Slew of new gear from Rode
If you’re a mobile film-maker, vlogger or multimedia journalist then Rode’s latest batch of toys probably has something for you.
They’ve unveiled the VideoMicro, a tiny (80mm long) microphone designed for on-camera use, giving better sound than those terrible mics you find built in to most cameras by default. They say its pickup is “more forgiving than Rode’s other such mics providing a more natural sound when recording indoors”.
It’s supplied with a similarly tiny version of Rycote’s Lyre suspension which should keep handling noise to a minimum, plus a furry windjammer.
A slightly different version of that mic has been labelled the “Videomic Me” but this one’s aimed at users of the iphone and ipad, plugging directly into the TRRS jack on the side of the device. A full fluffy windjammer is also included for shooting outdoors and there’s a 3.5mm headphone jack on the back so that you can monitor what you’re up to properly.
Then there are two carbon fibre boompoles, one called the Boompole Pro, the other the Micro Boompole Pro. The former extends to a 3m (10’) and collapses to 810mm (2’8”). It weighs 535gm (18oz) and extends in the usual twist-lock method.
The Micro version has three sections that screw together and extends to 2.2m (7’2”). Rode say it’s really designed for use with the VideoMicro (above)
Finally there are two XLR audio devices; the i-XLR into which any standard XLR microphone will plug and which then converts the audio for input to an iphone or ipad. In other words it gives you pro-quality audio to a consumer device.
There’s a record button that (in conjunction with a suitable app) enables the user to start and stop recording without having to prod at the Apple device. An LED indicates the recording status. A headphone jack with variable level is located on the body for monitoring and for dynamic microphones the i-XLR features a +20dB level boost.
A new version of the “Rode Rec” app has also been unveiled. New features include an optional ‘safety track’ that can be set at a lower level so as to avoid distorted peaks.
And Rode’s recently-introduced wireless mic system is expanded with a transmitter that plugs into the bottom of an XLR handheld mic so that reporters can stand back and do their usual pieces to camera using a stick mic instead of a lavalier.
Power is from 2 x AA cells, a Sony NP-F970 battery or via Micro USB.
The VideoMicro, Boompole Pro and Micro Boompole Pro are shipping now, and the VideoMic Me, i-XLR and RØDELink Newsshooter Kit will be available Q4 2015.
You can watch the company’s videos at www.rode.com/news/rode-announces-six-new-products-at-IBC