12Mar Connecting your Rode VideoMic to an XLR input
After posting that Micover v.s. Deadcat windscreen tests, I received a number of e-mails asking to explain how I connected the two microphones up at the same time. So I thought I’d cover the 3.5mm Female to XLR Male adapter that makes it possible. Yes that is the Beachtek DXA-SLR it’s plugged into. I’m still working on the review for that one, but I should have some preliminary audio test samples posted by the end of the week.
Both the Rode VideoMic and VideoMic Pro are mono microphones, but both microphones have stereo 3.5mm outputs. Basically, the way Rode decided to wire these mics was to output the mono signal from the microphone on both the left and right channels. This isn’t a big issue most of the time because most people just plug the mic directly into their camera. But what if you want the Rode VideoMic on the left channel and a wireless mic on the right channel? Or, in the case of the windscreen test the VideoMic on the left and the VideoMic Pro on the right.
Even though most XLR adapters boxes (like the Beachtek above) have an Aux 3.5mm input, it’s usually wired to handle a stereo signal. So if you plug your VideoMic into the Aux jack the mic will still be using both the left and right channels coming out of the little XLR adapter. The work around to this problem is to use a 3.5mm Female to XLR Male adapter. You can buy one made by Rode called the VXLR adpater for $13 or, if you’re in a DIY mood, you can take apart a few old broken cables and make one yourself. Here’s the wiring diagram. (picture from mediacollege.com)
Note that this is a balanced wiring diagram. You don’t want to use unblanced wiring for the Rode VideoMic because that configuration shorts pins 1 and 3 together. If you do that, you probably wont get any audio out of your XLR adapter. Whether you buy the adapter or make it yourself, the end result is that the left and right signals coming from your Rode VideoMic are placed back onto a single channel in your XLR adapter box. In the windscreen test I used two of these adapters, one for each of the mics.
The VXLR adapter is probably the most elegant solution, it doesn’t take up much space, and it’s all metal. In my opinion, it’s worth it to pay a little extra and get the Rode VXLR adpater for $13.
March 21st, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Thanks for the heads up on this. I was about to buy an XLR to 3.5mm cable for this type of use, but the only ones I could find had 3 to 5 feet of cable, which I didn’t need. And still cost $8 from China.
I ordered this from Amazon instead and looks like it’s perfect for connecting my Audio Technica Pro 88W wireless mic to.
To get free shipping I added this shoe mount:
April 6th, 2012 at 2:21 am
Got it in and it doesn’t appear to work with either of my AT 3350 lav mics. Not sure why.
When plugging in the AT 3350 to my DR-40, I get lots of noise. I think I’ve isolated it to the 1/4 to 1/8 adapter I have to use. So, I’ve bought several… a couple from Radio Shack, one from Best Buy even a few different ones off eBay. They all create noise when used with the AT 3350.
I had hoped that buying this adapter would fix the problem, but the AT 3350’s I have simply don’t work. I get no sound from the mics at all.
April 6th, 2012 at 6:38 am
I think your AT3350 has a mono output, this adapter is designed for stereo 1/8 output. I’m not sure that the AT 3350 is the best quality lav mic. Might want to return the adapters and invest in a nicer lav.
October 21st, 2013 at 12:57 pm
Way late to the party on this – but I had the same problem, and had just forgotten to go in and turn off the Phantom Power my H4n — now it works perfectly and sounds damn close to as good as some of the ~$150 XLR lav’s I’ve used with the H4n. So for ~ $30 a pop, a solid wired lav solution? Not too bad!
August 9th, 2012 at 10:41 am
I´m a noob on this matter, so I bought a Tascam DR-40 to plug my Rode VMP and also I have a Audiotecnica ATR3350. Do you think the Rode VXLR can handle both mics? For a lavaliere mic with XLR which mic do you recommend in a budget?
Gracias!
August 2nd, 2013 at 8:41 am
The Rode XLR adapter must be plugged into a stereo XLR socket (where pins 2 and 3 are hot) to work properly. Pins 2 and 3 are both hot (+) in the adapter. To work properly on my Marantz recorder which has separate mono XLR sockets for left and right channels, both jack wires from the Rode Video Mic must be connected to pin 2 to conform with the Marantz spec. of XLR pin 1=GND, 2=hot(+) and 3=cold(-). I suspect that’s the case with many XLR devices with separate mono channel inputs. You also need a good ground. Connecting the Rode Video Mic wires separately to pins 2 and 3, which is what the Rode adapter and most XLR stereo adapters do (a stereo XLR input is assumed, presumably), results in loud hums and other issues on a mono device. Rather than hack the Rode adapter which I still need for other recorders, I modified a cheap XLR/jack adapter. Works perfectly. I hope this may be of help.
April 3rd, 2014 at 7:52 am
I recently bought a Rode Videomic Pro and was wondering what I need to turn it in to a boom. I’m very new to this and could use some guidance. I want to make sure to get the right xlr cable. Thanks!
April 15th, 2014 at 9:54 am
So I just bought a VXLR to connect my VideoMic to the Tascam DR-40. It works but the VXLR does not fit snugly into the Tascam. Definitely not a reliable solution, There is way too much wiggle room.
April 18th, 2014 at 12:52 pm
You can buy a small piece of cork or rubber gasket from a hobby store and place it in between the two units to solve the problem. It’ll set you back around $1.
April 19th, 2014 at 1:39 am
I know, but the whole idea of getting the VXLR was for the ‘elegant’ solution. Also, even though it’s all metal half of it comes off too easily. This one is pretty poor compared to all the other Rode stuff.
January 5th, 2015 at 6:35 am
Hi Deejay, Have you been able to successfully connect the VideoMic to a recorder like the DR-05/07 or Zoom H1?
The problem starts when I connect the Rode VideoMic (NOT Pro) to the DR-07. The recording is distorted and almost non-existent when the jack is plugged in completely. However, if the jack is not completely plugged in the recording is fine though the cable moves and this results in distortion. Any solution for this?
February 19th, 2015 at 4:29 am
I have connected the Rode videomic pro to a Zoom H4N, with the adapter you’ve mentioned. To use it on a boom I extended the cable of the mic by using a extension cable like this: http://images.junostatic.com/full/IS296708-01-01-BIG.jpg
Now i’m wondering if it makes sense to get a XLR cable instead of this (thinner) cable. If it makes any difference in the whole story about balanced cables. Will i notice any difference in sound?
August 17th, 2015 at 6:32 am
Hi,
I need an angled XLR adapter at 90 ° to record the VideoMic Pro on a Tascam DR D 60 MkII (The VXLR is too long)
I made a 3.5mm female cable => XLR male as shown
but it does not work…
On the VXLR, the pin 2 seems connected to the pin 1?
How should I do it ?
Thanks for the reply !
April 3rd, 2016 at 6:07 am
I have the video mic GO.
I feel like I was duped because it WILL NOT WORK unless it gets power from the equipment it is plugged into.
Is there any solution to use the VMGO mic with an XLR input? Some sort of stand-alone power pack?
HELP!
July 23rd, 2017 at 10:11 pm
Did you get anywhere with your question?
I would also be interested in an internal wiring diagram and which voltage to apply on which pins.
Cheers