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This page takes you through the different radio mics suitable for location filming:
Rode Link
Rode Wireless Go
Rode Wireless Go2
Radio mics are a great way of recording audio when you cannot get in with a boom, possibly because the shot is too wide, or you have more than one actor too far apart, or you are working on your own without a boom op.
For interviews the mic can be clipped straight onto the clothing of the actor in view. For Drama the mic is normally hidden under clothing, though for some close ups, the mic can be outside of clothing, just out of shot.
For location work we have three systems here, all by Rode.
The Rode Link set
Rode Wireless Go
Rode Wireless Go 2
The main differences are:
Rode Link kit
This is a single transmitter and receiver, which records from a Lavalier mic (lav or lapel mic)
It has the strongest signal of the Rode range at 100 metres plus, not specifically line of sight.
Powered by AA batteries.
Both units are on the large side, though this is only an issue if you are trying to hide the transmitter on an actor (or talent)
Rode Wireless Go kit
This is a single transmitter and receiver, which records from a built in mic or a Lavalier mic (lav or lapel mic). It has a range of 70 metres max and needs to be line of sight. It has built in batteries and is charged via a USB 3 cable from a computer or a USB adaptor.
The whole transmitter can either clip on to clothing of the talent, or can be hidden underneath. If that does not work it can act as a tiny mic pack with a hidden lav mic.
The clip on the receiver will slide into the hot shoe of a camera.
Rode Wireless Go 2 kit
This kit is the same as the Rode G but has two transmitters and one receiver. This is ideal for interviews or scenes with two actors. It has a range of 70 metres max and needs to be line of sight It has built in batteries and is charged via a USB 3 cable from a computer or an adaptor.
The whole transmitter can either be clipped onto the talent, or can be hidden under clothing. If that does not work it can act as a tiny mic pack with a hidden lav mic.
The receiver shows the levels from both transmitters.
Rode Link
Rode Link
Here is a short intro to the system from Rode:
This is a robust and reliable wireless system with a transmitter pack which is connected to a Lavalier (lav) mic which transmits to the receiver pack.
The receiver can sit on top of a camera in the hot shoe, using the 3.5mm jack to go into a DSLR or mirrorless camera or with a an XLR barrel connector to go into Sony X70/Z90 or a Canon C100 mk2.
If you want to run two Rode links into a camera with XLR inputs, put one on the hot shoe and insert one into the handle grip on the side. Some of the X70s have a second jack at the rear of the top handle.
The transmitter is hidden in a pocket or on the belt of the talent. The lav mic is attached to the transmitter with a screw locking system.
If there is nowhere to hide the receiver (as it is on the large side !) you can use a Rode Go (more on that later).
The packs both slide open at the back where you power them with two AA batteries. If in use all day you can get through a set each, that's 4 batteries so it's a good idea to turn both the receiver and transmitter off when not in use.
When the batteries are revealed, you can see the red channel pairing button and the Gain control on the transmitter and the Attenuator control on the receiver. It is normal to have them both set to 0, unless your actor is talking very quietly, then you may need to boost on the gain on the transmitter to 10+. The Attenuator on the receiver reduces the level if the signal is too loud or ‘hot’ in sound recordists speak.
Switching On
The on buttons for devices are on the top. The receiver has a display showing the channel, the signal level and the state of the batteries for both units.
Pairing
The transmitter and receiver are normally paired from the factory, but if they are not, follow these steps:
Turn on the Receiver and Transmitter units.
Open the battery door of both units, allowing access to the pair (red) buttons.
On the Receiver unit, press and release the pair button (don't hold). The screen status should change to display a flashing channel number and a searching animation to indicate it is in pair mode.
If you wish to select a specific channel number, press the 'CH'; button to cycle through to the desired channel.
Press and release the pair button on the Transmitter (don't hold).
Both units should now display a solid, matching channel number indicating that they are now paired.
You can mute both of the devices if you don't want to hear the contributor.
The ON button on the transmitter also works as a mute button, and will go red
Rode Go Radio Mics mk1 and mk2
Rode Go Radio Mics mk1 and mk2
Instructional video from Rode mk1:
Promo video from Rode for the Mk2 mics:
These are splendid little devices, small and easy to use. They simply clip onto contributors, but are also handy for hiding on actors as well. Because there are no cables involved the possibility of rustling from clothing is reduced.
Rode Go
Inbuilt Mic
Rode Go2
Each Rode Go kit comes with a transmitter and receiver. The Go 2 kits come with two transmitters and one receiver. You can also plug in a Rode Lav to the transmitter and it will act as a small mic pack.
Each kit comes with pink audio connector
(don't get these mixed up with similar black ones).
You can plug the receiver straight into a DSLR like a Canon C700d, or a mirrorless like the Sony A7111 or the PanaGH4.
If you want to plug it into a phone you will need a different cable, an SC7 patch cable from Rode.
To plug into a Sony X70/Z90 or Canon C100 you will need a barrel connector, like the ones we use for the Rode Links.
The kit also comes with a fluffy ‘dead kitten’ to fit on each transmitter and a USB3 charging cable.
Switching On
To turn on the kits, press the on buttons at the same time whilst the devices are close together.
The blue lights will appear on transmitters and the display will come on the receiver.
Controls on the transmitter
On both the mk 1 and 2 there is a dB button on the left hand edge. This affects sensitivity of the mic which is reflected in the display as a small triangle between the two battery indicators. For normal speech, keep it in the middle setting. . If someone is very quiet set it up high (whole triangle is white) and if someone is loud, put it a the bottom (small white triangle in the left hand side).
On the right hand side of the receiver is the pairing button which has a chain icon.
If the devices have been disconnected, click the pairing button to choose a channel, then squeeze it to put it into pairing mode,. Then press in the transmitter close by, and the devices will link up.
Charging
There is a USB C input into all of the units to provide charge. Each unit will take about three hours from empty to charge from a computer or USB adaptor.
Small dead cats
Each mic comes supplied with a dead cat (or kitten as Rode calls them) which can be fitted on the transmitter if outside.
Mounting the receiver onto the camera
Both receiver and transmitters have a clip which will fit in the hot shoe of most cameras.
Once there you plug in the supplied 3.5mm jack lead into a barrel connector, which is plugged into the XLR fitting of the Sonyx70/Z90 or the Canon C100 mk2.
If you are using the RODE GO kit you will just get the one channel from the transmitter.
If you want to record two people talking at the same time, you either need to use two Rode Go kits, one for each contributor and tape/velcro the second receiver to the top of the camera, or use a RODE GO mk2 kit.
The Rode GO 2 kit has two transmitters to affix to the talent , which it reads from just the one receiver. With the supplied single cable, you get a mixed signal with both audio sources which cannot be separated. This is ok for interviews but a bit limited for Dramas if you think you will need a separate source for editing later.
With a Rode SC11 Y splitter cable and two XLR barrel connectors, you can separate the audio onto the two channels in the camera.
Written by FR
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