When Rode released the original Wireless GO, it was an instant hit. The ease of use, audio quality, and reasonable price have made wireless microphones much more affordable. In fact, it was so successful that it spawned a number of imitations of products from rivals. After launching the Wireless GO II ($299) with dual microphones, the company is back with a more affordable option: the $149 I wireless. There’s also a new video app called Rode Capture aimed at creators that offers tight integration with Wireless ME and other company products.
If you’re thinking that “more affordable” means fewer features, then you’re right. But you may also be surprised. Although there initially appears to be just a transmitter (microphone) and receiver, the latter also has a built-in microphone, so you can still record two speakers at the same time with their own separate audio files. That said, Rode calls the second mic the “ME mic” and describes it as a “narrator” mic because you can’t use it wirelessly (it’s the one that plugs into your recording device), so it can only be used by someone off camera. Obviously, that’s not a problem if you’re not recording video, but it’s worth knowing if he is.
There are, of course, other minor compromises. For one, the receiver doesn’t have any sort of display, so visual feedback for connectivity is limited to a couple of LEDs. There doesn’t seem to be any feedback for the gain levels at all. There’s also no onboard storage for recording away from a camera, computer, or phone. This also means there’s no option to record a backup track at a lower gain level which, given the lack of a way to view levels, means you’ll need to be really sure you have everything set up at the start. However, as a reminder, the ME is half the price of the GO II.
Photo by James Trew/Engadget
However, there are tools to help. Wireless ME comes with a feature called GainAssist that internally monitors the signal and automatically sets levels based on your surroundings and the volume of your subject. This definitely helps prevent things from clipping, but you can still go red with it. It appears to be using a limiter or compression (or both), but you can still get it to go red. There’s also a “dynamic” mode for recording things at a more consistent volume than speech.
In terms of range, you can expect about 100 metres/328 feet (line of sight), but in practice this can vary quite a bit in either direction depending on conditions. This is a shorter range than the Wireless GO II (200 meters / 656 feet) and DJI’s microphone (250 meters / 820 feet), but probably enough for most scenarios. As for battery life, that’s a respectable seven hours, but there’s no charging case like with DJI or by Anker solutions
With no way to change settings directly on the device, you’ll want to familiarize yourself with the Rode Central app. This is where you can turn the receiver’s microphone on or off if you want to use it, change whether it records to one or two separate files (if you use both microphones), and adjust the gain settings. There are both desktop and mobile (Android/iOS) versions so you can switch modes on the fly, even if it’s a little more complicated than doing it on the receiver like with products from DJI and Anker.
Since the guest-narrator setup isn’t ideal for recording two speakers on camera at the same time, it’s a shame the receiver doesn’t have the option to connect an external 3.5mm lav mic to it. This would mean that you could theoretically run one with a longer cable and have two camera hosts. However, you can still use 3.5mm microphones with the main transmitter. Alternatively, if you have access to another transmitter, such as the Wireless GO II, you can pair it with the ME receiver and record up to three people at the same time, although two of them will need to share an audio channel if you have separate files for all speakers. is important to you.
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The interoperability between Wireless GO II and ME shows that Rode is thinking about how these products can work together, meaning creators can seamlessly collaborate with their own team or continue to use older products even as new ones appear. Expect to see more interoperability with other wireless devices in the future.
Along with the new microphone kit is the aforementioned capture app. It’s a dedicated video app with a twist: direct access to settings for compatible Rode microphones. Most video apps won’t even let you know which microphone you’re using, which can cause anxiety when you’re not sure if it works with the one you plugged in. Having this guarantee alone is handy and direct access to microphone settings is always going to be a welcome bonus for creators. The app is completely free and does not require a Rode product to work, but you will need one from Rode. compatible products if you want to access your settings.
Wireless ME is available for $149 starting today.
