DJI Mic Mini (left), DJI Mic 2 (right)
David Gewirtz/ZDNET
I am a big fan of ecosystems when it comes to electronic devices. Ecosystems let devices work together easily. When it comes to digital devices, especially for video production, there are three main ecosystems I’ve adopted: Apple, Edelkrone (for robotic motion control), and DJI (for drones, mics, and cameras).
In this article, I’ll focus on DJI and how its devices work well together, and with my iPad-centric video production process.
My first experience with DJI was using its Mavic Pro drone back in 2018. It was sent to me for review, but I immediately put it to use diagnosing a roof issue. I live in Oregon, where roof issues are endemic as rain.
Also: Using a 4K drone to diagnose roof damage
Although I live in a different house than I did at that point in 2018, I’ve still found the need to send the Mavic up in the air to look at roof issues — as recently as this past fall. That same Mavic is still as robust and useful now as it was then.
My experience with the Mavic impressed me, particularly with the machine learning in the camera and gimbal controls. A few years ago, I bought the DJI Pocket 2<!–>, which was pretty much the same camera and gimbal that the drone uses, but in a standalone handheld device without propellors.
I also liked it, so last fall I bought the DJI Mic 2–>. I’d been having mic issues in my workshop and studio. The DJI Mic 2 seemed like it might finally solve my problems.
Mic needs
For my very first YouTube videos, I used a collar-mount lavalier-style mic that I had bought from Radio Shack years before. I think I spent less than twenty bucks. Although the mic served me well, I found myself struggling to move without knocking something over due to the 30-foot cord attached to the thing.
Also: My 9 must-have gadgets for creating quality YouTube videos
Then I went through the period I think of as my wireless mic desert. Wireless mics were available, but they were both expensive and fussy. Usually, they required a pack-of-cards-sized transmitter that you’d hang off your belt (assuming you wore a belt) and a receiver box you would connect to your camera or recording device. This was bulky and annoying.
Then, about two years ago, I switched to using an iPad as my teleprompter. This eliminated a lot of gear. To eliminate the receiver pack, I wanted a mic that would communicate over Bluetooth. I did find one, and it did eliminate the excess gear problem, but it was terrible. The sound quality was bad. It randomly dropped connections.
I had proven that the Bluetooth mic idea was a win, but the device I had was not the answer. I did look at the first-generation DJI Mic<!–>, which many YouTubers spoke positively about. But that mic didn’t have Bluetooth. It had a receiver that would work with iOS or Android devices and cameras. While it was much smaller than previous generations, it was still another piece of gear. I wanted to avoid having so many pieces to deal with.
DJI Mic Mini kit (left) and DJI Mic 2 kit (right)
David Gewirtz/ZDNET
The DJI Mic 2
But then, DJI came out with the Mic 2<!–>. I leaped all over that thing. It had two features that immediately appealed to me: Bluetooth that didn’t suck, and the ability to record on-device.
However, the native iOS Camera apps don’t support Bluetooth mics. I use a teleprompting program, which supports Bluetooth, and I use the Blackmagic Design Camera app, which also supports Bluetooth. Both of these work with my iOS ecosystem cameras on iPhones and iPads.
If you do want to use the native Camera app, you can use the included receiver that DJI provides.
The Mic 2 kit contains two transmitters that you can attach to a garment using a little magnet and a receiver. You can use the receiver to create a hard-wired connection to a recording device like an iPhone. As I said, my whole plan was to use Bluetooth, so I don’t use the receiver.
Also: DJI’s latest wireless microphones solve one of my biggest problems with audio recording
Although I haven’t needed to use two transmitters yet, this is a great kit for doing interviews or having two hosts record into one recording device.`
Then there’s the on-device recording. Each transmitter has onboard memory that can record up to 14 hours. New recordings simply overwrite the oldest of older recordings. I like this because it serves as a backup in case the Bluetooth connection doesn’t work or something else on the camera side prevents me from getting good audio. All you do is connect the transmitter via USB-C to your computer and download an audio file.
The Mic 2 also has an adaptive, intelligent noise cancellation mode that modifies itself based on environmental conditions. I’ve gotten some pretty good recordings even when the HVAC system switched on while recording.
Another quirky feature of the Mic 2 is its microphone adapter. There’s a 3.5mm jack on the device where you can plug in your own lavalier mic. This is something you might do if you have a beloved lav mic and just want to use the Mic 2 as a transmitter.
And then there’s the Mic Mini
If you take a look at the photo at the beginning of this article, you’ll see one transmitter mic that’s substantially smaller than the other. The smaller one is the Mic Mini–>, which was just released at the end of last year.
I’m going to take a minute to help you understand the differences between these devices and figure out which one best fits your needs. The Mic Mini is about half the price of the Mic 2. It does some things better but lacks some features.
The Mic Mini is much smaller. At 10g, it’s about a third of the weight of the 28g Mic 2. This doesn’t seem like much, but when you have the thing hanging off your shirt, smaller and lighter is better.
In my testing, the microphones in both devices are pretty much identical. The Mic Mini has two levels of noise reduction (lots and less), while the Mic 2 has smart noise reduction.
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The Mic Mini’s receiver isn’t as tricked out. It doesn’t have a touchscreen display, for example. The Mic Mini also doesn’t have internal recording (big for me) or an external mic jack (which I don’t care about at all).
But just when you think you have the Mini pegged as a smaller and cheaper solution, it turns out to have a longer range and longer operating time. The Mic Mini is rated with a 48-hour operating time, while the Mic 2 is rated at 18 hours. Mic Mini also has automatic limiting to prevent audio clipping, which means that if you get loud, your sound won’t distort.
And then there’s transmission distance. The little guy can reach about 400 meters, while the bigger Mic 2 can reach only about 250 meters. Both have the line-of-sight range of at least two football fields. Since I record almost entirely in a garage, the added range of the Mic Mini isn’t a big thing for me.
Here’s a quick decision tree:
- If you want maximum range, you’ll want the Mic Mini
- If you want internal recording as a backup, you’ll want the Mic 2
- If you want smaller or cheaper, you’ll want the Mic Mini
- If you want more control at the receiver, you’ll want the Mic 2
I prefer the smaller Mic Mini because it’s not as intrusive on my T-shirts. But I’ll keep using the Mic 2 most of the time because that internal recording can save your whole day.
Connecting to the DJI ecosystem
From left to right: Osmo Pocket 3, DJI Mic Mini, DJI Mic 2, Osmo Action 5 Pro, and the Neo drone
David Gewirtz/ZDNET
I mentioned the DJI ecosystem at the beginning of this article. While my most common usage scenario is the Mic 2 to the Blackmagic Camera app on my iPad, I also connect the Mic 2 (mostly, again because of the internal recording) to the Pocket 3<!–> gimbal camera, the Action 5–> action camera, and DJI Neo<!–> drone.
The process is nearly seamless.
Also: This 4K pocket camera easily replaced my iPhone 16 Pro Max for video recording
For the Osmo Action 5 Pro or the Osmo Pocket 3, you don’t need a receiver. The Mic 2 and Mic Mini transmitters support direct connections to the camera devices. All you need to do is go into the settings menu on either camera, choose Wireless Microphone, connect the transmitter you want to pair, and the transmitter will pair with the camera.
Pairing the Neo drone (and the new Flip drone) is done through the DJI Fly app on your phone. You also connect your Mic 2 or Mic Mini to the DJI app on your phone. What makes this so cool is that the DJI Fly app automatically removes propellor noise and merges the Mic’s audio tracks with the drone’s video footage.
The Neo (which fits in my pocket) is capable of backward movement, body-tracking, and station-keeping in front of a person being filmed while they’re walking forward, essentially acting as a camera professional using a dolly. I am looking forward to using this combination of Neo, Mic, and propellor noise elimination to do some walk-and-talks in the local parks since they’re beautiful in this area. (It’s 27 F outside right now, so those walk-and-talks will have to wait a few months.)
Also: I tested DJI’s palm-sized drone, and it captured things I had never seen before
One of the things I like most about this ecosystem integration is that I can record a B-roll using the Pocket or Action and get exactly the same sound quality and sound as I do from recording my A-roll because I’m using the same microphone in the same room. That makes audio editing in post-production a lot easier.
Overall, I like the DJI ecosystem. It merges well with the Apple ecosystem I use to produce most of my videos. Together, the combination of mics, gimbal cameras, drones, iPhones, and iPads enables me to produce some great content without too much setup or fiddling.
Are you using the DJI products? Have you tried the Mic 2 or Mic Mini? What about the Pocket 3 or Neo? Let us know in the comments below.
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Source: Robotics - zdnet.com
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