa

-10

-20

-30

-40

20 Hz 100 1000 10 000 20 000

0˚

90˚ 270˚

180˚

-2.0

-20.0

-10.0

0.0

-2.0

-4.0

-6.0

-8.0

-10.0

-12.0

-14.0

-16.0

-18.0

-20.0

-22.0

-24.0 -25.0

dB rel. 1V/Pa

+5.0

Frequency:

500 Hz:

1000 Hz:

2000 Hz:

8000 Hz:

14000 Hz:

FEATURES WHAT’S IN THE BOX

*Online product registration required.

• VideoMic Pro

• Spare shock mount bands (4 pieces)

• VideoMic Pro quick start guide

• Moisture absorbent crystals

COMPACT SHOTGUN MICROPHONE

•Compact, lightweight body

•Broadcast recording quality

•Condenser microphone

•Integrated shock mount provides isolation

from handling / mechanical noise

•Integrated foam windshield

•3.5mm stereo mini jack output (dual mono)

•Rugged construction

DETAILED CONTROL

•Two step high-pass ﬁlter (0, 80 Hz)

•Three position level control (-10dB, 0dB, +20dB)

•LED on / off power indicator

•Integrated billeted metal camera shoe mount

with 3/8” thread for easy boompole mounting

HIGH QUALITY PERFORMANCE

•9V battery powered – over 70 hours use (alkaline)

•Low noise circuitry

•Flexible and lightweight cable to minimise

handling noise and ensure isolation

•Australian designed and manufactured

•10 Year Warranty*

VIDEOMIC PRO STRUCTURE

10 12

1. Foam windshield

2. Shock mount cradle

3. Shock mount band

4. Power / High Pass Filter switch

5. Level attenuation / boost switch

6. Power on / off LED indicator

7. Battery cover

8. Billeted metal

camera shoe mount

9. Fastening ring

10. 3/8” thread mount

11. Signal output cable

12. 3.5mm stereo mini jack

SETUP AND USE

INSTALLING THE BATTERY

Before you can record with your VideoMic Pro, you will need

to install a standard 9V battery (ANS1:1604A or IEC:6LR61).

RØDE recommends using a high quality lithium or alkaline battery

to achieve the best possible battery life.

To install the battery, open the battery cover that is located on the

front of the VideoMic Pro, just under the windshield foam.

To remove the cover, hold the sides of the cover with your thumb

and third ﬁnger, and push up on the indentation with your index

ﬁnger, then pivot the bottom of the cover away.

Push up on the indentation with your index ﬁnger then pivot the bottom of

the cover away

Insert the battery with the negative terminal (-) on top as shown in

the next diagram. The correct battery orientation is also shown on

the inside of the battery cover. If the battery orientation is incorrect

the cover will not close fully.

Insert the battery with the negative terminal on top

Replace the cover by ﬁrst hooking the top clips in, then press the

bottom clips into place. The cover will push the battery against its

spring terminal during installation.

The VideoMic Pro will run continuously for over 70 hours with a high

quality alkaline or lithium battery. Battery performance may vary

depending on ambient temperature and battery shelf life, so it is

wise to always carry a spare battery. We suggest always installing a

fresh battery when the application is critical, with no opportunity to

re-shoot. Always remember to switch off the VideoMic Pro when not

in use.

MOUNTING AND CONNECTING YOUR

VIDEOMIC PRO

The standard shoe mount on the VideoMic Pro

The VideoMic Pro incorporates a standard camera shoe mount on

the underside of the shock mount cradle.

Designed to reduce handling and mechanical noise being carried

through from the camera to the microphone, the camera shoe mount

also has a 3/8” thread at the bottom to allow mounting on tripods

and boompoles.

SETUP AND USE

Some older model and low cost cameras may produce a higher level

of mechanical noise, which can be picked up by the VideoMic Pro.

The integrated High Pass Filter should be switched on to reduce the

resulting low frequency rumble.

(Refer to page 8 for more details on engaging the High Pass Filter.)

Before sliding the camera shoe into place, loosen the fastening ring

by turning anti-clockwise until it is loose enough to ﬁt easily into your

camera’s shoe mount. Once the shoe is in place, gently tighten by

turning the fastening ring clockwise until the VideoMic Pro is seated

ﬁrmly in place.

Press your cable into the cable management clip on the underside of the

shock mount cradle

The VideoMic Pro has a small cable clip on the underside of the

shock mount to secure the cable in place and prevent any unwanted

movement noise. Simply press your cable into the clip / groove until

the cable is secured in place.

SETUP AND USE

The VideoMic Pro delivers a mic level signal to the video camera via

a stereo mini jack audio lead. The mini jack should be connected to

the camera via the camera’s “audio-in” socket – refer to your video

camera user manual for the location of the socket on your camera

model.

Now that you have the VideoMic Pro securely fastened to your

camera and the audio output lead connected, you can switch the

microphone on and start recording.

VIDEOMIC PRO CONTROLS

ON / OFF AND HIGH PASS FILTER SWITCH

The power / HPF switch is located on the back of the microphone

body.

The High Pass Filter (HPF) is a low frequency cut-off setting, which

you can use to reduce rumble and other low frequency noise picked

up by the microphone while recording. It may affect the tone slightly

but in some situations it is recommended.

For instance, it may be helpful to engage the High Pass Filter to cut

out the sound of air conditioning, handling noise while adjusting

focus settings and distant trafﬁc audible in the background.

To engage the High Pass Filter, slide the power switch to the right

hand position until it is pointing to where the HPF ( ) symbol is

indicated.

LED POWER INDICATOR

The power indicator LED ﬂashes RED brieﬂy when the microphone

is ﬁrst turned on. This changes to GREEN indicating the battery has

adequate charge.

When the battery runs low the LED will remain RED and you should

replace the battery. The microphone will work for over ten hours

once the RED indicator is lit, however with reduced performance.

RØDE recommends changing the battery as soon as possible after

the LED has turned red.

LEVEL CONTROL

The VideoMic Pro features three settings to control the signal output

level to your recording device. These are set via the right hand side

selector switch on the back of the microphone.

Power/ High Pass Filter switch

Three position level control switch

Mic OFF Mic ON (Flat) Mic ON (HPF on)

SETUP AND USE

The left setting (-10) will reduce or attenuate the signal by 10dB,

meaning that loud sound sources will be reduced and be less likely

to overload or ‘clip’ the input of the camera.

The right setting (+20) will increase the signal level by 20dB. This

is useful for recording quiet sound sources, or when your camera

requires a higher input level for better signal to noise ratio (as in

many digital SLR cameras).

Please note that when setting the input level you should always be

mindful of your camera’s internal audio level setting. If you have the

+20dB level selected on the VideoMic Pro you may need to reduce

the input level on your camera.

(For best results reduce the camera’s input level as much as possible,

selecting the +20dB input level on the VideoMic Pro and working

downward until the appropriate input level is achieved. This will

result in a much lower noise ﬂoor and an overall clearer recording

when plugging the VideoMic Pro into the typically low quality mic

preamps found on most DSLR cameras.)

The VideoMic Pro has been designed to work best with the camera’s

Auto Gain Control switched off. (see page 16 for more information

on Auto Gain Control) As always it is recommended to test your

audio ﬁrst before recording anything of importance.

The VideoMic Pro has been RF/EMI shielded for very high rejection

of radio frequency interference, but we suggest you keep all

transmitters, cell phones, pagers etc. at least two metres away to

reduce the possibility of interference affecting your recordings.

For additional recording tips and tricks, please visit the

RØDE University – RØDE’s free online microphone training website

( www.rodeuniversity.com ). Check out the Broadcast recording

semester for tutorials most relevant to the VideoMic Pro.

For more entertaining videos, you may also wish to visit RØDE TV

( www.rodetv.com ) – featuring a wide range of demos, reviews,

interviews and behind-the-scenes clips for anyone interested in

music, audio and recording.

Loud sound levels can cause serious

hearing damage.

Take care when setting the audio levels,

especially while wearing headphones.

10.

REPLACING SHOCK MOUNT BANDS

The VideoMic Pro has been designed with an integrated suspension

shock mount, reducing the amount of handling noise that is

transmitted to the microphone while recording your audio.

This shock mount uses four elastomer suspension bands to hold

the VideoMic Pro in its shock mount cradle. These bands have been

created to be intentionally soft, again to minimise the transmission of

mechanical and handling noise through this material.

If the VideoMic Pro is shaken vigorously or knocked during use, the

microphone body may touch the sides of the shock mount cradle.

This should be avoided as it may add unwanted noise.

During handling or transport, the bands attaching the VideoMic Pro

to its shock mount cradle may become dislodged. They can easily

be put back into place by hand. Also, if the bands should become

damaged or worn over time, the old bands can be fully removed and

replacement bands ﬁtted. Please follow the instructions below to

readjust or replace the bands as necessary.

Start by attaching your shock mount bands to the microphone body.

The shock mount cradle will then slip easily up under the bands and

support the microphone. You may then attach the microphone to the

shock mount cradle by sliding the shock mount bands into place.

Consult the image to the right to determine which band to use on

the relevant side of the microphone. There are four bands in total,

two of each shape.

SETUP AND USE

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