MOVO X3 II Budget Shotgun Mic: Quality Audio for Cheap?!
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- In this episode we have a look at and listen to the new MOVO X3-II shotgun microphone. This budget shotgun mic is a solid option for anyone building out their first filmmaking kit, but its audio quality is definitely good enough for pro-sumer applications as well! Noteworthy features include both camera-top and boom pole mounting solutions, an inbuilt high pass filter, and multiple powering options. Let’s take a closer look and listen!
You can find more from Allen here on his channel: / @soundspeeds
If you’d like to learn how to make great dialogue audio for your film and video projects, please have a look at my courses including processing dialogue audio in Adobe Audition and DaVinci Resolve/Fairlight, recording sound, how to use the Zoom F4, F6, F8, and F8n, and how to get the most from the Sound Devices MixPre series of recorders. Our latest courses cover Sound for Live Streaming with the ATEM Mini and an Intro to Izotope RX. See school.learnlightandsound.com for more info!
Support my work creating videos by donating at Ko-Fi.com: ko-fi.com/curtisjudd
Gear used or mentioned in this episode. The links below are Amazon.com, B&H Photo, Sweetwater, or other affiliate links. As an affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases:
- MOVO X3 II Shotgun Microphone - Amazon geni.us/d33BUJd
Some of my other studio gear:
- Sennheiser MKH50 microphone - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon geni.us/iYb065
- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder - B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon geni.us/O8e0
- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands - B&H, Amazon geni.us/8a8tt
- Aputure LS 600x Pro Bicolor LED Light - Aputure, B&H, Amazon geni.us/EreRQa
- Aputure Light Dome III Softbox - Aputure, B&H geni.us/AVHU1p
- Amaran 300c RGBWW Single-Point LED Light - geni.us/uGkDX
- Amaran Spotlight SE - Aputure, B&H, Amazon geni.us/4DuyTz
- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender - B&H geni.us/GWKt
- Canon C70 Cinema Camera - B&H geni.us/ABYB
- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens - B&H, Amazon geni.us/qwsEs
- Panasonic GH5 camera - B&H, Amazon geni.us/InspOl
- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens - B&H, Amazon geni.us/gr47
The intro and outro music for this episode is from Musicbed - “Dynamo” by Virgil Arles. Take your films to the next level with music from Musicbed. Sign up for a free account to listen for yourself: geni.us/G7by
Copyright 2024, Curtis Judd
#MOVO #X3II #ShotgunMicrophone #Microphone
Index
00:00 Intro
00:13 Raw audio samples
00:51 What is the X3?
01:16 Kit includes…
01:49 Powering options
01:58 High-pass filter
02:17 Budget mic issues…
02:30 Practical noise floor sample
03:05 Build quality
03:15 Sibilance
03:25 Off-axis coloration
04:34 Max SPL test
05:58 Plosives
07:09 Radio frequency interference
07:30 How does it do with wind?
10:15 Handling noise
11:00 Camera-top sample
11:26 Mic positioning is important!
11:48 Pricing & warranty
12:02 Cons
12:06 Noisy when battery powered
13:40 High-frequency loss
14:00 Off-axis coloration
14:18 My take
14:26 Please buy my courses
14:45 Summary
That loudness test was hilarious!
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Yeah he really knows how to Boom 😁. Didn't expect to see Alan on your channel. 2 of the best sound guys out there Curtis & Alan.
@@curtisjudd Hello Curtis. At first thanks a lot for this great review.
You said this mic is not the best for very loud noise.
Do you have a recommendation for a mic for very loud noise?
I'm planing to film a Top Fuel dragster race and these cars are very, very loud 🙂
Because I will have a light rig I'm thinking about a F3 or H4e but I have no idea about the mic.
A dynamic?
Best regards, Alex
@@Schwermetall Yes, a dynamic mic. The most important specification to look for is Max SPL handling. You'll want something rated in the 130 dB SPL or higher range.
Best MAX SPL Test.
Curtis, your content has played a pivotal role in my microphone education and empowered me to make informed decisions about my recent shotgun microphone purchase. This product video in particular felt extremely useful with the types of tests and use case examples. I really feel as though it gave me a clearer use case picture of how this microphone could work under various conditions. I hope to see more of this type of video style. The added cutaways and scream test humor was a welcome addition. Thank you for all the wonderful information and content you continue to provide.
Bam! Right into the video at the start. Love it!
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OMGosh!!! That cameo ... "Only if you ..." I literally laughed out loud! Y'all are awesome! Thanks for all the great information in a specular delivery!
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Another great review. Thank you.
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Allen!!! I loved the cameo for the yelling portions. Maybe one day I’ll swing by and do one too. LOL!!!
One yeller at a time, please! 😉
@@curtisjudd 😂😂😂
Im very thankful for all the detailed videos, The person doing the B-Roll footage has a very nice Coat!
I’ll let her know!
Thanks for the honest review, Curtis! Loved the MAX SPL test 😁
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Very helpful... Thank you.
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Awesome cameo by Allen! :)
Hahaha! 😂
You always do a nice thorough job.
Thanks
We need this Max SPL test for every mic review! That is officially the new gold standard test. 🤣🤣
LOL!
Great cameo by Allen! You are the Whitney Houston of yellers!
Thanks for the great review, Curtis.
LOL!
You just can't beat the clean crisp full sound of the 416 and your voice tests prove it once again 🙂
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@4.58... Pretty darn definitive test! 😄 Interesting mic for the price. Thanks!
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Nice video again.
Perfect conclusion too. Great for its price!
In a pinch I can get a decent output off it knowing it's limitations.
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MKH416 sounds brighter, more mid-forward. The Movo def has a bit more punch in the low end and low mid frequencies. Seems like a pretty solid value unless you want to use it camera-top for run and gun type applications.
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Ok Allen was hilarious!, great review as always being a 'Mic snob' it not for me but if someone ask I'll send them to your review!
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Insane value for money!
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I did have a Movo shotgun mic a number of years ago and the self noise was pretty terrible, moved to a couple of Rode NTG2's which have been super, having said that = this one sounds pretty good at this price point. Great review Curtis, many thanks.
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Favourite CZcamsr!
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I like the new aspect ratio!
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Cheers from Venezuela, Curtis! I love your whole production style, and I find your videos super informative. Keep it coming!
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Sir, that loudness test should be mandatory in every video!
LOL!
Jesus 😂 Allen really went all out
He does that
@@SoundSpeeds I'm not surprised at all. Lovely to see you 😊
Yes. I expect nothing less from Allen.
I've just completed my review of this mic as well! (video dropping tomorrow) and while it won't hold a candle to Curtis' review, I did have the exact same issue with the battery power. It actually sounded quite usable and similar to phantom power running into my Lumix S5II, however when plugged into my Sony FX30 and ZVE1, it sounded very thin and tinny just like the sample in this video. It seems to vary widely depending on the internals of the camera that you connect it to unfortunately - perhaps different impedance on the camera's mic input or something like that. But other than that, I came to the same conclusion - if you're going to use it with phantom power, it's a great option for the price!
👍 interesting findings, thanks for sharing!
hey thanks for the great video for us not so serious yet guys with a small budget.
one question, what was that orange mesh sleeve thing around the base of the mic for?
just looks or RF Faraday cage or something?
Just nylon mesh to keep the metal connector from damaging the graphite boom pole if it swings around when not connected.
Hi Curtis: Thanks for the review. Can you share your thoughts on how this new Movo mic compares to a 3.5mm plug mount like the Deity D4 in terms of sound, please? Also, any thoughts on how this mic works in a highly reverbarant room? I have heard samples where even the mighty Sennheiser MKH 416 sounds pretty warbly in small, untreated rooms with lots of reverb. Thanks in advance.
If you’re recording to a camera with a 3.5mm mic input, I can’t recommend the Movo without doing a bunch more tests with various cameras. If recording to 3.5mm input on camera is your use case, In that case, I’d look at the D4.
But if you record to an XLR input which supplies phantom power, I’d probably choose the Movo.
damn, this looks handy. also looks a bit tough to get a hold of in canada.
What is that sound program you're using here?
Adobe Audition 👍
If you deem the battery-powered sound too weak, may you run Phantom from your BeachTek without having to remove the battery? How about 12v?
Which (cheaper than the Mix-Pre II) under (or near) camera mobile mixer can run real-time compression and/or noise-reduction?
Yes
Glass of water spiked with Advil. Awesome
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I hate to question your methodology, especially as I have little to no knowledge on the subject, but was it the fact it was battery powered or that it was connected to the GH5 that altered the sound?
Or a combination of the two? Not sure, just reporting our hands-on experience with the camera I had available.
Thanks so much for this. It's a mic I would consider, BUT... that battery powered vs. phantom demo was really suspect. The difference is so dramatic. I would want to test that on something like the Mix Pre by using phantom, then turning off the phantom and using the battery. I just can't believe they're that different. (Not to doubt you Curtis... just looking for an apples-to-apples comparison.) Thanks again.
Fair point. But the reason we did what we did was to address the most likely use cases - people using cameras with 3.5mm inputs.
Wow, the Senn is dramatically better in the opening comparison! I'm lucky to own one; in a weird fluke circa 2016, B&H put it on sale for $599.
It’s a keeper for sure.
Even before I heard the comparision with the 416 I could hear some sort of phasey 'cupped hands' colouration that I could not get used to.
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@4:57 perfection lol
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This one sounds more muffled. But could be eqed to sound more clearer. But very muffled out the box.
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Hey Curtis, can you pleeeese do a video on the Zoom M3 MicTrak as it relates to the Rode video mic and Ntg?
I’m sorry, no budget to review the M series. 😞
04::54 what a surprise!!
🙂😳
I bought this mic a little less than 3 months ago and I’ve only used it a handful of times since then. It sounded good at first, but now it crackles (on phantom power). I’ve tested it with different cables and devices and the problem hasn’t gone away. I can’t recommend a mic that develops a fault so quickly. Hopefully my copy was an outlier. If you still have this mic you might want to check and see if it’s still performing the same.
Thanks for sharing. I gave it to someone who needed a mic. Haven’t heard back.
I like how your voice sounds with this mic, better than the Sennheiser. Has richer bass and tamed pleasant high frequencies. Sounds like talking very close to a quality broadcast dynamic mic.
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No internal blood vessels were harmed in this recording. 👍
That remains to be seen.
As far as we can tell…
Curtis, I was thinking that the dramatic sound quality difference when plugged into the GH5 could have been caused by the mic sending a Balanced signal into an Unbalanced preamp. The GH5 preamps are expecting the same signal on each channel (in mono), so if one channel is 180 degrees out of phase with the other the result would be massive signal cancellation. This could be the cause as opposed to the battery power. What do you think?
If that’s the problem, then MOVO needs to include the right cable with the mic (I used the cable that came with the mic)
Interesting
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Only if you spike it with Advil, now that's quotable.
Quotable indeed. That's Allen!
Curtis only drinks the hard stuff though. 🤪
@@SoundSpeeds It smoothes the voice
Sounds good although handling noise is quite substantial ... the same is for their Movo VXR10 ... sounds nice, dreadful handling noise :D.
I heard mostly air hitting the mic capsule which is more of an issue of the foam cover.
I love your videos but please can you find a new passage to read for tests? I get excited when I see a new video but I have to skip the reading passages.
No, we keep it so people can cue up any of our previous mic reviews and hear the same passage in different browser tabs. Easier to get a direct comparison.
I'm looking for a mic to record exhaust (mounted above a car's exhaust) and drive by sound in really high quality. Do you have one or two shotgun mics that you can recommend off the cuff, maybe one budget and one quality one? I'd record into a zoom H4N via. XLR.
I’m not sure that a shotgun mic is the best choice for recording exhaust. Check in with Watson Wu for advice. He’s the master of recording performance vehicles.
@@curtisjuddThank you.
Im halfway through the video, and I’m wondering how this microphone stacks against the Sennheiser mke600, as that’s a much more affordable price than the MHK-416
Open up our MKE600 review in another browser tab and you can hear them back to back 👍
Can the noise when powered with the AA battery be caused by a noisy preamp in the camera? Would be interested in seeing if the noise is the same when connected to an audio recorder not supplying phantom power, with a battery in the mic. I'd like to know because I have a Rode NTG-2 and I'd like to plug it right into a Sony camera, but I think no matter what I do it'll be noisy because of the camera's less-than-ideal preamp. I usually run my mics through a Tascam and then the line-out to the camera and it works fine. I will try the Rode directly to the camera as soon as I get an xlr to 3.5 cable. Am I right? Anyone?
The GH5 preamps are not normally this noisy so I suspect an impedance mismatch or something else.
Would you recommend this over the Audio Technica AT875R?
Hmm. Close call. For sibilant voices I’d choose the Movo. For neutral to lispy voices I’d choose the AT
@@curtisjudd Thanks!
Can you review the zoom m3 mictrak
I’m sorry, probably not unless someone can lend it to me. ZOOM doesn’t send me things because they thought I was unfair to one of their products I reviewed a few years ago.
@@curtisjudd Ohh wow lol that's crazy. Well maybe I can send it to you one day. It's great backup mic for me.
I would say this is a GREAT deal for $129!! Especially with all the attachments. China is becoming more and more of a competitor with these decent sounding and quality built microphones. It just goes to show how much profit and markup there is in this industry.
But the Chinese manufacturer did not add anything of its own and incurred minimal construction costs. Meanwhile, Sennheiser is a groundbreaking design. Work on the final version of this microphone took many years. The Chinese only copy these products for free. In addition, Sennheiser has proven that its microphones can operate for several dozen years without loss of quality. That's why I prefer to invest in a used MKH416.
@@adwil8175 I agree with you.
Yes, quite a lot of value for the price.
Sounds like Alan was letting loose his internal Sam Kinison.
I'm not quite that Epic
I concur.
Would it good for wildlife? Like birds singing etc.
It would be ok, yes.
Would I be correct in stating that XLR to XLR has higher accuracy and audio quality than XLR to 3.5 TRS connection? I am looking for a Shotgun/Boom microphone solution for my Panasonic S5ii. Unfortunately, S5ii does not have XLR connection and I am really struggling determining whether to go with Rode NTG or Rode NTG3. I want to get one mic only as I am just starting out and NTG3 seems to be in whole different league after watching your review on it compared to NTG.
Do you think I can go ahead with Rode NTG3 and use it on camera via XLR to 3.5mm when mounted on camera and go XLR to XLR on Boom pole recording to my Zoom H6 and be extremely happy with the sound quality I get?
Thank you a ton.
p.s. I do understand that camera amp are considerably worst than external recorder. I am basically asking if the results of NTG3 XLR to 3.5mm connection will be same or worst than NTG 3.5 to 3.5 connection.
The NTG3 needs +48V phantom power so it will NOT work with XLR to 3.5mm adapter cables. This is because 3.5mm mic inputs do not supply that voltage.
And, as a separate note, the NTG3 sounds worlds better than any of the videomics.
@@curtisjudd thank you for your quick response, Curtis!, much much appreciated.
What in your opinion would be best option in my case, someone who has budget constraint and wants good quality shotgun mic for on camera and boompole?
@@Shalin.S.Shah. The Sennheiser MKE600 is worth a listen: czcams.com/video/EXs-1R8LCg0/video.html
@@curtisjudd thank you!
@@curtisjudd also can you give any recommendation for on camera shotgun mic? For the cameras with 3.5mm TRS jack?
I was considering
Deity V mic d3 pro
Rode Videomic Go II
Comica VM30
Rode NTG is bit out of the budget now that I will be buying Sennehsier mke600
How does it compare to at875r?
The Movo is bassier, the AT brighter. If you pull up our AT875r review in a separate browser tab, you can hear them back to back.
Can this mic be used outdoors?
Yes!
Senheiser sounds more open less compressed
Yes! And also $870 more dollars. 😉
@@curtisjuddwould it be possible for you to tweak the sound of that mic to bring it close to the senheiser? Or if you dont have a good base its a lost cause? I also wander with all the ai tweaking tools if its still worth it to invest in good mics
@@Ben-Hur73 You could probably EQ to get close, but not perfectly matched. There is still value in buying a quality mic. One of the benefits being that you don't have to do as much post production work.
thank you for taking the time to answer@@curtisjudd
Your daughter is trying hard to test your patience by wearing Beats headphones.😂
😀 she’s just listening to music while filming b-roll. When mixing, we’re on Beyerdynamics.
Allen!😂
You called?
Haha!
Oh my god!! Does she really wear Beats headphones? 🥴
When she’s just listening to music while filming b-roll, yes. When we’re mixing, we use Beyerdynamic headphones.
Surely the comparison should be with the MKE 600, of which this appears to be an almost direct copy, not the MKH416?
I wouldn’t say it’s a copy of the MKE 600, but that’s the more logical mic to compare it to. (If anything, the Movo appears to be a competitor to something like the VidPro XM-55.)
Depends on the goal. Even the MKE600 is not a fair comparison in terms of price.
@@curtisjudd True. However, the MKE 600, when operating under battery power, is said to perform nearly as well as when it’s operating under phantom power, with the only major difference being a drop in sensitivity. This contrasts sharply with the large difference performance you saw with the Movo mic. Or is the idea that you’ve done comparisons with the MKH 416 in the past, so it serves as a sort of reference microphone?
@@Matthew_Raymond yes, the latter. AND most people have heard the MKH416 in films, TV, and streaming shows. It's about as close to industry standard as a microphone can get.
No way he got Sound Speeds 😂
He did!
I think it was more like he got me.
Tonally... it sounds like it's trying to make an MKH-50 sound but fails on the level of detail of the 50. It doesn't sound bad... it's just too bass extended and lacking in detail.
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A lot of crispness is taken out by the mic itself. Sound very muffled to me.
Ok.
The plosives sound muffled to me. Maybe it's my headphones or your tiny lips, but eligibility of ps and bs is on the low side. Of course it's better than the opposite.
My tiny lips LOL!
Surprised it sounds so bad direct to camera. My MKE 600 sounds great directly into my Canon 1DX mark III.
Yep.
When on camera it sounded worse than the camera microphone :-D
Yes. Might just be this camera, not sure.
I loathe questions in thumbnails, it reeks of tackiness. Just say what you think, i.e. the conclusion in the thumbnail and I'll watch the video for the details.
This way I just scroll on by and lose respect for one of the few CZcamsrs I have much respect for.
I hope this wasn't too harsh, it's genuine criticism intended to help.
An odd perspective. I understand about click bait etc but this title is simply giving the question that the video sets out to ask. Nothing false, nothing fake, no clickbait. Questions don’t inherently mean tacky! 🤣🤣
Ok, thanks for letting us know how you feel.