They say that a good audio adds a whole lot of value to your videos. They also say that even if your video looks bad, your audio can more than make up for it. It does sound counterintuitive, but it can be quite true.
While it is true that the first thing that should stand out in a video is the visuals itself, bad audio can destroy a perfectly good video experience. Audio is one of the most underrated tools in a video production that people sometimes do not pay too much attention to it, especially when it is good. When it is bad though, you just cannot bear to watch the video for too long because the audio just annoys you.
Audio gear is not exactly cheap or straightforward to work with though. Cheap solutions are out there, but they usually come with a whole slew of compromises that makes you think twice about using them sometimes, especially cables. Cabled set-ups, while are some of the most reliable and easily the best sounding while remaining relatively cheap to work with, is rather restrictive. That is also why plenty of productions have preferred to work with wireless microphone systems.
There are plenty of good choices out there too in this department. One of the most popular choices out there is made by RODE. Plenty have also sort of followed suite in the same form factor. All of them are similar kits too with one receiver and two mic transmitter combos. Each item must be charged individually and kept separately though. There are a few risks to that, obviously.
What if you can just put them in a single place, and charge them simultaneously? What if you can just work with them like most true wireless earbuds now? They are sort of the same thing are they not?
Oddly enough, the first manufacturer that does this is not RODE or Shure. It is DJI with their new DJI MIC. DJI should not be an unfamiliar name to content creators at this point. They make some of the most interesting video recording hardware to date. A lot of them are also targeted to independent and small-time content creators. Most of them are video recording gears though, not really audio recording dedicated items until the DJI MIC.
It is a unique product, this DJI MIC. It will set you back US$ 329 (MYR 1,386*), which is just a little bit more expensive than the RODE Wireless Go II. It is a little smaller than the RODE alternatives. In concept, they work similarly. But there is one fundamental difference between the two. The DJI can be charged on a single platform and that single platform also works as their battery extenders, very much like true wireless headphones today.
Obviously, coming from DJI, it also comes with a slew of adapters for maximum recording flexibility. There is a USB Type-C adapter and a Lightning adapter that comes with the set if you prefer to shoot with your smartphones. Because it is made primarily with DSLRs to mind, of course it comes with a hot shoe mount adapter and a matching 3.5mm audio cable.
According to DJI, the audio is transmitted via 2.4GHz frequency band that allows audio to be transmitted to the receiver from up to 250m away, which also means long lens shooting is not out of the question. DJI’s clever technologies have also ensured that the signals are free of interference for when your shoot locations get busy.
DJI also says that the entire package allows you to record videos at up to 15 hours in total (5 + 10 from charging case). That means that an entire day worth of shoot will be a non-issue with the DJI MIC. You are not going to be shooting five hours at a time as well, so you are not going to need to worry about the MIC running out of battery. If you need to, you can also record audio directly on to the receiver itself at up to 14 hours, either for backup, or when you are recording a podcast outside.
The DJI MIC is available now in select regions. As mentioned, it will set you back US$ 329. It is not officially available in Malaysia just yet. You can pre-order it in Malaysia for MYR 1,599. For more information on the DJI MIC, you can visit their website.
*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.21 on xe.com as of 05/04/2022