RODE NT1 microphone for podcast, voice over, livestream, and Zoom calls

In this week’s episode we have a look at the RØDE NT1, a large-diaphragm cardioid condenser microphone. This studio mic has a directional, cardioid polar pattern, a 1” gold-sputtered capsule, and internal Rycote Lyre shock mounting to reduce bumps and typing from messing with your recording. In this episode we listen to some sound samples, discuss the NT1’s features, and walk through how you might use it in your audio recording, podcasting, or livestreaming workflow. Let’s take a closer look and listen!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- RØDE NT1 Large-Diaphragm Cardioid Condenser Microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Neumann U87 AI Large-Diaphragm Multipattern Condenser Microphone — Amazon, B&H, Sweetwater

- Foam cover for Electrovoice RE20 microphone — B&H, Amazon

- Desk microphone stand — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure P300C LED used as key light — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store

- Aputure LS 300X used for background light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rosco Gobo creates the pattern on the back wall — B&H

- Canon C70 cinema camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens — B&H, Amazon

- Schneider Radiant Soft diffusion filter — B&H

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

SHURE SM7B vs SM58 Microphones for Livestream and Podcast

In this week’s episode we compare two classic microphones from SHURE: the SM7B and the SM58. These cardioid dynamic mics have proven themselves to be staples amongst podcasters and vocalists, respectively, but why exactly is that? In this episode we listen to some sound samples from each mic, discuss their features and histories, and walk through how you might incorporate one or the other (or both!) into your audio recording workflow. Let’s take a closer look and listen!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Shure SM7B Vocal Microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Perfect Circuit, Amazon

- Shure SM58 Dynamic Vocal Microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Shure A7WS foam cover, what we used on the SM58 to record this episode — B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices MixPre-3 II audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon, Trew Audio

- Cloudlifter CL-1 in-line preamplifier — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Triton Audio FETHead in-line preamplifier — B&H, Amazon

- MOTU M2 USB audio interface — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure P300C LED used as key light — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store

- Aputure LS 300X used for background light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store. Amazon

- Rosco Gobo creates the pattern on the back wall — B&H

- Canon C70 cinema camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens — B&H, Amazon

- Schneider Radiant Soft diffusion filter — B&H

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

Azden SGM 250H Shotgun Microphone vs. Sennheiser MKE600 & DEITY S-Mic 2

In this week’s episode, we have a look at the Azden SGM-250H shotgun microphone. This unique hypercardioid condenser microphone has an extra-long interference tube for increased directionality. Made specifically for video production applications, its refined polar pattern can help you get the most out of recordings made in noisy spaces. In this video we go over the SGM-250H’s feature set and compare its sound to mics of similar price and design. Let’s take a closer look!

My reviews of the other microphones I recommend in the $300 - $400 USD price range:

Sennheiser MKE 600

DEITY S-Mic 2

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Azden SGM-250H hypercardioid condenser microphone — Amazon

- Sennheiser MKE 600 shotgun microphone — Trew Audio, B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- DEITY S-Mic 2 shotgun microphone — Trew Audio, B&H, Amazon

- SoundDevices MixPre Audio Recorders — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Canon C70 cinema camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens — B&H, Amazon

- Schneider Radiant Soft diffusion filter — B&H

- Panasonic GH5 — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35 mm F2.8 Lens — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure P300C LED used as key light — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store

- Aputure LS 300X used for background light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store. Amazon

- Rosco Gobo creates the pattern on the back wall — B&H

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

Godox VDS M3 Shotgun Microphone

In this week’s episode, we have a look at the Godox VDS-M3 shotgun microphone. This supercardioid condenser microphone has a directional pickup pattern, an inbuilt battery, a high-pass filter, a -10dB pad, and a high-frequency boost. It also conveniently charges via USB-C to 220 hours of run time on a full battery. In this video we go over the microphone’s feature set and compare its sound to mics of similar design. Let’s take a closer look!

My reviews of the other microphones I recommend in the $300 - $400 USD price range:

Sennheiser MKE 600

DEITY S-Mic 2

Audio Technica AT875R

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Godox VDS-M3 shotgun microphone — B&H

- Sennheiser MKE 600 shotgun microphone — Trew Audio, B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- DEITY S-Mic 2 shotgun microphone — Trew Audio, B&H, Amazon

- Audio Technica AT875R shotgun microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- Canon C70 cinema camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens — B&H, Amazon

- Schneider Radiant Soft diffusion filter — B&H

- Panasonic GH5 — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35 mm F2.8 Lens — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure P300C LED used as key light — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store

- Aputure LS 300X used for background light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store. Amazon

- Rosco Gobo creates the pattern on the back wall — B&H

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

Sonarworks SoundID Reference — Corrective EQ for video editors and mixers

In this week’s episode, we look at Sonarworks SoundID Reference. This is a bundle including a calibrated measurement microphone plus an app you run on your Mac or PC. The app guides you through the process of making nearly 40 measurements of sound playing back through your speakers or monitors in your mixing room. From those measurements, it makes an EQ curve to tune the output of your monitors so that you get balanced and focused playback of your mixes. Let’s take a closer look and see whether it makes a difference and is worth the $299 USD.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, Trew Audio or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Sonarworks SoundID Reference (mic and app) — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 USB audio interface, an affordable, “neutral” audio interface — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Universal Audio Apollo x6 thunderbolt 3 audio interface, this is what I used, with all plugins turned off — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Focal Solo 6Be monitors (pro-level reference monitors) — B&H, Sweetwater

- Focal Sub6 11” subwoofer — B&H, Sweetwater

- Canon C70 cinema camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens — B&H, Amazon

- Schneider Radiant Soft diffusion filter — B&H

- Panasonic GH5 — B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic 12-35 mm F2.8 Lens — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure P300C LED used as key light — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store

- Aputure LS 300X used for background light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Amaran P60X used for rim light — B&H, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store. Amazon

- Rosco Gobo creates the pattern on the back wall — B&H

The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

Sennheiser MKE 600 Shotgun Microphone Review

In this week’s episode, we have a look at and a listen to the Sennheiser MKE 600 shotgun microphone. This medium sized shotgun mic — in Sennheiser’s words, a ‘microphone for video journalists’ — is highly directional and can be used both as a traditional shotgun mic or as a camera-top vlog microphone. The included XLR to 3.5 mm TRS cable also allows you to record from this mic directly into cameras with a 3.5mm mic input. In this video we walk through the MKE 600’s feature set and test it out in multiple environments and applications. Let’s take a closer look!

Additional microphone reviews:

- Audio Technica AT875R

- RODE NTG4

- RODE NTG2

- RODE VideoMic NTG

- Sony ECM 674

- Deity S-Mic 2S

- Deity S-Mic 2

- Deity D3 Pro

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Sennheiser MKE 600 Shotgun Microphone – Trew Audio, B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sennheiser MKH416 shotgun microphone — Trew Audio, B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store, Amazon

- DEITY S-Mic 2 shotgun microphone — Trew Audio, B&H, Amazon

- Aputure 600D PRO LED Light — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store

- Impact Luxbank softbox - B&H

- Aputure Amaran 100D - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo Cool Lavender creates the color pattern on the back wall - B&H

- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K — B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Canon C70 camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L lens — B&H, Amazon

- SoundDevices 888 Audio Recorder – Trew Audio, B&H, Sweetwater

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

NEAT Microphones King Bee II Review — Budget XLR broadcast sounding microphone

In this week’s episode, we have a look at and a listen to the NEAT Microphones King Bee II. This large diaphragm condenser microphone has an XLR output and has a rich, broadcast style sound for spoken word audio such as for podcasts, live streams, interviews, etc. Its self-noise is very low, almost on part with the RODE NT1 which is one of the best in the market. We include some raw samples so you can hear the microphone directly out of the recorder without any processing.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- NEAT Microphones King Bee II microphone — Sweetwater, Amazon

- RODE NT1 microphone — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Universal Audio Volt 276 USB audio interface - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Aputure 600X LED light — Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Impact Luxbank softbox - B&H

- Aputure Amaran 100D - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Aputure Spotlight Mount - Aputure, B&H, DVE Store. Amazon

- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo Cool Lavender creates the color pattern on the back wall - B&H

- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Simga EF 24-70mm f/2.8 lens - https://geni.us/bhOWVlW

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2022, Curtis Judd

RODE VideoMic GO II

In this episode, we have a look and a listen to the RODE VideoMic GO II. This versatile, very small shotgun style microphone can record to your camera, your mobile device (iOS or Android) or your Mac or PC. It is super simple to use and it doesn’t require a battery. Let’s take a closer look and listen!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- RODE VideoMic GO II and accessories - B&H, Sweetwater, DVE Store

- RODE VideoMic NTG - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- RODE Tripod 2 — B&H

- iFootage Cobra II tabletop tripod - B&H, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Rycote Nano Shield and PCS Quick Release System for Microphones

In this episode, we have a closer look at the Rycote Nano Shield wind shield as well as Rycote’s PCS quick release system for microphones. Rycote pitches the Nano Shield as their most advanced wind shield to date, and in my testing with it so far, I agree. Their PCS quick release system includes several different models including their flagship model for boom poles as well as the less expensive Lite version for studio microphone arms or even camera equipment. Let’s take a closer look!

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX.

Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVEStore, Perfect Circuit, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Rycote Nano Shield microphone wind shield kits — B&H

- Rycote PCS microphone quick release — B&H

- DPA 4017b shotgun microphone — B&H, Sweetwater

- Sound Devices 888 audio recorder/mixer — B&H, Sweetwater

- Earthworks Ethos studio microphone — B&H, Sweetwater

- Universal Audio Volt 276 USB Audio Interface — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon

- Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera — B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd

Sound for Video Session: Adobe Audition Multitrack Editor & Q&A

In this week's Sound for Video Session, we'll talk a bit about Adobe Audition's multitrack editor and answer your sound for video questions. We'll also demo a new microphone this week — the Earthworks SV33 — a ridiculous but beautiful studio vocal microphone.

If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. We have a course on sound for live-streaming with the ATEM Mini and just added Introduction to Izotope RX for Dialogue Audio.

Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, DVE Store, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:

- Earthworks SV33 studio vocal microphone — B&H, Sweetwater

- Earthworks ETHOS microphone — B&H, Sweetwater

- Universal Audio Volt 276 USB audio interface — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Earthworks SR314 - B&H, Sweetwater

- Epiphan Pearl Nano live stream encoder — B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon

- Canon C70 Camera - B&H

- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8L IS lens - B&H, Amazon

- TA3-M to XLR-F Adapter cable to feed microphones to C70 or Blackmagic Pocket cameras - B&H

- ATEM Mini Extreme & Extreme ISO - B&H, DVE Store, Amazon

- Allen & Heath SQ5 Digital Mixer - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Sound Devices MixPre II Series Recorders - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon

- Rupert Neve Designs Shelford Channel, pre-amp, EQ, compressor - Sweetwater, B&H

Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself.

Copyright 2021, Curtis Judd