RØDE VideoMic Me-L verdict
Summary
The RØDE VideoMic Me-L is a brilliant little clip-on shotgun Mic for smartphones, but there are some niggles which are more to do with the design concept than the way it’s made. It works great, but be aware it might not always be convenient.
For
+ Much better sound than internal mic
+ Simple to attach and use
+ Build in headphone jack
+ Wind muff and mic clip included
Against
– You need to remove your phone case
– May not fit with grips and gimbals
– Wind muff can obscure phone screen
– RØDE Reporter app can be glitchy
If you’re shooting video with a phone (and why not) you need to do something about the audio quality, just as you do with the inbuilt mics on a digital camera. They produce a thin, tinny sound and pick up sound from all around.
A shotgun mic is a quick and simple solution. It has a highly directional polar pattern that picks up sound from what the camera/phone is pointing at, and at a much higher level of quality than cheap in-built mics.
And at first sight, the RØDE VideoMic Me-L is a brilliant solution for smartphone owners. I bought the iPhone Lightning version that plugs straight into the Lightning port and stays there, as long as it not full of pocket fluff or other debris. You do need to take off any phone case first, though.
Even better, the VideoMic Me-L works both ways. You can face it away from you if you’re shooting with the rear facing cameras, or towards you if you want to film yourself talking to the camera.
The supplied push on mic grip makes it a little more secure on your iPhone, and if there’s a danger of wind noise you can push on the big wind muff that comes as standard. And if you’re really geeky about your audio checks, you can plug a set of headphones into the 3.5mm TRS jack on the back. It’s like RØDE has thought of everything.
And so it has. But there are a couple of issues with the concept, and with the RØDE Reporter app – the mic will work with any app on your phone, but the Reporter app is the default for standalone recordings and settings changes.
So first the design. Most of use use phone cases, but that’s no good for the VideoMic Me-L, which needs an unobstructed connection to the camera for a secure fit.
That’s not so bad. But the problems start if you use a gimbal or a phone grip that sits tight against the Lightning port and blocks it. I have a first generation DJI Osmo Mobile which works great, but I can’t fit the VideoMic Me-L when I’m using it. I don’t really want to buy a new side-clamping gimbal just for this. I also have a ShiftCam ProGrip, which I also like a lot, but it’s the same problem – the phone’s Lightning port is blocked when it’s fitted to the grip.
Now I know this is arguably an iPhone issue and not RØDE’s fault – but it does demonstrate a broad issue with plug-in smartphone devices.
There’s a bit of a handling issue with the wind muff too. It’s a good size, it’s great to get it included and it makes a big difference. And it’s fine if you’re using the rear cameras. But if you’re using the front camera and pointing the mic towards you, the muff is big enough to obscure the bottom part of the screen and make the home button or home ‘swipe’ extremely difficult to use.
And then there’s the RØDE Reporter app. Now it’s either the mic or the app that’s causing this issue, but sometimes when I plug in the VideoMic Me-L it’s just not recognised. If I force-quit the app and restart it, the mic comes back. That’s a bit annoying. Also annoying is the little amber warning lamp indicating that the app is still actively monitoring the mic (including the in-built mic) even when I’m not recording. There seems no way to switch this off in the app, and the only answer is to force-quit the app, which is annoying.
I think the VideoMic Me-L is a brilliant little mic that’s great value, very well made and delivers really nice sound. It just has some operational limitations and annoyances that I didn’t think through properly before I bought it.