Rode Blimp V2 Review

[@jay1324]

Might be a silly question, but would you realistically be able to use the pistol grip as a shock mount on it's own without the rest of the blimp attached? Or would it be better to get a separate shock mount to use for regular recording?

[@TheRecordist]

Absolutely! In fact, I do that all the time! It’s a fantastic shock mount as is. I tend to always keep my 416 in the blimp and then remove the blimp part for when I’m indoor shooting. So yes. That’s a great question. Thanks!

[@brendamzambrano9776]

Great information. I like your sense of humor too

[@TheRecordist]

Well thank you very much! And thanks for watching!

[@shogunai]

Used Rycote in the past, now I use Rode with an MKH416. Perfect combo.

[@TheRecordist]

Excellent! That’s my exact same combo! Thanks for watching!

[@ryann7786]

Legend has it, the best take of "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" was nearly ruined by an unfortunate farting sound on set. A mysterious, bearded sound technician was able to salvage the recording using a mixture of castor oil and borax...

[@TheRecordist]

Hahahahaha. Oh that’s brilliant! HahHahaha

[@northcoaststudios]

Before I got into filmmaking I wondered why bother listing the "Boom Operator's" name. He just holds a pole. Then when I was recording sound myself for the first project I got a lesson. I have the utmost respect for boom pole operators now, and will pay mine handsomely. I also wondered why the dead cat or the blimp on the end of the pole. I thought the sound people did that to look cool (to us nerds anyway). Then I learned their magic. Yes Virginia, there is a reason for everything. My Azden dead cat does a very impressive job, but I have had a couple times when the wind was just too much for it. Yup, looking into blimps now. I haven't had a chance to play around with one so thank you for the dissertation. Of course when you want wind to mess with your audio it doesn't come. Whoda thunk it? Your old demonstration was effective. I happen to live an hour and a half from Shawshank, where you were fortunate enough to get your tape measure, and if you can get to the Mansfield Reformatory for a tour I highly recommend it. Impressive to see you on set of Gone With the Wind, even if it was just in the position of "Craft Services Table Pointer-Outer." Someone's gotta do it. I hope to see more BTS pics of you on vintage sets. ;)

[@TheRecordist]

Hahaha. Well thank you, sir! That was a fun photoshop edit. Haha. Yes, for light wind, the Azden will do a great job. I realized quickly that I needed a blimp when I was filming in some moderate wind and the usual gaffer’s tape over the mic switches was still not solving it. Then came the horror of the price. That’s a lot of money for a hunk of plastic and some fake fur. But man was it worth it. As you can tell, I was out in a massive wind storm and happened to video a test of it. Can’t get a better test than that. And there was no post processing done on that. No low cuts or anything. It just worked that well in the wind. Fully recommend it. I’ll check out the Mansfield Reformatory! 😉

[@northcoaststudios]

@@TheRecordist - Yes, a lot of money for some plastic, but I think part of the reason for the price (besides "do you really need it?") is that these are not as common as many other plastic things, so the benefit of massive production is not there like a lot of other plastic things. I got a dead cat for a Takstar on-camera shotgun mic (nice for reference audio and sometimes emergency back-up/BTS, in a few situations) and it was so soft I almost couldn't get it back from my wife. She sat there just petting it because it is so soft. I actually thought about buying another one just for her, lol.

[@TheRecordist]

@@northcoaststudios hahaha. That’s pretty awesome. And I think you’re right about supply and demand. Makes total sense!

[@shostakovichdmitri3121]

awesome review. Thanks!

[@TheRecordist]

You’re very welcome! Cheers!

[@CocinandoconBenny]

Wow bro good one

[@TheRecordist]

Cheers, man!

[@dreamfallsounds]

Hello! awesome review. Quick question: is it possible to change the xlr cable that is fed through the blimp? I have an AT8022 microphone that has 5-pin male xlr. Was wondering if I could change out the xlr cable fed to the blimp, or if i could use an xlr adapter. Any help is much appreciated!

[@TheRecordist]

Oh yes. You can totally do that. It’s all detachable. Cheers!

[@kablah19]

What is the adaptor you were referring to to bypass the pistol grip of the blimp?

[@TheRecordist]

Hey there. Are you referring to this? geni.us/oAyCH It’s pretty cool. Helps make the blimp much lighter! That’s an affiliate link, so it doesn’t cost you any more but I make a tiny commission. Cheers!

[@kablah19]

@@TheRecordist yep, that’s it!

[@TheRecordist]

@@kablah19 haha. Cheers!

[@tty3087]

Hello, At 5:07, I noticed that the clip (left) was covering the microphone's slits. Is it okay? Or should the microphone be rotated by 90 degrees?

[@TheRecordist]

Hi there. Yes. It’s totally fine. The slits on the side are part of the interference tube. It only effects the sounds being rejected and not the sounds being picked up. That doesn’t mean you can cover all of them. Just a few won’t hurt anything. It’s important to keep the interference tube not pointed at a surface like the floor, as sound reflections might cause a weird warble sound. Usually sideways as I have it is best in most boomed situations. Thanks for the comment!

[@tty3087]

@@TheRecordist Thank You very much!

[@TheRecordist]

@@tty3087 no worries!

[@madeiraislander]

1:52 Well at least they had a great excuse if someone complained about the bad audio, I guess they could say it was ... gone with the wind 🤨

[@TheRecordist]

Hahahaha. Woo hoo! Nailed it!

[@TomKaszuba]

Superb review. I’d like to stick an audio-technica bp4025 stereo mic in there. How would the cabling work for that?

[@TheRecordist]

Hey thanks, Tom! Hmm. That’s a stereo mic with a 5-pin connector, correct? If so, I think you’d just not use the included Mogami cable and pull it off, then run your own cable out the back. That’s how I’d do it. Hope this helps! Cheers!

[@TomKaszuba]

@@TheRecordist Thank you very much. 👍🏻

[@TheRecordist]

@@TomKaszuba you’re very welcome, Tom!

[@northcoaststudios]

Hey man, would you happen to have a source for Rode Blimp replacement parts? I just acquired one at a discount, and it needs one of the rail clamping levers and the quick release angle clamp (proper part names per the manual), but after spending hours on the internet (and I am quite a sleuth at that) I am still at a loss. I also filled out the contact form at Rode but they've not contacted me back. I checked in at my local distributor for their products (Guitar Center) and though they sell Rode products they do not deal in parts. I suspect these parts are on the same shelf as the hen's teeth.

[@TheRecordist]

Hmm. You know, I don’t really have a relationship with Røde at all at this time. I’ve tried but they’re not interested. Maybe it’s because the NT1a is the villain of my channel. Haha. So I don’t have any contacts at Røde at all. If I were you, I’d use something like Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram and tag them in a question. You might get a faster response. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!

[@northcoaststudios]

@@TheRecordist - Thanks for responding. I ultimately called Technical Support at their California location. I spoke with a human and told her exactly the parts I needed. She put me on hold and checked with someone and found they had the parts on hand, and that they would send them to me for FREE! I read on a message board of someone having that same experience with a VideoMic Pro. They really take care of their customers.

[@TheRecordist]

@@northcoaststudios that’s great to hear! Thanks for letting us know!

[@brendamzambrano9776]

Would this blimp also reduce room echo?

[@TheRecordist]

Hi there. No. I’m afraid it will in no way help with echo. It’s design is purely for wind friction noise. The only thing that will help with echo is dampening the immediate surroundings somewhat. I hope this helps.

[@knorke3642]

Dear Mr. Dark Helmet, to air a video like this...to throw it out into empty (Space)...you have quite the (Balls)... I must admit. Sorry that the RODE Blimp is a bit heavy. If you need a lighter one...my name is Red. I´m the guy who can get it for you. Why they call me Red? Maybe its, because I´m Irish 😉

[@TheRecordist]

Hahahaha. He knows! You know! Hahaha. Well done, fellow human! Well done!