The DJI Mic 2 Might Finally Replace My Lav Mic
All this adds up to one of the most convenient recording systems I’ve ever used. I was able to attach this microphone to the shirt of multiple subjects with minimal effort. As long as the person you’re recording is wearing enough clothing close-ish to their face, it takes seconds to set up the mic and start recording.
The audio quality of my recordings was similarly impressive. DJI advertises intelligent noise canceling built into the transmitter, which normally I would be skeptical of. I usually prefer to record as purely as I can and do any modifications in post, but this mic is designed for convenience above all else. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that the noise canceling, which works on background sounds that aren’t voices, was effective without distorting the audio I was trying to capture.
Extended Interviews
The battery life on the DJI Mic 2 has also gotten a substantial upgrade. The transmitters and receivers on the original each had 320-mAh batteries, while the Mic 2 comes with 360 mAh each. Meanwhile, the charging case has been upgraded from a 2,600-mAh battery to a generous 3,250 mAh.
In practical terms, that means that each transmitter and receiver got a little over six hours of battery in my testing. The case could recharge each device from empty to full in a little over an hour, which isn’t great if you run out in the middle of a shoot, but you can charge one mic while using the other, so there’s a lot of flexibility to get a full day of work out of these microphones.
Photograph: Eric Ravenscraft
The transmitters also have a 3.5-mm port on the top, so you can use your own microphones, if you don’t prefer the sound on the mics themselves, or you want to hide a more discrete mic somewhere and put the transmitter in a pocket. You can also pair the transmitter to your phone or tablet via Bluetooth, so you can skip the receiver while recording. However, it’s worth pointing out that this can drag down battery life a bit, and you’ll also miss out on some of the key features of the system, like noise canceling and 32-bit float audio.
Despite its minor downsides, the DJI Mic 2 is a solid improvement over the original and still one of the most convenient ways to record audio. If you’re a content creator who works in online media, where speed is often just as important as recording quality, there are few options that are easier to use. The $350 price for the full kit might be off-putting at first, but it pays for itself in time saved on your shoots.
