The choice of the right microphone for any video project has become a requirement not only of the direct sound engineer but, in recent years with the advent of DSLR (Digital single-lens reflex), of the new generation of videomakers.
The most suitable type of microphone for shooting on location is certainly that of shotgun o gunmetal.
This microphone is so named due to its resemblance to a gun barrel. The slots in the barrel allow off-axis sound to cancel out to give a highly directional response. The longer the microphone, the more directional it is.
The sound quality of these microphones is inferior to normal microphones but there are many cases where it is useful to use it, especially in film shooting. It is often used with a parabolic reflector to further increase its directional characteristics. With this configuration it is used for recording noise in the woods or at sporting events to capture commentary from the field.
La Rode is one of those microphone companies that has an entire line dedicated to shotguns. This test will try to compare two of its bestselling microphones: NTG 2 e NTG 3.
Let's say immediately that from a qualitative and construction point of view the microphones are not comparable, the NTG3 is a microphone high-end with a quality Broadcast, while the NTG2 is a microphone consumer which, however, has many advantages and many features that could prove useful especially to videomaker.
Il Rode NTG3 is a super cardiode very light and in our opinion it is certainly an excellent choice for direct drive engineers who need quality and robustness. Thanks to RF Bias technology it is possible to work in extreme weather conditions: in the cold of the north pole or in the African heat. The RF Bias technology allows the microphone to work in all those situations in which humidity and condensation can create problems with the frequency response of the microphone as well as its functionality. Another important feature we encountered is the very low self-produced noise from the microphone.
The NTG2 instead it is one cardiod shotgun. The first difference we noticed is the output volume of the two microphones: in the video test they are almost there 10dB difference in favor of NTG3; this means that it will be necessary to raise the preamp levels by reducing the SNR ratio (signal / noise ratio).
The qualitative and frequency response aspect is all in favor of the NTG3, but the NTG2 is definitely recommended for videomakers for these factors:
- Very light
- Cheap
- Good tonal quality
- Phantom self-powering with 1,5V battery
This last factor is essential for all those cameras that cannot feed the microphones with the phantom and remember that the NTG3 needs phantom power and does not have the ability to use the internal battery.
Il video test was done in the studio with a 'theater actress. The shot is a close-up and the microphones are about Wide base from the sound source.
This first part tries above all to listen to the tonal differences of the microphones and their directionality with respect to the internal microphone of the ENG (video camera for news, TV etc).
As a Pre Amps we used theAPI 512c.
Good listening and good vision!
Useful Information
Sito: Rode
Product: Rode NTG 2 Price: 199 Euro
Product: Rode NTG3 Price: 550 Euro
Italian distributor: midi music
