28
SEPTEMBER 2003
videosystems.com
SHOOTREVIEW
BOTTOM LINE
Company: Azden
Franklin Square, N.Y.; (516) 328-7500
www.azdencorp.com
Product: SGM-X shotgun mic
Assets: Low noise; simple mini-jack I/O;
windscreen for breezy conditions; shoe
mount for easy attachment to camera.
Caveats: Use the windscreen only in
windy situations to avoid muffling the
sound.
Demographic: MiniDV shooters record-
ing conversations in environments with
ambient noise.
Price: $299.95
Featuring a super-cardioid pattern
and a mini-jack plug, the Azden
SGM-X shotgun mic is made
expressly for MiniDV camcorders.
Azden SGM-X
Affordable shotgun mic aims to
capture only the audio you want.
By Tom Patrick McAuliffe
sound.
Theunitcomeswithanicewindscreen
thatcoversvirtuallytheentiremic.While
effectiveinawindy situation, I would not
recommendusingitall the time, as it
seemedtomufflethesoundabit.The
maximumeffectiverangeformost
camcorders’onboardmicis10-12ft.,butthe
problem isthat everythingisrecorded. With
ashotgunmicyou“focus”the
miconaspecificareaabout15-25ft.away,
andthemic does not pick up audio from the
sides or behind. This allows for
conversationsthat are much more
discernibleoverbackgroundnoises.
Ireallylikedthe mini-plug conveyance
oftheSGM-X and its lack of bulky adapters.
ButI wonder, could the mic be madeto
drawpowerfromthecameraitself?Sure as
anything,I’ll be out on a shoot and the
battery will die. I also wish Azden could
providea small vinyl pouch to store the mic,
butthat’sallminutiae. The bottom line is
thattheSGM-X will make your videos sound
better.
Ifyou don’t have a pro-level XLR mic
already,theSGM-Xmightbeagood
solution,especiallywhenyouconsiderthe
costandbulkiness of XLR audio adapters. I
likethatthe mic has an on/off switch so you
cansaveon battery power. This way you can
alsocompareitwith the sound from the
camera’sonboardmicthoughyour
headphones.
Perhapsyou’re skeptical because the
AzdenSGM-X doesn’t cost a grand? Don’t
be.AswithmanyotherA/Vproducts, the
advantagesof computer-aided designand
efficienciesin manufacturing mean lower
prices.Withnewformatslike5.1surround
soundandDVD-Audio,greatsoundismore
importantthan ever.
Ifyouhave ever been dissatisfied with
theaudioyourMiniDVcamerarecords,try
theAzdenSGM-Xand you’ll never shoot
withoutitagain.
WITH TODAY’SCAMERAS, DV AND
otherwise,manufacturers have madeagreat
effortto include onboard microphones that
capturebetter audio. But OEMs can walk the
tightropeof features-versus-price only so
far. Tousethe DV format effectively,
especiallywhen eventually transferring to
film,shootersstick to medium to medium-
longshots(but framed tightly). This creates
aproblemwhen there is more than a
normalamountof ambient room noise and
theconversationyouaretryingtorecord is
morethan about 12ft. away.
Ashotgunmic,so named because of its
shape,isdesigned to address just such a
situation:helping a conversation pop out
frombackground noise. These
microphones“focus”theiraudio capture
ona specific area, while excluding audio on
theirsides and behind them. Shotgunmics
arecommoninmotion pictures and
television,anduntilrecently only those
typesofproductionscouldaffordadecent
shotgunmic.
Overthelast20 years Azden has made a
namefor itself by providing cost-effective
professionaland semi-professional audio-
for-videoproducts. The new SGM-X super-
cardioidshotgunmicis designed
exclusivelyforDVcameras. At under $200,
it’sasmallpricetoensurethat the
conversationsyourecord are crystal-clear.
TheSGM-XispoweredbyasmallLR-44
photobattery.Inaclassymove,Azden
includesone.Smaller than the other
shotgunmics Azden offers, the 8.34in.-long
SGM-Xalsocomeswithashoemountfor
connectiontoyourcamera. I use a Sony
VX1000MiniDV camera. The mic fits on top,
andthe supplied mini-to-mini output cable
connectsto the camera’s audio input.
Monitoringthe audio through
headphones
(you do that,
don’tyou?)makes the
differenceimmediately
obvious.Ifyou’veever tried
tocorrectaudioin the edit
suitewithvariousaudio
softwarepackages and plug-
ins,you’llcertainlyappreciatethe
advantagesof a shotgun micliketheSGM-X.
Iwasimpressedwiththemic’swide
frequencyresponse.At the soft end, you can
almosthearanantcough—withverylow
noisefromeithertheunititselfor the
camera.Andeven when I recorded a live
bandupclose with high sound-pressure
levels,the mic didn’t fold or distort the
