By Erick Vlientinck

The US$229 RODE VideoMic Pro (www.rodemic.com) is a directional microphone for DSLR and video cameras. It has a range of 40–20,000 Hz, a –10 to 20 dB loudness switch, a signal-to-noise ratio of 74 dB, and a dynamic range of 114 dB.

The VideoMic Pro is mounted onto a suspension system with four soft rubber bands holding the microphone in place. They’re meant to keep noise at a minimum when walking with the VideoMic Pro mounted on a camera. The VideoMic Pro requires a 9-Volt battery and the bands make installing the battery a pain. The RODE’s suspension system is so good that even if you shake the microphone, there will barely be any noise.

I tested all of the microphone’s settings at various distances and with a lot of ambient noise (shopping street). I also ran a block with the microphone to see if the suspension system would dampen bumps enough so you can’t hear them.
With loudness set at 0 dB and speaking at a distance of 2 meters, the signal was a bit weak in my opinion, but at +10 dB, the RODE was loud enough to carry my voice over 4 meters away -- and still be relatively noise-free. The high-pass filter proved to work extremely well, with almost all noises, such as those from passing cars, filtered out.

In general, the RODE VideoMic Pro proved to be a nice video microphone, with good bass and sufficient highs. Options are limited to a DeadCat sock and a boompole.

Rating: 9 out of 10

(This review is brought to you courtesy of "Layers Magazine": http://layersmagazine.com/ .)