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RØDE Wireless Micro review: The perfect entry-level wireless microphone kit

Online Niel November 13, 2024

RØDE is a company known for the wide range of audio products they produce, such as headphones and microphones. While microphones like RØDE Wireless Pro aimed at professional video producers who want a reliable, excellent quality wireless microphone for their DSLR or mirrorless camera, the new (and cheaper) RØDE Wireless Micro is aimed at the smartphone filmmaker who needs a simple, affordable, but just as reliable to capture strong, dropout-free audio when talking to the camera or conducting an interview.

If you own one iPhone 16 then you’ll already be impressed with the new Audio Mix tools that allow you to capture better-sounding audio while keeping background noise at bay. However, these post-production tools (and iPhone The 16)’s four built-in microphones are only effective when you’re in close proximity to your iPhone. When you’re a few feet away from your iPhone’s microphones, sound quality drops dramatically, and your voice is more likely to be picked up. be masked by ambient sources of background sound such as passing cars.

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Transmitter
Lifting pattern	Omnidirectional
Answer in frequency	20-20 kHz
Maximum SPL	135 dB SPL
Signal-to-noise ratio	73dB
Battery life	7 hours
Maximum distance	Over 100m (with line of sight)
Check-in on board	Not
Weight	18g (with magnet)
size	40 × 20 × 17 mm

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Receiver
Display	None
Battery life	7 hours
Weight	6g
size	44 × 24 × 9 mm

The RØDE Wireless Micro is similar to many other wireless kits we’ve tested – with a charging/carrying case that contains two smooth plastic wireless transmitter microphones and a wireless receiver that fits right into your smartphone. What sets it apart from many other kits is the size and light weight of the microphones and receiver. The receiver itself is small (just 44mm long) and plugs directly into your iPhone via a USB-C jack. It is comparable in size to the small receiver in the Godox Cube-SC although the RØDE receiver is 1 gram heavier than it Godox equivalent.

Because it is aimed at the smartphone user, the RØDE Wireless Micro is designed to minimize the need for post-production adjustments such as level adjustments. The RØDE Capture smartphone app allows you to manually control the sound levels of each wireless transmitter using sliders or increase the gain in a few taps. However, if you don’t have a background in audio recording, then the microphones’ Intelligent Gain Assist feature is designed to automatically adjust audio levels on the fly for optimal sound quality (regardless of the application you’re recording in). This should make the RØDE Wireless Micro an attractive purchase if it’s your first wireless smartphone microphone set.

The two wireless transmitters and receiver fit nicely in the compact carrying/charging case that extends battery life during a shoot. However, the two transmitter-supplied furry windshields are stored in the cardboard box the kits come in, so there is a danger of going to a shoot with the kit in the shipping box while leaving the windshields behind (which it really happened for me on my first test shoot!)

When I test a wireless microphone kit, I start with a remote test (as you’ll see if you watch this review’s support video). I headed to a quiet country road, put the iPhone 16 Pro on a tripod and connected the receiver to the iPhone. I used the clip provided with the transmitter mic to attach the mic to the shirt (although there is an alternative attachment option thanks to the magnet attached to the clip.)

The RØDE Capture app gives you a clear display of mic levels, and you can adjust them manually with a swipe of your finger (or tap to go from a low to high gain setting). You can also use the app to merge the sound of a single microphone so that the sound fills both channels. Alternatively, you can place two microphones on separate left and right channels for an interview. There is a bit of noise when you change a gain or channel setting, but this doesn’t happen during interviews etc.

I must point out that I had to do the remote test twice. On my first try, my iPhone 16 Pro was in a Moment case. The thick edge of the case meant that the RØDE Wireless Micro receiver’s short USB-C plug wasn’t connected as securely as it might be to the iPhone, resulting in poor sound quality. Once I realized the case was a problem, I returned to the location to perform the remote test without the case. I also brought the supplied fur windshield, which fits snugly around the omnidirectional transmitter mic I clipped to my shirt.

I set the RØDE Capture app on my iPhone to record and started walking away from my iPhone while talking. The sound was rich and clear as you would expect from a RØDE microphone. When I faced the iPhone (and the microphone transmitter had a line of sight with the receiver on the iPhone 16), then the sound was loud and clear – even from 100 meters away. If you turn your back at 100 meters, then the signal will drop and the sound will become intermittent, but at that distance, you are barely visible in the camera. Plus, in most locations, you’re unlikely to leave your iPhone 16 Pro 100 meters away from you! Take a look at our test video to hear the RØDE wireless microphone in action.

I then came into town to do the mandatory noise test. I was intrigued to see (or hear) how the RØDE Wireless Micro would handle noisy background traffic, especially since it doesn’t have any built-in noise reduction like most other wireless microphones. Thanks to the Intelligent Gain Assist function, the sound quality of my voice was good, although I could also hear the noise of passing traffic. However, this lack of built-in noise reduction isn’t a big deal, as most post-production video editing applications (including the free iMovie) have a noise reduction software feature that will do a better job than the software feature noise reduction found in most wireless microphones.

The RØDE Wireless Micro is the perfect wireless microphone kit for smartphone users. Its omnidirectional microphones will replace mediocre sound captured by your smartphone with professional-quality sound, even when you’re talking 100 meters away from your smartphone (as long as you’re facing the camera). Thanks to the Intelligent Gain function, you can simply connect the receiver to your smartphone, attach the transmitter and start recording in your smartphone’s native camera app without worrying about manually setting sound levels . The lack of built-in noise reduction might be a concern for some, but you’ll get better noise reduction results using most non-linear video editing apps. Before testing the RØDE Wireless Micro, I regularly used the Godox Cube-SC to record smartphone audio due to its compact size. Now I have a RØDE equivalent, I think this will become my smartphone wireless microphone set for future jobs.

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Features	USB-C or Lightning cable versions are available. Charging case and windshields.	★★★★☆
Design	Smooth curved transmitter and receiver available in black or white.	★★★★☆
Performance	Excellent sound quality from a distance (with line of sight).	★★★★☆
Value	Cheaper than a Wireless Pro, but you still enjoy RØDE reliability.	★★★★☆

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RØDE Wireless Micro review: The perfect entry-level wireless microphone kit

RØDE Wireless Micro: Specifications

RØDE Wireless Micro: Design and handling

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RØDE Wireless Micro review: The perfect entry-level wireless microphone kit

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RØDE Wireless Micro: Design and handling

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