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Hello my fellow Sound Friends! I come to you with a curious situation.

So two nights ago while shooting a short film at some ungodly hour, my NTG3 craps out. Prior to fully not working, it started sputtering static here and there. I was recording into a 744t, and thought the cabling might be loose, so i jiggled it around here and there, but it didn't fix it. Then the signal just cuts out completely. Luckily there was a back up mic and I was able to finish the night.

So today I test the mic at home, and what do you know. It works! However I think the mic sounds differently now, like the mic is required to be closer to your mouth to get the same amount of presence. Who knows, maybe i'm just psyching my self out.

Has anyone else had this problem with their mics in the past? Could my mic some how be damaged? Thanks for your time!

Cheers

-Kevin

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  • Thanks Guys! I think the safest approach is to send it to rode. I bought it used, but that shouldn't matter if i give them the serial number, right?
    – zenandtheart
    Aug 17, 2011 at 21:37
  • I realize this is an old post, but I just had an NTG-3 crap out on me too. It sounded static-y, then inconsistent, muffled, then distorted, and lost all clarity. I am sending it back for repairs, but now feel very uncomfortable with this microphone. I have never had a microphone fail so quickly and dramatically as this one. Maybe there's a reason they have a ten-year warranty?
    – user13388
    Apr 16, 2015 at 9:02

4 Answers 4

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I have had this problem with my RODE NTG-3, it seems an early batch of NTG-3s were faulty.

Rode have a 10 year warranty so just send it back and ask them to give you a new one. I asked for a brand new one with a much later serial to my original and I tested it in the fridge and outdoors in Winter and it worked.

You probably just have a faulty one.

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  • It's interesting you mention this because I've encountered serious problems with the NT4 product line, something with harnessing P48 I think - so much so that after 2 replacements from them we finally settled on them giving me a full refund from corporate. This notion furthers my feeling that I probably won't be investing in another Rode anytime soon.
    – Stavrosound
    Jul 7, 2013 at 17:52
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I've had this happen to mics in humid areas. Was it wet and damp that night when you were shooting? I was also in Russia not too long ago on a gig and my podium mics stopped working due to the cold (1 degree F).

It's possible it's a cable issue.

If you've got time, I'd take it into the nearest equipment store to AB with another brand new one if you really want to put your mind at ease, but the NTG3 is supposed to be designed to be very rugged and resilient to climate.

Were you using the same cable when you tested it at home? And the same recorder?

I'd try a different mic on the same channel (if you haven't already) and swap cables too to narrow down your reasons, but each time you swap something, swap only one thing so you have a running record in case the problem comes back and you know exactly what just changed.

But, if it were me, I'd see if it's under warranty and get it replaced - mics are not something you want to have fail on you for sure.

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Moisture is a big problem for mics, it sounds like the mic diaphragm has become saturated. This is a problem that you normally find in studios with artists who spray all over the mic. Air drying the diaphragm will bring the mic back to almost normal spec, there will be some small particles still stuck to the diaphragm, which will need to be cleaned off. The particles are making the diaphragm heavier and stiffer making it vibrate less, and therefore less sensitive.

Read the link below before you try and clean the diaphragm.

http://www.josephson.com/clean.txt

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Crazy! The same thing happened to me while I was shooting up in Big Sur. Like Utopia said, I would get it checked out, especially if it's under warranty.

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