The RODE Scholar (A Microphone Review)

Mazal Tov! We at MindBites are proud to announce that we have a wonderful new addition to our ever-expanding equipment family. It just arrived a few days ago in a cocoon of shrink wrap and packaging tape, and we couldn’t be more pleased. I can hardly put the little bugger down.

The RODE Videomic is one heck of a toy. It’s a unidirectional, condenser microphone that packs quite a punch for it’s going price. You’ll find it at most places for just under $150, though discount sites like B&H Photo and Video may have some killer deals that out-do the suggested retail value. Now obviously, it’s not the best microphone I’ve ever used, but I’ve had my lucky little appendages on some honkers in my day, most of which go for thousands of dollars, easy. Since the RODE costs less than a night out at the opera, you can bet that it is top in its class.

The fact that the Videomic is unidirectional means that it silences unwanted noises that approach from the sides, generally picking up only sound sources directly in front of the receiver and, to a lesser extent, those behind it as well (this allows for the operator’s voice to be heard on tape in interview type scenarios). This is important for clear and focused sound, as opposed to what one might obtain with an omnidirectional mic.

It requires a single 9-volt battery which provides over 100 hours of operation. It’s a large beast, the microphone itself being just over 8 inches without the mounting system. As you may have noticed from the accompanying pics, it more or less dwarfs the camera it’s attached to. However, though it’s size is somewhat daunting when compared with other on-camera microphones, it’s very light and doesn’t impede or even much effect handheld recording.

Its sound quality is very good, obtaining an even vocal equalization that is neither too high nor too low. The OFF/ON switch can be pushed to a third position that engages the bass roll-off feature, which will quiet and even mute certain low frequency drone ambiance like refrigerator hum and nearby freeway noise. It connects to the camera via a 1/4″ jack, similar to what you will see on headphones. This will be an issue if your camera has only XLR inputs, but for most consumer and prosumer camcorders, this connection will work fine for on-camera microphone mounting (if the mic was further away, say twenty feet or more, than a 1/4″ cable connection would begin to produce an unpleasant hum noticeable on tape).

My favorite feature of the mic is that it comes with an accompanying shock mount. The whole set-up fits snugly onto the camera’s hot-shoe and employs little elastic bands that diffuse motion waves from small impacts and unsteady hand operation, all of which can negatively affect the recorded audio. This makes handheld recording much more effective as the operator can focus less on disturbing the mic and more on recording quality images.

All in all, I enjoy this mic very much. It wipes the floor with the other microphones in our MindBites arsenal, and I had been fairly happy with those prior to the arrival of the RODE. I recommend it to anyone who is looking to up the ante on their video productions without splurging for the truly professional and grotesquely exorbitant microphones.

Tags: Mics, Product Review, Rode | Posted in Video Production and Publishing | No Comments »