It seems like we have swamped with radio / Bluetooth mics of late. Everyone is coming to the party, with recent models from Sennheiser, RØDE and Hollyland, and today, the latest from DJI, the DJI Mic 3 was delivered to me by Postman Pat.
But before I get into the nitty gritty of the DJI Mic 3, let’s discuss mics in general for a moment and try and come to an agreement as to what sets one apart from another.
Obviously, they are all designed to perform one function and one function only – record audio at a distance from some sort of receiver and store it for later editing use and / or editing. Connection to the receiver can be by cable or, as in the case of the mics I mentioned above, using a wireless format.
And this is where many people come unstuck, as it depends on what sort of audio you are recording as to what sort of mic is best suited for the job. A mic used to record an acoustic guitar for example, may be lousy at recording your voice either singing or speaking. And one you want for recording the sounds of a forest will be absolutely useless for Jimmy Barnes.
So, the rule of thumb is not to just get a mic, get one from someone who knows what they are talking about and can advise accordingly.
Connectivity
Back to wireless mics then, where a different set of equations come into play. By that, I mean what are you recording with? Is it going to be with a dSLR camera, a camcorder, smartphone, tablet or something else entirely? You need to make sure that whatever you get has the ability to connect to that device.
In the case of the DJI Mic 3, the situation is that out of the box, you get connectivity options via USB-C, Lightning as well as 3.5mm TRS ports making it suitable for mainstream cameras, camcorders, laptops, PCs and smartphones.
You also get Bluetooth meaning some tablets will also work, but using Bluetooth also means you may be dependent on your software also supporting it. But no, a GoPro that can use Bluetooth for recording in some cases will not be compatible with the DJI Mic 3 – under this envoronment you’ll either need as GoPro TRS adaptor or GoPro MediaMod.
But if you haven’t as yet bought an action type cam and expect to do so, the DJI Mic 3 will work wirelessly with the DJI Action 4 and 5 as well as the DJI OSMO 360 and Pocket 3. Bear in mind though that audio quality via Bluetooth is not as good as it would be via a TRS port / receiver combo and you can only use one of the transmitters if you have purchased the dual transmitter / single receiver version of the DJI Mic 3.
Recording Times
Battery technology has come a long way over the last couple of years and DJI has certainly been at that forefront. Rumour has it the forthcoming Mini 5 Pro drone for example, has potentially up to 50 minutes + flying time which even a few years back would have been considered extraordinary.
So, one assumes that with the DJI Mic 3 giving up to 15 hours by using a combination of the onboard batteries and the charging case, this technology has filtered down. Or maybe up? Who knows.
Either way, that should be more than enough for even the longest shoots, and of course, there is nothing to stop you having the case on trickle charge all the time too, keeping that topped up.
Physical
While we are talking about the charging case, this is cleverly designed to hold the two transmitters and receiver. You can also get the magnets that are used as a secondary way to hold the tiny mics through clothing, (there is also the standard spring clip) plus the fluffies to use for wind suppression and the USB-C adaptor in there too. So, most accessories are covered apart from any external cables you might need and the special hot shoe adaptor for a camera, which I would tend just to keep attached to the camera for when needed anyway.
Touchscreen, Memory and Distance
Setting the controls on the receiver is a snap using the built-in touch screen. Here you can modify channel selection, input and output settings and so on.
As a backup, both transmitters also have an additional 14 hours of memory installed so you can be assured even if the signal drops, you shouldn’t lose any of the recordings. Speaking of which, DJI says under ideal conditions (open, unobstructed environments without interference), you should get a transmitting distance of 250 metres which I’d suggest is ample for most recording and streaming needs.
By way of comparison, equivalent models from Sennheiser, RØDE and Hollyland have 245 metres, 260 metres and 300 metres range respectively.
Proof in the Pudding
At the end of the day though, the proof is in the audio quality. All the best specs and gimmicks in the world are useless if the audio quality is crap. And it’s not; in fact it is bloody good, as equal to anything I have so far used. My ears say the Sennheiser Profile Single Channel model *might* have slightly more “brightness” to it, but if so, it is marginal at best.
Over the next weeks or so I intend to put the four models side by side and save some files so you can judge for yourself, but I think at this stage it is fair to say that with any one of the comparable models from each of the manufacturers mentioned, the average person would be hard pressed to pick much of a difference.
Price
The DJI Mic 3 as tested with the two transmitters and single receiver is available for around AUD$389. The single transmitter version is AUD$279. This makes it on par with the Hollyland M2S and the RØDE Wireless Micro, but less expensive than the Sennheiser Profile twin system (which to be fair has far more built-in functionality).
Final Word
One of the criticisms I have seen regarding the DJI Mic 3 is that it is not able to be used with 3rd party mics using a TRS cable. Frankly, this is not an issue for the market this model is aimed at. I don’t think we’ll be seeing a DJI Mic 3 (or similar) on the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark Part VXII or even in TV OBs any time soon.
This is definitely high end Sennheiser Evolution or Shure Axient type territory.