The marketplace for wi-fi microphone units is quite crowded – I’ve reviewed 10 wi-fi kits for Digital Digital camera World since 2022! Wi-fi mic producers compete with one another by including options reminiscent of onboard recording on transmitters and sound degree shows on receivers, however these options come at a value.
Godox WEC: Specs
Transmitter
Dimensions: 48mmx22mmx16mm
Internet Weight: 12g
Max SPL: 110db
Dynamic Vary: 86db
Transmission Kind: 2.4GHz Frequency Hopping System
Choose-up Sample: Omnidirectional
USB-C Enter: 5V ⎓ 160mA
Frequency Vary: 20Hz-20KHz
Battery Life: Approx 8 hours
Max Distance: 200m
Receiver
Dimensions: 48mmx28mmx15mm
Internet Weight: 16g
Transmission Kind: 2.4GHz Frequency Hopping System
Max Distance: 200m
USB-C Enter: 5V ⎓ 200mA
Battery Life: Approx 8 hours
Should you’re a video content material creator who needs to enhance the standard of their program’s audio with out blowing their price range then the Godox WEC 2-Individual Package is price contemplating.
The WEC lacks the onboard recording characteristic and the extent show indicator of the Godox Virso wi-fi package (see our evaluate) nevertheless it prices roughly half the value and does an efficient job of transmitting your voice wirelessly from a distance.
Should you’re a solo presenter then think about shopping for the cheaper Godox WEC Kit1 (single), which features a transmitter and a receiver. We examined the dearer WEC Kit2 (2-person package) which has two transmitters and a receiver. These are important if it is advisable to seem on digital camera and interview one other particular person on the similar time.
The Godox WEC Kit2 consists of two transmitters and one receiver. The transmitters have built-in microphones that broadcast your voice to the receiver that’s plugged into your digital camera or smartphone. The transmitters and receiver are saved in a carry case that doubles up as a charging dock.
The case has a helpful digital show that signifies the remaining degree of cost. By charging the case you cost the transmitters and receiver concurrently in order that they may carry out equally throughout a shoot. This implies the interviewee’s mic ought to operate for a similar length because the interviewer’s (although with a transmitter and receiver battery lifetime of 8 hours you’ll run out of questions earlier than you run out of juice!)
Godox WEC: Design & Dealing with
As this can be a price range package the plastic transmitters and receivers really feel very light-weight (in contrast with the weightier and extra solidly-built really feel of a DJI Mic transmitter for instance – although the DJI is greater than twice the value of the WEC). Being light-weight isn’t an issue. The WEC’s 12g transmitter doesn’t trigger your shirt to sag if you connect it through its built-in clip (not like the Saramonic BlinkMe’s heftier 30g transmitter – see evaluate).
The receiver can be light-weight (16g) so it will probably dangle fortunately through a cable out of your digital camera or smartphone. We used the receiver’s clip to safe it to the quick cable that was connecting the receiver to our iPhone. The laborious plastic charging case is saved in a padded zippable field. This field additionally comprises a pocket for equipment reminiscent of wind shields and connecting cables, so the entire WEC Package will be transported safely to and from a shoot.
The transmitters and the receiver routinely pair if you take away them from the carry case, so you can begin recording right away with out the faff of getting to pair them manually.
Each transmitters within the WEC Kit2 have a noise discount button. When pressed a inexperienced mild on the transmitter adjustments to orange to point that noise discount expertise is being employed. A pleasant contact is that the opposite transmitter additionally switches to noise discount mode too, so that you’ll get the identical audio high quality from interviewer and interviewee. Faucet the transmitter button once more to return to plain transmission mode – indicated by a inexperienced mild.
Godox WEC: Efficiency
To check the Godox WEC Kit2 I took it into a loud city centre and connected the receiver to my iPhone 15 Professional Max. The package’s provided 3.5mm TRS-TRRS audio cable wanted a third-party 3.5mm to USB C adaptor to allow me to attach the receiver to my iPhone. I used a Ugreen adaptor.
I began recording my voice as rush hour visitors whizzed by, creating a loud setting. By tapping the transmitter’s noise discount button the onboard software program lowered the sound ranges of the visitors so my voice could possibly be heard extra clearly. Nevertheless, though my voice was extra audible it did have a flatter and tinnier high quality to it as you’ll hear from our supporting video.
You’ll get higher outcomes through the use of the transmitter’s regular recording mode to seize a fuller and bassier voice after which use post-production noise discount instruments in Closing Reduce Professional or Adobe Premiere Professional. This may allow you to get a compromise between decreasing background noise whereas producing a much less flat and tinny voice recording.
I then headed to the park to check the Godox WEC Kit2’s capacity to transmit sound over a distance. On reaching the park my iPhone determined that the plugged-in Godox receiver was a pair of headphones and never one other gadget, so it wouldn’t let me seize sound from the receiver. I needed to head house, seize an older iPhone 14 Professional Max and a 3.5mm to lightning cable adaptor, and use that setup to finish the check. I don’t know why the iPhone 15 Professional Max all of a sudden stopped recognizing {that a} transmitter was connected and never a set of headphones, regardless of a lot Googling!
With the receiver plugged into my iPhone 14 Professional Max I then recorded my voice as I walked away from the digital camera. With some mics (such because the equally priced 7Artisans DMic-S) the sign can drop out when the transmitter mic loses line of sight with the receiver. Within the case of the Godox WEC the sound transmitted loud and clear, even once I turned my again to the digital camera at roughly 65 meters and misplaced line of sight. At that distance, you couldn’t see my lips transfer within the footage (as you’ll see from this evaluate’s supporting video), so it is unlikely you’ll must report from a better distance (although Godox claims a transmission vary of 200 meters).
With wi-fi mics, it is advisable to look out for latency. This time period refers back to the delay between the topic’s lips shifting and their voice being heard. Latency is kind of frequent with wi-fi mic units nevertheless it wasn’t an issue with the Godox WEC Kit2. Try my supporting video demonstrating the mic in motion.
I might shift the audio observe by a body to get mouth and sound extra in sync however as I felt the latency was negligible I left issues as they had been recorded. I didn’t add any EQ changes to the audio both. All I did was tweak sound ranges to make them match in several scenes. So what you hear in my supporting check video is what you get from the Godox WEC Kit2.
Godox WEC: Closing Verdict
For a comparatively low cost wi-fi mic package, the Godox WEC Kit2 does an excellent job of capturing decent-quality sound from a distance. I used to be notably impressed by the absence of sign dropout, even when turning my again to the digital camera. This reliability is simply in addition to there’s no backup onboard recording on the transmitter as there’s with different mics (see Alternate options).
Should you’re on a decent price range and need a mic package that operates straight from the field then the WEC Kit2 is price shopping for (although you’ll additionally want to purchase a third-party adaptor to attach the receiver to a wise telephone). I’d suggest this package for video content material creators who wish to seize better-quality sound shortly and simply with out worrying about setting sound ranges and pairing mics to the receiver. Nevertheless, if you need the safety of onboard recording and the flexibility to observe and manually alter sound ranges on the receiver then the Godox WEC package will not be for you.
Alternate options
Skilled content material creators will need to have the ability to view and alter sound ranges manually, so will probably be higher off going for a dearer package such because the Hollyland Lark Max Duo. The Max additionally has an onboard recording on the transmitters so you may exchange sign drop-out with an uninterrupted recording. For a less expensive different think about the Hollyland Lark M1 package which has related specs to the Godox WEC (and at an analogous value).
