Soporific Airs (DJ Bolivia): rode

Sunday, January 4, 2015

Review of the RØDE NTG2 Directional Shotgun Microphone

For a mid-budget directional shotgun microphone, my preferred choice is RØDE's NTG2 condenser microphone.

I bought this a while ago after researching a number of mid-range directional microphones in the budget range of around $250-300. I've been happy with the performance of this microphone, so I decided to do a review. This microphone is more expensive than the most basic low-end directional microphones out there, but I feel that spending a bit of extra money is worth it, and you'll have pretty decent quality for whatever project you're working on. If you want to just watch the video review, here's the link, although I'll also include the NTG2's specs further down in this blog post:

Here is a general list of features of this microphone, taken directly from the RØDE website:

- Broadcast sound quality
- Low noise circuitry
- Condenser transducer
- Rugged metal construction
- Two step High Pass Filter (Flat/80Hz)
- P48 phantom power or AA battery option
- Low handling noise
- Low weight - 161g (5.17 oz.)
- Includes mic clip, wind shield and zip case
- Ideal for professional applications within the film, video, television and production industries
- 10 year extended warranty with online registration

Here are some of the specs of this particular microphone:

- Acoustic Principle: Line Gradient
- Active Electronics: JFET impedance convertor with balanced transformer output
- Capsule: 0.50"
- Polar Pattern: Supercardioid
- Address Type: End
- Frequency Range: 20Hz - 20kHz(selected HPF @0)
- Output Impedance: 250Ω
- Maximum SPL: 131dB SPL (@ 1kHz, 1% THD into 1KΩ load)
- Maximum Output Level: 6.9dBu (@ 1kHz, 1% THD into 1KΩ load
- Sensitivity: -36.0dB re 1 Volt/Pascal (15.00mV @ 94 dB SPL) +/- 2 dB @ 1kHz
- Equivalent Noise Level (A-weighted): 18dB-A
- Power Options: AA Battery+48V phantom power
- Weight: 161.00gm
- Dimensions: 280.00mmH x 22.00mmW x 22.00mmD
- Output: XLR Output
- Warranty: 1 year with free extension to 10 years following online registration

As I've mentioned, I've owned this for a while now and I've been pleased with it, so I figured it was worth a review.

I'm Jonathan Clark, known online as DJ Bolivia. Do you want to learn more about DJ'ing and music production? If so, visit:

djbolivia.ca/training

If you happen to enjoy techno tracks, most of my tracks are available as free downloads from this link:

djbolivia.ca/tracks

Thanks so much for visit, and for your support! I really appreciate the fan base that I've been able to build up over the years.

Also, if you want to visit any of my other sites, here are a few links:

YouTube: youtube.com/djbolivia

SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/djbolivia

Blogger: djbolivia.blogspot.com

Main Site: www.djbolivia.ca

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Exploring USB Microphones

I just uploaded part eleven of my Audio Recording tutorial series (and I have some additional study notes further down in this post). This series as a whole is more related to home studio work than it is to DJ'ing, covering the very basics of audio engineering and production work.

If you're just discovering this tutorial series and you want to start at the beginning, visit: djbolivia.ca/audiorecording

Audio Recording Tutorial #11: Working with USB Microphones

In this video, we examine the basic characteristics and features that you might find on many USB microphones, and the advantages and disadvantages that they have compared to traditional studio microphones.

Here are some of the pros and cons of using a USB microphone as compared to a traditional mic routed in through a sound card (I'll start with advantages for the USB microphones):
- Excellent quality is available at very competitive costs.
- USB mics are suitable for most podcasters, home musicians, music students, voiceover talent, and pretty much anyone not wanting to use the internal microphone of your laptop. USB mics even have a place in some professional studios.
- No need for a mic pre-amp.
- Condenser microphones normally need a source of phantom power. This is supplied on the USB line for a USB mic.
- Some USB mics allow for direct headphone monitoring with no latency.
- Many USB microphones have a gain control knob to adjust signal going into your computer.
- Many USB microphones offer the choice between multiple pickup patterns.
- Some of the higher-end USB mics also allow for XLR output into a traditional system.
- Some USB microphones offer variable sampling rates onboard.
- Some USB microphones have a built-in pop filter.

There are a few potential disadvantages to consider too:
- Although some USB mics will work immediately as plug-and-play devices, you may need to install drivers for others (this is the case on both PC's and Macs).
- Many DAW's will only allow for input from a single device at a time. So for instance, if you've got a USB mic plugged into your computer and you also have a sound card hooked up, with other instruments connected to your sound card, you may not be able to record through your USB mic and sound card simultaneously! This is certainly not a problem if you're working on multi-track sessions where each type of audio data is recorded individually. However, if you wanted to, for example, bring in a vocal through the USB mic at the same time as a guitar track through your soundcard, you might be out of luck!

Links relating to USB microphones:

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/the-best-usb-microphone

http://www.sweetwater.com/insync/usb-microphone-buying-guide-2

http://www.sweetwater.com/insync/mic-preamp-buying-guide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Microphones

Here are links to a number of microphone manufacturers:

MXL