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On January 18, 2020, Adam Frimer made 5 comments
I remember the first time I purchased a wireless lav system. It was a lot of money, but I finally bit the bullet and bought my first wireless Sennheiser G2 system. I was there, 600 dollars less, but happy as a clam. At the time, you couldn't get a (decent) wireless belt bag for less than $450. However, my eyes are always on Sennheiser. Fast forward five years later, we have many wireless options. Prices have been declining, and good quality has become more affordable. Rode Wireless GO is priced at $200.00 and is one of the cheapest, most discreet, and most fully functional backpack wireless systems on the market.
Today, running wireless audio is almost a matter of course. However, in most situations where sound is required, you can avoid using booms or long lav cables. Sometimes you can even put the microphone in the frame. Of course, in some cases, wired solutions are ineffective. You only need a wireless system. Think about documentary work, or shooting lectures, even too talented. The birth of wireless transmitters and receivers is to solve some problems. I'm sure that when the first wireless lav appeared, the angry prosperous male voice was thanking the god of audio.
Wireless microphones provide an excellent solution for safe and discreet sound recording. Usually, a small lav microphone is fixed under the shirt with a clip or tape. This means that the microphone is hidden. If you are shooting anywhere you don't want the microphone to be seen, wireless is a good choice.
Another advantage of lav microphones is that they are omnidirectional. Omnidirectional means that the microphone picks up sound from all directions with the same gain. So when you have a lav microphone (pointing to your mouth) in your shirt, you will get relatively the same sound level no matter where your head is turned. In contrast, a shotgun microphone is a very directional microphone. It tries to pick up only what is directly in front of it. So, if you turn your head, the voice will change.
With this kit, you will get:
Rode Wireless Go is very small. I mean, really, really, really small. In fact, I am still so obsessed with Sennheiser that I have been following their XSW system. The only problem is: 1. $350.00, I might just want to pay an extra $250 to back up my G4. 2. They are not much smaller than my G4, what is the difference. But man! The Rode Wireless Go is the perfect size. The bag never takes up space. It measures only 45 x 45 x 20 mm (1.7 x 1.8 x 0.7 inches). Although RODE is already smaller than Sennheiser XSW, it has clips on the microphone and receiver, which makes my life easier. The cool thing is that the clip on the receiver doubles as a hot shoe, and the transmitter has a built-in microphone. So really, it's as small as possible.
The battery life of Wireless Go is up to 6 hours. Both the receiver and transmitter are fully charged in about two hours. (They even include two USB-C cables). If for some reason, you are still nervous about battery life, the lipstick charger can charge this thing for almost eternity.
Rode Wireless Go is more than just a wireless microphone and receiver kit. There is a 3.5mm microphone jack on the microphone side. You can use this jack with any microphone to provide wireless power to any microphone you already have. I plug the Countryman B3 into the microphone port to create an unparalleled professional sound for myself. You don't need to connect a microphone to the transmitter to make it work. Is the sound of the transmitter normal? This is definitely an improvement in using the camera to record sound. However, as an audiophile, the voice feels crowded. It feels like there is some overlap between different frequencies. Once again, it sounds much better than your camera. If you want to improve the game level but don't want to spend too much money, I highly recommend Audio Technica's MT830mW.
The receiver has a small screen, which is very bright and can provide you with a lot of useful information. You can see the power levels of the receiver and transmitter. You can also check the audio level and whether it is close to the clip. Having an audio level display means you don't have to monitor the audio through the camera. Most importantly, it also displays the signal strength and dB level.
There are two buttons on the receiver. Rode includes manual gain adjustment (to some extent). You can press the gain button on the receiver three times to move between three different levels. My perfectionist wants more control, but honestly, I am happy to have any control! If the transmitter and receiver are disconnected, there is a link button. The setting is basically automatic, so I didn't even use that button.
They are small, they are cheap, they are wireless, they are good-complete the transaction? Hmm... almost. When I said 200 dollars was theft, I was serious. Although it is not perfect, it is something you should consider. My most enthusiastic non-stuck advice is to buy a separate microphone for this setup. Clipping the transmitter directly to someone's shirt is just a bit better than a crocodile. The microphone has a dead cat. I don't know if I would rather listen to the sound of the wind or see someone holding a dead cat with this microphone. It's ugly.
Let's talk about wireless options. Yes, they are wireless, and they are also 2.4GHz. This means you can only get a range of 70m (230 feet). However, the only way to get 70m is if you shoot with direct sight in the Moabi Desert... and everyone’s 2.4ghz equipment is turned off. Then maybe you can get 70m. In fact, you are looking for about 10m before you start to hear the quality drop. In fact, in places with high saturation, such as conventions, you may not be able to use them even at 1 meter. I recommend using this system at close range, not through walls or obstacles. This is not a bad thing for the price, but you need to pay attention to the good places to use this setting.
On the other hand, it is worth mentioning that 2.4GHz is a friendlier frequency worldwide. If you travel a lot, you may encounter problems when carrying low-frequency transmitters. The frequency of Wireless Go is almost universally accepted.
The anecdote in my introduction is a highlight of my career. However, if you look closely, you will notice that I specifically mentioned "my first wireless G2 system". My first wireless microphone is a brand I prefer to leave unnamed, but man, it's really a piece of useless plastic. The transmission quality is poor, the microphone sound is terrible, the volume is large, and it uses a 9v battery. Oh, did I mention that the other first kit cost me 220 dollars. Special offer! This was the cheapest thing I could afford at the time, and I absolutely needed it for a project.
A sound master once told me: "Sound should be invisible, it should be good. Because when the situation is not good, this is the first thing we notice. We can watch Hollywood movies on the iPhone, but if There is no sound, you turn it off.” Sound is probably the most overlooked aspect of filmmakers. I really believe that sound has become so affordable in today's market that there is no reason not to have a great sound. Whether for convenience or necessity, Wireless Mic Go is an excellent choice to meet your wireless needs.
Priced at $200, RODE Wireless Go should go from a good list to a useful tool list.
Submitted as follows: Comments tagged as: Lavalier microphone, microphone, Rode microphone, Rode Wireless GO, wireless audio
Adam Frimer is the Guinness World Record holder, producer and DOP of Tel Aviv, Israel. Adam owns a production company that specializes in corporate marketing and brand strategy. His total videos have been viewed more than 2.5 billion times
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John Aldred lives in Scotland and photographs people and animals in the wild in his studio. You can find more information about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube.
Dunja Djudjic is a writer and photographer from Novi Sad, Serbia. You can see her work on Flickr, Behance, and her Facebook page.
Alex is a commercial photographer living in Valencia, Spain. She mainly photographs people and likes anything related to the outdoors. You can see her work on her website and follow her Spanish adventures on Instagram.
Adam Frimer is the Guinness World Record holder, producer and DOP of Tel Aviv, Israel. Adam owns a production company that specializes in corporate marketing and brand strategy. His total videos have been viewed more than 2.5 billion times
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