Hi, I’ve just got a Rode NTG-2 Mic and Tascam DR40 for filming documentary and fiction. However, when I record audio, unless the subject is very close to the mic, there is a lot of hiss because I have to push the gain all the way up. I am using an XLR cable to connect the mic to the DR40, and filming with a Canon 600D. I’ve looked all over and there seems to be lots of different advice. My questions are…. Is it possible to use the NTG-2 with the DR40 when the mic is not very close to the subject, or is this just not possible and do I need a preamp? Is it better to use a DR100, are the preamps in this powerful enough to record sound without pushing the levels all the way up and getting the hiss? Or is something like Juicedlink Riggy a better option? Many many thanks in advance! Daniel
A few thoughts - including a forehead-slapper only because it's caught me out twice in 10 years, both times felt SO stupid, but hey... The silly thing: not sure if NTG-2 can be battery powered by an AA in its XLR shell... I've had both COS-11 and ECM-77 mics that had this, and been horrified during a shoot at the low quality of audio - bad cable? Moisture in mic? Bad camera? Like you say, hissy, low sensitivity. The issue was (of course) that there was a battery in the mic that was about to die - as long as there's a battery in it, the mic will power from that and NOT the phantom power from the camera. Do actually physically check for a battery, they can last for years - I never checked the COS-11 and it had taken 4 years for the AA to go crumby. Second area to explore - poor quality Mic Pre-amps, though the NTG-2 isn't reknowned for a low level output (like a dynamic or ribbon mic). I tried one of these: http://tritonaudio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=4&id=17&Itemid=33 Which gives you 18dB of lift, which should get your gain under control. However the DR40 is a well-respected bit of kit and should be giving you way better audio than the built-in microphone pre-amplifiers on even quite expensive camcorders (certainly below £10k). What you describe sounds so much like a senescent AA hiding in the mic... Thirdly, mic technique... shotgun mics like the NTG-2 are (warning... school of the bleedin' obvious coming up) very directional - is somebody swinging it for you? They need to keep the mic on-song. No point having it 'pick up something in front of it' - it has to be actively aimed. But it's not magical - the mic's going to do clever stuff when it's boomed in 2-3 feet from the talent, but not if it's half a room away. At some point, you may have to consider hiding a lav on the talent, or on the scenery around them. Remember, sound guys must deal with the Famous Inverse Square Law - if you double the distance between the sound emitter (the actor's mouth) and the microphone, the sound level drops to a QUARTER. The reverse is also true - halve the distance and it quadruples. Therefore, the ratio between the noise an actor makes (sorry, actor) and the noise in the location can be varied to your advantage - close-mic technique to reduce external (non-actor) noise. But if you're hitting your head on the noise floor of your recording chain (assuming normal use and technique), I would first look for that battery, and then (and only then) consider a mic pre-amp.
Hi Matt, Many thanks for the reply. I've checked the battery and replaced it, and the used 2 cables, both XLR male/female and still have the problem. Maybe I could try taking the battery out and just using phantom power? Also, at about 1 foot everything is fine (I have tried many different mic positions and on a boom). Anything more than a foot and a half I have to put the input level right up, and then hiss again!!!! I can work around this to some extent using Adobe Audition, but I really want to be able to record clean audio (or as clean as possible) while filming. I wonder if I'm doing something wrong with the DR40, maybe levels set incorrectly? I've trawled the internet for answers, and have found some videos in with the same set up as me, and 3 feet away the audio is nice and clean, and they aren't using preamps. I must admit I'm a little but frustrated! Thanks again for you help and info, if you have any other suggestions that would be great! Daniel
This is a widely documented problem with the DR-40/H4N or other similar external recorders and the NTG-2 combo. The NTG2 is a very low sensitivity mic. It needs an external recorder that has outstanding preamps, and the dr-40 and the h4n simply are too underwhelming to boost the NTG2's sound. Long story short, your set up won't work. You will resort to cranking gains up above 70% in order to get the NTG2 to pick up sound at a reasonable recording distance and that will result in hissing. There is nothing that can be done on the DR-40 or on the NTG-2 to fix this problem, they just won't work together. The only proven solution if you want to keep the NTG2 is to get the Roland R26 recorder which costs quite a bit more but has improved preamps. With the R26, the NTG2 will work just fine on the AA battery power. It's used in Philip Bloom's Ponte Tower documentary.
Hi, Over the weekend I've managed to get some decent sound with the NTG2/DR40 combo, but not great. Would it be better to keep what I have and get something like a juicedlink CX211 or RA333 (I appreciate these vary in price!) as well? Or send the DR40 back and go with Roland R26 or Tascam DR100 Mk2. Thanks for the reply Chris!
Daniel - if you happen to be anywhere near Slough (UK), it would be interesting to test the Triton Mic Pre with your current setup. At £50-60, it may be a wonderful audio wonderbra giving your mic just the lift it needs, rather than buying in new kit at hundreds of pounds. It's not as if the two units you own are bad, just a difficult pairing. If you buy another recorder, what you're actually doing is upgrading the Microphone Preamp. If it's a Sound Devices pre-amp, that's actually a pretty cool upgrade. But if it's just making things louder, the Triton FEThead may be a reasonable fix. Certainly required for dynamic and ribbon mics. Maybe for NTG-2 too.
Hi Matt, I live in Germany (Munich) so won't get the chance to try one. I'm thinking it's a choice between a more expensive field recorder (R26 or DR100) or go for something like Juicedlink preamp or sound devices preamp. Still unsure! Thanks for the advice though
