A Really Great Microphone Kit for 1 and 2 up Videos

Using the camera’s built in microphone when recording video is basically as low as you can go. The mics are lousy, they are all high impedance and noisy and there is nothing that even passes for a preamp. Moreover, cleaning up your audio means that you are starting with something really bad.

However, if you do want to record in camera and not have to get involved with hotshoe mounted directional microphones, there is a simple and really decent solution from RODE called the Wireless GO II.

What Is It?

The standard kit has two separate transmitters and a single receiver along with the TRS cable to go from the receiver to the microphone input on your camera. You are still recording everything in one place, no audio sync dancing later on which is what a lot of people prefer. It lists for $409 CAD but can regularly be found for about $379 CAD. Be careful with online sellers that you are not getting the original Wireless GO. A lower price usually means an older and less capable product. You want the RODE Wireless GO II.

Receiver

The receiver is a really nicely designed piece of kit as shown below.

Transmitter

The basic kit includes two transmitters. They are designed to be as user proof as possible. While each has its own built in microphone, you can plug in an external RODE Lavalier if you wish, or attach the transmitter to an accessory that turns the device into a handheld microphone. Each transmitter gets its own channel and can record mono or stereo and you can even blend the two channels as you record.

The devices run on built in rechargeable batteries. The device connection is USB-C and the kit comes with a USB C to USB C cable as well as two USB C to USB A charging cables.

Also in the kit are two little wind filters that lock to the top of the transmitter which has a clip to attach to your talent’s clothing. There are no wires to run anywhere near the talent and the audio quality is surprisingly good.

RODE Central for Desktop and Mobile

There is also available an app called RODE Central for both Windows and macOS that allows for a nice clean platform to set up your microphones and transmitters. The app layout is pretty good, but as of this writing, I have found the macOS version of RODE Central to be buggy and unstable. The Windows version works fine. The good news is that you can make excellent audio for your video without ever launching the application.

There is also an app for your smartphone to control your system. The RODE Central Mobile app is available for iOS and Android. You will however, need to buy an appropriate cable to connect your Wireless GO II receiver to your smartphone. RODE dealers typically stock these and they are not outrageously priced. I would propose being careful with generic cables from Amazon as they vary in quality and functionality and are nearly always poorly documented.

The kit comes in a soft pouch, which works well for casual use. However, if you are doing a lot of audio with video, I recommend buying as a separate thing the RODE Charging Case. It is less expensive than the third party cases, most of which have issues. You will want to get that from a real RODE dealer. I bought my RODE gear from the AV Shop in Markham, Ontario Canada online. I’ve dealt with this firm for years for my Blackmagic Design switchers and cameras, as well as for my RODEcaster and RODE professional shotgun microphone. When the prices are the same or better than some generic store without a RODE dealer agreement or any clue about the product, why would you not go to a real RODE dealer?

Usability

It really could not be easier to use. There are some basic built in attenuation levels and the receiver has actual input level meters that you can see. Transmitters can be muted when appropriate. In fact it is so easy, that the only documentation is online and is not even available as a PDF download, for which I deduct a full star from this real world test and review. While I understand that reading actual documentation is anathema to a whole bunch of people, it should not be hard to get a local copy.

The transmitter has an LED to indicate power on and a second one to indicate that it is connected to the receiver. If that sounds simple, it really is. The whole concept is fast to deploy, fast to use, with no particular training needed for the talent.

I did order the accessory cable to connect the receiver to my iPhone, called the SC15. It was cheaper from the RODE dealer than on Amazon, by a lot, and works, unlike a lot of the cable trash we find online. With it, I can record directly to my iPhone when using it for video, which I do frequently. I rarely make photos with the iPhone but its short take 4K video is really excellent and I can edit and upload right from the phone using iMovie, although I admit that the screen is a bit small. For this kind of work, it’s a great solution and in my videographer’s opinion, a heck of a lot better than those evil little microphones that you clip on to the iPhone case. I cannot share any direct Android experience because I do not own any Android devices, so to my Android using channel members, my apologies.

Conclusion

If you are doing video with your DSLR, Mirrorless or Smartphone camera and don’t want the audio to suck and blow at the same time, I recommend the RODE Wireless GO II system. RODE knows how to make microphones and the gear that gets the signal into your recorder. This is what the company does best, and I have a number of other RODE products in the video studio and the recording studio.

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