It’s a common problem to face - the sound from the inbuilt mic of the mobile phone or DSLR camera is always far away from matching the quality of the video images. At this moment, we highly expect to take a step to replace it and use an external one, especially a wireless microphone for mobile or camera to improve the audio quality.
Photo by hi_ro0505
Why do you need an external microphone for mobile phone or DSLR camera?
An internal microphone on the camera or phone is too sensitive. It will capture the sounds of your lens and components inside, as well as some more background noise and ambient noise such as wind. Besides, it often has less ability to control peaks or jumps in the sound that exceeds the averaged audio recorded in the video.
With an external microphone, it is achievable to get the entire range of sound, frequencies from low to high, and volumes at the softest to the loudest. This gives a better and smoother audio to match with the video.
In a word, an external camera or mobile phone microphone could improve the audio significantly without too many efforts.
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Why do you need a wireless microphone for phone or camera video?
To define it, a wireless microphone is a recording device that can transmit and receive sound through radio waves. It runs wirelessly without any cables. Nowadays, it is more and more popular in those events such as sports, concerts, interviews, and YouTube videos where mobility is increasingly important. In our opinion, a best wireless microphone for mobile or camera boasts the following four advantages.
1. To get voices heard and mic not be seen
A wireless microphone for mobile or camera video means that there are no cables between the speaker and the recording device and that the speaker is allowed to put the microphone somewhere he or she like, for example, to hide it on clothing. However, this has no compromise with the recording quality and great sounds are retained. So, just get the device close to the speaker’s mouth and hide it from viewers.
2. To get sounds richer and more natural
The microphone wireless for camera or phone is always positioned near the speaker’s mouth, able to capture the sound clearly. In addition, the current microphone manufacturers all strive to develop wireless microphones that can help phase out background noise. Hence, the audio results are richer and more natural.
3. To expand mic uses
In addition to be a wireless mic for mobile vlogging or podcasting which is more personal and causal, it is also a great solution when you intend to take an in-person interview. You can even get two targets involved when you get a dual channel one that could go from mono to stereo mode easily. Just clip the mic onto a lapel or other part of the clothing and start your interview.
4. To move free
With a wireless mic, the speaker would have more freedom to move around. He or she would act more naturally without always keeping an eye on the cables and trying to avoid them. He or she could move further, not just stay at the place that is circled by the microphone cable. Besides, the video recorder could stand at any distance from the speaker and the operator would have more freedom to stay creative with angles, lenses, and light.
How to choose a better cordless microphone for your video recording device?
As we mentioned above, the best way to get off from a camera during video recording is to take an external wireless microphone into the activity. It improve both the sound quality and the recording mobility.
This plays a much more important role in mobile phone recording. When a wired microphone is connected to a smart phone, the phone may find no place to get a proper shot, especially when you would like to start a YouTube video yourself.
In this part, we need to make two choices before buying one really needed.
First, which recording device you would like to use?
It’s of great importance to check the output jack size of the recording device, which is a compatibility issue when choosing a wireless microphone for mobile phone recording or DSLR camera. There are a variety of microphones that feature different connections and not all of them will get connected to your devices directly.
Mobile phones
Most of the modern smartphones have no 3.5mm headphone jack. So you need to purchase a wireless microphone that has a connector or cable size specifically compatible with your phone or use an audio interface. In fact, there are some microphones directly connectable to iOS devices like an iPhone®, or to Type-C port that is always featured by an Android smartphone. Some even come with separate connectors to connect to both.
If you choose to use a smartphone for video recording, you get the chance to have a direct digital connection to your mobile device. This would greatly reduce the risk of noise and interference - but instead, you need to spend some time checking its compatibility with your phone.
This is a problem of PORT. You need to make sure that either the microphone or the smartphone has the same port to connect. As aforementioned, many smart phones on the market feature no headphone jack. In this case, the charging port on the phone is the solution.
The SYNCO P1, which is a wireless microphone for iPhone® or Android phone, is a great mobile solution that comes with built-in connectors you need to connect the mic to iOS and Android devices. It is available with a lavalier microphone transmitter, and a receiver to mount directly to the port of the mobile device.
If you want to shift from iPhone® to Android phone with no limitations, you could buy either SYNCO G1T or SYNCO G1L and meanwhile, buy one more connector different from the package to get a perfect wireless mini microphone for mobile.
DSLR cameras
In general, a DSLR camera always has a 3.5mm jack which is the size carried by most consumer headphones. If you purchase a wireless microphone for camera, double check the cable size to make sure that it is the size of your camera.
Then, which wireless microphone you need?
Omni vs. unidirectional
An omnidirectional microphone has no emphasis on any sound sources and picks up sounds from each side equally, while a directional one just pays attention to the sound in the front.
If you need the microphone to stay very close to the target source and you need some ambient sounds to help build an atmosphere suited to your recording, the omnidirectional pickup pattern is a great choice. If you want the wireless microphone for mobile video recording to keep somehow away from the source - for example - hanging by a boom - OR in a situation in need of extreme isolation - speaker nearby and environment very noisy, then a unidirectional mic with a cardioid or higher cardioid pickup pattern is a must.
Lavalier vs. handheld vs. headset
These are the three typical types of wireless mics for mobile or camera.
A handheld microphone is always a dynamic or condenser one with a transmitter set inside the body. This means easy and quick setup and free movement. It is commonly used by on-stage performers, reporters and educators.
As the name suggests, a headset microphone is worn on the head and over the ear, with a separate arm to enable the capsule to stay very close to the mouth, and a beltpack to receive the audio. It stands out and plays a very useful role when the subject is in noisy conditions or is in need of movement. The mic keeps the same distance from the mouth and sets the user’s hands completely free.
A clip-on microphone, also known as lapel mic or lavalier as abbr., is a small recording device designed to clip on the collar or other parts of the clothing of the subject who is speaking. It fixes many problems caused by the shotgun or on camera microphone which is also used to achieve quality audio results. It is most often used in video recording and film making where a wireless lapel microphone for mobile or camera can be invisible or visible as expected so as to fit into the scenario.
A professional wireless lavalier microphone system usually consists of a receiver and a transmitter both of which are always rechargeable. If it is a dual channel microphone system, then one more transmitter would be added. It would take some time for the system to set up. Under a UHF or digital transmission technology, they are not very suitable for run-and-shoot situations.
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4 Tips to make microphone sound better
1. No noises in the room
Background noise is a big distraction, not only for audience but also for your own. It can interrupt you anytime during your recording and can make your voice difficult to be heard and your words hard to understand. Hence, you are highly advised to shut out the noise sources as many as possible. For example,
- Close the windows and prevent any outside noises from penetrating in;
- Shut the door for your recording room and keep it quiet from the outside;
- Turn off any air conditioners or fans that are running in your room.
2. Not too far away from your recording device
Though the microphone for video recording on phone or other devices always allows you to move freely, we really suggest that you do not move around too much during shooting. The reason is that this may result in strange changes in volume and sound quality. It is completely fine if you just have some gestures and movements without moving too far away.
3. Gain at an appropriate level
The word GAIN indicates how sensitive the camera or mobile microphone for recording is OR how loud the recording results are. If you set the gain too high, the voice captured will be too loud and may even be distorted. Therefore, you are suggested to dial back the gain somehow. Besides, you need to check the gain level inside the recording device to avoid conflicts.
Conclusion
No matter which microphone you choose, it definitely would take a huge improvement compared to the built-in one on your device. A wireless mic for YouTube videos or other videos is of course the easiest way to get a boost to overall recording quality without investing in too much.