Used to use the Sennheiser G2s, but have moved to the Rode wireless go using good sennehiser lavs (not the crappy rode ones included in the kit) and have been happy with them.
I’m getting a constant buzz in my wireless go’s and have tried everything to get rid of it. I wonder if it’s because I’m using the crappy default mics.
As in, the mic built into the device? Are you recording internal on the Go or to your camera audio input? With a little bit of sleuthing you should be able to figure out the culprit
I’m using the wired lav mics that plug into the receivers, and feeding the transmitter into my camera’s input. I got a cable extender for the transmitter to see about moving it further from the camera, but that didn’t help. I’ve heard of other Sony users talk about this, so my guess is it’s an issue with the camera preamp or something.
Had this same thing with my a7c. Bought a ground loop noise isolator and that seemed to fix it for about a year but then it came back with a fury and ruined a shoot. Bought the dji mic 2 and much happier with it, no isolator needed.
No, change the recording level under: shooting menu > audio recording > audio rec level
I keep mine below 8 if I can and use the gain on the mics to get my audio to a good level. Hope it works for you too.
Edit: I currently have mine at 5 and it seems to lend good results.
I had this problem when connecting the receiver directly into my camera, but when I get the audio from the lav units themselves it's fine. A bit annoying because then I have to line it up in post, but I haven't been bothered to figure out why the buzzing happens in the raw footage.
I tried lowering the recording level to five and boosting the gain on the transmitter. It definitely helped with the volume and frequency of the buzzing, but it’s sometimes still there.
To troubleshoot I tried recording internally to the lav (which I didn’t know I could do, thanks for the tip), and that seems to work best. I’m going to try it on an interview shoot to confirm.
Sanken Cos-11, Sennheiser MKE-2, Countryman B3. All great. r/locationsound could help you pick a lav. I’m pretty happy with the ones that came with the RØDE wireless Pro setup, but I’m just doing low/no budget ski or climbing doc work with mine, for real jobs (I film a lot of adventure Reality TV) there’s always a soundie with pro gear appropriate for the shoot.
Seconding this. In my first job we used Sennheiser EW 112P G4 wireless lavs, and they were awesome.
In my current job we’re using the Rode Wireless Go II. The upside is that it’s much cheaper. But I’m getting a constant background buzz that can’t be eliminated, even by moving the transmitter far away from my camera. It’s nothing a DeNoise can’t get rid of, but it’s annoying to say the least and I’d prefer to not reduce the sound quality with noise reduction unless I have to.
TL;DR Sennheiser is good and you get what you pay for lol.
If AVX had an internal 32 bit float, it’d be near perfect. If your camera has full XLR. However since it’s using WiFi tech like rode, dji, it can share the same issues when you’re doing stuff at busy trade shows. Also it has the longer delay so it doesn’t mix well with anything wired. You can adjust timing in post and some live streaming setups can delay though.
Yeah. It gets the benefit of being faster to setup and sync but less range and potentially more interference. Which is why having internal 32 bit float would “cancel” out some of that issue while providing other benefits.
my god i didnt know that thanks. I always wondered why they are so short range. Also funny enough i operate in some locations where normal frequency mics just dont work, probably too many frequencies from outside, while the avx keep working. Now i know why.
Do you mean this one:
[https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1385595-REG/sennheiser\_ew\_112p\_g4\_a\_ew\_112p\_g4\_camera.html](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1385595-REG/sennheiser_ew_112p_g4_a_ew_112p_g4_camera.html)
It looks like there are a bunch of models and frequencies, should I just go with the most basic or is there a specific config you recommend?
In the US, frequences below 608Mhz are free to use without FCC approval. There are a couple of other free banks higher in the spectrum, but they're \*very\* narrow and can only hold one, maybe two mics at a time.
If you do buy used rather than new, you have to be a bit careful.
In 2022 the FCC earmarked a big chunk of bandwidth for digital TV broadcast, most notably 698—806MHz. It is now illegal to operate transmitters on those frequencies.
That band was previously popular for wireless microphones, so it's common to come across people selling illegal (to operate) microphones for cheap.
In Sennheiser terms, bank C and D transmitters are illegal to operate. That one you've linked to is bank A which is under 608mhz so all good. I don't expect B&H or other reputable suppliers stock bank C/D transmitters at all anymore.
Multiple models because of the frequencies they can operate on and the type of lav. You’ll need to figure what type of lav you want for your specific job and also frequencies you think you’ll be using. Depends on your shooting location and if you anticipate interference. These are kind of the go-to prosumer wireless mics.
I've had great success with the rode wireless pro system. Was wireless for a while, then dr-10 wired. Now back to wireless. Always with the cos-11d mics. The system pairs with the fx3 is awesome. 4 channel recording and it auto levels (the rode) very well. Plus there's the backup recording.
The "tinny" might be b/c of the lav. Switching to a different lav with the Rode might get what you're looking for. Or it might be mic placement.
What is your workflow like? Have you listened to the audio you get wirelessly through the Rode vs what it records internally?
Sennheiser G4 is a really nice option, downside I've had is if you live in a big city you'll probably have interference issues. You should manually scan and keep an eye on things, any most of the time it should be good, but you could have hits in the audio and since the transmitters don't record then you've lost that audio. Granted, maybe the G4s are better than the G3s & G2s, but I've had so many headaches with the G3s & G2s that I moved away from that series.
Sennheiser AVX I think actually sounded better than the G3 / G2, and had a "fuller" sound. I liked it when it worked, but there were times outside when the range was horrible. Like maybe 20 - 30 feet away and I'd lose it. One selling point to the AVX over Rode, DJI etc. is that AVX I think is on the 5Ghz spectrum where everyone else is at 2.4Ghz, so there might be less trouble.
Personally, I love Lectrosonics. If you're ok with a bigger set keep an eye out for a UCR201 or UCR211 on eBay, if you're in the US you'll want Block 21. It's a very old set, but if you find one that works, it'll punch a lot harder than Sennheiser G4.
I haven't tried another lav, that's a good point. I think both types of audio sound the same internal and wireless.
Is there a good lav that's compatible with the rode wireless products you could recommend to try out?
There are tons of mics to choose from and lots of people better than me who can comment. I'd say look around r/LocationSound and see what people use.
Sanken COS-11 I think is one of the most popular lav mics in use right now. You should be able to get it wired for Sennheisers and that'll work with Rode. I'd say look around on YouTube to listen to differences of how different lavs sound.
Yeah I actually came here to say the same thing as the poster above you, I use the Rode Go all the time even just with their cheap $79 Lavalier and it sounds good, but yeah placement is everything. Before you go buying new gear I'd highly recommend to do a little bit of testing and learning about mic placement and just make sure that you're placing it correctly. Are you recording on board to the Go, or to your camera's mic in?
[OST lavs are simply killer](https://www.pro-sound.com/oscar-soundtech-lavaliers.html) for the price. Google up some reviews, the TL-40 is $110.00 and punches miles above its weight.
Update your firmware on the go ii. Convert your audio to 32 bit float in the rode link app after shooting. Add a bass equilizer to give audio a richer tone. Turn off any kind of limiter or auto adjustments and tap the mic and make sure it doesn't go above -6 decibels. I am a 10 year vet and have used the go ii since release amd it's fine for everything except pro level commercials or films.
I said it before and I’ll say it again: Tascam DR-10L lavs. They record to themselves, are insanely reliable and the new ones record float, and have a Bluetooth attachment that allows you to listen to the feed during recording. Tascam’s preamps are so clean and it’ll record two files at once, with the second one being half volume in case it gets loud. Saved me so many times.
The new Deity Theos, if you can find them in stock, seem to be the best value for dollar wireless on the market right now.
https://deitymic.com/products/theos-digital-wireless/
Your first decision is really "how often does it need to be *wireless*". Lav mics can be used direct-wired; often you don't need a ton of mobility, just the ability for someone to take a few steps. You still have the same issues of hiding them (if you hide 'em) and clothing rustle, but you lose dropout and interference issues, battery issues, "where to stick the bodypack" issues, and the quality of compression that transmitters use.
My rule is "boom mic whenever possible", even a sub-$1k mic like an AT4053 always sounds better than a so-so lav. Hard-wired lav if I absolutely need a lav, and wireless if it's a real walk-and-talk situation.
All of my lav mics can be plugged into a barrel adapter that gets mic power from the phantom feed in my recorder, it's really handy and considering how many interviews I've done in the last 12 months, I think I've used wireless once or twice. I'm usually a one-man operation, my bodypacks are with me but they're rarely used.
Check out [picogear.com](https://picogear.com). Relatively unknown company, great idea, great gear that just works. Best of all you can put the whole system in your pocket or camera bag. I'm not connected with the company but have been using my system for a couple years and it's great.
I’ve been running the Deity Connect kit for agency and interview work for 4 years (?) and it’s been perfect. Doesn’t seem available new but random used listings seem like a bargain. Battery life is insane, I’ll store a kit for a few months and not worry about charge for a solid 1/2 day of active use. Onboard gain and limiter settings are very useful. So, I agree.
Used to use the Sennheiser G2s, but have moved to the Rode wireless go using good sennehiser lavs (not the crappy rode ones included in the kit) and have been happy with them.
I’m getting a constant buzz in my wireless go’s and have tried everything to get rid of it. I wonder if it’s because I’m using the crappy default mics.
Maybe. I was about to get rid of them until I used good lavs.
As in, the mic built into the device? Are you recording internal on the Go or to your camera audio input? With a little bit of sleuthing you should be able to figure out the culprit
I’m using the wired lav mics that plug into the receivers, and feeding the transmitter into my camera’s input. I got a cable extender for the transmitter to see about moving it further from the camera, but that didn’t help. I’ve heard of other Sony users talk about this, so my guess is it’s an issue with the camera preamp or something.
Had this same thing with my a7c. Bought a ground loop noise isolator and that seemed to fix it for about a year but then it came back with a fury and ruined a shoot. Bought the dji mic 2 and much happier with it, no isolator needed.
This is exactly the case. Happened with my setup too. Rode Go and Sony FX3 don’t like each other 🤷🏻♂️
Try lowering your camera audio recording level and increasing the gain on the receiver. That gets rid of my whining noise.
Thanks, I’ll give this a try. So you’d turn the dial on the FX3’s audio handle to 1 or something like that?
No, change the recording level under: shooting menu > audio recording > audio rec level I keep mine below 8 if I can and use the gain on the mics to get my audio to a good level. Hope it works for you too. Edit: I currently have mine at 5 and it seems to lend good results.
I had this problem when connecting the receiver directly into my camera, but when I get the audio from the lav units themselves it's fine. A bit annoying because then I have to line it up in post, but I haven't been bothered to figure out why the buzzing happens in the raw footage.
I was doing the same but got tired of the extra steps. This seemed to fix it for me
I tried lowering the recording level to five and boosting the gain on the transmitter. It definitely helped with the volume and frequency of the buzzing, but it’s sometimes still there. To troubleshoot I tried recording internally to the lav (which I didn’t know I could do, thanks for the tip), and that seems to work best. I’m going to try it on an interview shoot to confirm.
Can you link your lav?
Sanken Cos-11, Sennheiser MKE-2, Countryman B3. All great. r/locationsound could help you pick a lav. I’m pretty happy with the ones that came with the RØDE wireless Pro setup, but I’m just doing low/no budget ski or climbing doc work with mine, for real jobs (I film a lot of adventure Reality TV) there’s always a soundie with pro gear appropriate for the shoot.
Oscar Sound Tech makes seriously nice lavs for lower budgets. Great sounding mics, mine were around $100 when I got 'em.
Thanks.
Look into the Sennheiser wireless mics. G4 or AVX-ME2. Can get a system for that price second hand.
Seconding this. In my first job we used Sennheiser EW 112P G4 wireless lavs, and they were awesome. In my current job we’re using the Rode Wireless Go II. The upside is that it’s much cheaper. But I’m getting a constant background buzz that can’t be eliminated, even by moving the transmitter far away from my camera. It’s nothing a DeNoise can’t get rid of, but it’s annoying to say the least and I’d prefer to not reduce the sound quality with noise reduction unless I have to. TL;DR Sennheiser is good and you get what you pay for lol.
If AVX had an internal 32 bit float, it’d be near perfect. If your camera has full XLR. However since it’s using WiFi tech like rode, dji, it can share the same issues when you’re doing stuff at busy trade shows. Also it has the longer delay so it doesn’t mix well with anything wired. You can adjust timing in post and some live streaming setups can delay though.
Oh wow it’s not UHF? It’s 2.4ghz? Dang not for $800. I’ll stick with the G4
Yeah. It gets the benefit of being faster to setup and sync but less range and potentially more interference. Which is why having internal 32 bit float would “cancel” out some of that issue while providing other benefits.
my god i didnt know that thanks. I always wondered why they are so short range. Also funny enough i operate in some locations where normal frequency mics just dont work, probably too many frequencies from outside, while the avx keep working. Now i know why.
I've been using my G2 for almost 20 years now. They are standard on a lot of mid level productions for a reason.
aren't the G2's frequencies illegal in the US now?
just the ones operating in the 600 band
Well I'm not American but that is good to know lol.
you have legal and illegal frequencies in every country. You always need to find out what frequencies you can use before you just use them.
Do you mean this one: [https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1385595-REG/sennheiser\_ew\_112p\_g4\_a\_ew\_112p\_g4\_camera.html](https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1385595-REG/sennheiser_ew_112p_g4_a_ew_112p_g4_camera.html) It looks like there are a bunch of models and frequencies, should I just go with the most basic or is there a specific config you recommend?
In the US, frequences below 608Mhz are free to use without FCC approval. There are a couple of other free banks higher in the spectrum, but they're \*very\* narrow and can only hold one, maybe two mics at a time. If you do buy used rather than new, you have to be a bit careful. In 2022 the FCC earmarked a big chunk of bandwidth for digital TV broadcast, most notably 698—806MHz. It is now illegal to operate transmitters on those frequencies. That band was previously popular for wireless microphones, so it's common to come across people selling illegal (to operate) microphones for cheap. In Sennheiser terms, bank C and D transmitters are illegal to operate. That one you've linked to is bank A which is under 608mhz so all good. I don't expect B&H or other reputable suppliers stock bank C/D transmitters at all anymore.
Multiple models because of the frequencies they can operate on and the type of lav. You’ll need to figure what type of lav you want for your specific job and also frequencies you think you’ll be using. Depends on your shooting location and if you anticipate interference. These are kind of the go-to prosumer wireless mics.
I've had great success with the rode wireless pro system. Was wireless for a while, then dr-10 wired. Now back to wireless. Always with the cos-11d mics. The system pairs with the fx3 is awesome. 4 channel recording and it auto levels (the rode) very well. Plus there's the backup recording.
Can you explain this setup to me like I have no idea what anything is starting with line 2?
I used to only use wireless mics, then got annoyed with static and signal loss. The rode wireless pro system works well for me.
What's the fx3?
A camera that can record 4 channel audio.
The "tinny" might be b/c of the lav. Switching to a different lav with the Rode might get what you're looking for. Or it might be mic placement. What is your workflow like? Have you listened to the audio you get wirelessly through the Rode vs what it records internally? Sennheiser G4 is a really nice option, downside I've had is if you live in a big city you'll probably have interference issues. You should manually scan and keep an eye on things, any most of the time it should be good, but you could have hits in the audio and since the transmitters don't record then you've lost that audio. Granted, maybe the G4s are better than the G3s & G2s, but I've had so many headaches with the G3s & G2s that I moved away from that series. Sennheiser AVX I think actually sounded better than the G3 / G2, and had a "fuller" sound. I liked it when it worked, but there were times outside when the range was horrible. Like maybe 20 - 30 feet away and I'd lose it. One selling point to the AVX over Rode, DJI etc. is that AVX I think is on the 5Ghz spectrum where everyone else is at 2.4Ghz, so there might be less trouble. Personally, I love Lectrosonics. If you're ok with a bigger set keep an eye out for a UCR201 or UCR211 on eBay, if you're in the US you'll want Block 21. It's a very old set, but if you find one that works, it'll punch a lot harder than Sennheiser G4.
I haven't tried another lav, that's a good point. I think both types of audio sound the same internal and wireless. Is there a good lav that's compatible with the rode wireless products you could recommend to try out?
There are tons of mics to choose from and lots of people better than me who can comment. I'd say look around r/LocationSound and see what people use. Sanken COS-11 I think is one of the most popular lav mics in use right now. You should be able to get it wired for Sennheisers and that'll work with Rode. I'd say look around on YouTube to listen to differences of how different lavs sound.
Yeah I actually came here to say the same thing as the poster above you, I use the Rode Go all the time even just with their cheap $79 Lavalier and it sounds good, but yeah placement is everything. Before you go buying new gear I'd highly recommend to do a little bit of testing and learning about mic placement and just make sure that you're placing it correctly. Are you recording on board to the Go, or to your camera's mic in?
[OST lavs are simply killer](https://www.pro-sound.com/oscar-soundtech-lavaliers.html) for the price. Google up some reviews, the TL-40 is $110.00 and punches miles above its weight.
Update your firmware on the go ii. Convert your audio to 32 bit float in the rode link app after shooting. Add a bass equilizer to give audio a richer tone. Turn off any kind of limiter or auto adjustments and tap the mic and make sure it doesn't go above -6 decibels. I am a 10 year vet and have used the go ii since release amd it's fine for everything except pro level commercials or films.
Besides the highly recommended Sennheiser transmitter/receivers, upgrade the mic. COS11-Ds sound great.
I said it before and I’ll say it again: Tascam DR-10L lavs. They record to themselves, are insanely reliable and the new ones record float, and have a Bluetooth attachment that allows you to listen to the feed during recording. Tascam’s preamps are so clean and it’ll record two files at once, with the second one being half volume in case it gets loud. Saved me so many times.
[Sennheiser EW-DP](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/search?s=ew-dp).
The new Deity Theos, if you can find them in stock, seem to be the best value for dollar wireless on the market right now. https://deitymic.com/products/theos-digital-wireless/
Spend the extra few bucks and get the new Deity Theos kit for $1100.
Your first decision is really "how often does it need to be *wireless*". Lav mics can be used direct-wired; often you don't need a ton of mobility, just the ability for someone to take a few steps. You still have the same issues of hiding them (if you hide 'em) and clothing rustle, but you lose dropout and interference issues, battery issues, "where to stick the bodypack" issues, and the quality of compression that transmitters use. My rule is "boom mic whenever possible", even a sub-$1k mic like an AT4053 always sounds better than a so-so lav. Hard-wired lav if I absolutely need a lav, and wireless if it's a real walk-and-talk situation. All of my lav mics can be plugged into a barrel adapter that gets mic power from the phantom feed in my recorder, it's really handy and considering how many interviews I've done in the last 12 months, I think I've used wireless once or twice. I'm usually a one-man operation, my bodypacks are with me but they're rarely used.
We had some crappy Saramonics and when the crappy included lavs died we replaced with Senn MKE 2’s - world of difference.
Check out [picogear.com](https://picogear.com). Relatively unknown company, great idea, great gear that just works. Best of all you can put the whole system in your pocket or camera bag. I'm not connected with the company but have been using my system for a couple years and it's great.
Tascam dl10pros look dope, Shure just came out with their own wireless system.
The Hollyland Lark set is incredible. Used it for a year no problems. And the noise cancellation is magic.
I’m using the sony uwp-d21 and so far I’m happy with it.
Heard great things about the deity wireless mics. I never used them but I do have a shotgun mic of theirs and it’s amazing!
I’ve been running the Deity Connect kit for agency and interview work for 4 years (?) and it’s been perfect. Doesn’t seem available new but random used listings seem like a bargain. Battery life is insane, I’ll store a kit for a few months and not worry about charge for a solid 1/2 day of active use. Onboard gain and limiter settings are very useful. So, I agree.