MINI TESTS
“The kit comes with a whole range of mounting systems for complete flexibility” Ametal shoe and clamp ring give a solidmount to the camera, and it has a 1/4in-20 thread underneath for use on rigs or stands. Even the coiled TRS cable is a decent bit of kit, and the USB charging cable is nice and long, too. For such a short mic, the audio quality is impressive – and it manages to avoid picking up too much unwanted interference from the sides and rear. It’s never going to a rival a long shotgun, so is best for ambient noise recordings. If you want to boost speech, for example, there are settings in the app to help, as well as an equaliser system. It’s a fully featured promic with all the bells and whistles. Also offering great value is the compact Wavo Air system, an instant- pairing wireless microphone kit. It comes with two transmitters that have mics built-in, two plug-in lav mics and both TRS and TRRS cable adapters. It has a wireless range of 50m/164ft or 30m/98ft, if there is no direct line of sight. The kit comes with a whole range of mounting systems for complete flexibility. There are typical belt clips and a coldshoe mount, but also a magnetic lanyard that’s worn under clothes – the transmitters fix to it magnetically. There’s also a clip for mounting a unit to a GorillaPod. The RX and both TX units come already paired, so just turn themon and they will flash to show they’re all
AIR HELLO! The wireless kit delivers everything you might need FELINE GOOD A dead cat windjammer comes with the Wavo Pro mic
SPECIFICATIONS JOBYWAVO AIR Wireless: Digital 2.4GHz, 18 RF channels Range: 50m/164ft TX and RX I/O: 3.5mmTRS, USB-C Battery life: Six hours Built-inmic: Mono omnidirectional, 50Hz-18kHz, -42dB sensitivity Lavmic: Mono omnidirectional, 50Hz-18kHz, -30dB sensitivity OS compatibility: Android, Windows, iOS, macOS X TX dimensions (wxhxd): 42.5x64x19.3mm/1.7x2.5x0.8in RX dimensions (wxhxd): 35x64x18.5mm/1.4x2.5x0.7in Weight: 33g/0.7lb Perhaps the biggest issue for Joby is being taken seriously by professional filmmakers, rather than the usual vlogger customers. This isn’t helped by some of the red plastic fittings on the Wavo Air units. Most professionals would rather have all-black products tomake them easier to hide. But, if you can get over this minor issue, they offer great value for money. JobyWavo Pro PROMOVIEMAKER RATING: 8/10 Lots of features professionals need and an easy-to-use app Pros: Twin inputs, user-friendly Cons: Not the best audio quality JobyWavo Air PROMOVIEMAKER RATING: 8/10 Simple dual-input systemwith loads of mounting options Pros: Simple pairing, complete kit Cons: Red plastic feels cheap
ready to go. If they go out of sync, press and hold a tiny button to re-establish the connection. The TX units have an LED display that gives a visual signal of battery life, pairing status and the gain level. The internal batteries are charged by USB and last for around six hours, but you can trickle charge via USB-C if necessary. Both TX units have an onboard omnidirectional mic, which provides surprisingly good sound quality. It’s especially clear for vocals, as you’d expect, and these come with clip-on windjammers. The kit also contains a pair of lav mics with foamwindshields and decent lapel clips.
POD PERFECTION
For recording voice-overs, streaming, or even just Zoom calls, the £86/$100Wavo Pod is a large-diaphragm, USB condenser microphone, which can deploy both cardioid and omnidirectional pickup patterns. With 24-bit/48kHz high-res sampling rates, the results are very impressive – rivalling lots more expensive, big-name mics. The Pod has zero-latency headphone monitoring using a standard 3.5mm jack, along with a volume and gain knob with a one-click integrated mute button. There’s also a desk stand, but it comes with an adapter to connect to any boom arm. Like the rest of theWavo range, it performs well and is keenly priced, but the red pop filter feels cheap. It gives the impression it’s aimed at amateurs, but its build quality and performance is that of a truly professional mic.
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