DISCLAIMER
This article is not paid or sponsored by anyone. It reflects my own independent opinion. I only recommend companies and products that I trust. Some links might be affiliates, which means I may get a few pennies if you decide to purchase something.
Thanks in advance for your support!
In my previous post I compared 6 different microphones on 6 configurations for filmmakers. Today I will compare 3 different wireless systems, once connected directly to a Panasonic GH5 , and a second time connected to a Zoom H1n field recorder.
The cool thing about these posts is that you will be able to listen to how each mic sounds while recording the same exact audio source, and judge the quality of each system by yourself.
The Setup
The main goal was to test which mic/system would perform best under real-life situations for people working as a 1 Person Crew, so we chose one of the most popular cameras among indie filmmakers and the most basic field recorder we could find. For these tests I asked the help of Tiago Canadas, a professional audio engineer and owner of Poison Apple Studio, a professional audio facility in Lisbon. He chose a 30 second audio clip of a woman singing, and we meticulously set the mics at exactly the same distance and angle from the speakers.
Settings
We recorded all the microphones at 48000 Hz Stereo 24 bit, and used the same output settings to export the .wav files from Adobe Premiere Pro.
First we tested three wireless systems connected to the Panasonic GH5
- Comica Audio CVM-WM200A – $389 at Amazon and B&H
- Saramonic UwMic9 – $398 at Amazon and B&H
- Rode RodeLink – $398 at Amazon and B&H
Eduardo’s Comments: The three wireless systems performed very similarly andt he price for the three kits is almost identical. The RodeLink kit recorded more subtle sounds, and the Saramonic a bit less, but overall they seem extremely close.
See Tiago’s Comments at the end of the post.
Listen to all three samples and choose the one that you think is the highest-quality audio.
And then we tested the same three wireless systems connected to a Zoom H1n
- Comica Audio CVM-WM200A – $389 at Amazon and B&H
- Saramonic UwMic9 – $398 at Amazon and B&H
- Rode RodeLink – $398 at Amazon and B&H
Eduardo’s Comments: The Saramonica and Rode wireless systems are very close, but the Rode seems a bit “crispier. The Comica wireless system captures a less details than the other two.
See Tiago’s Comments at the end of the post.
Listen to all three samples and choose the one that you think is the highest-quality audio.
Conclusions
Tiago’s Comments: The sound from all mics is poor, but this wasn’t a fair test for any of the mics. We should redo the test, adjusting each mic to perform its best and record actual human voices, not a recording.
Your Turn!
So here’s a question for you (the reader): If we redo this test, how would YOU like us to test these mics? Write your comments below, send me an email or even a Tweet.
MY VIDEO GEAR
Amazon
ONLINE COURSES
Lynda.com
Mini Tutorials
LinkedIn Learning
SOCIAL
YouTube: 1PersonCrew
Instagram: @1PersonCrew