Azden SGM-X Brochure

SHOOTREVIEW
Azden SGM-X
Affordable shotgun mic aims to
capture only the audio you want.
By Tom Patrick McAuliffe
Featuring a super-cardioid pattern
and a mini-jack plug, the Azden
SGM-X shotgun mic is made
expressly for MiniDV camcorders.
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 3
videosystems.com
W ' , DV
ITH TODAY S CAMERAS
otherwise, manufacturers have made a great
effort to include onboard microphones that
capture better audio. But OEMs can walk the
tightrope of features-versus-price only so
far. To use the DV format effectively,
especially when eventually transferring to
film, shooters stick to medium to medium-
long shots (but framed tightly). This creates
a problem when there is more than a
normal amount of ambient room noise and
the conversation you are trying to record is
more than about 12ft. away.
A shotgun mic, so named because of its
shape, is designed to address just such a
situation: helping a conversation pop out
from background noise. These
microphones "focus" their audio capture
on a specific area, while excluding audio on
their sides and behind them. Shotgun mics
are common in motion pictures and
television, and until recently only those
types of productions could afford a decent
shotgun mic.
Over the last 20 years Azden has made a
name for itself by providing cost-effective
professional and semi-professional audio-
for-video products. The new SGM-X super-
cardioid shotgun mic is designed
exclusively for DV cameras. At under $200,
it's a small price to ensure that the
conversations you record are crystal-clear.
The SGM-X is powered by a small LR-44
photo battery. In a classy move, Azden
includes one. Smaller than the other
shotgun mics Azden offers, the 8.34in.-long
SGM-X also comes with a shoe mount for
connection to your camera. I use a Sony
VX1000 MiniDV camera. The mic fits on top,
and the supplied mini-to-mini output cable
connects to the camera's audio input.
Monitoring the audio through
headphones
(you do that,
don't you?) makes the
difference immediately
obvious. If you've ever tried
to correct audio in the edit
suite with various audio
software packages and plug-
ins, you'll certainly appreciate the
advantages of a shotgun mic like the SGM-X.
I was impressed with the mic's wide
frequency response. At the soft end, you can
almost hear an ant cough—with very low
noise from either the unit itself or the
camera. And even when I recorded a live
band up close with high sound-pressure
levels, the mic didn't fold or distort the
28
B O T T O M
AND
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
sound.
The unit comes with a nice windscreen
that covers virtually the entire mic. While
effective in a windy situation, I would not
recommend using it all the time, as it
seemed to muffle the sound a bit. The
maximum effective range for most
camcorders' onboard mic is 10-12ft., but the
problem is that everything is recorded. With
a shotgun mic you "focus" the
mic on a specific area about 15-25ft. away,
and the mic does not pick up audio from the
sides or behind. This allows for
conversations that are much more
discernible over background noises.
I really liked the mini-plug conveyance
of the SGM-X and its lack of bulky adapters.
But I wonder, could the mic be made to
draw power from the camera itself? Sure as
anything, I'll be out on a shoot and the
battery will die. I also wish Azden could
provide a small vinyl pouch to store the mic,
but that's all minutiae. The bottom line is
that the SGM-X will make your videos sound
better.
If you don't have a pro-level XLR mic
already, the SGM-X might be a good
solution, especially when you consider the
cost and bulkiness of XLR audio adapters. I
like that the mic has an on/off switch so you
can save on battery power. This way you can
also compare it with the sound from the
camera's onboard mic though your
headphones.
Perhaps you're skeptical because the
Azden SGM-X doesn't cost a grand? Don't
be. As with many other A/V products, the
advantages of computer-aided design and
efficiencies in manufacturing mean lower
prices. With new formats like 5.1 surround
sound and DVD-Audio, great sound is more
important than ever.
If you have ever been dissatisfied with
the audio your MiniDV camera records, try
the Azden SGM-X and you'll never shoot
without it again.
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