Rode Videomic NTG vs Takstar SGC-600 - A (Crazy and Direct Comparison ..... Surprising!!!

[@diegolcase]

I'm so happy I got the Takstar. great video!

[@iancraig]

It’s a great little mic.

[@sirnubenegra]

Wow! Love the lighting. I love the taskstar. Very impressive.

[@BasicFilmmaker]

Great look! Great video. 👍👍👍

[@lensmanonline]

Great test Ian, based only on the sound the Takstar would be a great choice but the Rode NTG has more control over it's audio. To be honest l could hear much difference, but my hearing has been subjected to many rock concerts and I did a lot of clay pigeon shooting without any ear protection. Thoughts for a live stream advantages and disadvantages between using a lav Mic or boomed Mic for a talking head video. Have a great New year stay safe Jon.

[@Tewahedo]

Nice video as always, thank you!

[@StanleyKC]

Takstar doing bits!

[@PaulTomlinson]

Great video. Price no option I would go for the Rode by the sound I heard in the video. However I've never used anything but the built in mic on whatever DSLR I've used. So the Takstar is going to suit me very well. Just ordered in the U.S. Now to find or fashion a furry or dead cat or whatever they call it to reduce some wind noise when taking outside.

[@iancraig]

The Rycote mini windjammer goes over the whole mic right to the back and works well. www.google.co.uk/shopping/product/2299350597206123445?q=rycote+mini+windjammer+for+vmp&client=safari&hl=en-gb&biw=768&bih=931&tbs=vw:l,ss:44&prmd=simvn&prds=epd:14026770173432100362,cdl:1,prmr:1,cs:1,rv:0-2 The biggest problem with the Rode .... loud sounds can distort. It is very sensitive to wind; even with a deadcat on!

[@TEQMAN]

Hi ian great review. One question will it be good with my Fujifilm XT200 because it has very bad pre amp.

[@iancraig]

The Takstar has a healthy output and in fact, I found it pretty loud on zero. So it is very sensitive and should work nicely.

[@TEQMAN]

@@iancraig thanks for the reply.

[@PaulVoorberg]

Great reviews Ian, been really helpful to me. I ordered the Rode NTG and the t.bone SC140 earlier this week. I just compared the two using your videos as I still have to receive the t.bone which is on backorder. The Rode NTG does sound more clear to me, would you agree? I'll choose one and probably return the other. It's for indoor studio use. I ordered the t.bone SC140 because diaphragm mics have better echo rejection, so I will pit the 2 against each other in that context.

[@iancraig]

Hi Paul. I’m glad they’re useful. For me, they’re mostly ‘pre-tests’ on KZbin for more myself before properly reviewing them! That’s an interesting question actually, because quite rightly, you’re taking the room into consideration. My head tells me that the sc140 might be better in a room because of two things. The Rode is super cardioid so if you boom it, you need to take the ceiling into consideration. The back end doesn’t reject as well, so you may get a ‘boomy’ sound with it. Also, I have found a lot of Rodes boost the mid bass anyway so they sound ‘fruity’ so not at their best indoors. They’re great outdoors because that very boost gives them more presence outside where there are no reflections. The NTG is amazing outside; better than the Videomic Pro+ indoors but I think I prefer my phantom powered Oktava indoors. The cardioid head of the Octava is lovely. You may well find the same with the sc140, although it doesn’t have the weight of the Oktava, but it may be clearer for speech than the Rode. Pencil mics are also lightening fast with transient response so that adds to speech clarity because consonants are more under control. In many ways, I prefer pencils to full blown studio mics in untreated rooms because studio mics can be a bit ‘flabby’ having bigger diaphragms and flop about a bit more. The sc140 may surprise you. I would listen for ultimate speech clarity rather than just tone. Many people only hear tone, not detail. Unfortunately with Thomann now, in the UK, we have to pay taxes so it’s not quite as good value for us as it was. TBH, for speech, if you’re serious about getting high quality, I would consider something like the SE Electronics SE8 or the Oktava MK012 with the cardioid head. Those two stand out for me. They have this kind of ‘authority’ in their sound with real crispness in the treble, that is above both of those mics in quality for speech. The Oktava is incredible even in my box room here. I undersling it to avoid reverb (using my body to shield the front) and it sounds better than most of my other mics. I took a look at your room and definitely, in there you probably need to ‘undersling’ your mic and unfortunately, have it in shot. With a black t-shirt it wouldn’t be obvious but you’re in a deadly position for sound, in a corner. If you decide to boom down, then I would suggest as close as you can. Bass boost in that corner will be high! Those little sound panels might be helping but I think really, you’d need a lot more to get bass boost under control. The Se Electronics and Oktava are costly in comparison to the sc140, but ifyou are making a lot of videos, in the end, you have raised the quality for them all with a really good mic.

[@PaulVoorberg]

@@iancraig Thanks for your very detailed and helpful reply. I'll definitely look into your recommendations. P.S. The black panels are to add some visual interest into an otherwise bland wall. I've treated the rest of the walls in the room with sets of 2 towels screwed onto a slat, 5 of them. It does help a lot but not perfect, I didn't treat the ceiling and the hard wood floor. I'm from the Netherlands so Thomann is still a good option for me. But I'll have a look at the SE Electronics SE8 or the Oktava MK012 now too. I noticed by the way that the Rode NTG sounds bad and has some weird electronic sounding noise when using the 3.5mm jack while it's plugged into USB also. That makes it unusable with external chargers when on the go which is a big con to me as when in a studio environment I like to keep the mic always on and ready to go. But that will degrade the battery over time, and no external battery possibility on the go means it will over time hold too little of a charge probably for a day out filming outside. I run a travel website also for which in the future when we can travel again I may want to produce some videos for. That's not the main purpose of this mic for me though, it's for my studio setup. It's just that the NTG has this dual purpose which is a plus but the USB issue could over time negate that plus.

[@iancraig]

I just suggested more expensive alternatives because if you are considering the NTG, then in my opinion, it would be more beneficial to get a more pro like mic for roughly the same money or a little more. The Oktave cardioid might well sort out that corner sound for you. I’m not so sure about the SE8 because it can give strong mid bass given half a chance. Also, with the Oktava, you can buy extra capsules if you need them, like a supercardioid and omni. I have made a video about it. It’s a pretty impressive mic and better sounding than the ntg. I would go for best quality because in the long run, it will save you a lot of money. Thomann is excellent too.

[@iancraig]

Here’s the Oktava with a quick comparison with the SE8 ...... kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpPCfIOhdrmEn5o

[@PaulVoorberg]

@@iancraig Hi Ian, I have a question before I order the Oktava. In your video of the Oktava you mention this about the hypercardioid: "this one is good if you've got not too many reflective surfaces perhaps". This makes me unsure on which to order, the hypercardioid or cardioid. I like the sound of the hypercardioid best in your video, but your comment above throws me off a bit in terms of if it'll also work best in my setup. I like the deeper sound of it.

[@zaporoshti3392]

Takstar SGC-600 is around 1/6 of the price of Rode Videomic NTG. It is incredible value.

[@KTHKUHNKK]

I think for Average Joe they wouldn't be able to tell the difference too much. I love listening and listening closely. I believe for my ears I would rather spend the less money. And I still think you would get good to Fair audio quality. Keith

[@iancraig]

Me too. The differences can be quite subtle.

[@KTHKUHNKK]

@@iancraig You're right the difference are quite subtle I agree.

[@ww1www]

impressive. How about RF interference?

[@iancraig]

Haven’t noticed anything. If there is going to be interference, I normally get some in my front room from the router, but got nothing from both. Funnily enough, the old Rode Go was unuseable in there.

[@afzalaziz7282]

very useful video, thanks.

[@iancraig]

Surprising, isn’t is?

[@sobatnganggur5672]

I love takstar.. price to performance

[@iancraig]

Absolutely.

[@sobatnganggur5672]

@@PaulVoorberg good for you