RODE VideoMic Pro+

Rode VideoMic Pro+Rifle microphone for camera mountingThe "plus" in the name of the 17 cm long VideoMic Pro+ stands for a variety of switching options and innovative special functions that are equally interesting for professionals and ambitious hobby filmmakers: e.g. AutoOn/Off, Presence boost and Safety mode.The VMP+ can be easily inserted into the standard hot shoe of a camera and locked in place with the integrated thumb nut. Alternatively, it can also be mounted on a tripod, a handle, or a boom pole, with a 3/8" thread embedded in the base. Thanks to Rycote double "Lyre" system, a special thermoplastic suspension mount, the VMP+ is optimally decoupled from the camera. Body sound or handling noise cannot reach the sensitive 1/2" condenser capsule of the microphone.The VMP+ is powered by the included compact LB1 battery, which allows for 100 hours of operation and is rechargeable via USB. It does not need to be removed from the microphone for this purpose, a charging cable is included. Alternatively, two conventional AA batteries can be used to power the microphone. To connect to the camera, the TRS output jack of the microphone is connected to the camera's microphone input via the included coiled cable. The tip ("T") and ring ("R") of the plug carry the exact same signal, so the camera records in dualmono and the sound comes from the center when playing back the video.As a shotgun microphone with a supercardioid characteristic, it has a relatively narrow pickup angle to the front (about 45). If you open your two hands in front of you at a right angle, you can see which sound sources are within the pickup area and will be primarily recorded. The frequency response ranges from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. To make the sound slimmer, you can activate the builtin lowcut filter, which operates at either 75 or 150 Hz and reduces unwanted low frequencies.AutoOn/OffThe VMP+ turns on and off with the camera if desired. This way, you won't start filming without turning on the microphone first. Conversely, there is no risk of accidentally leaving the microphone on after shooting and unnecessarily draining the battery. The prerequisite is that the camera provides a power supply, also known as "plugin power," to the microphone input, which is the case with most models.Safety modeMost DSLR cameras and camcorders record audio on two tracks. For stereo microphones, these are the left and right channels. For mono microphones, dualmono recording is done, meaning the identical signal is recorded on both channels, resulting in precise center playback later. By switching the VMP+ to Safety mode, the same signal is still recorded on both tracks, but it is 12 dB quieter on the right channel of the camera. If an unexpectedly loud signal occurs during filming and leads to ugly distortion, you can rely on the undistorted safety track in postproduction.Presence boostThe VMP+ allows for a 5 dB boost in the 7 kHz range. This increases speech and detail intelligibility without introducing more noise.