MOVO X3 II Budget Shotgun Mic: Quality Audio for Cheap?!

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 https://school.learnlightandsound.com for more info!

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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 https://geni.us/d33BUJd

Some of my other studio gear:

- Sennheiser MKH50 microphone —  B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/iYb065
- Sound Devices MixPre audio recorder — B&H, Sweetwater, Amazon https://geni.us/O8e0
- Impact Turtle-Base C-Stands — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/8a8tt
- Aputure LS 600x Pro Bicolor LED Light — Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/EreRQa
- Aputure Light Dome III Softbox — Aputure, B&H https://geni.us/AVHU1p
- Amaran 300c RGBWW Single-Point LED Light — https://geni.us/uGkDX
- Amaran Spotlight SE —  Aputure, B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/4DuyTz
- Rosco Prismatic Glass Gobo in Cool Lavender — B&H https://geni.us/GWKt
- Canon C70 Cinema Camera — B&H https://geni.us/ABYB
- Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8 lens — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/qwsEs
- Panasonic GH5 camera — B&H, Amazon https://geni.us/InspOl
- Panasonic 12-35mm f/2.8 II lens — B&H, Amazon https://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: https://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