AUDIO ESSENTIALS
DSLR MICS
JOBY WAVO PRO £214/$200 joby.com
SHURE UNIPLEX LAV MIC £296/$299 shure.com
For a lav mic that’s superior to standard wireless kit, Shure’s Uniplex is a tiny, 5mm subminiature cardioid lavalier microphone for vocal use. It comes in four colours so can be hidden easily, and three connector types fit most transmitters. The mic uses 1.6mm Shure Plex Cable technology, which ensures long-lasting durability and comfort for the wearer. The cable is built to eliminate kinks and memory effects, thanks to its spiral construction and shielding – and is also fully paintable, so can be disguised easily. Each mic comes in a carrying case with a snap-fit windscreen and single tie clip. There is a choice of TA4F, Shure Lemo and XLR fittings equipped with an RPM400TQG preamplifier.
Joby’s move to professional- grade audio is headed by the Wavo Pro which recently had a price cut, making it even better value. We’ve used one many times and
it’s a great bit of kit, with an intelligent hybrid analogue/ digital system to power active noise reduction. And it’s designed to eliminate handling noise too. There is a simple digital app for iOS and Android devices offering real-time monitoring of sound input plus dual-mode EQ and shareable set-ups. The mic records a -10dB safe track in case of sudden increases in noise. And there is a second 3.5mm mic input to allow an additional mic to be plugged in for dual-channel recording. To prevent the battery running flat or starting to record with the mic still switched off, auto-power mode controls the power automatically. LEDs front and back signal that the mic is working.
SARAMONIC VMIC MINI S £81/$89 saramonic.com The Saramonic Vmic Mini S is a mini-shotgun condenser mic with three selectable polar patterns. ASMR mode has a focused directional pickup ideal for quiet subjects; a 120° cardioid has a wide directional pickup and there’s a 360° omnidirectional setting. The Vmic Mini S is light with an integrated shock and shoe mount with a 1/4in -20 thread that rotates 360°. So it’s ideal for off-camera use on boom poles, tripods, stands or mobiles as well as video cameras. It doesn’t use battery power and connects using the included 3.5mm TRS or TRRS cables.
CANON DM-E1D £400/$299 canon.co.uk
Canon’s move into wire-free, on-camera mics is the DM-E1D. Like
Sony’s well-established MI system, it clips on to a multi- function shoe – just as long as your camera is one of the latest versions with one. This allows direct communication and power to be transmitted to accessories, instead of having to rely on a separate power
source and plug-in cable. Just push the directional stereo microphone DM-E1D onto a suitable Canon camera, which both connects the audio and provides power. The design of the £400/$299 microphone is low-profile and streamlined, with just a menu button on the mic itself. Pushing this brings up a menu on the camera for actioning adjustments, meaning the DM-E1D itself is a sleek and minimalist unit.
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