There's a dirty secret in the A/V industry, and no, you won't find it reported between the covers of Star orNational Enquirer. Camcorder manufacturers will pretend to ignore it, lens manufacturers will deny it, and your DP will take personal offense at the implication, but it's an unspoken truth amongst audiences everywhere: sound makes or breaks a film. So what's an independent filmmaker or startup videographer on a budget supposed to do? Rely on their MiniDV cam's built-in mic? Dub everything in post? No! They get themselves a Rode NTG-2 and enter the world of professional broadcast-quality sound capture at an unprecedented low price!
Broadcast Quality Sound Capture
Humans have been doing this film thing for a while now, and today's audiences are simply conditioned to expect a certain quality in their soundtracks. The Rode NTG-2 has a frequency response tailored specifically for broadcast and film performance, with a nearly perfectly flat response up to 1.4kHz, an airy boost at 10kHz and a switchable bass roll-off at sub 80Hz. In short, the NTG-2 sounds like professionally produced audio should. So where will you use your NTG-2?
Location Audio
Three key features make the Rode MTG-2 the perfect location audio mic--aside from its great sound, of course. Firstly the mic weighs only 5.17 ounces. Whether it's mounted atop a handheld camera or affixed to the end of a boom, that's a spec you're bound to love. Secondly, the Rode NTG-2 exhibits a super-cardioid pickup pattern, meaning the mic picks up a very flat on-axis frequency response regardless of distance from the subject, and it rejects off-axis or background noise. With the NTG-2 on the end of a boom, you'll have precise control over your audio--hugely important for documentarians and field journalists where ADR isn't an option. Finally, the NTG-2 has the option to run on a single AA battery, so even if your camera audio equipment doesn't supply 48-volt phantom power you can still capture pro-quality audio on location.
Foley And Voice Over
Integrating sound effects and voice overs into film and television work is all about consistency. The biggest sound post houses in the industry use shotgun mics to produce effects and narration, and now you can, too. The NTG-2 not only provides frequency consistency from location to sound stage, but it also has the low self-noise and dynamic range of a high-quality, dedicated studio microphone. Even if you don't work in audio post, you might find plenty of musical uses for the Rode NTG-2 (podcasting, acoustic guitar, piano. . . just to name a few possibilities).
Rugged Build For Years Of Use
Even if the Rode NTG-2 is affordable by professional standards, you still want to know that your money is being well invested. The NTG-2--like all Rode microphones--is built to rigorous standards and housed in a rugged metal chassis that will withstand years of field work.
