Rode NTG-1 Microphone into a Zoom H4n for Dual Sync High Quality DLSR Audio for Video
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- Опубликовано: 28 авг 2024
- See below for gear links or visit thepodcastersst...
I'm testing the NTG-1 microphone from Rode with my Canon 60D DLSR video setup.
Paired with the Zoom H4n, the NTG-1 is probably the best mic I've ever heard for video. You can hear the incredible low end response couple with great sound rejection.
Shotgun microphones provide excellent audio when used in proper situations. Here I am in a fairly stable position with the NTG-1 mounted just overhead attached to a combo boom pole/reflector tripod stand by Impact.
Shotgun mics can also be very useful in dynamic filming situations such as "man on the street" type interviews. This works best if you have a dedicated person to control the microphone but can also be done by mounting the microphone to the camera.
Unlike the Rode NTG-2 this mic does not have an option to be powered by a battery. This is a disadvantage especially in a DLSR setup where you might need to plug directly into your camera. But for a small price (approx. 20 dollars more) you can upgrade to the NTG-2. However, I DO NOT recommend using the NTG-2 with the H4n, their is an impedance mismatched and it doesn't provide enough gain to work with the NTG-2.
Gear used in the making of this video:
Rode NTG-1 shotgun microphone podhelp.me/rode...
Rode Shock mount podhelp.me/rode...
Canon 60D podhelp.me/60dkit
Canon T2i podhelp.me/t2ibody
Canon Normal EF 50mm f/1.4 USM podhelp.me/cano...
Sigma 18-50mm 2.8 - 4.5 Lens (mounted to the T2i) podhelp.me/sigm...
Zoom H4N podhelp.me/rech...
Impact Multiboom Light Stand and Reflector Holder - 13' podhelp.me/impa...
Manfrotto 701 HDV Tripod podhelp.me/701h...
I've watched a lot of reviews online and this BY FAR was one of the most helpful ones I've ever seen. Thanks for explaining EVERYTHING. Between that and your responses to comments, I got every one of my questions answered. Thanks a ton!
I have this same mic, and the problem I'm running into is there's too many highs when I'm not talking. It's that very high pitch "eeesssss". I turned off my computer and there's no other noise. I notice you have a nice loud volume, but when you're not talking, there's no noise.
Did you run your audio into any post-processing? If so, what did you do? Thanks.
Edit: Nermind, saw your post processing video.
DesignCourse thanks
@@RayOrtega he was asking a question :/
That's a huge compliment. Thank you very much for watching and for the great feedback.
GREAT mic, a timeless piece of gear... nice video Ray-
Thanks for the sub! And yes, this mic will remain a legend. That's the beauty of a great mic., it won't get outdated.
Thank you very much for watching and for the great comment! Glad it helped.
That's awesome. Glad you liked the video. I hope you can use the links in the description when you purchase but if not that's OK too. It helps me make more videos without adding any cost to you. Remember that I used this in a quite environment and I was close to the mic. These two factors will greatly improve the quality you get from your recordings.
Thanks Joe! The LED light was really just to add a bit of fill and is not that close to my face. It's also giving me a tiny bit of rim light on my shoulders but mostly it's not doing much. The main lighting is from my large living room window. Thanks for watching and the great compliments.
Thanks. It's a good tip and of course isn't the best answer in all situtation such as if you were recording and had loud sound coming from the floor then you'd probably want to point the mic up towards your chest instead of down. But mostly, the way you see it here, is the best way to use it. Thanks for watching.
Thanks. Definitely no noise reduction added here. The only thing I did was raise the DB's by about +3 so you could hear the mic better but the funny thing is that actually brings up the background noise too. So if anything I made any background noise louder;) There is a kitchen behind me with a running fridge but mostly the room I'm in is quite. You should turn of your AC or heater when you record & limit any other noise. And don't run the gain too high on your Tascam if possible.
Glad your setup is working better with the Fethead, it's a really cool device. Your Zoom has a mono setting. Put it into mono to get the audio into both the left and right channels or simply fix it in your editor. I'll be making a video soon about how to setup your Zoom.
Thanks. Yes, you've listed a couple reasons. One, phantom power. Two, audio monitoring. Three, cleaner audio due to noisy pre-amps in DSLR's. If you plugged directly into the cam with the NTG-2 which has battery power, you'd have no way to control the level of audio going in and would be at the mercy of the cams pre-amp which is going to give you much noisier audio with hiss. This is one reason the audio in this video is so clean.
Thanks. First thing to check is to make sure you have the phantom power option set to ON for the H4n. Basic but easy to forget. Check that and let me know.
I like your videos mainly for the fact you talk very clear and articulate, also you go to the point with real examples and very good advise. I know this video was posted 4 years ago, but any way thank you for a good quality tutorial.
Hey thanks, Carlos! Still a relevant video so I'm glad you enjoyed it and thank you so much for the great feedback and kind words. Thanks for watching and subbing!
This was a great video and helped me make up my mind. Thank you and thanks for dropping the links as well!
Thanks, Joshua.
@@RayOrtega Quick question. I got the NTG1, LOVE IT! I also bought the multi function boom you linked up. Mine has a light mount at the end of the boom. I've done a search but can't seem to find a proper adapter to a 3/8 in screw. I'd like to mount the mic the same way you have here. What did you use as an adapter? I'd be more than happy to buy through an affiliate link if you have one. Thanks!
@@DonahueJosh Did you get it? I think there is a 1/4 20 thread on the tip of the boom pole correct? you'll need a 1/4 20 to 3/8 adapter amzn.to/34qn28N (affiliate) I just had the mic mount on the pole not properly attached cause I didn't have an adapter at the time
Very cool. Thanks for watching and the feedback!
This is an excellent video Ray. Ray points out something that is so important. So many filmmakers buy a shotgun microphone and place it far out of the frame. He demonstrates the axis with the boom and to get the MICROPHONE as close as possible to the person without getting into the frame. To many filmmakers rush out to buy a shotgun thinking they can place it far away from the talent. It's about axis and pick up direction. The other mistake is using a shotgun mic in a small room.
Thanks Johnny. XLR cables are pretty standard as far as I know so if you have a cam with XLR's inputs that supply phantom power, you'd be good. Should work no problem. Thanks for watching!
Thanks Leon. 1) Yes, you could use the on-board mics of the H4n as microphones into your camera. 2) Check out my playlist of DSLR video tutorials, I talk about, show and link to ways to hook the H4n into the camera. I have a video showing how I do this, recording into the camera and onto the H4n at the same time. 3) No other pre-amps. The H4n does a great job.
Check the site I have linked in the description for all the other gear and search for a handheld, interview mic. I don't do a lot of that kind of mic-ing but there are plenty. You'll have to choose based on your budget.
With the NTG-1 yes you need phantom power. The Nikon will not provide that. You can get the NTG-2 (see my links in the description) it takes AA batteries so it powers itself. However, it's likely you won't get very good audio because the preamps in the camera are noisy.
this mic is so much fun. we did a lot of foley work with this mic just for shits and giggles. if you pump a good bit of gain into this mic, you can pretty much hear an individual's heartbeat (assuming you're in a studio environment)
Thanks Chris Matin for this demo
;)
As shown in this video, I'm not using this mic with the camera. No mic input needed. You have to record into a recorder and sync the audio with the video in post productions. See this video's description for the gear I'm using and watch again to see how it's being recorded. Thanks for watching.
No I didn't find that I had any issues with the level of the audio. Try using phantom power supplied by the H4n as opposed to the battery in the NTG-2 and see if that makes any difference. With the NTG-1 I got nice levels. To avoid hiss, make sure your cable connections are good. Same for your cables themselves. Don't record close to air conditioners or other like sounds and don't try to record the levels too loud. Get em around -12 and you'll be good.
I think I finally found a mic that I would use for recording foley effects. Thank you!
I actually don't recall but all you really need to know is that you want to get your levels high enough without peaking. Using the "limiter" function is probably best and try to get your levels around -12 to -6. I record in .wav 44.8khz at 16 bits.
Record in the highest format/settings possible. WAV file at 24 or 16 bit, 48 khz. When setting your levels, position the microphone in the spot you'll be recording and set the input so that you are hitting between -12 and -6 on your meter. This will give you audio that has enough headroom so that if someone gets loud, the audio won't peak. The Zoom also has a peak limiter on it, you might want to set that.
Nice video. I’ve been trying to decide between the ntg1 and ntg2 and I’ve just ordered the ntg1 for my RUclips channel. Thanks :)
Great budget mic, enjoy!
Glad you liked it. Thanks. The mic had amazing sound.
Thanks. The key to good audio is having the mic close to the person talking. Any mic is not going to sound very good when far enough away. In a situation where you cannot be close to the camera and/or moving around, you'd get the best audio from wearing a wireless lav mic such as the one I show in my other videos. Thanks for watching!
Excellent review, excactly what I needed, thank you very much! Something that might worth to be noted though: the NTG-2 got the ability to have a battery in it, that's true, but it's not the only difference: it has a bigger impedance, so with a H4n it's better to get the NTG-1, in order to avoid some bad white noise (if I'm correct). The maximum input sound level is slightly different too. Again thank you, couldn't find a better video for this mic with the H4n
+Lord Bif Music thanks! With the NTG2 that probably explains why I see lots of people reporting issues with getting enough gain out of the mic. I'd be curious to try the NTG2 with other recorders to see the difference. It's definitely the mic. I would prefer between the two because of the battery but I knew that there were some issues with it and the H4n. Thanks for the great feedback.
If you're making a film then you will shoot the scene several times for each person's part and wide shots etc. The best setup would be a shotgun mic on a boom pole with someone operating it so they can move the mic and monitor the audio. Otherwise, each person will need their own mic and you'll have to go with wireless lav mics or a boom mic for each of them. There is no mic that will pick them all up well. Each person needs to be mic'd
Cool! I thought it might be the box you were going into or the computer. The problem with sound issues is they are very hard to diagnose via comments;) But I'm glad the mic is working the way you want now. That's good news. Easy fix.
Thanks Ray, that will probably be the standard way I will use it but good to know that you have other alternatives in cases where the H4N is not available for whatever reasons. Your videos are great, many thanks.
The Zoom also provides different levels of phantom power. Go into the settings are see if changing this, likely to be less, has a better effect on reducing the noise. Also make sure the power output matches what the mic specs are.
Thanks. I've heard the NTG2 has a problem getting enough gain going into the H4n. For me the NTG1 worked fine with the H4n and I really loved the audio I got. I was really close to the mic here so this is optimal audio but it's a good mic.
Yeah all transition were done in post. I usually shoot straight through then collect b-roll based on what I say. This was also shot with two cams which more easily allowed me to make cuts in the content by switching cams. I usually do this by shooting 1080 and producing on a 720 timeline which allows you to effectively create two compositions (one wide, one tight) creating the illusion of a two cam shoot.
Thanks, I appreciate your feedback. Thanks for watching!
I had good results with this setup. I've heard the NTG-2 has bigger trouble with not getting enough gain so I would favor the NTG-1 over the 2.
Hi Zach. I didn't use a pre-amp but I was also using the NTG-1. For some reason unknown to me, the NTG-2 which is basically the same mic doesn't work as well with the H4n. It's true the preamps in the H4n are not that strong but as you can hear my NTG-1 did just fine. As w/ all my audio, I boosted the level about 3db for this video so it was listenable but that's it. The raw file still reached good levels. I recently bought an awesome preamp called a Fethead. See my unboxing video. It's magic;)
I appreciate you saying so, thanks!
Thanks Mario. Yeah that's a bummer that there is no LED indicator. That makes it tough going into your camera. For important shoots I would just start with a fresh battery. Not the best solution but certainly better than losing audio. In this video I got into the Zoom so I get audio meters and monitoring so that's how I would know if the battery died.
The NTG1 needs phantom power so it has to be hooked up to a recorder that supplies it. The NTG2 can run off it's own power but it might be tough to get good levels in a DSLR. The VideoMic Pro is a great on camera mic but it plugs into the camera so that mic port will be taken. The NTG1 or 2 will need it's own recorder if using both.
Yes, I could see this being a great mic for foley. Enjoy!
Ray, your video review was really well done. Excellent job too, providing the viewer with off-axis examples. I noticed you had an LED light to your right, and it looked like it might have been at full intensity, but it didn't wash you out. Overall, great setup and editing as well.
Thanks for watching and for the compliment!
I think either mic would be fine for foley as well. I haven't done a lot of work with them that way but it seems to me like they would do great.
I dont' apply any effects in the H4n. I record it "clean," no processing so that I can do all of that in post production and change it as I please. If you use that in the recording then it's baked into the file and can't be changed. Only thing I would use is a limiter if I needed it. Check out the video I released yesterday where I show you how I process my audio for these videos.
Thanks. Appreciate the fast response!
Thanks Ray! I'm about to do my 2nd short film (I'm sound recording) & will be the first time I have used my Rode NTG-1 with my Zoom H4N ... your video was so helpful!
I don't recall but it doesn't matter cause it will be different for you. The key is to set the input on the H4n to get levels around -12db. That's how I set it. I like to be between -12 and -6db for my recordings. Other than that, record at WAV 48khz/16bit, mono mix for voice. Thanks for watching.
Yep. iMovie isn't going to degrade your audio. It's just like any high end editor. It will keep the audio quality that you put into it. Obviously you have to export it correctly so that you don't compress the audio too much and lose quality. I find 128kbps sounds great.
It's listed and linked in this video's description. It's the Impact you see listed. Thanks
You could hold it in your hands if you had to but I wouldn't recommend it due to the noise it would case when you moved. They have mics built specifically for that purpose.
Nope that all native sound from the mic and recorder. Only thing I did in post was increase the level a little bit. Great mic. Best sound I've achieved so far. Check this video's description for links. Thanks for watching!
I know this is am old video however the information is still timely/ Thank you for you assistance a "NOOB", I find your videos very helpful. Just went out and purchased these items. I look forward to a wonderful summer with my kids.
REGINALD GREEN thanks!
Super helpful review!
Thanks!
It could be the environment you are recording in. Background noise or lack of it is important to clean audio. If there are a lot of computer fans, AC, heater whatever, that could all leak into your recording as "fuzz." Also get the mic as close as possible without being in the shot so you won't have to use as much gain. The more gain use the more of that background you'll pick up. Try getting your levels around -12 and you can boost that some in post production.
Hey well done you are so relax in front of the camera, awesome video and thank you for putting this together and the editing was great too - entertaining yah!!!
Tanya McQueen thanks!
It's hard to say not knowing how loud it really is in your room. You'll need something with a hypercardiod polar pattern so that the mic is only picking up what is exactly in front of it and doing it's best to reject sound from other angles. The AT4053b would fit that description but it's a little pricey. That said it's a high quality mic.
Since the NTG-1 needs phantom power, that won't work with the H1. You'll need the NTG-2 which can be powered by a battery. Please use my links to in the description to browse and buy if possible. You could also try some of the Audio Technica shotguns. They make pretty good, affordable gear.
NTG-1 is great but really only if you have a stationary subject & better if you have someone dedicated to audio who can boom the mic for you. The rejection you get might be nice out in the wild but some ambient would be nice too. You'll likely be best off with a small recorder like an H1 that you can plug a lav mic into, putting it on the person & forgetting it. You can sync the audio in post later. Easiest if u have only 1 interviewee. Email me via my website in the description for more details
I thought it was supposed to but I think I was missing a piece cause I never got it to work properly. It's just kind sitting on there but not mounted properly. It should screw into the boom pole.
Thanks for the demo of the NTG-1 and all the professional advice provided throughout the video. Really appreciated the explanation of your recommended mic placement and showing your studio set-up. When I get my directional condenser mic, I'll try this positioning. This is on my short list. I noticed your thick microphone cable running to the H4N recorder. Could you share the type of mic cable you use in the studio? Your audio quality is superlative!
Kenneth Shaw thanks! I believe most of my cables are these podhelp.me/pstonePMXLR10BH nothing special, work great for me.
Sorry the mic is not working out like you wanted. Mics can be strongly affected by the proximity effect which will make the sound much more thin that if you were closer to the mic. That might be what's going on. It's hard to tell without hearing it. It's likely not losing quality as much as the sound is changing based on the proximity effect. You can try upping the gain and see if you can get the mic to reach further. It could be your input as well. Either the box or the computer settings.
First of all thank you for your answer, and I'm happy to tell you the "solution " has this problem , and that the ntg-2 microphone with the H4n zoom apparently has some kind of incompatibility , buy this microphone in amazon few days ago and after trying all I get tired and returned it ( to do so which may well) and buy the NTG1 and goes perfectly me legro a lot of this change and the quality is same as that of the video , a greeting and I hope to have helped those who they had this problem.
Yes the impedance of the NTG2 does not match the H4n so you can't get proper levels from that combo.
ah darn...I bought the NTG2 and H4N after watching this vid. Should I get the NTG1 or switch recorders to.....? Thanks for the video!
Thanks! You make good points. I'm glad this came through in the video. Appreciate the feedback.
The NTG-3 is definitely a beautiful mic but it's a lot more than the NTG-1 and while the audio is better to the trained ear I don't know if it's worth the difference. I haven't had a chance to use one but I've seen some nice comparisons on here.
The NTG3 is an awesome mic. You're not going to get as clean of a sound out of the mic by plugging it into the camera directly because the preamps are not as good but you can still get some pretty nice sound if you use the preamp on the H4n and put that audio into the camera. But your best sound will come off of the recorder. You can sweeten the audio in post to make it sound more "rich."
HI Chris. This is a fantastic mic however recording music can be a whole different animal. I think you could use this mic and get nice results but look into mic techniques for recording music. Usually you need a mic on the vocal and one on the instrument to get really great sound. Take a look at Rode's video channel where they recorded some live music at "Clevelands."
No problems on either;) Have fun!
As far as i know, the only diference between the ntg-2 and the ntg-1, is the 1,5 battery of the ntg-2. Sound quality is the same.
And yes, i'm running only one source of power. Thank you once again
Yes you'll get great audio into your Zoom via XLR. You'll just have to sync the audio with the video in post production. Make sure you are recording audio on your camera so you can sync the good audio with the camera's audio otherwise you'll have to match up the persons lips and that's no good. For settings, you'll record in wav and set the input so your levels are between -12 and -6db. Use my links in the description if possible. thanks
Thanks for this video. I'm trying to eliminate "hiss" from using a lavalier mic going direct into my Canon 70D. Does the H4N cut out ambient noise or is there an additional interface being used?
+Mr. Self H4n has noisy preamps like the ones inside a DSLR but you can see that I've had success with direct lav to DSLR including the 70D ruclips.net/video/ZJi85J9SXyI/видео.html so it could be your mic, if it's not sensitive enough and you have to set the preamp too high. The Zoom H5 and H6 have much better pre's and the H1 is great for 3.5mm plugin power lavs podhelp.me/h1amazon
👏🏻 👏🏻 Very rich sound. Thanks.
Thanks! Still a great mic, 11 years later! ;)
Really good review and tips. It makes me wonder what Rode haven't done something similar on how to best use it.
Thanks, Andy. Good question which made me curious to go look. It seems like Rode has two similar options, the NT5 amzn.to/2veNZNM and NT55 which has an extra capsule for omni or cardioid as well as a three position pad and high pass. Lots of options and makes me very curious! amzn.to/2LVVVwU (affiliate)
Interesting. I haven't really used that mic before. Are you running the phantom power without the battery in? Try using only one source of power if so. Take out the battery while running phantom. Try getting your input levels down to where you audio meter is around -12db and bring up that audio in post production.
Ray Ortega
BRO! When I realized the microphone you're using was an NTG-1 I was blown away! The mic sounds phenomenal! All this time I thought it would suck and I would have better luck investing in an NTG-3 mic because I plan on using it for better sound quality during filmmaking. I'm now highly considering the NTG-1 being that it already gives great sound and it's inexpensive. But Idk what do you think should I put in the investment now or settle for the NTG-1 and save the NTG-3 for later? Hit me back bro!
The NTG1 is still a great mic. I think what you are paying for with the NTG3 is the built quality and its ability to stand up to tough, in the field conditions. If you use the NTG1 properly then you'll get great results like this. With any mic, it's about distance. You need to get the mic as close as possible and make sure you set up the recorder for proper gain which you can also see on my channel. If the recorder is good and the mic placement is good, then you'll get great audio.
I mean my biggest thing is I want to be able to have a mic that will work outside as well if I'm filmmaking outdoors, but I'm not sure if the NTG-1 will do that since it needs phantom power. Unless if there's a way to work around that. Also I want to be bale to use a blimp and deadcat combo to keep an interference noise out i.e wind, loud noises, etc. Now lately I've been looking at the NTG-2 but again now quite sure. Any advice on this?
Excellent video w/ a wealth of relevant, concise information. You just cost me several hundred dollars! Earned a subscriber as well...
Thanks. And enjoy the new gear!
Great video! I was wondering if you could do a tutorial on your complete workflow from recording the audio on the h4n to editing it in post
Thanks Jake. I wouldn't do a total tutorial all in one video just because almost nobody would watch all the way through. That's RUclips for ya;) But I am certainly working my way through all of that video by video. There is one already on my channel showing my audio post production. It's quite simple for these videos. Since I made that video I also now use the Denoiser in Premiere which is an awesome plugin.
Ok great! Thank you
I don't like any wireless systems below the Sennheisers I use or the Sony's. Both above 400. If your talent is not going to move much and since you have a Zoom H4n, the NTG-1 setup that I have hear produces fantastic audio. However, you can get great audio by plugging a wired lav into a small recorder and just putting it in the person's pocket and sync in post later. That is your best bet cause it's clean and reliable, no signals to interfere with a wireless system.
Great video, easy to understand, clear video and audio, and you explained everything well. Keep on educating the masses!
Still relevant, thank you!
Great Video! I've been looking to up my game with my audio and this video is a great inspiration.
Thanks!
Great Video, thank you! Greetings from Germany
Thanks!
That's awesome. Good luck! Let me know if you post it to RUclips
Thanks for the vid, Ray. Not sure if you can help me with this one, but have you paired your NTG1 with any other portable recorder, like a Tascam DR-100mkII or Marantz MKII? I've heard pairing certain mics with certain recorders will yield a better sound. Any thoughts on this?
Strange. Do you have a different XLR cable to try? Give that a shot. Try using the mono mix setting. Not sure really what else could be wrong. Just go through the settings again.
Love this I've been debating with the ntg 1 and 2, Upgrading from the video mic pro. Sounds amazing! Im snagging the ntg 1.
You need phantom power to run the NTG-1 so I don't think so. There are no XLR inputs to supply the power.
Hello Mr. Oretga! Terrific video! I am a new filmmaker and was just curious about something. Do you plug the NTG-1 into the H4N then the H4N plugs into the DSLR?
I was only curious because I was wondering if you could hold the h4n on your belt or something when the NTG-1 is mounted on top of the camera. Thanks for such an informative video!
David Doran Thanks, the NTG1 is plugged into the recorder and left on it's own, not plugged into the DSLR. Audio is synced in post production.
so whats wrong with my connection? I barely can hear thru this :/ Its a first time I try to connect this
Hey, just thoght I should let you now that I borrowed my friends H4n and now the mic sounds great! :)
10 years later
Thanks for a great demo and lot's of informative stuff. I am waiting for delivery of my NTG3 and Zoom H4N. I thought I had to order a Phantom P48V after the fact but now I see that the Zoom H4N provides the required power. One question, would the sound be as rich if I used the NTG3 connected directly to the camera using Phantom power? I have a 5DMKII with MagicLantern installed.
Quick question. The NTG 1 is plugged into the Zoom H4N. Is the H4N plugged into the dslr? In other words, is the audio being recorded together with the video using this set up? Or did you record them separately and sync in post?
Micah Yongo I Would also like to know this
First off, great video! At 6:02 the audio is only coming from one side. What do you have to do in post in order to fix it only coming out of 1 side? What is your workflow for that?
It's actually being recorded into channel one. So it depends on how your recorder works. In the case of the H4n you see here, if it's set to multichannel then that channel one will be its own mono channel. If you are recording a stereo channel and one mic goes left and one goes right, then you can split that apart in the edit and turn it into two mono channels which I show how to do and talk more about here ruclips.net/video/PvI2qgZ9bOs/видео.html
You're just trying to record audio into your laptop? That cable probably won't produce the best sound but you never know until you try it. Some cables are better than others but I haven't tried XLR to USB. If your mic is not very good than it won't get any better no matter what you do. You might want to consider buying an audio recorder and recording into that.
Thank you for your fast reply :)
I will defenitly try it out some more before i throw it away xD
Just what I needed. Thanks!