Comprehensive DJI MIC-2 Revealed: The Ultimate Dual-Purpose Audio Kit for Digital Producers
Comprehensive DJI MIC-2 Revealed: The Ultimate Dual-Purpose Audio Kit for Digital Producers
Key Takeaways
- DJI Mic 2 is an all-in-one solution for improving the sound quality of your videos, with wireless mics, connectivity options, and noise canceling.
- The microphone captures great audio and has plenty of options for connecting to cameras and other devices.
- The DJI Mic 2 supports 32-bit float audio, has a solid battery life and offers intelligent noise canceling to block background noise effectively.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started as a content creator, making sure your audio sounds as good as possible is essential for making great videos. With two wireless mics and one transmitter, plus some handy extras, the DJI Mic 2 is an all-in-one solution for improving your videos’ sound.
DJI Mic 2
8/ 10
The DJI Mic 2 is an easy to use, great-sounding upgrade to your camera or phone’s onboard microphone, with multiple connectivity options, over 800-foot range, and solid battery life.
Brand
DJI
Type
2 transmitters + 1 receiver
Pattern
Omnidirectional
Battery
360mAh (receiver and transmitter), 3250mAh (charging case)
Connector
Bluetooth, USB-C, Lightning, 3.5mm
Weight
10.01oz
Microphones
2 omnidirectional
Dimensions
4.56 x 1.63 x 2.35in (charging case)
Included Accessories
USB-C and Lightning connections, 3.5mm cable, USB-C to USB-A cable
High Pass Filter
Software
Analog Outputs
3.5mm
Compatible Devices
Cameras, Android, iPhone, iPad
Bit-depth
24-bit, 32-bit float
Sample rate
48kHz
Pros
- Captures great-sounding audio
- Plenty of options for connecting to cameras and other devices
- Intelligent noise cancellation blocks background noise well
- Transmitters and receiver pair easily
- Supports 32-bit float audio and a -6dB backup track
Cons
- Pricier than its close competitors
- No companion mobile app
Expand
Smart Design and a Sturdy Build
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Open up the box that holds the DJI Mic 2 kit, and you’ll find everything tucked into a sturdy fabric case. Inside, the charging case holds both transmitters and the receiver. You’ll also find a few accessories, including USB-C and Lightning dongles, a USB-C to USB-A cable, and a 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio cable.
You also get a pair of windscreens tucked into the pouch—one for each transmitter. These are especially clever, as they plug into the 3.5mm jacks on each transmitter, which are typically used for plugging in another mic. This makes fitting and removing the windscreens easier than many competitors.
The transmitters feature built-in clips, which may be handy for clipping them onto clothing. That said, there is another option that I found preferable: there are magnets included with each transmitter to help attach them anywhere on clothing. Even on a medium-weight puffy insulated jacket (I tested these during winter), they held on without any danger of falling off.
The receiver has a touchscreen, but it’s on the small side. Fortunately, there is also a combination dial and button located to the right of the screen that makes adjusting various settings much easier. I’ll look at this more in-depth later in the review.
Every Connection You Need
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Simply placing both transmitters and the receiver together in the charging case pairs them together, meaning they come automatically paired out of the box when you buy the kit. They pair together using 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, giving them a maximum range of 820 feet, according to DJI. In my testing, the range was certainly good, though I didn’t stretch it to that maximum distance.
The included cables and dongles let the receiver connect to nearly any device. The 3.5mm audio cable works with most cameras, while the USB-C to USB-C cable connects to your computer for audio as well as firmware updates. USB-C and Lightning dongles plug into a hot shoe mount on the button of the receiver, letting them connect to your smartphone, whether Android or iPhone, at least theoretically.
I had issues trying to use the USB-C dongle to connect the receiver to an iPhone 15. Running a USB-C to USB-C cable from the transmitter to the phone worked just fine. The good news is there are so many ways to connect the DJI Mic 2, that one of them is bound to work.
For example, you can also use Bluetooth to connect to your device, making for a fully wireless setup. This does introduce some extra latency, and this is already an issue as there is no zero-latency monitoring, but it will still sync up with your video footage in most cases.
Each transmitter is also capable of recording on its own, with enough onboard storage for up to 14 hours of mono recordings.
Useful Features and an Easy Interface
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
Both the transmitters and the receiver take a minimalist approach to their interface designs, with each transmitter having two buttons. One is the power button, and the other is the pairing button. In my testing, I rarely needed to use either button, but it’s a handy feature that a short tap on the power button on the transmitter toggles the noise cancelation feature on and off.
The touchscreen and dial interface on the receiver takes a little getting used to, but not that long. In my case, after using the DJI Mic 2 for 10 or 15 minutes, swiping down on the touchscreen to get to the settings already felt like second nature. For a kit with so many capabilities, I rarely needed to consult the manual.
Diving into the settings lets you toggle between stereo or mono recording, adjust the overall gain on recordings, and adjust headphone volume. This is also where you’ll enable or disable other settings like Safety Track, which I’ll touch on more in-depth in the next section.
Speaking of stereo recording, you can use the pair of transmitters as a stereo array. This isn’t likely the way most people will be using the Mic 2, but it’s nice if you’re trying to capture the ambiance of a nature shot, for example.
Quality Recordings Nearly Guaranteed
Hannah Stryker / How-To Geek
The microphone built into each transmitter uses an omnidirectional pickup pattern , meaning it picks up sound from all around instead of a single direction. This has both good and bad aspects.
On the good side, you don’t need to be too precious about positioning the microphones. As long as they’re close enough to the source you’re recording, you don’t need to worry about making sure that they’re facing the perfect angle. On the bad side, the lack of directionality means the microphones can pick up more background noise.
Don’t worry about that potential background noise, however, as DJI has addressed this issue with what it calls “intelligent noise canceling.” Basically, the mics use digital signal processing (DSP) to isolate your voice from the background, and it works quite well. You’ll still hear a hint of background noise, especially louder sounds, but it does an impressive job of bringing your voice to the forefront.
In the last microphone sample below, you’ll hear one example where it sounds like a car is driving by while I’m speaking. This was actually a car with no muffler, and I thought I might have to re-record the clip. The fact that the clip was still usable shows just how impressive this noise canceling is.
Sound is unpredictable, and overly loud sounds can cause digital recordings to clip, adding unpleasant distortion in the process. DJI has addressed this in a few ways, one of which is 32-bit float onboard recording. Most software records at a bit depth of either 16-bit or 24-bit. Adding more bit depth is similar to having higher color depth , with 32-bit float recordings having more headroom before distorting.
The DJI Mic 2 also supports what it calls the Safety Track feature. This simply records a second audio track that is 6dB quieter than your main track, giving you a backup in case the louder recording clips and distorts.
- Title: Comprehensive DJI MIC-2 Revealed: The Ultimate Dual-Purpose Audio Kit for Digital Producers
- Author: Jeffrey
- Created at : 2024-08-30 16:46:23
- Updated at : 2024-08-31 16:46:23
- Link: https://eaxpv-info.techidaily.com/comprehensive-dji-mic-2-revealed-the-ultimate-dual-purpose-audio-kit-for-digital-producers/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.