Fashionable cameras and smartphones boast unimaginable picture high quality however audio tends to return a slightly distant second. As we all know, nevertheless, sound is essential for creating a top quality video. RØDE’s VideoMic GO II is a big replace to the corporate’s transportable video microphone that massively broadens its enchantment to content material creators.
The mic is light-weight and compact, sitting in its personal shockmount and affixing to your digital camera through a chilly shoe, which might additionally match to a stand or tripod.
A small windshield is provided and a bigger one is out there for trickier situations. It doesn’t require batteries, powering both off its 3.5mm or USB connection – this can be a bonus, as anybody who has fretted concerning the lack of battery degree indicators on these sorts of mics will attest.
Multi mode
The mic works in two modes, the only of which is as a simple digital camera mic, plugged into the three.5mm enter in your digital camera through the bundled cable. There’s no degree management on the physique so you need to set the acquire utilizing your digital camera’s controls. The second mode, which is fully new, is that it will probably hook up with your Mac, PC, smartphone or pill over USB-C. There isn’t a appropriate cable provided however RØDE will promote you one – Lightning to USB-C or USB-C to USB-C – for round £15-£20 relying on the mannequin. You need to use a 3rd get together cable however they stress it must be an Apple-certified mannequin to have the ability to do the job accurately.

RØDE Join
In USB mode, the mic beneficial properties a bunch of recent talents. For a begin, its 3.5mm port turns into a headphone output so you’ll be able to monitor your recording and likewise playback out of your gadget, with zero latency direct monitoring out there. By utilizing the RØDE Join and RØDE Central apps for Mac and PC or the RØDE Reporter app for iOS and Android, you’ll be able to change mic settings in software program, with instruments together with adjusting enter acquire, toggling direct monitoring, activating the -20dB pad, high-pass filter and HF enhance. The Join app for desktop additionally encompasses a noise gate, compressor, exciter and low-end enhance which you can simply apply in actual time.
RØDE’s mic has a frequency response of 20Hz – 20kHz and runs at 24-bit, 48kHz decision utilizing a supercardioid directional polar sample. In virtually each occasion, you need this mic to choose up what you level it at and reject sound from different instructions, and this contains when utilizing it as a desktop mic pointed at your self.

Time to GO?
Its efficiency is superb in each of its modes; when on-camera in primary mode, it picks up a robust and clear sign, its directionality serving to you focus pickup in your topic. In USB mode on the desktop, you’ll be able to flip its degree down a little bit since there’s much less ambient noise and it features fantastically for video calling, podcast and voiceover recording, particularly when paired with the Join app and its audio processors.
The unique VideoMic GO remains to be on sale for rather less, however the further features you get with this newer mannequin – prolonged management plus the power to make use of it with all of your gadgets – are greater than price it.
Key Options
- Supercardioid polar sample utilizing strain gradient electret condenser
- USB-C or 3.5mm connectivity
- No batteries required
- Stereo enter and output in USB mode
- Shockmount and windshield provided
- Change parameters utilizing desktop and cell apps
- 24-bit, 48kHz operation
- 110dB max SPL
- 95 dBA Typical dynamic vary
- Direct monitoring in USB mode
- £99 / $99
- Contact RØDE
- Purchase: ProAV, Thomann