Tony Burns Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Hi everyone! First time posting here, thank you everyone for all the knowledge that's been shared here. It's been a great help to me as an audio newbie trying to build out my kit for filmmaking. One thing that I haven't been able to find much information on though is alternative microphones for the RodeLink Filmmaker. It seems to be widely accepted in the ballpark budget I'm looking at that the Tram TR50, Sanken COS-11d, or OST 801/802 are good lavalier mics to look at, and I currently have a TR50 with the XLR connector, which I know can't be used with the RodeLink unless I was using the Newsshooter. I'm looking to potentially get two RodeLinks to start out, with a pair of the Sennheiser MZA 900 adapters to quickly switch the mics to cables once my interviewees sit down and as a backup in general. I know the TRS connectors on the TR50, COS-11d, and OST 801/802 variants that are made for Sennheiser's locking connector are probably physically compatible, my readings here suggest to me that compatibility is more nuanced than just being able to plug the mic in. Has anyone here used the TRS variants of the TR50, COS-11d, or OST 801/802 on the RodeLink, or have other suggestions for mic upgrades? Perhaps I'm way off base here too and the lav included with the RodeLink is perfectly fine. The other option I'm looking at is to just get two sets of Sennheiser G3s with ME2 mics instead and wait to upgrade the mics in the future. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkautzsch Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 The "usual suspect" mics like COS-11, Tram, B-6 or MKE-2 Gold are industry standard for a reason (being reality proven). Rode stock mics might not be worse sound wise, usually Rode stuff is great bang-for-buck, and the Rode Lavalier isn't much cheaper than industry standards, but they are just not that much used and therefore less reality proven. Another aspect to look at is size. Do you need to hide them in light clothing? Are big visible lavs with good wind protection allowed? Anything between? You need to check a few things when you want to use a given TX with a given mic, compatibility wise. Knowing what to look for, the product specs and manuals will tell you everything. 1. connector pinouts: From a buying point of view, this is the most irrelevant point. Any connector with any pinout can be soldered to a mic cable. However, it is a very relevant point to get right. For example, Sennheiser EW has mic on tip, line on ring, ground on shaft - so that's what I'd assume when buying a Mini TRS "for Sennheiser" mic. If you get a great deal on a Sanken "for Audio Ltd.", and know how to solder, you can swap the connector yourself. 2. operating voltage: Most lavs require some kind of voltage to work. Often this is a range around +5 Volts, some mics need a separate pin, others use the signal pin. 3. Levels: The TX's on-board preamp must handle the mic's output. A weak preamp with a low sensitivity mic will be noisy, a high output mic into a very sensitive pre will distort. This is the least obvious number in a manual, since it can be stated in different units (voltages or dB levels). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinTheMixer Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 3 hours ago, Tony Burns said: Hi everyone! First time posting here, thank you everyone for all the knowledge that's been shared here. It's been a great help to me as an audio newbie trying to build out my kit for filmmaking. One thing that I haven't been able to find much information on though is alternative microphones for the RodeLink Filmmaker. It seems to be widely accepted in the ballpark budget I'm looking at that the Tram TR50, Sanken COS-11d, or OST 801/802 are good lavalier mics to look at, and I currently have a TR50 with the XLR connector, which I know can't be used with the RodeLink unless I was using the Newsshooter. I'm looking to potentially get two RodeLinks to start out, with a pair of the Sennheiser MZA 900 adapters to quickly switch the mics to cables once my interviewees sit down and as a backup in general. I know the TRS connectors on the TR50, COS-11d, and OST 801/802 variants that are made for Sennheiser's locking connector are probably physically compatible, my readings here suggest to me that compatibility is more nuanced than just being able to plug the mic in. Has anyone here used the TRS variants of the TR50, COS-11d, or OST 801/802 on the RodeLink, or have other suggestions for mic upgrades? Perhaps I'm way off base here too and the lav included with the RodeLink is perfectly fine. The other option I'm looking at is to just get two sets of Sennheiser G3s with ME2 mics instead and wait to upgrade the mics in the future. Thanks! Hi all, somebody had me look up the specs on that rode link the other day, I had no idea what was, it sounded like some kind of WiFi booster. The specs on that thing look really bad. And if I read the manual or the features right, doesn't it just have 3 gain settings? I think the self noise was really not good. If all that is correct, I think there's bigger problems to worry about than mic selection. I think the Sennheiser G3 seems like it would be a pretty big step up. And then of course from there, you could go the pro equipment route and then have huge steps up. But I understand there's a budget here. Sincerely, Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Feeley Posted January 25, 2017 Report Share Posted January 25, 2017 Not to be snobby, but you will probably find more people who've used RodeLink wireless and can directly compare it to G3s (and similarly priced competitors) at these two forums: http://www.dvxuser.com http://www.dvinfo.net Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M42 Posted January 26, 2017 Report Share Posted January 26, 2017 15 hours ago, MartinTheMixer said: Hi all, somebody had me look up the specs on that rode link the other day, I had no idea what was, it sounded like some kind of WiFi booster. The specs on that thing look really bad. And if I read the manual or the features right, doesn't it just have 3 gain settings? I think the self noise was really not good. If all that is correct, I think there's bigger problems to worry about than mic selection. I think the Sennheiser G3 seems like it would be a pretty big step up. And then of course from there, you could go the pro equipment route and then have huge steps up. But I understand there's a budget here. Sincerely, Martin Hi I have red and experienced little different. http://beachtek.com/wireless-comparison-rodelink-vs-sennheiser-ew100/ I have used filmmaker kit as camera hop and did it's job. In mic use, OK, mic could be better compared to DPA, MKE Gold, Cos etc. but hey, you will get the whole set at price of one DPA lavalier-mic. I have not noticed wifi-booster effects etc. I ran it to Sound Devices 788T. Also fed it from SD 788's unbalanced 5,6 out to transmitter ---) receiver to camera. Had no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty Ford Posted January 26, 2017 Report Share Posted January 26, 2017 I have two Audio-Technica System 10 with B6 lavs. They run in the 2.4 GHz band. I think they sound pretty nice. http://tyfordaudiovideo.blogspot.com/2015/01/audio-technica-system-10-update-more.html Regards, Ty Ford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IronFilm Posted January 27, 2017 Report Share Posted January 27, 2017 On 1/27/2017 at 4:05 AM, Ty Ford said: Audio-Technica System 10 How is it compared to the older ATW1800 series? Are you still using the ATW1800 that you had? I'm thinking about getting one myself second hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Spaeth Posted January 28, 2017 Report Share Posted January 28, 2017 I tried the Rodelink plug on Tx recently. Great product in general, has phantom power, thought this might come in handy for plant situations, and it's very cheap for what it does. However the noise floor of the system is quite noticeable in quiet situations, and it sounds like digital noise. Also as soon as you don't have line of sight connection the signal cuts out a lot. The Rode lavalier sounds good when in plain sight, but if you hide it it gets very muffled sounding. So the Rode stuff is great for low budget shooters, but not useable in tough situations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ty Ford Posted February 4, 2017 Report Share Posted February 4, 2017 On 1/27/2017 at 0:15 PM, IronFilm said: How is it compared to the older ATW1800 series? Are you still using the ATW1800 that you had? I'm thinking about getting one myself second hand. I never owned an 1800. I get stuff to review and typically send it back after the review, otherwise my storage area would be bursting at the seams. I do have friends with them and they seem to like them. The System 10 is simpler to operate. If you need the 1800 features, then go that way. Regards, Ty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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