This is my Rode VideoMicro mic review. The Rode MicroVideo mic is one of my recent purchases on my ever-growing gadget accessories as I invest more in growing my youtube channels(tech and personal) and producing some quality content along with the audio quality. 

I recently got a Sony ZV-E10 and I initially thought that the built-in microphone for the ZV-E10 was sufficient for my needs but after several vlogs and taking it with me for travel I saw the mic limitation and it definitely needed an upgrade in the mic pickup and audio quality. 

I had the Rode VideoMicro for several weeks now and here are my impressions.

So what’s in the box

• Shotgun mic
• Stereo jacks
• Integrated Rycote lyre suspension
• Wind diffuser
• Manual
• Warranty card – comes in a 2-year warranty

Features

• Compact and pretty solid build – the material is covered in a nice black ceramic coating
• 3.5mm jack on both ends
  • one to the mic and the other to input the mic of your camera
  • the cable is quite short and just enough to hook up to the camera
• The Rycote Lyre Suspension system is designed to fit in the camera hot shoe – the suspension system seems to tip forward from the packaging but is not a deal breaker.
• Huge dead cat aka wind diffuser
• The main feature is it does not require a battery
  • Uses a technology called phantom power – dc power is delivered to the microphone cable for the device to function

Cons for me

• Less of a con but something to note is that because the Rode MicroVideo does not use batteries and is powered by phantom means it will drain your camera battery quicker.
• Besides the dead cat being obviously big it also does fit snuggly to the shotgun mic which makes it wobbly and loose
• Rycote system – the suspension system seems to tip forward from the packaging but is not a deal breaker.
• No audio gain controls – you would need to adjust from within the camera controls

Summary

The Rode VideoMicro compact on-camera microphone with Rycote lyre shock mount is a cheap and easy upgrade to boost the built-in mic. I think this is a good decent mic for its price. Using the dead cat in public always gets a second look. If you are on a budget this is an obvious choice but if you have money to burn then go for the better model. I’ll rate this 7/10.

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Check out my video product review.