Freesound Forums

Hi,

I´m buying a Rode NT4 in a couple of weeks and also considering some accessories. Just wanted to get advice from some of you according to your experience.

Since I am going to record in a variety of outdoor conditions, I definitely need kind of a complete kit including elastic shock mount, a blimp and a windjammer... also a pistol grip and a light boom-pole; a mic stand or small tripod probably too.

Obviously Rycote systems are a standard to take into account, but my budget is limited, so I´m trying to find alternatives.

I was thinking on the 'official' kit : Rode SM4 shockmount and the Deadkitten (are you using this directly over the mic without a blimp? good results?) but there is the lack of a pistol grip and I think I´d rather prefer in some particular situations to handheld the mic instead of even carrying a short pole . I couldn´t find a spare pistol grip attachable to the Rode SM4...

I´m considering also this affordable alternative to the standard blimp/windjammer rigs mentioned before:

http://www.mediateletipos.net/archives/7390

included in that kit : universal shockmount+pistolgrip+blimp+fur cover+pole adapter, so over the print it seems a good deal... any experience with it?

regarding the boom-poles, I cannot find in the stores anymore the models made by Rode, it seems that are discontinued. So I need any alternative... in that shop previously mentioned (I don´t like to make publicity but its the only way to link to the stuff) they also have a boom pole system that seems to be ok...

and the mic-stand, pretty straighforward, but since I´m posing this bunch of questions, maybe you have any favorite ones... I was considering the Ultimate mc-41. Here lightweight and portability are an issue for some eventual outdoor uses, though I will get also the Rode Tripod to use it in the majority of these situations out of the studio.

so, any ideas, thoughts, comments will be kindly appreciated... thank U!

I'm waiting for that: http://www.designawards.com.au/application_detail.jsp?status=3&applicationID=3521

Seems they want a design award, before they are going to sell it.
I hope it works for the NT4. No idea on the price.

-afaict

wow!

that looks pretty interesting...

_Notification of Finalists
Tues 25 March 2008
_2008 Presentation Night
Fri 30 May 2008

therefore, if they are waiting for thaat, maybe at least three months more until they release it... arhghggh...

I think (hope too) it will work for the NT4, its one of their bestsellers and probably it will have an affordable price according to Rode line of products...

thank you very much for this valuable information.... now I have a problem of patience in case of waiting for this....

Greetings I have a couple of cine-city blimps and, although cheap work quite well with the NT4...

http://www.digifishmusic.com/public/images/blimp1.jpg
http://www.digifishmusic.com/public/images/nt4-in-blimp.jpg
http://www.digifishmusic.com/public/images/blimp3.jpg

e.g... NT4 in CineCity blimp

This is a link to the manufacturers direct site...

http://www.thecinecity.com/product.php?productid=16217&cat=0&page=1

and e-Bay

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Pro-Blimp-windshield-windscreen-For-mic-MKH60-416-ME66_W0QQitemZ120241551172QQihZ002QQcategoryZ3319QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

Recordings...

http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=44480

http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=44250

http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=44479

http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/samplesViewSingle.php?id=43779

About your other ideas, I have used an SM4 shockmount as a grip,Just grip the stand adapter.

The dead-cat may slip over the foam, you may want to check with Rode first. I think the dead kitten may be a better bet, as it goes over the chunkier stereo video mic.

http://www.rodemic.com/accessory.php?product=DeadKitten

http://www.rodemic.com/images/accessories/deadkitten.jpg
http://www.digifishmusic.com/public/images/HandHeld_RodeNT4.jpg

digifish

Digifishmusic - I am looking at purchasing the cine city windshield shockmount system that you have pictured below. I have a couple of questions about the setup. On the site it says that the shockmount can only hold a microphone with a diameter of 20-25 mm. The nt4 has a diameter of 32 mm. How did you fit the nt4 into the shockmount system? It looks as if you are using a custom mounted system. How did you make this work?

It also says that the system can hold a microphone up to 24 cm long max. The nt4 is 23.2 cm long. Do you have trouble fitting the cable in with the blimp attached?

How well would you say the fur windjammer works? A lot of rolloff on the high end when you use it? Thanks for any help you can give on this.

ejfortin
Digifishmusic - I am looking at purchasing the cine city windshield shockmount system that you have pictured below. I have a couple of questions about the setup. On the site it says that the shockmount can only hold a microphone with a diameter of 20-25 mm. The nt4 has a diameter of 32 mm. How did you fit the nt4 into the shockmount system? It looks as if you are using a custom mounted system. How did you make this work?

It also says that the system can hold a microphone up to 24 cm long max. The nt4 is 23.2 cm long. Do you have trouble fitting the cable in with the blimp attached?

How well would you say the fur windjammer works? A lot of rolloff on the high end when you use it? Thanks for any help you can give on this.

Greetings,

Perhaps a picture is worth 1000 words...

First, this is the model I have (2 actually)... http://www.thecinecity.com/product.php?productid=16217&cat=264&page=1

1. The largest mic clips hold the NT4 (are very flexible unbreakable nylon it seems) however the mic can pop out if the cradle is inverted...here's my solution...

http://www.digifishmusic.com/public/images/TapersSection_NT4-Suspension.jpg

You will also notice (if you look carefully) I have doubled up all the suspension rubbers (this is to take the weight of the NT4 which was a little under-damped with one set of rubbers due to its weight). This is no problem as the kit comes with a bag of about 50 spare rubbers and other bits-n-pieces. The rubbers are far more durable (btw) than they appear when you first see them.

http://www.digifishmusic.com/public/images/TapersSection_NT4-Suspension2.jpg

The fur cover makes no noticeable effect on the high frequencies. You can measure it, but not notice it. It is very effective at blocking the wind.

http://www.digifishmusic.com/public/images/Freesound_AirportNerd.jpg

My summary after working with the Cine City blimp for about a year is that they are great value for money. If you are an owner operator and treat your gear with respect you will find the Cine City is 90% of the performance for 20% of the price of the Rycotes and K-Tek's of this world. The next step up in this area will have you spending $400-500 more.

Would I put a Cine City blimp into commercial service on a film-set? No, in the hands of someone who doesn't own the gear they are using, they would probably break it. Similarly there are a number of small compromises here and there that, while not affecting the technical performance, make them a little more awkward to setup than the name brands. However I did buy after getting the first, and have had 2 in fairly constant use for about 1 year now, no worries. This includes suitcase travel on flights, remote field work etc...and the Cine City blimps have not let me down.

PS: The company is keen to please, if you have any issues they will respond with replacement parts, I had issues with a furry-cover not fitting correctly (very difficult to pull over the blimp) and they sent me a new one.

digifish.

It looks like the blimp you have pictured is the 40 R. Is the 40 R big enough to fit an NT4 or do I need the 60 R. The company responded to an e-mail and said I would need the 60 R, but I wanted to double check, because it looks like you are using the 40 R with the NT4. Thanks again for the help.

ejfortin

For boompoles, at filmschool I've always used Vandeberg booms, they're sold in Amsterdam by the Noyz Boyz (Google 'em and you will find 'em). Don't know what they cost, but you can phone them and ask about it or about the alternatives.
You can of course also ask them about the windjammers.

(Of course this info works best if you are in The Netherlands or close to it)

ejfortin
It looks like the blimp you have pictured is the 40 R. Is the 40 R big enough to fit an NT4 or do I need the 60 R. The company responded to an e-mail and said I would need the 60 R, but I wanted to double check, because it looks like you are using the 40 R with the NT4. Thanks again for the help.

ejfortin

Hi, I have been away on a field recording trip, sorry for the delay.

it was this one... BMP40, it's 40 cm long, end to end, more than long enough for the NT4

http://www.thecinecity.com/product.php?productid=16217

digifish

i just got an NT4, and had a similar question ..
the guy at Rode Tech support told me that they ran tests and found that if you put the included foam bit and stretch a Dead Kitten over both the foam & mic it works just as good as any stereo blimp system.

i'm currently waiting for my dead kitten to arrive, but i just thought i'd share what i've jsut learned through this.

if anyone has any specific advantages of a blimp they could share i would be psyched to learn more. i am using this mic for both cinema film use, and sound design & sampling ..

freestylemovement
i just got an NT4, and had a similar question ..
the guy at Rode Tech support told me that they ran tests and found that if you put the included foam bit and stretch a Dead Kitten over both the foam & mic it works just as good as any stereo blimp system.

i'm currently waiting for my dead kitten to arrive, but i just thought i'd share what i've jsut learned through this.

if anyone has any specific advantages of a blimp they could share i would be psyched to learn more. i am using this mic for both cinema film use, and sound design & sampling ..

Your approach is a good one. I have had the same conversation with Rode, actually I told them about it and they added it to their website on the NT4 page as an accessory.

digifish

Hello everybody,
I am doing Radio documentaries, I've just joined the forum and I don't know much about technical features, so maybe my question will sound a bit silly but...
I've just bought an Olympus LS-10 recorder and a Rode NT4, and after some attempts I am beginning to doubt wether both are really compatible. The recorder is fine: it has 2 built-in mics which work really well. But when I plug the Rode mic (using a 9V Battery), it is not sensitive at all, I need to set the Rec level to the max (10) to hardly reach -12/-6 dB. I tried all the settings I had to check...And I didn't find the solution so far.
Does anyone know if the recorder and the mic are compatible?
If there is no way using both together, what should I do, change the mic or change the recorder?
I would much appreciate any comment/suggestion/explanation!
Thanks a lot in advance,
Ernestita

freestylemovement
i just got an NT4, and had a similar question ..
the guy at Rode Tech support told me that they ran tests and found that if you put the included foam bit and stretch a Dead Kitten over both the foam & mic it works just as good as any stereo blimp system.

i'm currently waiting for my dead kitten to arrive, but i just thought i'd share what i've jsut learned through this.

if anyone has any specific advantages of a blimp they could share i would be psyched to learn more. i am using this mic for both cinema film use, and sound design & sampling ..

The main advantage of a blimp over a (faux) dead cat is that the blimp will tend to color and attenuate the sound a bit less. In my experience (mostly based on Rycote blimps and windjammers), the blimp causes almost no coloration and maybe 3db of attenuation. The windjammer (rycote dead cat cover) introduces very slight (but still noticeable in A/B tests) coloration of both highs and lows and has north of 6db of attenuation. For most purposes, this is fine, but remember that anything in the sound path that attenuates is effectively increasing the noise floor by the same amount.

Of course, these small effects are greatly preferable to the wind noise that they eliminate, but from an acoustic perspective, if you have both you want to use the blimp first and add the cat only if that isn't sufficient.

ernestita
Hello everybody,
I am doing Radio documentaries, I've just joined the forum and I don't know much about technical features, so maybe my question will sound a bit silly but...
I've just bought an Olympus LS-10 recorder and a Rode NT4, and after some attempts I am beginning to doubt wether both are really compatible. The recorder is fine: it has 2 built-in mics which work really well. But when I plug the Rode mic (using a 9V Battery), it is not sensitive at all, I need to set the Rec level to the max (10) to hardly reach -12/-6 dB. I tried all the settings I had to check...And I didn't find the solution so far.
Does anyone know if the recorder and the mic are compatible?
If there is no way using both together, what should I do, change the mic or change the recorder?
I would much appreciate any comment/suggestion/explanation!
Thanks a lot in advance,
Ernestita

I also have the LS-10 recorder and have noticed less than optimal gain when using the mic preamp - I believe this is common with the small flash recorders. On-board mics are very nice though. Although I do not have experience with the NT4 mic, I have an Audio Technica AT822 on order. I am anticipating a similar problem with this mic; I so I plan on looking at the VisiVox mic preamp.
I believe a few people belonging to this forum have used this setup and may want to comment. You might benefit from starting a new thread to allow more feedback on this subject.

While the NT-4 isn't a particularly high output mic (for a condenser), you should be able to get more than -10db with normal speech at a close distance with the gain cranked up. I don't have an LS-10, but if it can't handle the output of the NT-4, that's a real deficiency.
H
Dumb question: are you sure you're plugged into the mic jack and not the line-in jack (which expects a higher-level signal)? And do you have the
AGC ("auto mode" and limiter off?

-matt

hi! do we have any news about the announced new Røde blimp mentioned above in this thread??

http://www.designawards.com.au/application_detail.jsp?status=3&applicationID=3521

please, let me know if anyone knows when this is due to be on sale, I could not find more info online. thanks in advance.

Good news....

Finally after a long wait...

http://www.rodemic.com/accessory.php?product=Blimp

http://www.digifishmusic.com/public/images/TapersSection_RodeBlimpAcc.jpg
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/attachments/all-things-audio/9087d1221914906-rode-blimp-suspension-pix-rode-blimp-suspension-1-medium-.jpg
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/attachments/all-things-audio/9088d1221914906-rode-blimp-suspension-pix-blimp-suspension-2-medium-.jpg
Download Blimp Manual Here (4 Meg).

Compatible Microphones

* RODE : NTG-1, NTG-2, NTG-3, NT-4
* AKG : C568EB, C568B, C480B CK61/62/63
* Audio Technica : AT4073a, AT875R, AT897, BP4029, AT 835ST
* Azden : SGM-1000, SGM-1X, SGM-2X (short barrel only)
* Beyer : MC 836, MCE 86 II, MCE 86 S II
* DPA : 4017
* Edirol/Roland : CS-50
* Neumann : KMR81I, RSM191
* Sanken : CS1, CS3, CSS55
* Schoeps : CMD 2U, CMIT 5U
* Sennheiser : MKH 20 P48, MKH 30 P48, MKH 40 P48, MKH 50, P48, MKH 60-1, MKH 416, P48, MKH 418 S, ME60, ME62, ME64, ME66
* Sony : ECM-678, ECM-673, ECM-674 ,ECM-680S, ECM-670, ECM-672

To TopSpecifications

* Weight : 755g (with tail cable installed)
* Length : 490mm
* Diameter : ∅125mm
* Shipping weight : 1.2kg
* Shipping dimensions : 500mm (L) x 230mm (W) x 175mm (H)

US Retail Price:$399, @ B&H seems to be ~$400 USD. This will probably settle at $199-230 with discounting.

For comparison I can get it in Australia for ~$190 USD, & $180 USD @ eBay

Bargain!

A thread with comments from a few users who have one can be seen here at DVInfo and Here

digifish

Hello,

I've got the Rode SM4 shockmount, and when I use it with my NT-4, the microphone is a little too heavy for the shockmount..

is there a way (a screw somewhere inside?) to have the head of the SM4 more fixed (more stable)?

Kind regards,

JM.

JM Charcot
Hello,

is there a way (a screw somewhere inside?) to have the head of the SM4 more fixed (more stable)?

JM.

Can you explain a little more? The head of the NT4 is fixed solidly to the body, if not then your locking ring is loose, just tighten it by hand.

digifish.

digifishmusic

JM Charcot
Hello,

is there a way (a screw somewhere inside?) to have the head of the SM4 more fixed (more stable)?

JM.

Can you explain a little more? The head of the NT4 is fixed solidly to the body, if not then your locking ring is loose, just tighten it by hand.

digifish.

Ooops sorry I'm French therefore it's a little hard to explain technically..!

I mean that the NT4 is quite heavy, and for example, let's suppose I've got a 90° angle between the microphone and my hand when it's on the SM4, if I point somewhere below or abvove, the head of the microphone will go down, the angle between my hand and the microphone won't be the same because of the weight..

I hope my explanation is not bringing more confusion..