At A Glance: RØDE Stereo VideoMic X

Setting the standard for single-system audio

By Neil Matsumoto

Although you can capture high-quality images, DSLRs and compact mirrorless cameras were never designed to capture high-quality sound. Their built-in microphones are pretty useless except for capturing scratch audio for dual-system sound. Also, the cameras lack XLR inputs for use with professional mics and their preamps are pretty rudimentary. Since... Read more

Cut The Cord – Wireless Audio Overview

Wireless microphones can add a new dimension to your production

By Bud Osborne

Wireless microphones are ubiquitous. They’re used by broadcasters, corporate video producers, large- and small-venue sound-system owners, filmmakers and just about anyone who has a need to communicate or record audio from a microphone without a cable getting in the way. In the last 60 years, they have changed the way we look at audio challenges... Read more

At A glance: juicedLink RM333

Single-system sound strikes back

By Neil Matsumoto

For DSLR filmmakers, the biggest obstacle to climb is sound. For young filmmakers who have never touched a frame of film, dual-system sound (where a separate audio recorder is employed) is often a foreign concept. For most, employing audio recorders like the Samson Zoom H4n has been a great and affordable solution in capturing good sound. The major... Read more

At A glance: Sound Devices PIX 240i

A versatile video recorder/monitor that also can record high-quality sound

By Neil Matsumoto

With the ability to output data via HD-SDI or HDMI, video recorders such as Convergent Design’s nanoFlash, AJA’s Ki Pro Mini and Atomos’ Ninja and Samurai have become extremely popular with indie shooters looking to capture higher-quality 4:2:2 files rather than H.264. Sound Devices, which is primarily known as a high-end audio... Read more

At A glance: TASCAM DP-24

Desktop multitrack recording for live events

By Staff

The TASCAM DP-24 is the latest flagship Portastudio from the company that pioneered portable multitrack recording over 25 years ago. The TEAC Portastudio 144 was the world’s first four-track recorder based on a standard compact audiocassette tape. When it made its debut in 1979, the TASCAM Portastudio was a revolutionary creative tool. For the... Read more

At A Glance: Sennheiser MKH 8070 And MKH 8060

When it comes to providing rugged, great-sounding audio tools for pro users, Sennheiser is no newcomer, with a history spanning more than six decades.

By George Petersen

When it comes to providing rugged, great-sounding audio tools for pro users, Sennheiser is no newcomer, with a history spanning more than six decades. In 1956, the company unveiled the MD 82, the first commercial microphone using the interference tube principle—the basis of the modern shotgun mic. Dubbed the "tele-microphone," it was surprisingly... Read more

The Microphone Grab Bag

There’s no such thing as an "all-around microphone"

By Dan Brockett

One of the major benefits of the digital revolution compared to production 20 or 30 years ago is that with the proliferation of inexpensive cameras, editing gear and software, there also have been huge strides in the variety and types of microphones available. There’s a microphone for every job, and within each of the most popular categories of... Read more

At A Glance: Panasonic AG-HMR10 Recorder And AG-HCK10 Camera Head

Capturing your own POV

By Neil Matsumoto

For the 2008 Oscar©-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle needed a camera system that would be small and light enough to chase running children through the crowded streets of Mumbai. For those scenes, he used a Silicon Imaging SI-2K Mini that was wired to MacBook Pro computers stored in a backpack he was wearing.... Read more