Matt James Smith ?

Here's the desk setup:

I'm trialing the numeric keypad with macros before I splurge on a Stream Deck.

In case anyone is interested, I've just set up a £40 Korg NanoKontrol2 for colour correction in FCPX, using the free Command Post app (which is a new discovery for me and fantastic if you're using FCP).

I followed the vid above to set it up initially but spent yesterday afternoon on my own configuration using the Color Wheels (just brightness & saturation) rather than the board (which I've mapped for my own reference - see image below).

So far I'm very happy - it's a pretty solid MIDI controller and Command Post seems pretty stable. It's only useful for correction - I won't be doing much grading with it - and couple of other things (clip volume, keyframes, timeline zoom) but to have physical controls and not have to fiddle with the mouse and keystrokes so much is great.

Folks I'm looking at getting a Stream Deck to use with FCPX - my setup is currently a standard keyboard and Kensington trackball. Do any of you have advice on whether to go with the standard size or the XL?

I like the idea of having the smaller model to the left of my keyboard (flat) and being able to use it by touch without always looking at the keys.

If I went for the XL I think it would sit behind my keyboard on the stand, which may be fine if having more keys is really useful. I'm just not convinced I need that many keys.

All input appreciated!

Just grabbed a used SVMX on eBay. It’s in pretty rough shape cosmetically but I got a decent price (£290) and doubt I’ll ever be looking to sell it on so as long as it works perfectly I’m happy. 
 

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

7 hours ago, Trek of Joy said:

I'm leaning toward the Stereo VMP for now just for convenience and availability. I have the MKE 600 shotgun for more directional stuff and don't want to rig another large mic. I'm also shooting smaller cameras than you - mostly the a7sIII. The X does look next level for these smaller on cam mics though. The other options will need another shock mount and larger cables LOL! Damn supply chain issues....

Cheers

Chris

Exactly the same - I have the mke 600 as my main mic and really don’t need to add another big mic to the rig. 
 

The AT8022 looks really nice - if I knew I just wanted a stereo mic to swap out with the 600 sometimes I’d go for it.

58 minutes ago, newfoundmass said:

I was just about to say that I believe it has a battery option! I just wish there was more examples/quality reviews. If you decide to try it maybe you can do one? 🤔😉

This guy has several videos. If you skip towards the end of this video to the shots of the lake, you get a good feel for the wide soundstage of the mic.

I'm looking very closely at the AT8022 as an alternative to the Rode SVMX. I really like its wider soundstage (120 degrees vs 90 on the Rode). It doesn't quite match the SVMX in terms of SNR, DR or SPL, but I've never been one to care that much about spec sheets. 

What I don't like about the AT:

• No custom/obvious windfurrydeadkat thing available, though I'm sure with enough research Rycote will have something (but adding to the cost).
• If I want to use it alongside my shotgun, I'll need to make room for a second suspension thingy on the rig - and the whole setup might start getting a bit overwhelmed with mics. I like that the SVMX is compact and self-contained with a built-in hotshoe mount.

But I do really like that wider soundstage of the AT - what I've heard is very 'enveloping', which is what I'm after.

28 minutes ago, Jimmy G said:

Ahh, my bad, I just reread your original post...you want to add ambience via 3.5mm stereo mic to your XLR mics, got it! That so, I've enjoyed my RØDE VideoMicro and Audio-Technica Pro24-CM very much as ambient mics going back to my 5D MarkII/7D days though I was not a fan of either mic's shock mounts (the former is front heavy with the furry requiring delicate balance on the single lyre, and the latter allowed too much handling noise through, though if one could/would work with/around those limitations the mics both sounded and worked great for my needs at the time).

Since moving to Panasonic I am in love with their own DMW-MS2 mid-side mic for my S1's (I have one for each body plus a backup unit!), have you considered (or added to your list) Canon's own DM-E1 offering either directional shotgun or switchable 90° and 120° stereo fields (methinks with those abilities this might very well be a mid-side mic though they don't specifically state such)?

To me, mics are like shoes, ya gotta try a lot on to see which fit best! 😉 Keep us posted on your decision!

Have to admit I wrote off the Canon DM-E1 but will take a proper look. Will also look at the AT Pro24, which I probably just wrote off based on price.

I have the Rode Micro but its no good as like most 'proper' cinema cameras the C200 annoyingly doesn't offer plug-in power via 3.5mm. The Canon and AT do use batteries though I think.

11 hours ago, newfoundmass said:

Audio Technica also has the AT8022 and the more expensive BP4025 but there aren't a ton of reviews out there for them. 

Hang that, it actually looks like the AT8022 does allow 3.5mm - interesting!

2 hours ago, Emanuel said:

Speaking of really affordable offers, here's also this bargain at the low-cost side:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deity-Microphones-Dual-Capsule-Camera-Mount-Smartphones/dp/B08D5XNRJT/

David above-mentioned up there has hinted here the brand BTW :- )

Yeah I looked at that one. I was hoping Deity might do their own version of a Rode SVM (seeing as Rode have nicked a fair share of Deity's designs!) but the Duo seems to be intended as a front/back mic and I assume they're not a 'matched' pair that can be mounted at 90 degrees to simulate a figure-8/binaural type effect.

On that note though I have vaguely considered making a binaural rig thing with a stereo pair of omni's going to a 3.5mm, atop the camera. I think handling and camera noise would be an issue though unless I came up with a really elaborate rig.

11 hours ago, newfoundmass said:

I've heard good things about the Sennheiser MKE 440 and is probably what I'll end up upgrading to. 

BTW I have to say I really haven't liked what I've heard from the MKE440 at all. I may be biased because I had an MKE 400 (the mono version) a long time ago - it was cute but it was useless.

My main audio kit is all Sennheiser though - if they did a mid-range stereo option I'd jump on it, but I've concluded the 440 is very much an expensive low-end mic. May take a second look just to be sure though ...

7 hours ago, Jimmy G said:

Hi Matt,

I am curious as to what type of sound environments (i.e. do/have you take/taken to taking SPL measurements of your locations?) you'll be looking to record in, it should help better inform community response.

I bring the matter of "better understanding one's sound environment" up as it helped me decide on how to move forward with a mic choice for my nature/wildlife recording adventures for the upcoming year. I recently resurrected my Roland R-26 (which had found light usage due to noisy handling issues when trying to use the internal mics) for use with an XLR stereo mic. That choice was the Audio-Technica BP4029 mid-side mic...which, quite literally, just arrived yesterday!

Spec-wise, at...

Mid: 72dBSPL,1kHzat1Pa;
Side: 68 dB SPL, 1 kHz at 1 Pa;
LR stereo: 70 dB SPL, 1 kHz at 1 Pa

...it's not the quietest mic on the market (i.e.~23dB self-noise) but my mostly suburban/exburban/rural recording locations are ambiently noisy enough that I'm not too concerned (based on scouring the internet for audio samples) with its expected satisfactory performance.

I cannot, as yet, comment on the performance of this combo as first tests await the arrival of a 10.5' RØDE RT4-DXLR 5-pin-to-dual-3-pin stereo splitter cable to supplant the (inadequately too-short for handheld use) supplied ~30" splitter cable that came with the 4029. Ha!

As the BP4029 can send signal as either mid-side or separate mid and side channels, and since the R-26 can either accept the mid-side stereo signal from the mic or decode the separate mid and side mic signals internally or record the separate mid and side channels as-is (which then can be manipulated in a DAW), there's a lot of versatility to be had and I will be running a bunch of tests to see if there are preferable setups for my usage.

Anyhoo, just sharing some information on what decision worked for me, I hope it's of some help for you.

Best, 🙂 Jimmy G

 

The BP4029 looks really very nice (a cheaper alternative to the Sunken CMS-50 mentioned above) and if I was going all-in on sound-only field recording I'd definitely be looking closer. But for now it's a bit pricier than I'd like and it doesn't have a direct 3.5mm option. 

I'm starting to think my requirements limit me to to the Rode's - SVM Pro, X and NT4. 

BTW spl measurements are out of the question 😉 - I'm turning up to places I don't know and shooting on the spot. It's mostly external suburban/rural without heavy machinery or nearby vehicles etc so mid-range levels I assume.

10 hours ago, kye said:

@Matt James Smith ? I have several pieces of advice..  they're a little controversial, but well intended.

Firstly, don't believe ANYONE on the internet, even me, when discussing "quality".  
Only trust your own ears by listening to samples taken by competent people in real situations similar to what you will do.  
I produced music as a hobby for over a decade, and have been into hifi ($250k+ systems) for over two decades and made a lot of components from scratch (DACs, preamps, amps, speakers, acoustic treatments, etc), so I have a solid basis in the technical aspects of what is going on as well as understanding theory vs practice vs snake oil vs psychoacoustics.
I went through a phase of researching microphones and while I watched/listened to dozens of video "reviews" of various products, I didn't find a single review where the person understood even the first thing about audio, or what is important.

Secondly, don't confuse audio quality with audio frequency response.  
This seems to be a common thing with "reviewers".  They compare two microphones, they like the EQ on one better than the other, and declare that the quality is better on that one.  This is bullshit.  EQ is so easily adjusted in post that it's practically a non factor.  Judging the sound from a mic without processing it is like saying the iPhone has better quality than an Alexa because the Alexa footage looked all grey and dull-looking.  

Understand what matters for your context.
If you are making recordings that will be used within a larger mix, processed, and will only form the background to a visually driven piece then obviously you won't need (or be able to appreciate) as much quality as if you are producing nature videos with long sections of straight binaural audio.

Best of luck!

Yes this is what's making me consider the lower end (& cheaper) Rode Stereo vm Pro. Like you say once it's in the mix and just ambient with visuals, quality may not be a huge issue. I do however want to shoot some extended ambient-sound only scenes, with fairly static/ uneventful visuals, that will be shown in a cinema space. The footage will be 4K RAW derived so I'd like the audio quality to not be obviously incongruent. But ultimate quality is definitely not vital. I'm just trying to find the sweet spot and I'm not sure about the RSVm Pro - the X sounds significantly bettering online tests to me. I get what you're saying about EQ etc but there's no question the X is a big step uo n quality from what I've heard.

10 hours ago, Trek of Joy said:

Interesting topic. I've been looking for something to capture ambient sound as well. The Rode Stereo Videomic X is at the top of my list too. But yeah, not easy to come by these days. Everything else that mounts on cam is low budget stuff. I've also been considering using the zoom H3VR until I can find the X, but using it in the field while shooting looks like a bit of a challenge LOL!

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1434530-REG/zoom_zh3vr_h3_vr_360_vr_audio.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=Cj0KCQiA15yNBhDTARIsAGnwe0Uv0Np2mQoQNyITewv0KPjHEsczvXVA9vdTPe30B27cIBfELOBKyQEaAg1yEALw_wcB

Hopefully some other options pop up here.

Cheers

Chris

Yeah I'm currently trying to figure out which recorder has the best XY mics built in, and how simple it'd be to mount it with a line-in to the camera, but I'm loathe to complicate my kit any further seeing as the C200 has 4 tracks and good preamps. 

10 hours ago, newfoundmass said:

I've heard good things about the Sennheiser MKE 440 and is probably what I'll end up upgrading to. Audio Technica also has the AT8022 and the more expensive BP4025 but there aren't a ton of reviews out there for them. 

Yes I've done a bit more research and the two AT's you mention seem to be the best option in the same price range as the Rode SVMX and NT4. I like the look of them but like you say there's not much info out there on their quality. Also need to make sure there's a decent furry option. The big issue though is as far as I can see they're phantom power/ XLR only, which means I couldn't use them straight to camera if I also wanted to record dialogue etc.

1 hour ago, bjohn said:

At the cheaper end of the scale, a little-known option is the Wooden Camera VX mic, for about $300 US:

https://woodencamera.com/pages/vxmic

Might be worth checking out. I haven't tried it myself but have been tempted a few times since it's quite affordable.

Woden Camera making something inexpensive?! I’ll have look for samples…

54 minutes ago, bjohn said:

Whatever you do, don't buy the Zoom F1. I made that mistake; I started using it with a binaural mic and then switched to Zoom's M/S module (since I like using M/S stereo), but the sound quality is just not up to snuff; certainly it pales in comparison to my Sound Devices MixPre with good mics.

I know you said the Rode Stereo Videomix is too expensive for you, but one of the most interesting new camera-mountable stereo mics is the Sanken CMS-50. It's pricey but this looks like the most promising single stereo mic solution I've seen.

Wow that's an expensive mic! But it's good to know that form factor can produce top notch results. I'll take a closer look at cheaper alternatives with that short-shotgun style (Audio Technica have at least one) as that would suit me better than the weird shape of the NT4. Thanks.

I'm really surprised how little choice and info there is out there in terms of stereo mics suitable for video cameras.

I like the look & sound of the Rode Stereo Videomic X, but it's expensive and hard to get hold of (new and used) and I'm struggling to find alternatives.

What I need:

• 3.5mm option so I can record stereo to channels 3 & 4 on my C200 (while recording shotgun and lav to ch1 & ch2 via XLR).
• Single unit - a matched pair (e.g. 2 x NT5) would be too much setup and doesn't allow 3.5mm option.
• Decent windjammer/deadcat available
• Good shockmount/suspension available
• Good sound quality
• Ideally the option to use XLR cables as well as 3.5mm so I can use phantom power and long wires when I need to (e.g. gigs)

Rode's SVMX and NT4 are the only mics I've found that obviously fulfil all the above. I'm not mad about the form factor of the NT4 or its windshield and shockmount options. I'm sure Audio Technica and other brands make alternatives to the NT4 but I can't find much helpful info out there - most stereo mic info is geared towards either indoor music recording or sound-only field recording.. 

The simplest option would be to go with a Rode Stereo VideoMic Pro and live with the average audio quality, but samples I've heard from it aren't very exciting (open to being convinced otherwise).

The other option is to look at which sound recorders (Zoom, Tascam, etc) have good quality XY mics and 3.5mm line-out (I need it to be able to record direct to the camera) so any advice there appreciated (I'm still rocking a Roland R26 but it doesn't have line-out and the built in XY is pretty average sounding IIRC).

Thanks for any help or advice!

Poll: Which manufacturer generally delivers the most pleasing images - focusing on sensor 'mojo', colour science, etc ... disregarding lens mount, usability, etc.

Choose as many as you want.

If I haven't listed a manufacturer you'd like to see, mention it in the comments.

Might do a poll on specific models if this one is popular. Suggestions of favourite models welcomed (in the comments).

If I had to guess I'd say this has a fixed DSLR style grip, but it's not clear. Would be great if it was a rotating grip. Much more appealing to me if so. 

Also, is this the first stills-form-factor camera with built-in ND's? Significant if so.

Finally, I'd say that the speed booster rumour makes more sense now too. Keeps all that Canon FF EF glass relevant?

No EVF by the look of it. I wonder if they'll go with the weird XC10 style clip-on loupe? It actually works OK and isn't actually any different to the FS7 approach to an EVF. Alternatively will there be a custom EVF that mounts to the hot shoe? Or will Zacuto become synonymous with Canon video once again? It's clearly a professional camera, so needs some kind of EVF solution. With no IBIS and the small size, it needs it. Canon is not Blackmagic - they make tools that are reliable for run and gun.

Clearly they're segmenting the RF Cinema line so it runs alongside the EF Cinema line as a tool for a different kind of user. Too many EF Cine lenses and high end EF Cine cameras to ditch cinema EF in the near future.

Perhaps their long term roadmap is to allow the RF Cinema and stills lines meet and combine eventually. This would make sense: 8K as a headline feature in the R stills flagship, stills form factor as the headline feature in the RF cine lineup. As 8K becomes more standard for video acquisition, and competitors inevitably continue to merge stills/cine cameras (S1H etc), Canon will one day have to join them. One of these C70's with 8K and an EVF has no reason not to be a stellar stills camera too. Just a theory but it makes sense.

5 minutes ago, billdoubleu said:

You already gave one. The Panasonic S1H is both actively cooled and weather sealed.

Lol I didn’t know that

4 hours ago, billdoubleu said:

Untrue; active cooling and weather sealing are not mutually exclusive.

Can you give an example? 

21 minutes ago, rawshooter said:

Not only that. He's systematically bullshitting this forum in all his postings, doesn't know what he's talking about and obviously has none of the practical experience he claims to have.

It's becoming toxic because people google this forum for answers, and he's contaminating it with misinformation.

The biggest fraud who has been on this forum since Ebrahim Saadawi - unless he's the same person.

Ah Ebrahim. The legend lives on. 

Active cooling removes weather sealing. It’s a photo camera first and weather sealing is top priority for pros. Canon also make cinema cameras if a fan is what’s needed. S1H is a video camera first - hence fans. No perfect hybrid exists.