I had a Rode VideoMicro II shipped to me all the way from Australia. I put it to the test.
First impressions are typical of what I’ve come to expect from Rode. The design is ultracompact yet sleek, the all-metal construction seems durable, and it is extremely lightweight 1.5oz (with isolation mount). The mic is a little over 3” long and less than an inch in diameter (without the windshield). The kit includes a TRS-TRS and a TRS-TRRS cable for simple plug and play usage — no batteries to fuss with.
One of the first things I noticed was the new HELIX Isolation Mount. It is designed specifically for this microphone, offering protection from any bumps during handling. I think this design is an improvement over the Lyre shockmount I had tested with the VideoMicro (predecessor). Not only does the HELIX have a smaller footprint, which provides increased visual appeal and sturdiness, but it also offers slots to run cables. And, of course, there is a thread mount.
Yet another improvement I noticed out of the box was the quality and fit of the included foam and furry windshields. I had issues with the furry windshield fitting snugly on the VideoMicro (predecessor). But I was happy to achieve a perfect fit with this system.
With the Rode VideoMicro II set up, a range of uses with a smartphone or camera come to mind — from simple video voice-over, to run and gun productions, to filmmaking in certain scenarios. The supercardioid polar pattern and tube technology provides solid, focused pickup. This doesn’t mean that you won’t ever pickup loud noises happening behind you. But, it does mean that you can achieve a big sound from a small microphone in your production’s area of action. The mic excels at capturing sound that is in its vicinity, but of course it would be questionable using it to capture far away noise. Maneuvering your camera is easy because of the small footprint, low weight and improved mount.
It never stops impressing me that devices this small can record such natural, clear and rich sound. You can capture relatively quiet sound sources thanks to the mic’s sufficient 79dB Signal-to-Noise Ratio. The Max SPL (Sound Pressure Level) rating is 110dB, so you can record fairly loud sources without distortion. Assuming you aren’t recording next to a jackhammer, you’ll be OK.
