- Mini shotgun microphones like these
are an awesome tool for any iPhone, Android,
or even a portable DSLR setup.
But which is the best compact shotgun microphone?
In this video, we're going to take a look at
one of the most popular, the RODE VideoMicro,
and the significantly cheaper underdog,
the BOYA BY-MM1, to help you decide.
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Hey, it's Justin Brown here from Primal Video,
where we help entrepreneurs and business owners
amplify their brand and their business with video.
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and all the links to everything we mention in this video,
you can find linked in the description box below.
So let's just into it.
Shotgun microphones, or boom mics,
are a worthy addition to any video kit.
So as directional microphones, they allow you to capture
great audio within the targeted frame,
reducing ambient noise that non-directional
microphones would otherwise capture.
There are several advantages of using shotgun microphones
and they can provide a great deal of flexibility
when shooting outdoors or in changing environments.
Where sizing and portability is a concern,
there's even compact options like these ones
that will give you great results.
The small form factor makes them great for portable rigs,
whether you're shooting on an iPhone
or an Android device or if you're shooting on the go,
or even vlogging with a DSLR.
The RODE VideoMicro, which is this one here,
is definitely one of my favorites these days.
But like everything, it's not without issues.
This would be my pick frpm the RODE lineup
when it comes to budget compact shotgun microphones,
but it is worth mentioning that manufacturers like RODE
do actually produce models that are
specifically designed for smartphones.
The RODE VideoMic Me is the RODE VideoMicro's
smaller brother which was designed specifically for mobile.
Now even if you are looking for a microphone
specifically for filming on mobile or your smartphone,
I really can't recommend that microphone.
I've actually gone through quite a few of those microphones
and they've got some major issues with static
and interference on the audio that they actually capture.
It's not just me either, I know quite a few other people
that have had the same experience with those microphones.
And if you look online,
there's a lot more people to add to that as well.
But the good news is, you get better results
from the RODE VideoMicro anyway.
Now similar to the RODE VideoMicro,
BOYA is a lower cost manufacturer
that actually makes one of the most popular
recommended microphones on this YouTube channel,
the BYOA BY-M1 which is a wired lavalier microphone.
So we wanted to get our hands on their
lower priced RODE VideoMicro competitor,
the BY-MM1, to do a full comparison.
The BOYA BY-MM1 is very similar in design
and build to the RODE VideoMicro
and it promises a lot of the same features
but coming in at $19 cheaper.
So how do the two stack up and which one should you look at
if you're in the market for a new mini shotgun microphone?
So we're going to run through my thoughts
after putting them both through their paces.
Now shotgun microphones are one option
that I would recommend that's in every video toolkit.
The other is a lavalier microphone.
So once we're done with this comparison,
at the end I'll share my favorite all-around
lavalier microphone that you can grab for around $20 U.S.
and I'll also share with you a video
that can help you understand when to use each microphone
to get the most out of your new setup.
So looking at the two microphones side by side,
they both look almost identical.
I think if you were looking at these from a distance,
you'd be hard pressed to work out which one was which.
They both come with a decent shock mount
to take the shock or the noise out of any camera movement.
They've both got a 3.5 millimeter
microphone port on the back, which is a TRS connector,
which is your standard microphone plug.
On the bottom of the shock mount,
they've both got a cold shoe adapter but the BOYA BY-MM1
has the standard tripod thread on the bottom
whereas the RODE VideoMicro has the larger 5/8 thread.
In the box with both of them, you get a furry wind shield
to help take the wind noise out
of any videos you're recording.
The RODE comes with a single 3.5 millimeter
TRS or standard microphone cable, so it'll work directly
out of the box with any cameras or DSLRs,
whereas the BOYA BY-MM1 comes with both
the standard cable and also TRS to TRRS cable,
meaning that you can use it direct with your smartphone
without the need to go and purchase an additional cable.
The BOYA also comes with a soft carry bag as well.
So even though the BOYA microphone comes with both cables
to work on either a camera or a smartphone,
you can still use the RODE microphone
on both your camera and a smartphone as well,
but you will need to purchase an
additional cable to be able to do it.
Now both of these microphones don't require any batteries,
they're actually powered directly from
your camera or your smartphone.
So these microphones are really low powered
and it's really amazing the quality of the audio
that you get out of these given the fact
that they don't need to be powered externally.
Now we're not going to get too technical on this,
but looking at the rated specs of the microphones,
the RODE microphone has a rated frequency
of 100 hertz to 20 kilohertz
and the BOYA microphone has a rated frequency
response of 35 to 18 kilohertz.
So looking at the numbers, it looks like the BOYA
should pick up a lot more in the lower frequencies whereas
the RODE has a slightly higher frequency sensitivity.
So the two of these microphones
are really incredibly similar,
especially when you're looking at the build, the design,
the build quality of both of them is really really solid.
But let's jump in and see how they actually sound.
Okay, so this is a test.
This is the BOYA.
If we listen to the audio now,
I've got the air con going
and I haven't touched the audio at all.
And so as I'm talking here, one two, three, four, five, six,
we're not getting into the red area as well.
So that's interesting to note.
I'm going to switch to the other microphone now.
Okay, one, two, three, four, five, six.
This is the RODE VideoMicro.
The volume levels actually look to be pretty much the same.
I think the only time it peaked in the red
was when I actually plugged it in.
So I spent quite a bit of time testing these two microphones
and running them side by side to really
tell the difference and see which is the standout
microphone in different situations.
So we've gone through testing in a location
like this where it's reasonably quiet,
there's just an air conditioner running.
But we've also taken them outside
in both noisy and quiet environments as well.
And really to sum it all up, we are hard-pressed
in most cases to find the difference between the two.
If you didn't know which one you were listening to,
whether it was the RODE or the BOYA,
you would be so hard-pressed to work out
to say oh, that's the RODE or that's the BOYA.
They are that close.
We've even looked at the waveforms to compare the audio
recording side by side and even those are very very similar.
Probably the biggest distinction between the two
is that the RODE slightly has a bit more in the top end,
meaning there's a bit more sharpness or a bit more treble
in the actual recording, which is nice,
but really unless you heard the two side by side,
you wouldn't know that you were actually missing that
on the recording with the BOYA microphone.
And when I say that it is a slight difference,
I mean that it really really is the
smallest difference in the audio recording.
As for background or ambient noise capture
in an environment like this where we're just
talking to camera, it is very minimal on both of them.
But overall, we did find that the BOYA microphone
was slightly louder than the RODE microphone.
And again, it's minor.
Now as for drawing some conclusions out of this,
what we liked and what we didn't
like about the two microphones,
well I've got to say that the RODE VideoMicro
definitely has the better shock mount.
While it's very similar to the BOYA one,
it is actually better.
I also really like that with the BOYA microphone,
you're actually getting the cables to use it
for both your cameras or your smartphones.
So you're getting both the TRS and the TRRS cables built in.
Now obviously you can go and buy these,
but it is an additional expense
if you're going to use the RODE microphone.
I also really like on the BOYA microphone
that it's got the standard tripod thread
on the bottom of the shock mount.
So for mounting options and for ease of use,
it opens you up to so many more mounting options
and places that you can put this microphone
without the need to get an adapter,
which you could get for the RODE microphone
so that it has the same thread as well,
but the fact that it is stock standard
tripod thread out of the box,
I think it's going to give people a lot more flexibility
and creativity with their videos.
And the audio quality between the two, as I said,
is almost exactly the same,
but having a little bit more top end on the RODE.
So probably the only thing we haven't mentioned yet
is the price difference between the two
and how much you can actually buy these microphones for.
So you can currently pick up the BOYA BY-MM1 microphone
for around the $37 U.S. price point on Amazon,
whereas the RODE VideoMicro is currently selling on Amazon
for around the $56 price point.
So while there's not a huge difference
in price between the two microphones,
there's also probably note a huge difference
between the two microphones as well.
Okay, so that's the lowdown on both models.
Now before we cover off on the other microphone
that you need to round out any video kit and when to use it,
let's look at which of these is the all-around best.
So if you are someone who is really particular
on your audio and you want to have the best audio
out of a shotgun microphone at this level,
then my recommendation would be
to go with the RODE VideoMicro.
RODE make a heap of really really fantastic microphones
and this one is no different.
But if you're someone who just wants to improve the audio
on your videos dramatically with a mini shotgun microphone
and you probably wouldn't even notice
the slight improvement on the RODE audio,
then this microphone is probably the pick for you.
But also, the fact that you're getting more in the box.
So you'll get more flexibility with this microphone
without any additional expense.
And I'm referring to the additional
TRS to TRRS cable that you can use
to use this microphone on your smartphone as well.
And as for which one I'm now going to carry around with me,
well up until testing this BOYA BY-MM1 microphone,
the RODE VideoMicro was definitely
our number one recommendation.
It was a microphone that I would always carry with me.
But I think after seeing the side by side comparison
and all the tests and everything that we've done,
I'm probably going to swap that out
and I'm probably going to now start
recommending the BOYA BY-MM1 microphone because,
bang for buck, it's a cheaper solution
and it gives you almost all the benefits
of the RODE VideoMicro plus having all of the adapters
and connections you need for multiple devices.
So I think it really is the complete package
when you're looking at a mini shotgun microphone.
Now shotgun microphones are just one type of microphone.
For any scenario where you want to get
the best quality audio from someone speaking,
then you'll also want a lavalier microphone in your kit.
The one that we recommend is the BOYA BY-M1 microphone.
Very similar name and it sells for around $20 U.S.
It's actually the microphone that we use
for creating most of the videos
on this YouTube channel and it works on both
DSLR and smartphones straight out of the box.
If you want to make sure that you're using
the right type of microphone on every shoot,
then check out the video linked on screen now
that highlights the differences
between shotgun microphones and lavalier microphones
and everything you need to know
to make the right decision on which is the best
one for your shoot every time.
And I'll see you next time.