I know I have been posting like a maaaaad man lately but Based on what I have been doing over the past couple days and off loads of other online reviews it seems that I have read a lot about the NTG2 not being a great mic. It records very low audio why is this? Can anyone recommend a different mic at around the same price?
do NTG2's suck?
- Thread starter mrpink89
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The Rode NTG-2 is a good mic for the price. It filled (and continues to fill) a niche in audio for indie filmmaking.
Mics that use a battery to power their internal phantom power circuitry (NTG-2, AT897, C-1000s to name a few) have lower volume output levels by about -4dB to -8dB. This is not an issue when used with an impedance matching adapter to step it down to the 3.5mm input of a camcorder or DSLR camera.
It becomes an issue when used with low impedance devices. The problem is not very noticeable when used with mid-priced Lo-Z audio recorders like the FR-2, HD-P2, PMD-661, etc. It is more noticeable when used with bottom end Lo-Z recorders like the H4n or DR-40 or DR-100. Why? The more expensive recorders have much quieter mic pre-amps. Hey, it's all a question of quality; the more money that you spend the better quality you will get.
Don't take this the wrong way, but you are so seriously lacking in knowledge, technique and skills that I very seriously doubt that you will notice any issues when using the H4n and the NTG-2. You will most probably not notice any problems when you do your video or audio editing. You will finally notice if you ever screen on a nice playback system.
Mics that use a battery to power their internal phantom power circuitry (NTG-2, AT897, C-1000s to name a few) have lower volume output levels by about -4dB to -8dB. This is not an issue when used with an impedance matching adapter to step it down to the 3.5mm input of a camcorder or DSLR camera.
It becomes an issue when used with low impedance devices. The problem is not very noticeable when used with mid-priced Lo-Z audio recorders like the FR-2, HD-P2, PMD-661, etc. It is more noticeable when used with bottom end Lo-Z recorders like the H4n or DR-40 or DR-100. Why? The more expensive recorders have much quieter mic pre-amps. Hey, it's all a question of quality; the more money that you spend the better quality you will get.
Don't take this the wrong way, but you are so seriously lacking in knowledge, technique and skills that I very seriously doubt that you will notice any issues when using the H4n and the NTG-2. You will most probably not notice any problems when you do your video or audio editing. You will finally notice if you ever screen on a nice playback system.
I got a refund on my H4n today $304. I am gonna add another $200 to that and look into a much better recorder or something. any advice? I have been looking into either the (Fostex FR 2LE or the Roland R26)
And yeah, I know I am lacking in knowledge but i'll get it.
What did you mean by
"You will most probably not notice any problems when you do your video or audio editing"
Why wouldn't I, isn't that something that would show up right away? it always did when I would edit stuff back in high school.
And yeah, I know I am lacking in knowledge but i'll get it.
What did you mean by
"You will most probably not notice any problems when you do your video or audio editing"
Why wouldn't I, isn't that something that would show up right away? it always did when I would edit stuff back in high school.
I have the FR-2 LE and it's not bad, but not great either. My friends think it's fantastic sounding, but perhaps they are just saying that cause they are too use to lower quality recorders.
In the $600 range:
Fostex FR-2
Marantz PMD-660
Tascam HD-P2
All three have individual pros and cons.
BTW, you can get really nice modded versions (improved miv pres, etc.) from Oade Brothers for not much more than the stock price. Highly recommended.
Fostex FR-2
Marantz PMD-660
Tascam HD-P2
All three have individual pros and cons.
BTW, you can get really nice modded versions (improved miv pres, etc.) from Oade Brothers for not much more than the stock price. Highly recommended.
Hey ALcove. Over the past couple hours I have been doing research on the PMD 660. what I like is the Dual mono mode something I haven't seen in most recorders ( listen to me pretending to be an expert)
I liked the FR-2 but reading in other forums some people said it didn't record in mono. IDk how true that is, along with that there is no time code on it.
I am leaning toward the PMD, like i said, the dual mono mode is big, but I just need to figure out the pre amps.
What do you mean by the modded versions? ( i know what moded means) but what makes it better and why would you recommended it?
I liked the FR-2 but reading in other forums some people said it didn't record in mono. IDk how true that is, along with that there is no time code on it.
I am leaning toward the PMD, like i said, the dual mono mode is big, but I just need to figure out the pre amps.
What do you mean by the modded versions? ( i know what moded means) but what makes it better and why would you recommended it?
The dual mono of the PMD-661 is a big plus. If I remember correctly, the HD-P2 does it as well.
Go to the Oade Brothers website and you can read up on the various mods that they do.
http://www.oade.com/
They put in better mic pres, and do other modifications as well. I noticed that they now mod the DR-100; I have no idea how good the mod is. I've used modded PMF-661s and HD-P2s; VERY nice...
You may want to contact them. They are pretty friendly and quite helpful. FYI, it is A LOT cheaper to buy a pre-modded unit from them than to have them mod one you purchased somewhere else.
Please keep in mind what I constantly preach; just having "the right" gear does not give you solid audio; your technique and skills are extremely important. The results of the best gear available in the hands of a neophyte will still sound marginal, while budget gear in the hands of an experienced pro will sound really good.
Go to the Oade Brothers website and you can read up on the various mods that they do.
http://www.oade.com/
They put in better mic pres, and do other modifications as well. I noticed that they now mod the DR-100; I have no idea how good the mod is. I've used modded PMF-661s and HD-P2s; VERY nice...
You may want to contact them. They are pretty friendly and quite helpful. FYI, it is A LOT cheaper to buy a pre-modded unit from them than to have them mod one you purchased somewhere else.
Please keep in mind what I constantly preach; just having "the right" gear does not give you solid audio; your technique and skills are extremely important. The results of the best gear available in the hands of a neophyte will still sound marginal, while budget gear in the hands of an experienced pro will sound really good.
I have an FR-2LE, and it does have a mono recording function. It's a solid recorder with good pre-amps and a lot of really useful features. One of my favorite things that Fostex put in is the track naming option. On indie films, I use the scene/take option: enter the scene number and reset the take to "1" and it will auto-advance the take number every time the recorder is stopped and restarted. That makes media management much easier, and it means that my files are already consistent with my production sound report.
Here are the things I don't like so much:
- The side-view level meter is rudimentary, which means it isn't the most reliable thing in the world. (The meter on the LCD screen is fine.)
- To change recording modes (between stereo and mono, and to change bit and sample rates), the CF card has to be reformatted which will delete any files on the card. Other recorders allow the user to change these things on the fly, but not the FR-2LE. I's only a PITA of you find yourself shifting gears often, but it doesn't inhibit my workflow much since I tend to stay in the 24/48k step world more often than not. The other workaround is to keep another CF card on hand formatted for the other mode if you need to switch quickly.
- The main level adjustment pot is easy to brush (and thus change) in a fast-paced environment. I set my levels and then put a piece of gaff tape over it to keep it from rotating.
The TASCAM HD-P2 is also very much worth considering just because it packs a whole lot of great features into an affordable package (including time code). What I don't like about the HD-P2 is that the XLR ins are labeled as "Mic/Line" but actually are not really made to handle line inputs. If you're recording from a mixer, you need to use the RCA ins.
The PMD660 is a good recorder, but it really isn't a bag-friendly design. If you ever plan on having a recorder in a proper sound bag, get the TASCAM or the Fostex.
How important is time code to you? Of you're working primarily in the DSLR world, it won't be of much use to you. If, however, you think you'll be working at any time with pro cameras that have TC and can sync with another device, then TC will be something to consider.
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