RODE Microphones VideoMic User manual

Instruction Manual

Stereo VideoMic

(EMC, LVD)

SVM

Thank you for investing in the

Stereo

VideoMic (SVM).

Those of you who are ﬁ rst time

customers,

may be interested to know that we are one of the

largest and most respected professional microphone

companies in the world. Our studio microphones are

the ‘tone’ behind some of the biggest hits of the last

decade, and our award winning live

performance microphones are on tour throughout

the world. See more of what we do at

www.rodemic.com

The

SVM is a very special product born out of

the success of the original VideoMic, now the worlds

biggest selling on camera shotgun.

So why did we design the SVM? It’s simple, our

customers asked us to give them the same sound

quality and performance they were getting from the

VideoMic but in a stereo system. We listen to our

customers.

This was not an easy project, but as you will soon

hear,

have done it again!

The SVM captures the true ambience of the recording

space, and still offers a high level of rear rejection

and low noise. You can also use the SVM as a remote

mic on a stand or boom pole and have a VideoMic

on the camera, or an NTG1/2 on a boom pole. By

incorporating a simple mixer you can then create a

very professional audio track.

How can

achieve this level of quality and

performance when other mic makers can’t? It is simple.

spends millions of dollars on R&D and

automated machinery. When you invest in high

volume production technologies, the costs drop

dramatically. We pass on these savings to our

customers. We have been doing this with our studio

microphones for the last 14 years, and continue to

win international awards for performance and

quality.

Please take the time to read this manual so that you

can get the best out of your microphone.

If you have any queries or comments, you can log

onto our web site: www.rodemic.com/svm where

there are answers to frequently asked questions as

well as our contact details

Peter Freedman

Sydney, Australia

SVM

Specifications

Acoustic Principle:

Gradient

Directional Pattern:

Cardioid.

Frequency range:

40 Hz ~ 20 000 Hz selectable High Pass

Filter (HPF) @ 80 HZ 12 dB/octave.

Output Impedance:

200 Ω

Signal/Noise Ratio:

79 dB SPL (A - weighted per IEC651)

Equivalent Noise:

15 dBA SPL

(A - weighted per IEC651)

Maximum SPL:

130 dB (@ 1kHz, 1% THD into

Ω load

)

Sensitivity:

-44 dB re 1V/Pa (6.3 mV/Pa @ 94 dB SPL)

+/- 3 dB @ 1kHz

Dynamic Range:

115 dB SPL (

A - weighted per IEC651

)

Power (Supply voltage):

7 mA, 9 V DC Alkaline Battery, (NSI:

1604A or IEC:6LR61).

Battery Life:

>60 hours

Output Connection:

Stereo mini jack plug - ø3.5mm.

Right Channel - Ring

Left Channel - Tip

Weight

- (Microphone no battery)

330 grm

Packed Weight

470 grm

Dimensions

Lenght: 172mm (6-4/5”),

Height: 100mm (4”),

Width: 64mm (1-1/2”).

SVM

dB re 1 V./Pa

-10

-20

20 Hz 100 1000 10 000 20 000

0˚

90˚ 270˚

180˚

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

0˚

90˚ 270˚

180˚

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

0˚

90˚ 270˚

180˚

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

Features

• Stereo X/Y condenser microphone.

• Broadcast sound quality.

• Rugged cast aluminum body.

• 9V battery operation.

• Custom designed integral windshield.

• Low noise circuitry.

• Low handling noise.

• Integral camera-shoe mount.

• Designed & manufactured in Australia.

• Full 10 year guarantee*.

Specifications

cont.

Frequency range:

40 Hz ~ 20 000 Hz selectable (HPF)

@ 80 Hz 12 dB/octave.

SVM Polar Pattern:

Super

Cardioid - 250 Hz

SVM

Polar Pattern:

Super

Cardioid - 1 KHz

SVM

Polar Pattern:

Super

Cardioid - 1 KHz

SVM

Battery Installation

The SVM operates on a standard 9V

battery (ANSI:1604A or IEC:6LR61). We

recommend you use either Alkaline or

Lithium batteries for the longest continuous

operating time.

The SVM will run continuously for over 60

hrs. with a good quality Alkaline battery.

It is however important to understand

that battery performance can vary

dramatically with ambient temperature

and of course shelf life.

Actual operation times will vary and we

suggest you always carry a spare battery.

If the application is critical and where there

is no opportunity to ‘re-shoot’, we suggest

that you use a fresh

battery every time.

To install the

battery, simply

place your thumb on

the top section

the microphone.

(ﬁ g. 1)

Press down

gently and slide

back the cover

till it stops (ﬁ g. 2)

then lift the lid to a

vertical position.

Insert the battery

as shown in ﬁ g. 3.

You will ﬁ nd that

you cannot reverse

the battery, as the

compartment won’t

allow this.

Once you have

installed the battery,

slide the cover back

into position and you

are ready to fasten the

mic onto the camera.

Do not leave the

battery in-place if

you are going to store

the SVM for long periods. Batteries can

‘leak’ and the chemicals will damage your

microphone”.

fig. 1

fig. 2

fig. 3

SVM

Mounting Your SVM

) The SVM incorporates a standard

camera-shoe mount on the bottom of

the microphone (ﬁ g. 4).Designed to

reduce camera borne motor and handling

noise, the shock mount has a 3/8” x 16

threaded insert for mounting on tripods

and pol

es.

You will ﬁ nd older

models and low cost

cameras produce more

motor noise, which the

highly sensitive SVM can

pick up. If so, switch

on the High Pass Filter

(HPF) to reduce this

(ﬁ g. 8a).

You may also notice that your camera’s

inbuilt microphone may not pick up this

noise and wonder why. On-board mics are

for general-purpose use, and designed to

do a basic job. They can cancel out certain

sounds such as motor noise at the expense

of tone and directional characteristics.

The very latest cameras incorporate low

noise/vibration motors, making them

relatively silent.

Before sliding the camera-shoe into place,

turn the knurled tightening ring anti

clockwise which will make sliding the

camera-shoe into place much easier (ﬁ g.

5). Now turn the knurled

ring in a clockwise

direction, gently

tightening it so the SVM

is seated ﬁ rmly in place.

You will notice the SVM

may seem slightly loose

in it’s mount. This is

due to the shock mount

system and is not a fault.

fig. 4

fig. 5

SVM

Mounting Your SVM

cont.

The SVM 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 (ﬁ g. 7), - refer

to your video camera user

manual.

SVM Controls

Now that you have the SVM securely

fastened to your camera and the audio

output lead connected, you can switch

the mic on.

There are three switches located on the

end of the mic body (ﬁ g. 8):

Pad (with 0 and -10dB

level cut), an

Off

switch

, a

High Pass Filter

(

and

) with

which you can use to

remove rumble or other

low frequency noise

while recording. It will

affect the tone slightly

but in some situations

it is required.

A power indicator LED

ﬂ ashes RED for 0.25

sec. when the mic is

ﬁ rst turned on.

This changes to GREEN

indicating the battery

has adequate charge.

When the battery runs

low, the LED will change

back to RED and you should change the

battery for a fresh one.

The mic will work for approximately

1 hr. once the RED indicator is lit,

however with reduced performance.

fig. 7

LED Power Indicator

- RED/GREEN - Self check

- GREEN - Battery Charged

- RED - Replace Battery

fig. 8 -

VideoMic Controls

Pad

OFF/ON

SVM

SVM Controls

cont.

It is now time to set the camera’s

audio

level. To ensure the optimum signal you

will need to set the VU meter on the

camera to read around “3/4” or “75%”

on the sound ‘peaks’. Most cameras will

allow you to access this setting through

the camera menu. You should try and set

the level using the sound source you will

be recording, or a sound source of similar

level before starting to record or you

could distort the input of your camera

if the level has been set too high. We

suggest you read your camera manual,

which should cover this topic.

The SVM has been optimized for high

rejection of radio frequency interference,

but we suggest you keep all transmitters,

mobile/cell phones, pagers etc. at least

2m away to reduce the possibility of

interference ruining your recordings.

SVM Windshield

The SVM comes with a custom designed

windshield.

The windshield should be left on at all

times as even the slightest breeze can

cause sound interference. When shooting

outside in heavy winds you may need to

purchase a more specialized windshield.

has a full line of accessories

available, please visit our web site

www.rodemic.com for

further details.

SVM

General Operation

10)

SVM is not designed for long

distance pick up. I have heard people

ask, “How far away can this mic pickup

sound?”.

course you can boost the

gain level on your camera and you

will hear more deﬁ ned sounds over a

longer distance than with conventional

microphones, but you will also get a lot

of ambient noise and reﬂ ections making

it sound hollow. For best results you

need to be within 6’ (2m) of a person

talking. If you want very clear dialogue,

you will need to have the mic position

close to the person you are recording

and use an extension mic cable which

we supply as an accessory. There

are microphones that are especially

designed for long distance pick up.

They do not have the ‘Hi Fi’ sound

quality of the VideMic or SVM, but do

a speciﬁ c job. These include parabolic

reﬂ ector systems and more recently

adaptive arrays using multiple capsules

and Digital Signal Processing (DSP)

technologies.

The SVM has a wide pick-up angle and

polar response, so can be used to great

effect with cameras for news gathering,

weddings or sporting events. The SVM

can be used in any situation where you

want to listen to what’s in the near ﬁ eld

shot and what’s at the side or out of

view.

11)

The best way to get optimum results

with the SVM is to use it so you become

more familiar with its sound and pick-up

characteristics.

The

SVM is made from rugged cast

aluminum, ensuring impact resistance and a

longer life. However care must be taken not

to get the SVM wet nor do we advise you to

drop it from a great height!

Treat the mic

the way you should treat your camera and

you will have many years of reliable service.

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