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Having owned all 3… for ease of use I love the Cube-S. I frequently use it for work (we do livestreams from a phone) and it’s been excellent. The Lark M2 is amazing, but much more expensive. The benefit of 24-bit would be great if you’re filming in loud environments or whispering, but otherwise not a major difference. Wouldn’t necessarily recommend the CM28 unless you really want the internal recording, but when filming on an iPhone, the margin of error is much, much slimmer than a camera. Can’t go wrong with the Cube-S!

Which bag did you go with? I wouldn’t mind picking one up myself for the future. I think generally the Lark seems to sound better than the X5/CM28, but it’s “okay” if the moneys tight.

@ I'm here in China so I don't think my source is appropriate, even if I could remember it haha!

Oh no! I’d immediately return it too, that’s not going to work. Which one would you consider the “premium one”? And as far as the mic throughout the video, I’m using the Comica VM40!

@Novice-Media Well, the big boys from DJI or Rode. A little more money could mean much less stress. Comica VM40. Shotgun mics are good. Just not exactly what I need for travel vlogs, lol

@AlexMaravilla VM40 is far too bulky for travel vlogging (having just done this for the last week) but the Rode or DJI are solid choices. I’m holding out to see if the DJI Mic 2 will go on sale next week, but I’ll be buying one regardless this month.

Good question! Trying to figure that out myself, but hoping to hit 1K shortly after the new year, going to try and ramp up content soon 🤞🏼 thank you!

@@snehalgandhi1346 I’ll get it added to my list!

Solid assessment! I like the Godox as far as features but the Hollyland seems to be the most consistent sound profile.

@@Novice-Media The sound of the Godox seems to cut bass and some high frequencies. That is not bad though for intelligibility of the voice. We are not talking about a microphone to record a singer for music production.

@ the audio for all would be better hand held, the chest based frequencies don’t tend to help, at least in my experience.

@@sharemysaga thank you! I’m using the Sony A6700 paired with a Viltrox 13mm f/1.4 lens for talking heads, and a Tamron 17-70 f/2.8 for the top down shots.

@@Novice-Media Niiiice. Sony is really good but i got rid of the Sony zv 10 and 1f to get the Canon r6 M2 which will be at the house in 3 days. Lovin the top down shots.

@sharemysaga Started with a ZVE10 myself, and they’re solid cameras, but completely understand. From what I’ve watched and read, the R6 M2 is an amazing camera!! You can’t go wrong with it, many of my friends love Canon.

Appreciate the sub! And that is a good question, probably just different content types? I’m working on it though, one day I’ll catch up!!

@@Novice-Media bro you'll fly right past me. i promise. I lost 89 subs in 2 weeks. haha. you definitely got this content creator stuff in the bag.

Thank you!

It was mentioned @ 8:39

It's loosely mentioned in the manual, however it's limited as it's Bluetooth via the Comica smartphone app. At the time of recording, I was unable to connect to the app to showcase this, but you should be able to adjust gain levels, listen back to the internal recordings, and even start recordings all from your smart device-- at least that's what Comica claims.

@@Novice-Media ohhh you meant bluetooth for app functionality and not bluetooth for transmitting audio from the mic to the smartphone yea? Darn and here i thought we got the same feature as the one present on the dji mic 2

@skmkenny5148 I wish it worked like the DJI mics, unfortunately not just yet. Could be a firmware update down the road? Maybe on the VM50 if that ever becomes a thing.

@ they gotta give us user replaceable batteries before all that tho! Can’t have comica contributing to this ewaste epidemic

I would said wired, it's very comparable to the VM30 as they'd both come across as 24-bit. The VM30 has a slightly different tone to it where it seems to favor the higher frequencies whereas the VM40 favors the lower end. If internal recording isn't something you need, VM30 is more than sufficient, and you'll save some money! Some of the fixes on the VM40 make it worth the extra for me, such as the tighter gain knob and the build quality on certain accessories, but when it comes to sound, the VM30 gets it done just as well.

@Novice-Media Thsnks! The gain dial is a big issue to me. By the end of any shoot, it was never in the same position as at the beginning. :) Another big plus of the VM40 is internal recording and 32bit. Actually sooner or later I'll buy it 100%. The issue is I was thinking of the Sennheiser mke600 and connecting it to a 32bit recorder, but now I'm not sure anymore. Do I go for the better sounding mic or for all the extra features? I'll think about it. That's why I was asking about the sound quality, because the VM30 is good, but not really at the level of a mke600. If the VM40 is better audio quality, then it might be worth it. The price is similar.

@@matango1979 all valid reasons! Long-term the 32-bit recorder would be smart if you wanted to alternate between different microphones, but I'm noticing I'm leaning towards the VM40 as my "daily driver" simply for the ease of use. I've heard the MKE600 is a great option, so you can't go wrong there either.

@@matango1979somebody compared the vm40 to an at875r + zoom f3 recently. You can look it up here on yt dawg

I’m also looking into the mke600 + a 32 bit recorder

Unfortunately the Lark M2 is pretty sensitive which can be both good and bad. A lot can be fixed in post, but if you need to isolate on the spot I’ve been pretty impressed with the internal noise cancellation.

The audio quality surprised me too!

@@Novice-Media Yeah if I had discovered this before purchasing the Rode Wireless go II I probably would have gone with this instead just for the ability to be more discrete, inside clothing, and the price point being about 1/3rd.

@kickcloudstv you can’t go wrong with the Rode, they make amazing products! You can also get pretty discrete with the optional lapels they sell separately.

@@enterlematrix thank you! I’m pretty impressed with these Godox products lately, I’m excited to see what they release going forward.

Massive advantage of the CM28 over the Lark M2!

Thank you! I believe the issue was I misclicked the internal recording button, which coincidentally is the same button to cycle through all of the different track types. I’ve noticed sometimes I have to depress the button before holding it down to enable recording, but where I have it mounted on my boom arm I can’t see the screen or LED indicators… going with user error on this one!

@@Novice-Media thanks! Can you confirm that if you record internally you can still send audio simultaneously to the receiver and into the camera recording?

@loiccardenas Yes! It can record to the camera and internally simultaneously, and I forgot to mention in the video you can even connect two transmitters to the wireless receiver (the VM30 only allowed one).

If you’re wanting to use noise cancellation, the Lark M2 hands down. The CM28 is a good microphone, but when it comes to being used with a smartphone the Hollyland shines.

@@Novice-Media thank you 😊

Unfortunately the M2s limit you to a mono track unless you use the 3.5mm receiver. Alternatively, you may be able to use the USB adapter with that, as you would when connecting it to a computer. If you use the “T” shaped USB dongle, then you’re correct, they both record together.

I'm not sure I follow the "noise cancellation during editing" part.

That’s a steal of a deal!! I do agree, the clip could be a bit better. My personal one seems fairly strong, but I’ve heard from others they’re having similar experiences as you, so I wonder if it was a bad run? Thanks for watching and subscribing!

@@Novice-Media I figured out the latch arm problem I was having. Pushing down firmly will lock the arm into place over the batteries and pushing the button releases it. Problem solved! Another bonus is the TRS to USBC cable now allows me to connect my old RODE VideoMicro to my phone which will be great on my Hohem iSteady M6 gimbal.

A price that can’t be beat right now! Hollyland seems to go on sale more frequently since this video was posted.

@@Novice-Media yeah, maybe it is a sale, but it is every store right now. It is good price for amazing microphones. IMHO )

Really could depend on a lot of factors, but if you’re connected directly to the camera, what’s the volume on that set to? I’m nearly all the way down on mine and haven’t experienced any issues like what you’ve described since having done that.

I’ll have to see how having arrived if I packed the right gear, overpacked, or underpacked! Can never pack too much underwear 🫣

Thank you!

Oh I for sure talk with my hands in person, probably even more than in video because I can edit the excess out! 😂 but I’m positive given my younger years, I’ll make up for it in my older ones. Thanks for watching, not sure this video will see my normal “audience” but it was definitely fun to make.

@@Novice-Media Keep it fun is what I always hear. 👍🏼👍🏼

Really? I didn’t catch that in testing myself.

Solid observation! The noise cancellation was… lackluster. Surprisingly it was quite loud outside for both tests, so it’s almost as if the noise cancellation added noise. As far as testing inside, it was simply for consistency (some would likely argue if I didn’t). Between this and the Lark M2, Lark M2 has a cleaner standard sound profile, but I’m sure with some adjusting the Godox could sound good too! And I fully agree, range is fairly useless in most environments. I’ve joked in a few videos that it’s great to record at a distance where I probably can’t even be seen, thus defeating the point, but I guess it isn’t just me.

@@Novice-Media Excellent rebuttal my young friend! 👍🏼💜👍🏼

@TC_Conner figure it’s best to be transparent!

@@Novice-Media Always. 👍🏼👍🏼

Absolutely! They're both solid mics, but as you've pointed out for the price, the CM28 seems to be the better buy. Thanks for the feedback!

I guess it really depends on your setup. In my case, I’m not running the microphone as intended, hence the Comica adapter, but I know that sound will vary depending on whether you use USB or XLR input. From there you can narrow down your gain/volume/output. Could be as simple as a bad wire too.

@@Novice-Media I'm using usb cable to connect it. So in your opinion should I extract my audio and edit on audacity???. I'm pretty confused. Could u suggest anything?

If you’re willing to spend the time, yes, that would likely be the best route to go as it sounds like you need to increase the volume but it may likely add some noise doing so (which audacity should help correct).

Yes! Thank you, road to 250 here we come 🥳

@@Novice-Media I was at 4 last time you commented. I’m over 100 now. And my stayreadyto3dprint Channel shot up to over 3K subs. And I just collaborated with someone famous TH-camrs. Hoping those video boost me when I publish those.

That's insane, you're up to 126 now which is awesome. I definitely think collabs can help since they'll get your name out there which is a massive bonus.

@@Raven.Bloodrot We’re slow and steady around here, but thank you!

Thank you for the collaboration Iris!

The arm is... well, yeah. Definitely worth another $10 or so for a better one, but if you're on a strict (and I mean STRICT) budget, it'll suffice for some time. I'll be buying a better one for longevity myself. But yes! At least the microphone itself sounds nice!

I thought it was "Fi-Fine" too, but apparently it's "Fine Fine", who knew?! But yes! The mic is what was used as far as audio goes for the entirety of the video, it's probably one of the better sounding microphones I've used. The Shure I'm sure (hah, no pun intended) will sound better, but being $200-300 more, can't complain about the K688 here. I'm sure this mic has it's own limitations, so I've got some further tests I'd like to run down the road, but right off the rip, it's a solid buy, and you said it yourself, less than a Benji Franklin!

@@terryfan7403 Honest answer? Not 100% sure. Couldn’t get the Neewer noise cancellation to work when I was outdoors, but it’s been working for me great lately (user error?). As far as the inconsistencies in testing, all valid points; ideally I need to redo this test down the road and throw in some other comparisons and standardization. I’ve got a quick comparison of the two as a short on my channel (indoor) comparing audio to audio unaltered too.

@@Novice-Media thank you for the reply. A new video on your long-term experiences with both would be appreciated. Thank you

Can’t disagree there, but it’s also not the worst I’ve heard either. The Hollyland seems to do better in that regard

@@Novice-Media keep Up the good work my guy… persistence is paramount

Oh and that shotgun mic at the beginning was trash too… your room sounded real echo like…I’m only saying this because by watching like 30 mic videos in the past 12 hours I’ve developed quite the ear..and also Your vid helped a lot on my decision thanks …

@saucesystems appreciate it, thank you! EDIT: Didn’t see the second comment, but you’re 100% right, the shotgun mic for this video was awful. We’ve come a long way since then though!

It’s definitely more true-to-life sounding than the CM28

Surprisingly, they both max at 20 kHz, but the Lark M2 goes as low as 20 Hz whereas the CM28 only goes as low as 30 Hz, so the statement isn’t entirely true.

@@Novice-Media I seriously doubt either of those mics achieve the kind of frequency response that the manufacturers claim. Might say that on paper but in the real world - don't count on it. Just by listening to the differences in your video - while they both sound about the same on the low end, I'm here to tell you the M2 doesn't come anywhere close to the high end response the CM28 achieves. Some might not be able to hear that difference in the high end, but I can. As for 20Hz vs. 30Hz - again I seriously doubt either can get below 50Hz at these price points. There isn't very much useful stuff at 30Hz or below anyway.

@@Sui778 I don't disagree whatsoever. Mics like these are tested in "best case scenario" environments that many of us will never use, likely indicating the rating. I do agree that there seems to be (audibly) a better high end frequency with the CM28, but on paper, they claim to be identical.

@@Novice-Media They're both fine for what the pricepoint is - hard to go wrong with either. I would say the M2 tops out at around 10-11kHz while the CM28 probably is hitting more in the 12-14kHz range. I went with the CM28 mainly because the S's just sound better - not as scratchy.

The Magic XT1 unfortunately does not have internal recording. If you're looking for a mic that does, I may suggest the Neewer CM28 (amzn.to/3RJpbHU) however it's only 16-bit.

@@Tom_Roberts Agreed! I like the sound profile more.

Thank you!