On the hunt for an off-camera, but wireless mic option, I have stumbled across a few ideas.
Cables cause clutter, they can pick up interference and they are limited in placement and range, but they are cheap and reliable.
Wireless has a few benefits that can outweigh the obvious downside, which is reliable signal when compared to hard cabling. Wireless offers simple and safe booming, stand placement and even hand holding options and generally longer range, although this decreases reliability.
The Lekato wireless transmitters seem to be clean, solid and reliable options as long as you don’t get anything substantial in the way (5 khz units have less robust signal for non line-of-sight signal, but are less prone to other interference), which for my use case, usually LOS over 5-10 mtrs maximum, is fine.
This opens up a lot of mic options.
The dynamics I have, the TT1 Pro Lanen being the most sensitive, need to be too close to the subject. I have tested all of them and the reality is, the mic needs to be in frame to work well, which is often ok, but not always. These are hand held, treat ’em rough stage mics.
My condensers are better, but their pickup pattern is too wide for single person interviews in outdoor settings. These are instrument or booth mics.
I have the MKE-400 shotgun, which when used with an XLR to 3.5 adapter to the Lekato worked well. The cable I have is quite long, the mic best suited to on camera use, the overall result a little messy and that mic is the “always in the bag” mic, so the rest just would not be with it.
The Zoom SSH-6 is a Zoom shotgun capsule and a good one, so it needs to be attached to a Zoom device which is limiting. The ECM-3/6 extension cabless were on my radar, but again, are limited to the capsules only. The SSH-6 has a gain dial at the mic end. This means to control sound I would need to use the camera, which is not as intuitive or clean as the mic dial.
I looked at the Comica wireless shotgun, but it is a big investment for a mic no better than the MKE-400 and it is a closed loop, so if anything goes wrong it all falls apart. I will always go for a more versatile and better supported option. Basically I would like my “B” option to be similar to my “A”, not a whole other set-up I need to bring.
The Zoom M3 popped up again, offering 32 bit float RAW, so I could boost on camera sound, but this takes processing, something I want to avoid. I am not confident in that space yet and want to avoid unnecessary “clutter” physical or not. It is also, like the Comica, a one horse show.
I would much prefer a dedicated shotgun, with native XLR connection, but this requires battery power because the Lekato’s do not supply phantom power.
The MKE-600 Sennheiser is expensive on balance and there is too much repetition, compromise and unwanted versatility for what I need. The MKE-400 or SSH-6 are almost as good, offer this versatility and the 417 is better for booming but far too dear.
I need something that does what the 400 or SSH-6 do wirelessly, while not trying to be them in their space.
I stumbled across Synco during my searches.
The first review was a “is the Synco Mic-D2 a cheap version of the MKH-417 Sennheiser?”, which got my attention. The general consensus is no, it is not a replacement for the industry standard 417, although in controlled environments, it is almost impossible to tell by ear which is better, they are just different. It is a genuine option in the sub $400 semi-pro range.
After a lot of reviews, not many from main stream reviewers and there is a taint of a “buying” reviews scandal with this company, I am satisfied that for $170au, the Synco Mic-D1, the older and less sensitive version is a decent (very) long shotgun mic, with the minimum of features I need including battery power.
I will not be putting mine on a camera.
The newer D2 gets the most reviews (and the controversy), my search engine often defaulting to it even when I requested only D1 reviews, but there were a few direct comparisons between the two and other mics.
It boils down to;
The D2 sounds surprisingly similar to the MKH-417 (which is 5x dearer), some say as good but different, either way, it is decent in this space.
The D1 sounds very much the same, but needs about 25% more gain. This was often using Zoom devices, so results that matter to me.
The D1 compares favourably to the MKE-600, NTG3, NTG2, S Mic 2, S Mic 2s, etc, which are all much dearer. Micro differences in range, rejection and tone aside, they are all enough, this one is enough on a budget.
Nobody complained it was super gain hungry like an SM7b, just weaker than some mics and self noise seems well controlled even after boosting. The MKE-400 adapted to the Lekato’s had plenty of clean gain, so I am happy I have the range.
If it works out I may even get the D2 as well for cabled use, the pair combined coming in at the price of the MKE-600, as it has better rejection and gain, but probably not as I have other options.
My setup will likely be the boomed or stand mounted* mic with the Lekato wireless adapter to the receiver on the Zoom H5, AMS-24 or F1 (with XLR capsule) to camera with backup recording and the Zoom H1n next to it or the Lark M1’s as a safety track. I will have cables at hand and use them if able, but if not, this looks workable.
My aspirations for sound recording are realistic. I just want decent, fit for purpose gear for each application. I have made a few miss-steps with too much music-centric gear, but it all has its uses and I have learned a lot. This mic seems to be a good option for occasional, specific use, when size and mobility can take a back seat to the best and simplest design choices.
*The TV crews I worked around at the paper used a mic on a shared low stand.