I vote Purple Panda. Yes, it has more background noise but we can still hear you clearly. I personally enjoy hearing the engine noise. Makes me feel a bit more "involved" in the/your scene. Thanks for sharing this information.
I've been in a similar struggle few weeks ago. I bought a cheapo mic and it perfomed exactly the same as your cheapo mic. As I not only can't afford a Purple Panda, it seems to be out of stock everywhere, I kept searching and when I was about to give up, because most mics were TRRS, I found by chance a spare Scala Rider cable mic, and it worked perfect, it has a TRS plug and quality, imo, is somewhere between AT and PP. Thanks for sharing your experience, it will save a lot of time to other mototubers.
A new sub here and I for some reason have never bumped into your channel. My kind of channel! You give legit reviews and supported with facts. As for mics, I'm using the standard Purple panda and has performed fairly well for a lot of videos, weather and abuse. For my in garage chats I'm using Rode wireless and they're a darn good setup but a bit expensive. I'm looking forward to exploring some of your content and happy to have found you. Happy New Year to you and your family. Eric
Thanks man, means a lot coming from you. I spotted your Rode in a couple of your videos I think, using the same thing and love it. Also, when you say "for a lot of videos, weather and abuse" I believe you on all three counts lol.
The PP sounded best overall in this comparison for sure. I'd try one myself if it didn't have a long cable. I use a similar mic to Shadetree Surgeon which cost around £6 and am quite happy with it. If it breaks I may try the PP.
To be honest, I use the cheap mike, but haven't had any issues since I just put extra sponge around it. without the extra sponge it's terrible and unusable at highway speeds for sure, but I agree with you, ambient sound is also important or it just sounds like you're sitting in a quiet living room when you record. I was interested in the technic but I don't want to constantly be worrying about battery issues either. I guess I'll stick to the cheap Amazon mike with extra sponge.
@@YouMotorcycle Hey man I'd like you to watch one of my vids and let me know what you think. (don't worry its a short one) It also was recorded using the cheap amazon mic while on the highway in heavy rain. th-cam.com/video/Zm7AvQi8VZw/w-d-xo.html&lc=UgwLvZJmugMdx3EJ4Ap4AaABAg
I might switch to a two mic system, if so I might use the audio technica for my voice and the purple panda for exhaust note, we'll see if I ever get that sophisticated, could take years lol
Where did you place the mic in your helmet. I have tried several mics and I can’t get any mic to sound good. I’ve tried the purple panda and same thing. Maybe it’s my cheap $120 helmet but I put dead cats in tue helmet vents and even taped the chin/mouth vents up on the inside to reduce wind and I added a chin wind screen to reduce wind noise too. Any suggestions.
If you want to record your bike sound you would need a separate Zoom recorder. Keep the camera mic set up for clear voice, but if you want good engine sound you have to go the extra mile.
On my GoPro Hero 8 and below (all I have ever had) the purple panda was wonderful! Even amazing, but I am now using a DJI Action 2 and nnow the purple panda is suffering. I tried it in so many places in the helmet. Im still trying to work out the gainn issue.
Well i am on my 3rd Purple Panda in 3 years. So far they have all turned into the cheap one. Scratchy popping sounds. Seem to only last me about a year each time. Maybe others have better luck, so far i like them, they just dont last for me. Looking around for other options at this point. I may go with something more like a stand alone system.
Sorry to hear about your luck. I'm starting to wonder if my Purple Panda isn't as good as it used to be, or if it was just a change in helmet. I'll have to look into it more. Have you found something that you like?
My problem is that I typically ride fast, and I have bikes with loud exhausts.. a new MT-10 with Leo Vince pipe and decat... a new ZX14R with Delkavic cans, etc... Running an Insta360 One RS 4K and playing with different LAV mics, and despite putting TWO foam covers on them and burying them up in my helmet, they sound amazing at low speeds, but as soon as I get up in the speed and RPM, the wind noise and stuff tends to overpower the mic... Purple Panda, Giant Squid, Rode LAV2, xVive LV2 Pro and about 8 other generic mics I have tried... The higher the SPL rating and lower the sensitivity, the better it tends to be, and this is with the external mic gain on the camera set to -18dB... Suggestions?
@@YouMotorcycle Yup! Sounds fantastic for the most part, I have a couple videos up with it now, if you want to check them out... Amazing that the $27 mic sounds better than my $100+ mics... haha It is a bit of a pain with the 6 feet of extra wire, and the battery box that doesn't have a status light to tell you if its on or the battery is dead, but I found a way to work around that...
Mine recently hasn't been holding up as well... Not sure what's going on, but my new videos sound nowhere near as good as this one... same bike, same helmet, same camera and mic... not sure what's going on
thanks for the video. what did you end up using? i was trying to find a lav with a short cord for my helmet but i don't think it exists. was about to buy a movo mic (similar to a purple panda) but now that i've listened to the audio technica, i'm wondering if that would be better for me. i'm riding a ducati v4 and it's pretty loud. on the highway i have to yell so that i can hear myself. what do you think?
Yes I agree. I think I will try to get a few $ back from selling the AudioTechnica. I just don't see myself wanting to take the risk. Riding season is short here in Canada.
based on this and some other vids, i bought the panda, but i've been cussing for the last hour unable to get it to work with my gopro 8s. it worked with the gp5 once, but not the second time. this is with both the gopro adapter to usbc and the 3 ring to 2 ring adapter from the panda kit, but super frustrated. emailed panda asking if there's something i'm doing wrong or i need to send it back. just ordered the audiotech. it's a very clean sound, which is great. i usually run at least 1 other gopro on the bike body somewhere, so that one can pick up engine/road noise i can edit into and use the helmet mic for only nice clean voice. thanks for the video.
@@YouMotorcyclei got it sorted, did a review of all i tried, but at the end, the one i settled on as best was the mic that comes with the SENA unit. just got an adapter for the different size pin, but was the least intrusive and best quality sound for what i want.
I really dont get it. I have bought the PP but the moment i get on the highway , it pops and cracks all the time. Even at 100km per hour. I already put a sock on it, even multipule ones and have a chinguard for the wind and yet it just doesnt wanna work with me xD
Great video, I have the purple panda mic, but while I got similar wind noise results, I was getting audio clipping. No one problem is my Osmo Action mk 1 has no audio adjustment, and I was wondering if placement to ones mouth played a role in this. I have to mount it very close, and I note that many motovloggers seem to do this. How do you avoid audio clipping?
I have a third party dead cat over my mic. That's about it. I can't remember if I showed it in this video or if I even had it at the time as the video is a couple years old. I don't do anything with the motovlogging audio in editing.
Where are you placing the mic inside your helmet? Mine is tucked behind the cheek pad and I'm struggling with getting a lot of clicks and pops from wind noise. Going to try different locations... I have the gain on the camera turned all the way down.
I have been using the Purple Panda, but it has been giving me trouble lately. For no apparent reason the audio go to a level that what I am saying becomes unintelligible. That mic has been in my helmet for two years. Maybe I need to just replace it
@@YouMotorcycle - I think I figured it out. My Gopro Hero 7 Black lost Protunes. It was gone. I had to do a factory reset. Once Protunes was back I set audio to wind reduction. Everythig is back working great. So it wasn't the mic cutting out it was the wind and engine sound drowing out the audio.
TH-cam might have automatically marked it as spam. I saw a notification come in but when I clicked on the notification to see what you wrote I saw nothing there as well
Hey, I have the purple panda and when connecting it to my GoPro (hero 4) I get terrible crackling and popping whenever I get up to speeds and assume it is because the audio is constantly peaking as I can't adjust the microphone sensitivity. Do you record your audio separately on your phone or another audio recorder or what do you do to have the purple panda actually be legible.
I'm on a later GoPro so I have to use the audio adapter. I just plug into it and ride. No adjustments. The Hero 4 came out 9 years ago though. Could be your mic or it could just be the tech wasn't as good. Not sure.
@@NiNWAVE make sure you clap or do something that creates a sharp sound wave at the beginning of the recording so you can easily synch the audio in post production. Good luck!
PURPLE PANDA DUOKIT: amzn.to/3DuxoGt
AUDIOTECHNICA ATR3350: amzn.to/3loKRt1
GENERIC $8 LAV MIC: amzn.to/3SI3WXO
I vote Purple Panda. Yes, it has more background noise but we can still hear you clearly. I personally enjoy hearing the engine noise. Makes me feel a bit more "involved" in the/your scene. Thanks for sharing this information.
Thanks Sonia! I agree. I can't make you feel the motor or the wind, but I can at least let you hear it!
I've been in a similar struggle few weeks ago. I bought a cheapo mic and it perfomed exactly the same as your cheapo mic. As I not only can't afford a Purple Panda, it seems to be out of stock everywhere, I kept searching and when I was about to give up, because most mics were TRRS, I found by chance a spare Scala Rider cable mic, and it worked perfect, it has a TRS plug and quality, imo, is somewhere between AT and PP.
Thanks for sharing your experience, it will save a lot of time to other mototubers.
Good to know, thanks man. Which mic do you think I should use?
@@YouMotorcycle I think PP is the way to go. AT is awesome too but, as you said, it's too quite. It seems like a voice over footage.
"like a voice over footage" that's a good way of describing the Audio Technica, you're right 👌
I use the purple panda. I vote for the purple panda. I like it. Thanks for making the comparison video. Great video.
Thanks so much!
A new sub here and I for some reason have never bumped into your channel. My kind of channel! You give legit reviews and supported with facts. As for mics, I'm using the standard Purple panda and has performed fairly well for a lot of videos, weather and abuse. For my in garage chats I'm using Rode wireless and they're a darn good setup but a bit expensive. I'm looking forward to exploring some of your content and happy to have found you. Happy New Year to you and your family. Eric
Thanks man, means a lot coming from you. I spotted your Rode in a couple of your videos I think, using the same thing and love it. Also, when you say "for a lot of videos, weather and abuse" I believe you on all three counts lol.
In use Purple Panda. It is not perfect, but I am relatively satisfied with it.
Yes. It's not terrific but it does alright. I might try experimenting with a different deadcat to see if that blocks out more wind.
The PP sounded best overall in this comparison for sure. I'd try one myself if it didn't have a long cable. I use a similar mic to Shadetree Surgeon which cost around £6 and am quite happy with it. If it breaks I may try the PP.
Never noticed any issues with your audio so it's good to know that's all it cost you for a decent mic! Does ok at highway speeds?
@@YouMotorcycle see my post on the forum! 🙂
AWESOME comparison video, well done and thank you
Thanks!
@@YouMotorcycle No worries! Just bought a Purple Panda as per your recommendation. Let's see how it goes
To be honest, I use the cheap mike, but haven't had any issues since I just put extra sponge around it. without the extra sponge it's terrible and unusable at highway speeds for sure, but I agree with you, ambient sound is also important or it just sounds like you're sitting in a quiet living room when you record. I was interested in the technic but I don't want to constantly be worrying about battery issues either. I guess I'll stick to the cheap Amazon mike with extra sponge.
If you can get a cheap mic to still sound good at highway speeds, buddy you are winning! Just enjoy what you got!
@@YouMotorcycle Hey man I'd like you to watch one of my vids and let me know what you think. (don't worry its a short one) It also was recorded using the cheap amazon mic while on the highway in heavy rain. th-cam.com/video/Zm7AvQi8VZw/w-d-xo.html&lc=UgwLvZJmugMdx3EJ4Ap4AaABAg
Good info! Ive been happy with the purple panda
Yeah. For someone with no audio/video training (me) it's good enough.
I agree with HippoDrones. Definitely the Purple Panda is the best mic for me.
I might switch to a two mic system, if so I might use the audio technica for my voice and the purple panda for exhaust note, we'll see if I ever get that sophisticated, could take years lol
Where did you place the mic in your helmet. I have tried several mics and I can’t get any mic to sound good. I’ve tried the purple panda and same thing. Maybe it’s my cheap $120 helmet but I put dead cats in tue helmet vents and even taped the chin/mouth vents up on the inside to reduce wind and I added a chin wind screen to reduce wind noise too. Any suggestions.
Literally just right dead center in front of my mouth. Clipped to the bottom of the chin spoiler. Where are you mounting your mic?
If you want to record your bike sound you would need a separate Zoom recorder. Keep the camera mic set up for clear voice, but if you want good engine sound you have to go the extra mile.
Unfortunately you're right lol
On my GoPro Hero 8 and below (all I have ever had) the purple panda was wonderful! Even amazing, but I am now using a DJI Action 2 and nnow the purple panda is suffering. I tried it in so many places in the helmet. Im still trying to work out the gainn issue.
Have you tried other mics on both? I noticed everything sounds like 💩 on my Insta 360
Well i am on my 3rd Purple Panda in 3 years. So far they have all turned into the cheap one. Scratchy popping sounds. Seem to only last me about a year each time. Maybe others have better luck, so far i like them, they just dont last for me. Looking around for other options at this point. I may go with something more like a stand alone system.
Sorry to hear about your luck. I'm starting to wonder if my Purple Panda isn't as good as it used to be, or if it was just a change in helmet. I'll have to look into it more. Have you found something that you like?
My problem is that I typically ride fast, and I have bikes with loud exhausts.. a new MT-10 with Leo Vince pipe and decat... a new ZX14R with Delkavic cans, etc...
Running an Insta360 One RS 4K and playing with different LAV mics, and despite putting TWO foam covers on them and burying them up in my helmet, they sound amazing at low speeds, but as soon as I get up in the speed and RPM, the wind noise and stuff tends to overpower the mic... Purple Panda, Giant Squid, Rode LAV2, xVive LV2 Pro and about 8 other generic mics I have tried...
The higher the SPL rating and lower the sensitivity, the better it tends to be, and this is with the external mic gain on the camera set to -18dB...
Suggestions?
Maybe try the audiotechnica if you haven't already. I'm assuming you've tried different helmets already?
@@YouMotorcycle Ordered one this afternoon. 🙂
@@YouMotorcycle I have an RPHA 11 Pro and a Shoei X-Fourteen...
Tried it yet?
@@YouMotorcycle Yup! Sounds fantastic for the most part, I have a couple videos up with it now, if you want to check them out... Amazing that the $27 mic sounds better than my $100+ mics... haha
It is a bit of a pain with the 6 feet of extra wire, and the battery box that doesn't have a status light to tell you if its on or the battery is dead, but I found a way to work around that...
+1 for the Purple Panda mic. I love mine.
Mine recently hasn't been holding up as well... Not sure what's going on, but my new videos sound nowhere near as good as this one... same bike, same helmet, same camera and mic... not sure what's going on
WHO WON? WHO LOST? YOU DECIDE! Please leave me a comment and let me know.
thanks for the video. what did you end up using? i was trying to find a lav with a short cord for my helmet but i don't think it exists. was about to buy a movo mic (similar to a purple panda) but now that i've listened to the audio technica, i'm wondering if that would be better for me. i'm riding a ducati v4 and it's pretty loud. on the highway i have to yell so that i can hear myself. what do you think?
NIce. You're in my hood! DVP / 401 !!!! Question.... where do you have the mic in relation to the helmet?
Small world! Smack in front of my mouth
Will watch this vid later. Hope this will solve my problem on wind noise and popping sound.
Ok sounds good lol
Purple panda 👍👍
You like it?
Good video! I like the noise reduction of the Audio Technica, but given the logistics of using it, you're probably bettor off with the Purple Panda.
Yes I agree. I think I will try to get a few $ back from selling the AudioTechnica. I just don't see myself wanting to take the risk. Riding season is short here in Canada.
based on this and some other vids, i bought the panda, but i've been cussing for the last hour unable to get it to work with my gopro 8s. it worked with the gp5 once, but not the second time. this is with both the gopro adapter to usbc and the 3 ring to 2 ring adapter from the panda kit, but super frustrated. emailed panda asking if there's something i'm doing wrong or i need to send it back. just ordered the audiotech. it's a very clean sound, which is great. i usually run at least 1 other gopro on the bike body somewhere, so that one can pick up engine/road noise i can edit into and use the helmet mic for only nice clean voice. thanks for the video.
Hey, were you ever able to sort this out? What mic are you using now?
@@YouMotorcyclei got it sorted, did a review of all i tried, but at the end, the one i settled on as best was the mic that comes with the SENA unit. just got an adapter for the different size pin, but was the least intrusive and best quality sound for what i want.
I really dont get it. I have bought the PP but the moment i get on the highway , it pops and cracks all the time. Even at 100km per hour. I already put a sock on it, even multipule ones and have a chinguard for the wind and yet it just doesnt wanna work with me xD
Where do you have the mic? Is it right infront of where your vents blow into?
Great video, I have the purple panda mic, but while I got similar wind noise results, I was getting audio clipping. No one problem is my Osmo Action mk 1 has no audio adjustment, and I was wondering if placement to ones mouth played a role in this. I have to mount it very close, and I note that many motovloggers seem to do this.
How do you avoid audio clipping?
I have a third party dead cat over my mic. That's about it. I can't remember if I showed it in this video or if I even had it at the time as the video is a couple years old. I don't do anything with the motovlogging audio in editing.
Where are you placing the mic inside your helmet? Mine is tucked behind the cheek pad and I'm struggling with getting a lot of clicks and pops from wind noise. Going to try different locations... I have the gain on the camera turned all the way down.
Center right in front of my mouth
I have been using the Purple Panda, but it has been giving me trouble lately. For no apparent reason the audio go to a level that what I am saying becomes unintelligible. That mic has been in my helmet for two years. Maybe I need to just replace it
If the wire gets pulled or bent awkwardly on any headphones or microphones it'll start acting up
@@YouMotorcycle - I think I figured it out. My Gopro Hero 7 Black lost Protunes. It was gone. I had to do a factory reset. Once Protunes was back I set audio to wind reduction. Everythig is back working great.
So it wasn't the mic cutting out it was the wind and engine sound drowing out the audio.
Skull mic's were the latest thing in the end of my fireguy days... any of those for you to try ?
Never heard of these. What are they?
@@YouMotorcycle- I responded with a link but it is not here... do not know what the problem is ???
TH-cam might have automatically marked it as spam. I saw a notification come in but when I clicked on the notification to see what you wrote I saw nothing there as well
@@YouMotorcycle- They weren't really great yet, sounded like you were down in a hole. Better for working, no exposed mic, still needed PTT tho.
Hey, I have the purple panda and when connecting it to my GoPro (hero 4) I get terrible crackling and popping whenever I get up to speeds and assume it is because the audio is constantly peaking as I can't adjust the microphone sensitivity. Do you record your audio separately on your phone or another audio recorder or what do you do to have the purple panda actually be legible.
I'm on a later GoPro so I have to use the audio adapter. I just plug into it and ride. No adjustments. The Hero 4 came out 9 years ago though. Could be your mic or it could just be the tech wasn't as good. Not sure.
@@YouMotorcycle yea it sounds fine at around 20-30 mph so I assume it's just the lack of audio settings making it too sensitive
Might try hooking it up to my phone and recording the audio separately
@@NiNWAVE make sure you clap or do something that creates a sharp sound wave at the beginning of the recording so you can easily synch the audio in post production. Good luck!
Where do you clip the microphone for best results?
Smack in front of my mouth