Rode VideoMic NTGchat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

Multiple users report the auto power feature failing to engage, in one case causing a lost hour-and-a-half interview, and others noting the mic didn't turn on despite the feature being expected to work automatically.

@amorélittrellfellini

I am very confused by this \"GAIN KNOB\" and how it is an advantage. If I set it below 10 approx, I cannot hear audio in my headset - which is the only way to entirely be sure it's working. I know this because I thought I could just rely on it's auto-syncing default and green light - but NO, that failed me (and I had to get a replacement mic from RODE). If you have it set below 10, you also cannot hear in headset if you have the -20 padding. AND ABOVE ALL, setting it too low (below 10) means that you have to add gain in post and with that comes so much static that the audio is unusable and IN CAMERA SOUND would have been so much easier and reliable. Meanwhile, other YouTuber says the dial makes no difference AT ALL.launch

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January 16, 2023

@CarlCreatesTV

Hi Curtis. Great channel and big fan of your work. I know you are the guru when it comes to mics so wanted to run a question by you. I have the videomic ntg and a pansonic s5 but am having issues with the mic recognising my camera and working. It does eventually work with a mixture of turning everything on and off or taking out the battery but I do struggle with this. Have you heard anything? Its almost as if the rode takes a while recognosing it is connected to my camera. I know it has an auto detect and shut down feature but maybe these two are not talking very well to one another. I have updated to the latest software plus the mic input options on the panasonic are set to 'mic input (plug in power)' it does not work with my other two options which are 'mic' and 'line' so my only option is 'mic input' Thanks.launch

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March 3, 2022

@jasonstallworth

Great review and demonstrations! And, dude, I love this mic! I actually just had it delivered yesterday and it picks up 2 people talking perfectly (and it didn't pick up the noise from my ceiling fan, which is a must because my studio tends to get a bit warm!). \n\nNow, the one MISTAKE I made last night in the interview I was doing was that I didn't double-check that the mic was on. Typically, the mic automatically turns on once it's plugged in. However, this doesn't happen about 90% of the time. Last night, the soundcheck went great! But once I plugged the mic back in after listening to your test, the mic didn't turn on. So...(ugh!!) an hour and a half interview was completely gone! Talk about heart-broken (I was interviewing the drummer for Siren, which has recently been resurrected from the 80s). Fortunately, he's agreed to do another one, which I will this time double-check everything and will also have a backup source going! \n\n\nNext, I'll also be testing this for my guitar videos. I've always wanted to get a mic like this to be able to record tutorials while talking and playing back and forth. My lavalier mic just doesn't work well for that. So for years I've been recording my guitar direct and syncing the audio/video, but that is time-consuming.\n\nBTW, nice Jackson!launch

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February 18, 2021

@AustralianImage

Hi Curtis. I thought I'd provide an update on my VideoMic NTG saga. I contacted Rode and received a quick response, and went through a few emails detailing what was going on and what I found on further experimentation. \n\nFirstly, I discovered that the NTG would turn on/off if connected to my Wireless GO setup (when the receiver was turned on/off), but no joy with other options. However, the big surprise came with the latest firmware upgrade to the BMPCC4K (ver 6.8) as, after installing that, the NTG started to work as it should and has continued to work fine so far.\n\nI made Rode aware of this, so it would be interesting to know whether anyone else has had this experience.launch

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February 3, 2020

Several users express concern over the internal, non-replaceable battery and the lack of any meaningful charge status display, making battery management guesswork. Some report unexpected discharge or charging inconsistencies.

@Alex_Barbaro

Hi, I've an issue with the mic. I bought it a couple days ago and I recharged it already 2 times..\nTo charge it I used my mobile charger (not Rode's usbc), when the light has become green from red I put it away and I didn't use it for all day. When the next morning I want to use the mic it didn't turn on. It was completely discharge. \nI recharged and put it away but when I tried to see if it was ok, the mic has gone from green to yellow and then to red in a couples hours (without ever having used it). Did I wrong something? Have I charge it with his usbc by computer?\nThanks for the answer!launch

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September 29, 2023

@edjefferson9175

I finally bought one. This is an odd little mic. The “gain” control is a bit misleading. It does not control the mic preamp gain. It appears to be a digital output level volume control. You can hear little “ticks” as you change it indicating it is NOT an analog controller. I believe the mic gain is probably fixed at 50-60dB gain (amplification) with the addition of selectable 20dB attenuation before the preamp. \nStill, in the end it works well. Simply set your camera to it’s lowest setting and turn the dial on the back end of the mic until you reach the desired level. Remember to use that -20 dB option in a loud environment. I love the auto power feature. For the price a furry wind cover should be included. The foam does not do much in the wind.\nAnd it gets even more odd when used over USB on a computer. You can use it for audio in and out, but there is no way to turn the mic off. You can always hear it.launch

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July 4, 2021

@velanche

Informative video! I’ve been using the mic since early spring and I’ve been very satisfied with it. Yes the output is balanced, but just fine for my needs with both my Sony ZV-1, my iPad Pro, my M1 Mac mini, and my iPhone when I need it; it’s all about the versatility and portability. I did mention to RODE about the non-replaceable battery, but then I was told that it was one good reason why you register the mic for the 10-year warranty. If it believes in this product that much, I can see myself using this for years. Again, thanks!launch

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June 29, 2021

@MB-tp8ne

Thanks for the helpful video!\nI had the same (decision) problems with battery life but than I thought about roughly 300 full cylcle life time of typical Li accumulators - 300 x 3 is 9000 or one year of 24/7 use of the microphone. I decided that I will not kill the battery within 10 years of moderate use (non-professional) and maybe you can give it a 2nd life phase as studio microphone using the USB port with a computer. I ordered it three days ago ...launch

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January 6, 2020

Several users in untreated rooms report picking up unwanted noise like traffic, kids, or HVAC hum, and hiss requiring heavy post-production noise reduction, suggesting the mic isn't ideal for noisy or untreated environments.

@hoyember

hi great video got a deeper understanding on how to use this, do you have any tips as to how to avoid recording chicken, passing vehicles and playings kids sound i get to record them even when they are blocks away. for context i try to make asmr cooking video all the windows and doors are closed, my setup is sony a6400+video mic ntg plugged using the default cable, (gain knob on 13, camera gain on 1) i get a lot of hiss or white noise too, so i had to heavily rely on noise reduction in post production with adobe PR, hope you can help me maybe im using the mic and my setup wrong?launch

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February 27, 2023

@MaryBethCrow

Thanks for this review. I'm a newbie at all this, but need to record training videos in a pretty \"bouncy\" room. Can this mic handle that? Most reviewers say that shotgun mics aren't good inside unless the room has been significantly deadened. I'm in a situation where I can't do that. I'd love to get this mic, but not if I'm walking into getting too much of a boxy sound from my voice bouncing all over the place. Thoughts?launch

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August 24, 2021

@The.Anonymous.Anonymous

Best review so far for this mic. I want to capture voice and ambient sound (noisy streets and things like that) with a camera and a phone and you explained clearly that it might not be the ideal mic for that.\nIt's a beautiful piece of tech though. I like the features.\nI have a descent USB mic to record voice and play online games, it has a 0 latency monitoring output but like this Rode, there's no way to control the headset output volume directly on the mic, and doing it in Windows causes some problems. I don't even know if there are some mics able to do that.launch

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April 13, 2021

@Post2PostClassic

I film my regular videos in my apartment and have to deal with an air exchange/heat pump hum in the background which feeds my upstairs neighbour, but is located in the basement where my apartment is. I can't turn it off, so that hum in the background is always there and quite annoying. I'm forced to use a Procaster XLR mic fed into a mixer which then feeds the camera. I assume this mic still wouldn't meet my need of cutting out that much hum I have in the background, because I also have the Videomic Pro and it's unusable, there is just too much hum. \n\nIf were you to compare this mic with the Videomic pro you have, how do you feel the NTG does cutting out white noise or background noise vs the Videomic pro?launch

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January 6, 2020

Users find the rear gain dial misleading since it's a stepped digital output control rather than an analog preamp adjustment, with one noting audible 'ticks' and another struggling to hear audio at low settings.

@amorélittrellfellini

I am very confused by this \"GAIN KNOB\" and how it is an advantage. If I set it below 10 approx, I cannot hear audio in my headset - which is the only way to entirely be sure it's working. I know this because I thought I could just rely on it's auto-syncing default and green light - but NO, that failed me (and I had to get a replacement mic from RODE). If you have it set below 10, you also cannot hear in headset if you have the -20 padding. AND ABOVE ALL, setting it too low (below 10) means that you have to add gain in post and with that comes so much static that the audio is unusable and IN CAMERA SOUND would have been so much easier and reliable. Meanwhile, other YouTuber says the dial makes no difference AT ALL.launch

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January 16, 2023

@edjefferson9175

I finally bought one. This is an odd little mic. The “gain” control is a bit misleading. It does not control the mic preamp gain. It appears to be a digital output level volume control. You can hear little “ticks” as you change it indicating it is NOT an analog controller. I believe the mic gain is probably fixed at 50-60dB gain (amplification) with the addition of selectable 20dB attenuation before the preamp. \nStill, in the end it works well. Simply set your camera to it’s lowest setting and turn the dial on the back end of the mic until you reach the desired level. Remember to use that -20 dB option in a loud environment. I love the auto power feature. For the price a furry wind cover should be included. The foam does not do much in the wind.\nAnd it gets even more odd when used over USB on a computer. You can use it for audio in and out, but there is no way to turn the mic off. You can always hear it.launch

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July 4, 2021

@CreatorsMediaTools

I encountered a surprise when using this microphone as a USB mic into Windows, and this may be true on Macs and in Linux also. There appears to be some gain staging to contend with. I had to turn it down in the Windows Audio Recording Level tab for the mic all the way to 38 to completely avoid overloads on words like \"Now\" and \"Wow\" with my voice. (Words that really test your resonance amplification...) At first, I thought I must be overloading the capsule, but that was not the case. Once I had the gain under control in Windows Audio's subsystem, the output was always clean into OBS or Voicemeeter Banana's recorder, etc. So, I think the USB overdrives the input preamps, in Windows at least, and needs to be clamped down.launch

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July 4, 2020

At least two users describe a distortion or rattling sound when subjects speak loudly, even after careful level-setting to avoid peaking, without a clear explanation for the cause.

@jonrichardson2307

Great video Isom! Quick question... I bought the Videomic NTG and I use it through my Canon 90D. I’ve been pulling my camera gain all the way down as low as it will go (1 notch up from 0) and then adjusting my NTG from there so as to get good levels on my subject without peaking. Usually ends up being about 11db (ish) on the mic itself and then about 3 ft from my subject. My issue is sometimes I get a sort of distortion/rattling sound when they get loud. I've prepared for their volume with my levels ahead of time and I’m not peaking at all levels wise but there is still a distortion when they get loud that I can't explain. Here's an example: https://youtu.be/_-xdbLXV8dc Please let me know what I should do?launch

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December 4, 2021

@jonrichardson2307

Damien! Thanks for the video. Quick question. I bought the Videomic NTG and I use it through my Canon 90D. I’ve been pulling my camera gain all the way down as low as it will go (1 notch up from 0) and then adjusting my NTG from there so as to get good levels on my subject without peaking. Usually ends up being about 11db (ish) on the mic itself and then about 3 ft from my subject. My issue is sometimes I get a sort of distortion/rattling sound when they get loud. I've prepared for their volume with my levels ahead of time and I’m not peaking at all levels wise but there is still a distortion when they get loud that I can't explain. Here's an example: https://youtu.be/_-xdbLXV8dc Please let me know what I should do?launch

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December 4, 2021

Users report difficulty finding the right cable for boom applications with certain cameras, with retailer-recommended cables not working as advertised, causing return and compatibility headaches.

@Fili2009able

I got my mic today and plugged in to my mini mac and didn't start the charging, why is that ? Now I plugged to the wall ( with the conector usb/ ac ) and it is charging , now I hope it will work with my Canon M50 Mark II mirrorless camera , my canon camera uses TRS connectors not TRRS as the Video MIc NTG , before I ordered on line I asked the question if that mic will work with my camera they said yes but I had tried another mic with TRRS connector and doesn't work !! well if it doesn't work I'll send it back , I hope they don't give a hard time like other companies had done that to me.launch

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June 2, 2022

@nicholasferriero6442

Great video! Thanks for the valuable information! Question for anyone that may be in the know. I recently purchased the Videomic NTG hybrid to use atop my Canon M50 for vlogging and for boom placement for talking head video. The NTG works great atop the camera with the supplied Rode SC10 patch cable. \n\nB&H (multiple reps) ensured me the Rode SC1 extension cable would work to connect the NTG to the M50 for boom application (since the NTG can accept both TRS or TRRS cables). The SC1 does not work. Read online that others had a similar experience. However I have not been able to find info on what cable would work to connect the Videomic NTG to the M50 for boom application. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Good luck to all!launch

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February 14, 2021

When used as a USB mic, some users had to manually reduce input gain significantly in the OS audio settings to avoid overloads on certain words, indicating the USB preamp can be driven too hot by default.

@KofiBlades

Informative video, Dunna. Thank you. However, I sincerely would like to know how this mic works with the iPhone 15 Pro Max using its USB-C port. While I can use the 3.5mm jack with an adapter, I would prefer to use this mic with its direct USB-C connection with my iPhone 15 Pro max. Many users have complained of awful noise, clipping and awful audio with this mic and the iPhone 15 Pro models. I want to know, do you experience this? If you do, are there any settings which you’ve successfully used to adjust your audio? Can you inform me please? Thanks.launch

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April 30, 2024

@CreatorsMediaTools

I encountered a surprise when using this microphone as a USB mic into Windows, and this may be true on Macs and in Linux also. There appears to be some gain staging to contend with. I had to turn it down in the Windows Audio Recording Level tab for the mic all the way to 38 to completely avoid overloads on words like \"Now\" and \"Wow\" with my voice. (Words that really test your resonance amplification...) At first, I thought I must be overloading the capsule, but that was not the case. Once I had the gain under control in Windows Audio's subsystem, the output was always clean into OBS or Voicemeeter Banana's recorder, etc. So, I think the USB overdrives the input preamps, in Windows at least, and needs to be clamped down.launch

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July 4, 2020

One user found that outdoor wind noise leaks through the USB port nearly as much as through the bare mic capsule, making outdoor USB use impractical without extra shielding.

@randylarcombe5430

I bought one of these but I've found that using it outside as much wind noise comes through the USB port as comes through the bare mic so using it outside is not an option. I am sending it back to RODE today as I suspect this might be a fault because there is no way I could use it like you on that skate rink, if it's in a blimp maybe but not with a wind shield.launch

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March 19, 2021