A common criticism I've been getting about my situation goes something like: "You should have tested your gear beforehand, therefore, it's your fault. Stop complaining on the internet." My response to this type of criticism: Number one, the internet is where people go to complain. LOL. Number two - I DID test this beforehand. I've owned the previous Rode Wireless GO systems since they were released in 2019 and never had a problem like this. I also own and use traditional radio wireless systems and have years of production experience. My specific problem that was almost impossible to test was the connection of the Rode Lav 2 into the Wireless PRO -- I connected it without any issues during my tests. I had no reason to question the connection design because it worked every time I tested it. Now skip to the incident in my video --- I must have screwed in the Lav too quickly without fully locking it into the transmitter, which is difficult to tell, as I demonstrated in my video. I also did not know that the Rode Lav could be unscrewed easily and thus disable the recording and wireless transmission. I ask anyone else in my position how they could have known this issue beforehand? There is no information out there or warnings about this issue on the internet at the time this incident happened to me. When people test their lower cost gear, how thoroughly do you stress test it for a smaller production? I can understand if you bought an Alexa and have a million dollar production, you'd want to test it for days, but would you really spend days testing a Rode Wireless PRO? And for the people who say technical issues that you didn't anticipate never happens to you because you're a professional or are always on top of things, good for you, but that's not most people.
I'm with you. I bought the Wireless Pro kit and have been massively disappointed with these mics for all of the reasons you state. Clips fall off constantly when I'm filming weddings. I'm selling mine on eBay to buy something else. I was going to get the Sennheiser Me2, which I've owned for 7 years and love, but I've heard that the build quality has dropped significantly in recent years. Now looking at a second hand Sennheiser MKE2.
I had a problem in my recent shoot where I was recording internally and shooting with GoPro and iPhone (In most places in UAE professional cameras are not allowed). I was very confident that I would sync the internal recording. When I listen the audio of one of the people it is dead, I can hear a word after many seconds of silence. One thing I notices was my recording limit was full but still it was showing on the receiver that it is recording internally. The file size is 676MB for an hour of recording but it is not useable.
The best way to screw the lav in the transmitter in my opinion is to hold the plug at this golden part and then turn the transmitter in stead of this golden part. When done in this way the plug wil go ll the way in in stead of you screw the golden part of of the lavalier.
yeah. i saw other reviews of the rode wireless pro and they showed how to properly screw the lav to the transmitter and it worked just fine. mic is firmly locked.
Respect for people doing this type of review/feedback on TH-cam rather than the TH-camrs opening boxes and just reading the unit's manuals in front of the camera. I have been okay with my units, but I never use the lav mics coming with the units for any paid job. Their lav sound sound needs to be clearer.
Can I ask what mic's you're using? I also think the lav's that come with the system are terrible. Instead, I'm using the mics that come with the older Wireless Go II (I think it's just called Lavaliere GO), but for some reason, when used with the Wireless Pro, they pick up wireless interference which gets recorded on the transmitter as well. Sound quality and size are important, as I typically try to hide the mic element.
That's the reason why i always recoomand to monitor every time when shooting, it should get an habitude. U never know if the sound is good if u dont check it, sometimes something is rubbing against the mic and is causing noises
Yes, I agree and most always do this. However, I was in a situation where I could not cut and assumed the problem was the wireless connection, knowing that the transmitter had it's own built-in recorder, so that was my insurance that I had audio. The filming started out fine, but then the subject moved and must have unplugged the lav and I lost the audio signal, but I thought I had that insurance still.
@@VideoGizmology yes i can feel it, also happened a lot to my footage. Sometimes i also wanted to use the internal camera audio as a back up, but when the receiver is still attached there is also no sound in the camera...
the mic capsule is only one side, not at the top where it can pick up sound all around. Rode designed it this way, so the mic can have a flatter profile and not stick out as much when it's on the body. However, if you accidentally place the mic facing into the body and the mic is covered up, then you will get muffled audio. I've used mics with this same design before, like the Voice Technologies VT500, but the windscreen on those mics had a clear front and back, so you could always tell the difference. My criticism with Rode is that their windscreen is the same shape all around, so you cannot tell the difference unless you mark it with a pen or something.
Honestly, these issues are all "user-error." The system didn't "fail" you. You just didn't plan ahead and understand these characteristics that are common with ALL forms of video/camera gear. I just don't think it's fair to fault the Rode Wireless Pro system for your lack of knowledge. Not trying to be ugly here, but sh!t happens man. Ya gotta be prepared for all scenarios. Have I run into situations like this in my 35-years of pro experience? You bet! Sometimes the equipment WAS faulty. But oftentimes when things went south, it was because I just didn't educate myself on the "what-ifs." Fortunately I was always able to recognize the issue and fix it quickly, or work around the situation entirely. Glad you had the shotgun mic in this case. Dang, I hope I haven't just jinxed myself!
I just bought these and these are a few good points of criticism I think. For the direction of the lavalier I think I'll put a little dot of red nail polish on the back; below the cap so it's visible when in the wrong direction. For the screws; the problem seems to be that it's easy to unscrew it partly from the plug while twisting it into the transmitter because you'll easily squeeze and hold on the black plastic of the plug at that moment. What seems to do the trick for me is make sure the ring is screwed fully against the plug and then screw in the transmitter by turning the transmitter and holding the screw still. That way you don't accidentally loosen the screw which would prevent the connector from going all the way in.
The wireless system is great, it’s just the lavalier design that sucks. I use the system with the Tascam DR-10L lavalier mics and they sound way better and I really like them.
o ture! I also have the same problem!! The design of mic direction really bad and I even tear the back side apart when I use a gaff type, so sad!! I perfer use the old lav.
This is really unfortunate. I use these in a lot of settings. Definitely the "lots or practice" is necessary. I really love these. I do not use the included mics though- I pair them with COS 11D mics or the older rode mics just because those ones are omnidirectional.
So sorry this happened on a doc shoot. I’ve also found the same issue with the “locking” 3.5mm cable. I found it easier to turn the transmitter and not the locking nut to make a solid connection. And, of course, the reason I purchased the Wireless Pro even though I own four sets of Tentacle Sync Track E’s, is to monitor everything. Thanks for making this video!
A review from a real use situation and not just someone sat at a desk trying to get on Rode's freebies list. Thanks for the review. You have highlighted fundamental design flaws with the mics and probably the mic sockets in the TX units. This problem makes this not a "pro" device , but a consumer level build with pro features. This issue alone means no one will use for paid work - you can't play Russian roulette with clients.
User error is typically the reason things go wrong, but my point with this video was sometimes the poor design of the equipment can increase the likelihood of user error. That's why the terms, "idiot proof" or "fool proof" exist, although that's not realistic. Thanks for your comment!
Just remove the screw-on nuts and don’t bother using them. We should be able to just spin the nut only, like most mics that have a locking nut. This is just a bad design. I don’t want to be spinning the jack when it’s plugged in, causing more wear.
@@VideoGizmology Iam sick of these gear review channels who can’t mention problems that can affect a job, I bought a camera slider this guy reviewed but failed to mention it had a loud motor and realised after he put music over all the test shots
Agree that the mic design isn’t great and that foam falls off very easily. This us my suggestion if you allow me, since this is what I do I recommend you try it, before locking the mic in to the transmitter, I tighten the nut all the way in until it locks at the end of the connector, plug the connector in and turn the transmitter instead of the nut, I’ve never had any issues whatsoever that way.
In all honesty, you said it best when you said user error, this can happen to any piece of technology so it’s always best to double check before you press that record button.
Of course having more hours of testing could have prevented my disaster, but my point is that Rode has some quirks that are not normal to other professional audio devices and if you are not aware of them, you'll have problems. I'm highlighting those quirks that I discovered while working with this equipment in the field on a real production. I made a mistake using a new piece of equipment. Have you never made a mistake before? Everyone has. Even professionals who should know better. So I made this video to showcase the problems with the product and also show that I'm not perfect either, despite many years of audio experience.
Of course, mistakes do happen, and it's possible that issues like the cord detaching could be due to a manufacturing error. However, based on my experience with older wireless lavs from Rode and similar brands, this kind of issue shouldn't occur if everything is assembled correctly. The problem with signal loss is a separate matter and, admittedly, it's quite frustrating. I'm not trying to criticize you personally; I just want to emphasize the importance of thorough quality checks in these situations.
I hear you about quality checks before production, so if that is your only point, then I appreciate it. But how many average users of this consumer product does that? Hollywood sound mixers are not using Rode on big budget productions. Only the smaller scale people use Rode. So I'm addressing that audience. I experienced is a design flaw with the Rode Lavs. If you read other comments on the Rode Lavs or have this product yourself, they are not built with a reliable locking nut. When you tighten the nut on the Lav, it has to be done in a specific way or else you will not get a positive lock. This is a design flaw that the user has to adjust to in order to work properly. I've owned other Lavs from Sennheiser, Sony, Sanken, and Voice Technologies that do not have this issue.
Thanks for naming this video. I just sold a bunch of Sennheiser AVX mics for this Rode apron set and while they do have many great features and quality of life stuff. They have all the pain points you mention whereas Sennheiser stuff just worked.
@@VideoGizmologysame. Reading the comments here has been super useful. Definitely picking up either a tascam lav or a Sennheiser ME2 to replace the Rode ones that come with it. For anyone wanting to use these with the rode handle as reporter mics it's worth pointing out the pick up pattern is different also. These are Omni-directional whereas my old Sennheiser was Cardioid so more directional. In some circumstances thats a good thing. The rodes on a handle are more forgiving of poor mic technique for example, but in a loud event the Sennheiser was way better at picking up voices even with loud music.
@1:50 Maybe a workaround to help identify which side has the mic capsule could be to use a sharpie (white or metallic) and put a dot on that side. For the windscreen falling off, maybe attaching double sided 3m tape on the side that side that doesn't have the mic open and attach the windscreen, let it sit for 24hrs.
All the same issues bro...also one of my clips already fell appart, the little thing that holds the cable on the side of it, i almost lost that "gold" screw for mics on the input like 10 times, few unusable audio files because of the direction of the lav ( i got it right, but the shirt just tvisted and turned it to the opposite side)...so much pain XD
Sorry to hear that you lost some audio during your shoot. This is never a good thing, regardless of where to lay the blame. You make some valid points, like the "locking" lav mic ring that is a faulty design. Rode has been selling lav mics with a proper locking ring for years, so this flaw is inexcusable. However, you need to accept responsibility for the assumption that the internal recording would negate the need to address why you weren't getting audio into the receiver. Even if the locking lav was properly attached, if the transmitter wasn't working for some other reason, how would you have known until too late? In my mind, the lack of audio signal from one of the transmitters is a major concern that warrants debugging before rolling. No exceptions. You claim that you couldn't cut, but that begs the question did you not see the missing audio at the start or after you started recording? Would it have been better to loose a few minutes of video to fix the audio problem so that the video you did capture also had audio? I often see people record audio without headphones, and simply "monitor" by looking at levels on the receiver or recorder. This is NOT proper monitoring, as it will never tell you about mechanical issues (fabric rubbing on lav), dropouts, radio interference or battery failure. All those issue WILL happen, and you better know about them when they do so you can take appropriate steps to resolve them. Should a camera operator shoot without looking at a monitor? Nope. If you're not listening, you're not monitoring. I am on a bit of a rant here because I have struggled with film crews, directors and clients who don't take audio seriously enough to allow adequate time to fully test ON SET that all gear is fully functional. It's bad enough when we are forced to shoot in noisy locations or get the stink eye from cast and crew when holding for air or land traffic...but audio is every bit as serious as video/film. Yes, gear failures happen, but we are responsible for proper set up and to debug problems quickly. Clients won't care that your gear failed you. All they remember is that you failed them. It's a harsh reality that we need to prepare for as best we can. Better success on the next shoot!
I appreciate the comment! To further explain my specific situation here: I had already tested the Rode Pros with their Lavs when I first bought them. I have experience as a production sound mixer and post production audio designer. Not a lot, but enough to get a product like the Rode Wireless Pro to work. LOL. During my incident where this happened, I had to do most of the production roles myself, I was the director, producer, sound, and camera. If you've done low budget documentaries or journalism, you will understand that this is sometimes common. If you've never been a solo filmmaker, then my experience doesn't apply to you. I had a production assistant, but I was really the only knowledgeable filmmaker. So I mic'd up the two subjects, did an audio check. Check was good. Lav and mic packs worked fine. I started the internal recordings ahead of time. Everything was good. I was under a heavy time restraint due to the scheduling of the subjects I was filming, so I had one shot at this or I don't get it at all. That was the pressure I was under. About five minutes into my shoot, the audio of one of the subjects drop out from what I was monitoring. I did panic, but I assumed it was a wireless signal drop, because that can happen when using this type of wireless system. My options at that point was to stop filming and diagnose the problem with the consequence of having no more time left with my subjects and not getting anything filmed. OR....keep going uninterrupted. I chose to keep going. The reason I kept going was because I thought I had a backup recording on the transmitter at 32-bit, so if my signal dropped, I knew I had that internal recording. Secondly, I had a shotgun mic placed overhead for a wide shot, I was filming with 2 cameras, so if my wireless died, I had a shotgun as 2nd backup. I always use two sources of audio for redundancy. Now what I did not know, which is why I made this video, is that the Rode Lav can become detached pretty easily and once that mic comes loose, as long as it's still halfway into the transmitter, it will negate any wireless signal and recording. It basically makes the Rode completely defective. How was I supposed to know that? Where was that written in the manual? What other tutorial was out there at the time I filmed that warned me of this issue? I take full accountability for my incident, as I said in my video, it was user error, HOWEVER, I made this video as a warning to other people who buy this specific product about this specific issue I encountered. I understand your point about having experience with protocols in place to prevent any audio issue. I get that. BUT my point was highlighting the quirks and design issues with the Rode Wireless PRO Lavs. That is a separate issue from just having on-set protocols, because as you can see from my specific incident, I was not in the most favorable filming situation to begin with.
@@VideoGizmology Fair enough. The design of the locking ring on the lav mic is a serious flaw that Rode needs to address. I recently received the Rode Wireless Pro kit, and appreciate you sharing your experience. I sent in a feature request to Rode regarding this and other issues I see with the RWP kit. It's a good piece of kit, but has room for improvement. BTW, I feel your pain as I have done plenty solo shoots myself; wrangling lights, camera(s), sound, live streaming, running teleprompter or conducting interviews. I quickly learned the value of clients that will budget for even a minimal crew to tackle what a single person should not. The crew won't eliminate mishaps, but will afford time to deal with them. Again, sorry that you had that experience, and thanks for bringing this issue to our attention.
I noticed the same thing about the lav mic setup, the connection at the recorder is not as clean as it should be. Something that should be a no-brainer gives one more thing to worry about. Likewise whoever designed those lavs wasn't thinking about the practicality of how to keep the mic facing out. I guess when you inevitably lose the cover that problem drops away. Small design issues like that should have been easily overcome by a manufacturer who makes a living producing microphones.
I had an issue with mine as well. I was used to the rode wireless go's recording the whole time they were on. Not the case with the pros. Ended up with zero backup recordings. Also, I was unknowingly setting the right and left channels to record on one channel due to my timecode settings, which kind of screwed me. Yes, these are all things that are my bad and can easily be resolved on future shoots, but the moral of the story is, just because you can use the go's doesn't mean you can just break the pro's out of the box and start using them without a little bit of training and practice. Most people are talking about the wireless pro's are not talking about the wireless CON's. (I'm sorry for the dad joke)
I shot docs and I literally replaced the lavs the second I got these. The mic clips are unusable and the locking plugs is compromised. Everything else is fantastic and the best wireless lavs I’ve ever had. That is including the time code.
What a bummer... Thanks for sharing, the unlinking is a tragedy, happened on my Wireless Go II as well, and online forums are full of people not managing to link them again, due to button combination logic.
I have run into similar issues during my practice/learning period. The nut on the mic is a hit and miss, I found that you have to have it reverse side up, contrary to what any official Rode photograph shows.
With respect, you DID have a method of testing if it was plugged in properly. The receiver's audio meter for CH2 was clearly not kicking so the transmitter wasn't getting any audio. I can only imagine that you are a one man band who had a million other variables to juggle, and didn't have enough time to make sure everything was operating properly. I'm glad you had a backup audio solution.
You can read my pinned comment at the top for more details. There are instances where the receiver is not showing the wireless signal from the transmitter, but still recording internally. So yes, you are correct in the fact that clearly not seeing the audio meters move was a sign no audio was transmitting, but that didn't mean no audio was recording internally to the mic pack as I was assuming. Or at least that's the logic I had before this incident happened. But after doing many tests afterwards, you can, in fact, unpair the wireless signal, but still record internally to the transmitter, because it can function as a recorder without being in sync with the receiver.
Many of these problems are adressed in many places on TH-cam or on the RODE site. My advice is do your homework before you go out on your first shoot, do a practice run at home and pay attention to detail. I had great sound and success on 2 shoots other than trying to force the little rubber clip on the mic and it snapped off (cheap plastic) I had to electric tape it back on and after I ordered a few extras. I put it on the wrong way according to Rode and the TH-cam videos ‘for beginners’. My bad…
Thanks for the comment, but I addressed your criticism in my pinned comment up top. And I would also argue that it is because of videos like mine with early first hand, in-the-field, user experience, you learn from my mistakes and are better prepared for when you get this system.
Yeah, I was probably too agitated at the time of recording this video to say this, but the receiver and transmitters are great and the best ones currently sold today in their category. I was really complaining about the Lav mics that come with the combo kit. Once I switched Lav mics, most of my issues mentioned in this video were gone.
I've been doing production sound for many years now, so I used Lav mics that I've owned for awhile that are quite expensive compared to what Rode offers. But if you have the money, I use Sennheiser MKE 2 Gold Series and Voice Technologies VT500. If you buy them with a Sennheiser connection, they will work on the Rode Wireless PRO. Unfortunately, each mic cost almost as much as the entire Rode Combo Kit, so this might not make financial sense to get, unless you happened to already have them like I did.
The clip of my included lavalier broke the first time I tried to put it on, and then the gold locking ring came completely off when unscrewing it! I've been using sennheiser lav mics instead and it's been working really well. That sucks about your situation, but good on you for having redundancy!
Ya my clip broke very first time I used it. I ordered extras but there is a trick you put the mic in sideways then twist it on. You kinda have to know!
Dude, all your criticism is just your own fault.. I mean just use your brain and nothing of this would’ve happened or couldn’t be addressed with a little workaround. Those rode wireless pro are by far the best quality sounding prosumer mics in the sub 500 bucks price range. They’re the only ones who can be easily matched with higher quality pro level equipment and therefore are a good option for small semi-pro production and even as a cheap backup for pro level stuff. But real talk is that no professional production should ever rely on the consumer products as the main kit. Use the sennheiser g3/4 system if you’re a professional… or if you’re a semiprofessional in a budget get yourself some tentacles. No hate but I can’t stand this „I am a pro and use consumer equipment that fails on production because I didn’t use my brain enough but it’s the equipments fault“ behavior… even with the most expensive high end gear such faults happen on big budget productions.. it’s mostly the operators fault. Free tip: want the best sound out of any lav? Tape it to the middle of the chest. So nobody sees it and it’s the best position for catching speech. Sorry for the harsh undertone and I appreciate that you stated it’s user error. But better tell people from the beginning and not at the end because lots of people will just watch the first half and think this kit is trash. It’s not. For that price you won’t find anything better at the moment. Even the all new DJI mic 2 isn’t comparable in case of sound quality. Enough said, cheers
sometimes upgrading or paying top dollar for the latest mic's isn't THE SOLUTION, they add so much extra stuff they just make it a headache to operate, I'm pretty happy with my 1st generation RODE WIRELESS GO :)
Wow, so sorry this happened on a paid high pressure shoot. Ride just sent me a set to review and so far, I’m noticing many minute design flaws that slows down the workflow because of where things are placed. It’s good overall, but needs more thought put into designing it, physically.
I think the Rode Wireless Pro is the best 2.4GHz mic system that's available right now, but the Lav mics are not designed well. Once I swapped out the Lav mics, the Rode Pro has been excellent. Very reliable signal. Awesome internal mic quality. A few quirks, but now that I know the limitations, I've been using the Pros on a lot of jobs with no issues.
throw those lavs out and pickup at the very least the sennheiser ME2 lavs. But if you can save the money get some COS-11D's and you'll thank yourself immediately. way easier to hide on your subject and sounds 1000x better.
yeah, I have the Sennheiser MKE 2 Gold Series mics and now I don't have the lav issues I talked about in this video. Just one of those lav mics cost more than the RODE kit, tho. haha.
It was just the included Rode lavs in the combo kit that were bad. I actually highly recommend the Wireless Pro transmitter/receiver set, just use different Lav mics. The Wireless Pro's are the best 2.4GHz system that I've used so far.
Good Lavs are not cheap, so my recommendation might not fit your budget, but I ended up using Sennheiser MKE 2 Gold mics, which cost around $390 each, but I've owned mine for around 10 years now and they're still great. I would also recommend the Sanken COS-11, but those are pricey, too. If you want the lowest budgeted Lav, I'd recommend the previous Rode model, the Rode Lav GO, 1st generation. They don't have locking connectors, but the design and sound has worked better for me than the 2nd gen.
Thanks for sharing. I really appreciate that you have taken the time to share these issues. This will help a lot of people I am sure. I currently have the Go II and have been planning to upgrade. When I first saw these new mics, my heart sank, as I could see this happening. Is there a reliable method/workaround to ensure that they do twist once set? My main reason for upgrading would be for a step up in sound quality, more specifically zero white noise, which I cannot seem to achieve with the Go II's and my Sony A7IV. Do I need to use the 32bit float files to achive this or is the gain naturally superior and the 32 bit files only required for clipped or very low audio?
At this price range, you won't be able to get a consistent zero white noise. You'll have to spend more money on higher end equipment. The best you can do using the RODE system is buy a better Lav mic and have good mic placement on your talent. Having 32-bit helps to protect clipping and will slightly help with white noise, but it's not reliable every time. RE: Rode lav mics, once you practice the tightening system enough times, it should be okay. I would recommend just buying another brand. The Rode Lav version 2 are not great in my opinion.
Since the clips fall off all the time and I'm in a rush putting the mic on my subject, I sometimes reverse the clips without realizing it when I put the clip back on.
Sorry about your woes. But that was very informative. I've just moved from the Rode Pro to the Pro II. I do prefer the sound. I find though the clip isn't as secure and the pop shield, as you say, is also pretty loose. But nothing I can't live with. I use a Rycote deadcat, and placing that over the pop shield seems to hold everything in place. I had been wondering about the wireless system. I was reluctant as it was one more thing to go wrong. So I think I'll stick with just plugging directly into my Zoom H1n. I can usually find a pocket to stick that into so it still allows freedom of movement. Just remember to lock the buttons! (6 hours to set up a shoot, managed to turn off record just at the start. Someone smarter than me might have checked that before leaving the location)
Hi there, sorry to hear about those issues, I've had them as well. My biggest issue is a bad static buzz though which appears to be relating to wireless interference. I never had the issue with my Rode Wireless Go II but it is constant with the Rode Wireless Pro. Here's the issue: th-cam.com/video/vbq8NLk6SB0/w-d-xo.html And here's another video showing the issue: th-cam.com/video/M7PsXHfFZuw/w-d-xo.html The issue seems prevalent with the Rode VideoMic (and I tried two different Rode VideoMic's) in conjunction with the Wireless Pro, but not the Wireless Go II. I have a long email thread with Rode support to sort it out but they're not very helpful. I'm quite annoyed by this. Have you had this issue as well?
I haven't had your specific buzzing issues, but whenever I have wireless problems, it's either due to cables (3.5mm into camera), antenna, Lav mics, or other wireless devices next to my wireless system. So I would try different cables first and then try to remove all potential wireless interference, by doing a test out in nature.
I'm really sorry for what you experienced. Thank you very much for making this video. It really triggers me to check things very good, even when I'm pressed for time. As you know, sound is 80% of a movie, so they'll have to let us get absolutely sure that things work properly. I hope that your shotgun Mike helped to save the day. Congratulations that you did work with that too.
Hahaha … I learnt from others mistakes … consequently, i’ve had zero issues with my RØDE Wireless Pros. I love them! The tip for the screw mount is to spin the lock fully onto the lav side/3.5mm plug/TRS, then insert the 3.5mm lav into the Transmitter then spin the transmitter onto the locking nut (not the other way around). Secondly, get double sided tape to attach the lav mic to the talent’s clothing from the inside (the body side) of the clothing. Thirdly attach a furry cloth (the size of the lav mic) so if the clothing moves against the talent’s skin it does not make very much ruffling noise. I’ve used these techniques on three indie film shoots with zero issues (across the last two months of videoing). Zero issues no lost audio from the RØDE’s … please don’t bag out a great wireless system due to your not knowing how to mitigate the risks. It’s not poor design, this lav system is really very very very good.
Great tips! Thanks. But I would argue your first tip about the screw mount kinda points out the poor design from Rode, since most other locks don't require this very specific way to mount it in a transmitter. Other 3.5mm locking connectors from Sony, Sennheiser, Shure, and other manufactures are self-evident and don't require a special technique to plug them in. You can read my pinned comment that further explains my situation I was in and addresses your criticism about me not knowing my gear. The Rode is a great low budget wireless system, however, the Lav mics were my main issue.
For this production I was on, I used a Panasonic S5II and IIX with a Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8, 29-70 f/2.8, and Panasonic 24-105mm f/4. The video was recording on an S5 II using the Sigma 16-28mm. For audio, I prefer to keep the gain in the camera as low as possible. Then I will adjust the wireless system's gains depending on the situation.
I have the Hollyland Lark Max already. The internal mics are great, but I needed to use a Lav mic, not clip the transmitter on the people. When it comes to Lav mics, I found the Rode Wireless Pros to be better than the Lark Max.
My set already came with lav mics, but If you want something better, , check out a more professional brands (than Rode), like Sennheiser MKE 2-EW, Countryman B6 or Audio-Technica PRO 70. A cheap mic that performs way better than Rode lavs is the Boya BY-M1 (great low frequencies)
Thanks for the tip! I actually had other lavs with me during the shoot, so after this incident, I switched to a Sennheiser MKE 2 Gold Series, and had no issues after that. It was silly of me not to just use the Sennheiser from the beginning, but I thought the Rode Lavs were going to be better than they actually were when I tested them weeks before my shoot.
Im so conflicted. The auto gain and 32 bit float is amazing. But I have had these exact problems. I lost a locking connector. I lost a windscreen. And I lost a clip. Everything falls apart way too easily. The mic capsule being on one side is so dumb. This is SO close to being a home run for me but jeez.
I think the transmitters and receiver are great, it's just the lav mics that are bad. as soon as I ditched the Rode lav mics and started using another brand, all my lav issues were gone. sucks that has to be that way, but I'm sure Rode will update their lavs and fix these issues in their next lav model.
I used to have Sennheiser G3s, so I have Sennheiser MKE 2. Unfortunately, just one of these lavs cost more than the entire Rode Wireless Pro Combo kit, but they have lasted me almost 10 years so far with no issues on professional shoots.
@@VideoGizmology I just picked up the Rode Pro for $300 on sale (not sure if it's due to these issues). I'm planning to replace the lavs with the ones on my current DR-10Ls, which may retire soon thanks to the internal 32-bit recording feature on the Pro.
it's really just the lav mics in the combo kit that are the problem. The actual wireless units are just as good, if not better, than the previous GO II. However, the DJI MIC 2 might be better in some areas.
Alway know your gear before going in the field. Also there is a correct way to attach the mic to the clip so it doesn’t rotate. And yeah the windshields could be a better fit
My pinned comment explains my situation in more detail. It's very easy to say, "always know your gear" -- I have yet to meet a seasoned professional who still doesn't make mistakes, but if you happen to be someone who never makes mistakes, more power to you.
Thank you for the video and sharing your experience. I had the same exact thing happen. This issue is that these locking collars are REMOVABLE which is normally not the case with lav mics that have the locking collar. The Rode mics have the collar threaded on on them, so when you're tightening the collar on the transmitter you are actually loosening the collar off the mics connector (unless you spin the entire connector while tightening). This causes the connector not to fully seat. The trick is to spin the entire connector when tightening the collar onto the transmitter. Any other lav mic I've ever had with a collar, the collar cannot be removed and therefore this does not happen. This is a very poor design for that reason.
From what I understand, Rode wanted to make their new Lav mics compatible with their other wireless products, which does not have a locking connection. If you tried to use a permanent locking collar with a transmitter that does not have a screw, it will not fit, so they must have thought it would be better for their customers to make a Lav that can work with both. The consequence of doing that is the problem that I had, but I don't think I fit the majority of Rode's customer base.
I just picked up the Rode Pro for $300 on sale (not sure if it's due to these issues). I'm planning to replace the lavs with the ones on my current DR-10Ls, which may retire soon thanks to the internal 32-bit recording feature on the Pro.
My colleague had the exact same issue with the Wireless Go 2! Lav probably wasn’t connected all the way in. So no sound coming to camera, and, more interestingly, just silence in the back-up recording on the device. One would think that the back-up recording would roll no matter what’s going on in the input jack…I hope Rode is gonna fix this via firmware update if possible. Thanks for sharing! Another reminder for myself to tripple check everything.
Yeah, bizarre how if the lav isn't plugged in all the way, there is no recording whatsoever. You would think the recorder would at least default back to the built-in mic.
@@VideoGizmology Do you have any experience hiding these lavs? Because of their ‘unusual’ design, I fear these are inherently difficult to hide on subjects…
@@VideoGizmology Sounds like the lav is in far enough that the internal mic is deactivated but not far enough to make a proper electrical connection in the socket. Nasty.
It's really just the included kit Lav mics that were the issue. After I figured out how to deal with the Lavs, the Rode Wireless Pros have been an awesome product.
Yes, monitoring is very important. And just to be clear, I was monitoring the audio when this happened and I explained my specific circumstances, which will not apply for everyone. Other important audio tips is to have redundancy, use a shotgun mic and a lav when possible, record to multiple audio devices, whether that's a camera and audio recorder or multiple cameras, and do battery swaps during lunch regardless of how high the battery levels are when you break.
It's really just the included lav mics that I had the biggest issues with. I started to use other Lav mics from Sennheiser and the experience was much more professional and reliable. If I had more time to test this out before I started using it on a real production, I probably would have found out these issues and corrected them.
@@VideoGizmologyme too. I also experienced with the røde lavier that audio from one reciver was leaking over to the other reciver. And when I changed to www.thomannmusic.no/sennheiser_mke2_ew_gold-c.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQiAr8eqBhD3ARIsAIe-buMwzkXWWR5tbn83X4YZ3bISeS9tV3HS97WAEhV1ixX-GDBVR7ogNoQaAlreEALw_wcB then it was not a problem anymore. This seems like a strange fault, anyone else have experienced this?
Should go without saying you need to thoroughly test new gear before taking it out on a gig. I've got the WP too and in my testing discovered the locking connection is best done by screwing the lock all the way up tight, exposing as much pin as possible then attaching the TX by twisting it on. The clips suck. I bought several 3rd party clips from Amazon for 10 bucks. The mic on one side of the lav is good in that it isolates the mic away from clothes. Eitherway, eventually you want to ditch the Rodes for something better like Sennheisser or Countryman lavs. They're entry level mics: shitty cable, OK sound and big. My C Man is tiny with a more robust cable and sounds amazing. But cost 3x as much.
Just bought these recently and everything works as advertised! Looked at 3 very detailed Youbers explaining and showing everything including how to avoid YOUR problems so I was informed and prepared! I agree about the really small and cheap alligator clips holding the mic sort of in place. This needs to be better engineered but otherwise I am happy with the sound quality.
The locking system has issues. When I love either my deity w.lav or the lavs that come with the unit, I don't get sound, I just plug them in like the first gen of the wireless go 2. It's a bit stupid and annoying and you also have to be wary of the gain structure.
Yes, I always monitor with headphones. The specific issue that came up is that I enabled the onboard recording on the transmitter. When I didn't hear the audio from the receiver, I incorrectly assumed the wireless connection dropped and my onboard recording could be used as a backup. What I didn't know until now is that if the Rode Lav mic isn't secured correctly, it disables any sound into the transmitter and will record nothing.
@4:12 What camera are you shooting this video with? I noticed you have a lot of different ones you cover in your YT videos. Do you stick to certain ones or are you rotating between models depending on the work or situation?
This video was shot using a Panasonic S5ii and Sigma 16-28mm L lens. Yes, I rotate cameras depending on the jobs I'm working on, but I've found the Panasonic S5ii and S5iix to be the most versatile cameras I've used. For the job I was on in Japan, I actually wanted to go with Sony cameras, but they were unable to shoot in open gate, which is what my job required stylistically, so there weren't many camera choices for full frame open gate with auto-focus.
@VideoGizmology I really like Deity. And you can't really go wrong with Sennheiser. But in any case that sounds super stressful. Thanks for warning the rest of us.
A common criticism I've been getting about my situation goes something like: "You should have tested your gear beforehand, therefore, it's your fault. Stop complaining on the internet."
My response to this type of criticism: Number one, the internet is where people go to complain. LOL. Number two - I DID test this beforehand. I've owned the previous Rode Wireless GO systems since they were released in 2019 and never had a problem like this. I also own and use traditional radio wireless systems and have years of production experience. My specific problem that was almost impossible to test was the connection of the Rode Lav 2 into the Wireless PRO -- I connected it without any issues during my tests. I had no reason to question the connection design because it worked every time I tested it.
Now skip to the incident in my video --- I must have screwed in the Lav too quickly without fully locking it into the transmitter, which is difficult to tell, as I demonstrated in my video. I also did not know that the Rode Lav could be unscrewed easily and thus disable the recording and wireless transmission.
I ask anyone else in my position how they could have known this issue beforehand? There is no information out there or warnings about this issue on the internet at the time this incident happened to me. When people test their lower cost gear, how thoroughly do you stress test it for a smaller production? I can understand if you bought an Alexa and have a million dollar production, you'd want to test it for days, but would you really spend days testing a Rode Wireless PRO?
And for the people who say technical issues that you didn't anticipate never happens to you because you're a professional or are always on top of things, good for you, but that's not most people.
I'm with you. I bought the Wireless Pro kit and have been massively disappointed with these mics for all of the reasons you state. Clips fall off constantly when I'm filming weddings. I'm selling mine on eBay to buy something else. I was going to get the Sennheiser Me2, which I've owned for 7 years and love, but I've heard that the build quality has dropped significantly in recent years. Now looking at a second hand Sennheiser MKE2.
You are perfectly right. Real life experience is what counts at the end of the day. Thank you for your insight.
I appreciate your sharing because I don’t want this to happen again to me 😢
U think it’s still worth it ? Or skip
I had a problem in my recent shoot where I was recording internally and shooting with GoPro and iPhone (In most places in UAE professional cameras are not allowed). I was very confident that I would sync the internal recording. When I listen the audio of one of the people it is dead, I can hear a word after many seconds of silence.
One thing I notices was my recording limit was full but still it was showing on the receiver that it is recording internally. The file size is 676MB for an hour of recording but it is not useable.
The best way to screw the lav in the transmitter in my opinion is to hold the plug at this golden part and then turn the transmitter in stead of this golden part. When done in this way the plug wil go ll the way in in stead of you screw the golden part of of the lavalier.
yeah. i saw other reviews of the rode wireless pro and they showed how to properly screw the lav to the transmitter and it worked just fine. mic is firmly locked.
Respect for people doing this type of review/feedback on TH-cam rather than the TH-camrs opening boxes and just reading the unit's manuals in front of the camera. I have been okay with my units, but I never use the lav mics coming with the units for any paid job. Their lav sound sound needs to be clearer.
Can I ask what mic's you're using? I also think the lav's that come with the system are terrible. Instead, I'm using the mics that come with the older Wireless Go II (I think it's just called Lavaliere GO), but for some reason, when used with the Wireless Pro, they pick up wireless interference which gets recorded on the transmitter as well. Sound quality and size are important, as I typically try to hide the mic element.
Why does Rode make their mics reflective? They should be a matt finish so they don't reflect light.
Yes!!! omg, it's very annoying how reflective they are, especially when they want you to clip them onto your shirt.
Thank you for your honesty 😢
That's the reason why i always recoomand to monitor every time when shooting, it should get an habitude. U never know if the sound is good if u dont check it, sometimes something is rubbing against the mic and is causing noises
Yes, I agree and most always do this. However, I was in a situation where I could not cut and assumed the problem was the wireless connection, knowing that the transmitter had it's own built-in recorder, so that was my insurance that I had audio. The filming started out fine, but then the subject moved and must have unplugged the lav and I lost the audio signal, but I thought I had that insurance still.
@@VideoGizmology yes i can feel it, also happened a lot to my footage. Sometimes i also wanted to use the internal camera audio as a back up, but when the receiver is still attached there is also no sound in the camera...
1:58 : The Rode lavalier II is an omni mic ... So there is no front or back ...
the mic capsule is only one side, not at the top where it can pick up sound all around. Rode designed it this way, so the mic can have a flatter profile and not stick out as much when it's on the body. However, if you accidentally place the mic facing into the body and the mic is covered up, then you will get muffled audio. I've used mics with this same design before, like the Voice Technologies VT500, but the windscreen on those mics had a clear front and back, so you could always tell the difference. My criticism with Rode is that their windscreen is the same shape all around, so you cannot tell the difference unless you mark it with a pen or something.
Honestly, these issues are all "user-error." The system didn't "fail" you. You just didn't plan ahead and understand these characteristics that are common with ALL forms of video/camera gear. I just don't think it's fair to fault the Rode Wireless Pro system for your lack of knowledge. Not trying to be ugly here, but sh!t happens man. Ya gotta be prepared for all scenarios. Have I run into situations like this in my 35-years of pro experience? You bet! Sometimes the equipment WAS faulty. But oftentimes when things went south, it was because I just didn't educate myself on the "what-ifs." Fortunately I was always able to recognize the issue and fix it quickly, or work around the situation entirely. Glad you had the shotgun mic in this case. Dang, I hope I haven't just jinxed myself!
Appreciate the comment. Feel free to read my pinned comment at the top that gives further explanation on my position on this if you want.
I just bought these yesterday and I also noticed most of the problems you said in this video. I am going to return it
finally a sincere review
This is awful, and Rode charges the most. Own the Wireless Go II, and I understand your issues. It's an awful experience.
You have the clip is in the wrong place and the locking nut is in the wrong direction. The right way is just an image search away.
I just bought these and these are a few good points of criticism I think.
For the direction of the lavalier I think I'll put a little dot of red nail polish on the back; below the cap so it's visible when in the wrong direction.
For the screws; the problem seems to be that it's easy to unscrew it partly from the plug while twisting it into the transmitter because you'll easily squeeze and hold on the black plastic of the plug at that moment. What seems to do the trick for me is make sure the ring is screwed fully against the plug and then screw in the transmitter by turning the transmitter and holding the screw still. That way you don't accidentally loosen the screw which would prevent the connector from going all the way in.
Great tips. Thanks!
The wireless system is great, it’s just the lavalier design that sucks. I use the system with the Tascam DR-10L lavalier mics and they sound way better and I really like them.
o ture! I also have the same problem!! The design of mic direction really bad and I even tear the back side apart when I use a gaff type, so sad!! I perfer use the old lav.
This is really unfortunate. I use these in a lot of settings. Definitely the "lots or practice" is necessary. I really love these. I do not use the included mics though- I pair them with COS 11D mics or the older rode mics just because those ones are omnidirectional.
Did you have to attach a new jack to the cos 11 or just use a Sennheiser jack?
And also, can you lock the cos11 on there or no?
So sorry this happened on a doc shoot. I’ve also found the same issue with the “locking” 3.5mm cable. I found it easier to turn the transmitter and not the locking nut to make a solid connection. And, of course, the reason I purchased the Wireless Pro even though I own four sets of Tentacle Sync Track E’s, is to monitor everything. Thanks for making this video!
A review from a real use situation and not just someone sat at a desk trying to get on Rode's freebies list. Thanks for the review.
You have highlighted fundamental design flaws with the mics and probably the mic sockets in the TX units. This problem makes this not a "pro" device , but a consumer level build with pro features. This issue alone means no one will use for paid work - you can't play Russian roulette with clients.
thanks so much for your video, it helped. So sorry for your bad experience, i can definitely relate to that.
thanks! Glad this could help.
I'm not a fan of the mic clips.
A lot of this can be chalked up to operator error - but those locking brass bits are kind of a fail. They come off. I went ahead and took mine off.
User error is typically the reason things go wrong, but my point with this video was sometimes the poor design of the equipment can increase the likelihood of user error. That's why the terms, "idiot proof" or "fool proof" exist, although that's not realistic. Thanks for your comment!
Just remove the screw-on nuts and don’t bother using them. We should be able to just spin the nut only, like most mics that have a locking nut. This is just a bad design. I don’t want to be spinning the jack when it’s plugged in, causing more wear.
Totally agree. This is a design flaw.
thanks for sharing, your channel prob won't be getting Rode stuff but you're at least honest.
haha. no one gives me anything.
@@VideoGizmology Iam sick of these gear review channels who can’t mention problems that can affect a job, I bought a camera slider this guy reviewed but failed to mention it had a loud motor and realised after he put music over all the test shots
Agree that the mic design isn’t great and that foam falls off very easily. This us my suggestion if you allow me, since this is what I do I recommend you try it, before locking the mic in to the transmitter, I tighten the nut all the way in until it locks at the end of the connector, plug the connector in and turn the transmitter instead of the nut, I’ve never had any issues whatsoever that way.
Exactly !!!
In all honesty, you said it best when you said user error, this can happen to any piece of technology so it’s always best to double check before you press that record button.
Of course having more hours of testing could have prevented my disaster, but my point is that Rode has some quirks that are not normal to other professional audio devices and if you are not aware of them, you'll have problems. I'm highlighting those quirks that I discovered while working with this equipment in the field on a real production. I made a mistake using a new piece of equipment. Have you never made a mistake before? Everyone has. Even professionals who should know better. So I made this video to showcase the problems with the product and also show that I'm not perfect either, despite many years of audio experience.
Of course, mistakes do happen, and it's possible that issues like the cord detaching could be due to a manufacturing error. However, based on my experience with older wireless lavs from Rode and similar brands, this kind of issue shouldn't occur if everything is assembled correctly. The problem with signal loss is a separate matter and, admittedly, it's quite frustrating. I'm not trying to criticize you personally; I just want to emphasize the importance of thorough quality checks in these situations.
I hear you about quality checks before production, so if that is your only point, then I appreciate it. But how many average users of this consumer product does that? Hollywood sound mixers are not using Rode on big budget productions. Only the smaller scale people use Rode. So I'm addressing that audience. I experienced is a design flaw with the Rode Lavs. If you read other comments on the Rode Lavs or have this product yourself, they are not built with a reliable locking nut. When you tighten the nut on the Lav, it has to be done in a specific way or else you will not get a positive lock. This is a design flaw that the user has to adjust to in order to work properly. I've owned other Lavs from Sennheiser, Sony, Sanken, and Voice Technologies that do not have this issue.
oh, I hate the lav mics... I use a tascam version
Thanks for naming this video. I just sold a bunch of Sennheiser AVX mics for this Rode apron set and while they do have many great features and quality of life stuff. They have all the pain points you mention whereas Sennheiser stuff just worked.
I still like the RODE Wireless Pros, I just didn't realize how many quirks it had.
@@VideoGizmologysame. Reading the comments here has been super useful. Definitely picking up either a tascam lav or a Sennheiser ME2 to replace the Rode ones that come with it. For anyone wanting to use these with the rode handle as reporter mics it's worth pointing out the pick up pattern is different also. These are Omni-directional whereas my old Sennheiser was Cardioid so more directional. In some circumstances thats a good thing. The rodes on a handle are more forgiving of poor mic technique for example, but in a loud event the Sennheiser was way better at picking up voices even with loud music.
@1:50 Maybe a workaround to help identify which side has the mic capsule could be to use a sharpie (white or metallic) and put a dot on that side. For the windscreen falling off, maybe attaching double sided 3m tape on the side that side that doesn't have the mic open and attach the windscreen, let it sit for 24hrs.
All the same issues bro...also one of my clips already fell appart, the little thing that holds the cable on the side of it, i almost lost that "gold" screw for mics on the input like 10 times, few unusable audio files because of the direction of the lav ( i got it right, but the shirt just tvisted and turned it to the opposite side)...so much pain XD
Sorry to hear that you lost some audio during your shoot. This is never a good thing, regardless of where to lay the blame. You make some valid points, like the "locking" lav mic ring that is a faulty design. Rode has been selling lav mics with a proper locking ring for years, so this flaw is inexcusable.
However, you need to accept responsibility for the assumption that the internal recording would negate the need to address why you weren't getting audio into the receiver. Even if the locking lav was properly attached, if the transmitter wasn't working for some other reason, how would you have known until too late? In my mind, the lack of audio signal from one of the transmitters is a major concern that warrants debugging before rolling. No exceptions. You claim that you couldn't cut, but that begs the question did you not see the missing audio at the start or after you started recording? Would it have been better to loose a few minutes of video to fix the audio problem so that the video you did capture also had audio?
I often see people record audio without headphones, and simply "monitor" by looking at levels on the receiver or recorder. This is NOT proper monitoring, as it will never tell you about mechanical issues (fabric rubbing on lav), dropouts, radio interference or battery failure. All those issue WILL happen, and you better know about them when they do so you can take appropriate steps to resolve them. Should a camera operator shoot without looking at a monitor? Nope. If you're not listening, you're not monitoring.
I am on a bit of a rant here because I have struggled with film crews, directors and clients who don't take audio seriously enough to allow adequate time to fully test ON SET that all gear is fully functional. It's bad enough when we are forced to shoot in noisy locations or get the stink eye from cast and crew when holding for air or land traffic...but audio is every bit as serious as video/film. Yes, gear failures happen, but we are responsible for proper set up and to debug problems quickly. Clients won't care that your gear failed you. All they remember is that you failed them. It's a harsh reality that we need to prepare for as best we can.
Better success on the next shoot!
I appreciate the comment! To further explain my specific situation here: I had already tested the Rode Pros with their Lavs when I first bought them. I have experience as a production sound mixer and post production audio designer. Not a lot, but enough to get a product like the Rode Wireless Pro to work. LOL.
During my incident where this happened, I had to do most of the production roles myself, I was the director, producer, sound, and camera. If you've done low budget documentaries or journalism, you will understand that this is sometimes common. If you've never been a solo filmmaker, then my experience doesn't apply to you. I had a production assistant, but I was really the only knowledgeable filmmaker.
So I mic'd up the two subjects, did an audio check. Check was good. Lav and mic packs worked fine. I started the internal recordings ahead of time. Everything was good. I was under a heavy time restraint due to the scheduling of the subjects I was filming, so I had one shot at this or I don't get it at all. That was the pressure I was under. About five minutes into my shoot, the audio of one of the subjects drop out from what I was monitoring. I did panic, but I assumed it was a wireless signal drop, because that can happen when using this type of wireless system. My options at that point was to stop filming and diagnose the problem with the consequence of having no more time left with my subjects and not getting anything filmed. OR....keep going uninterrupted. I chose to keep going.
The reason I kept going was because I thought I had a backup recording on the transmitter at 32-bit, so if my signal dropped, I knew I had that internal recording. Secondly, I had a shotgun mic placed overhead for a wide shot, I was filming with 2 cameras, so if my wireless died, I had a shotgun as 2nd backup. I always use two sources of audio for redundancy.
Now what I did not know, which is why I made this video, is that the Rode Lav can become detached pretty easily and once that mic comes loose, as long as it's still halfway into the transmitter, it will negate any wireless signal and recording. It basically makes the Rode completely defective. How was I supposed to know that? Where was that written in the manual? What other tutorial was out there at the time I filmed that warned me of this issue?
I take full accountability for my incident, as I said in my video, it was user error, HOWEVER, I made this video as a warning to other people who buy this specific product about this specific issue I encountered. I understand your point about having experience with protocols in place to prevent any audio issue. I get that. BUT my point was highlighting the quirks and design issues with the Rode Wireless PRO Lavs. That is a separate issue from just having on-set protocols, because as you can see from my specific incident, I was not in the most favorable filming situation to begin with.
@@VideoGizmology Fair enough. The design of the locking ring on the lav mic is a serious flaw that Rode needs to address. I recently received the Rode Wireless Pro kit, and appreciate you sharing your experience. I sent in a feature request to Rode regarding this and other issues I see with the RWP kit. It's a good piece of kit, but has room for improvement.
BTW, I feel your pain as I have done plenty solo shoots myself; wrangling lights, camera(s), sound, live streaming, running teleprompter or conducting interviews. I quickly learned the value of clients that will budget for even a minimal crew to tackle what a single person should not. The crew won't eliminate mishaps, but will afford time to deal with them.
Again, sorry that you had that experience, and thanks for bringing this issue to our attention.
I noticed the same thing about the lav mic setup, the connection at the recorder is not as clean as it should be. Something that should be a no-brainer gives one more thing to worry about. Likewise whoever designed those lavs wasn't thinking about the practicality of how to keep the mic facing out. I guess when you inevitably lose the cover that problem drops away. Small design issues like that should have been easily overcome by a manufacturer who makes a living producing microphones.
I had an issue with mine as well. I was used to the rode wireless go's recording the whole time they were on. Not the case with the pros. Ended up with zero backup recordings. Also, I was unknowingly setting the right and left channels to record on one channel due to my timecode settings, which kind of screwed me. Yes, these are all things that are my bad and can easily be resolved on future shoots, but the moral of the story is, just because you can use the go's doesn't mean you can just break the pro's out of the box and start using them without a little bit of training and practice. Most people are talking about the wireless pro's are not talking about the wireless CON's. (I'm sorry for the dad joke)
thank you, very useful
I shot docs and I literally replaced the lavs the second I got these. The mic clips are unusable and the locking plugs is compromised. Everything else is fantastic and the best wireless lavs I’ve ever had. That is including the time code.
Considering it's not a cheap set, that's pretty bad.
Very good breakdown. Thanks for the heads up.
Glad it was helpful!
What a bummer... Thanks for sharing, the unlinking is a tragedy, happened on my Wireless Go II as well, and online forums are full of people not managing to link them again, due to button combination logic.
I have run into similar issues during my practice/learning period. The nut on the mic is a hit and miss, I found that you have to have it reverse side up, contrary to what any official Rode photograph shows.
With respect, you DID have a method of testing if it was plugged in properly. The receiver's audio meter for CH2 was clearly not kicking so the transmitter wasn't getting any audio. I can only imagine that you are a one man band who had a million other variables to juggle, and didn't have enough time to make sure everything was operating properly. I'm glad you had a backup audio solution.
You can read my pinned comment at the top for more details. There are instances where the receiver is not showing the wireless signal from the transmitter, but still recording internally.
So yes, you are correct in the fact that clearly not seeing the audio meters move was a sign no audio was transmitting, but that didn't mean no audio was recording internally to the mic pack as I was assuming. Or at least that's the logic I had before this incident happened. But after doing many tests afterwards, you can, in fact, unpair the wireless signal, but still record internally to the transmitter, because it can function as a recorder without being in sync with the receiver.
Many of these problems are adressed in many places on TH-cam or on the RODE site. My advice is do your homework before you go out on your first shoot, do a practice run at home and pay attention to detail. I had great sound and success on 2 shoots other than trying to force the little rubber clip on the mic and it snapped off (cheap plastic) I had to electric tape it back on and after I ordered a few extras. I put it on the wrong way according to Rode and the TH-cam videos ‘for beginners’. My bad…
Thanks for the comment, but I addressed your criticism in my pinned comment up top. And I would also argue that it is because of videos like mine with early first hand, in-the-field, user experience, you learn from my mistakes and are better prepared for when you get this system.
THANK YOU. I was just unboxing two sets of these and I highly value your warnings.
This shouldn't sway people from getting them in my mind. But it is very useful information for users to know.
Yeah, I was probably too agitated at the time of recording this video to say this, but the receiver and transmitters are great and the best ones currently sold today in their category. I was really complaining about the Lav mics that come with the combo kit. Once I switched Lav mics, most of my issues mentioned in this video were gone.
@@VideoGizmologyI actually just bought this kit. Which lavs did you switch to? I might try to sell mine while they’re new.
I've been doing production sound for many years now, so I used Lav mics that I've owned for awhile that are quite expensive compared to what Rode offers. But if you have the money, I use Sennheiser MKE 2 Gold Series and Voice Technologies VT500. If you buy them with a Sennheiser connection, they will work on the Rode Wireless PRO. Unfortunately, each mic cost almost as much as the entire Rode Combo Kit, so this might not make financial sense to get, unless you happened to already have them like I did.
Never not trust your eyes, sorry to here about the disaster, small stuff like this happens from time to time, lucky for the shotgun.
The clip of my included lavalier broke the first time I tried to put it on, and then the gold locking ring came completely off when unscrewing it! I've been using sennheiser lav mics instead and it's been working really well. That sucks about your situation, but good on you for having redundancy!
Yup. That gold locking ring is a bad design.
Ya my clip broke very first time I used it. I ordered extras but there is a trick you put the mic in sideways then twist it on. You kinda have to know!
Dude, all your criticism is just your own fault.. I mean just use your brain and nothing of this would’ve happened or couldn’t be addressed with a little workaround. Those rode wireless pro are by far the best quality sounding prosumer mics in the sub 500 bucks price range. They’re the only ones who can be easily matched with higher quality pro level equipment and therefore are a good option for small semi-pro production and even as a cheap backup for pro level stuff. But real talk is that no professional production should ever rely on the consumer products as the main kit. Use the sennheiser g3/4 system if you’re a professional… or if you’re a semiprofessional in a budget get yourself some tentacles.
No hate but I can’t stand this „I am a pro and use consumer equipment that fails on production because I didn’t use my brain enough but it’s the equipments fault“ behavior… even with the most expensive high end gear such faults happen on big budget productions.. it’s mostly the operators fault.
Free tip: want the best sound out of any lav? Tape it to the middle of the chest. So nobody sees it and it’s the best position for catching speech.
Sorry for the harsh undertone and I appreciate that you stated it’s user error. But better tell people from the beginning and not at the end because lots of people will just watch the first half and think this kit is trash. It’s not. For that price you won’t find anything better at the moment. Even the all new DJI mic 2 isn’t comparable in case of sound quality. Enough said, cheers
sometimes upgrading or paying top dollar for the latest mic's isn't THE SOLUTION, they add so much extra stuff they just make it a headache to operate, I'm pretty happy with my 1st generation RODE WIRELESS GO :)
Wow, so sorry this happened on a paid high pressure shoot. Ride just sent me a set to review and so far, I’m noticing many minute design flaws that slows down the workflow because of where things are placed. It’s good overall, but needs more thought put into designing it, physically.
I think the Rode Wireless Pro is the best 2.4GHz mic system that's available right now, but the Lav mics are not designed well. Once I swapped out the Lav mics, the Rode Pro has been excellent. Very reliable signal. Awesome internal mic quality. A few quirks, but now that I know the limitations, I've been using the Pros on a lot of jobs with no issues.
throw those lavs out and pickup at the very least the sennheiser ME2 lavs. But if you can save the money get some COS-11D's and you'll thank yourself immediately. way easier to hide on your subject and sounds 1000x better.
yeah, I have the Sennheiser MKE 2 Gold Series mics and now I don't have the lav issues I talked about in this video. Just one of those lav mics cost more than the RODE kit, tho. haha.
I had the same issues that you had (all of them) + i got some crackling noise on some of the recording that i did.
yikes, thanks for sharing!! Was debating buying this for an upcoming documentary shoot for Japan, think I'll buys something else!
It was just the included Rode lavs in the combo kit that were bad. I actually highly recommend the Wireless Pro transmitter/receiver set, just use different Lav mics. The Wireless Pro's are the best 2.4GHz system that I've used so far.
@@VideoGizmology ok good to know! Any good lavs to recommend? Im guessing it has to be rode to be compatible with the set?
Good Lavs are not cheap, so my recommendation might not fit your budget, but I ended up using Sennheiser MKE 2 Gold mics, which cost around $390 each, but I've owned mine for around 10 years now and they're still great. I would also recommend the Sanken COS-11, but those are pricey, too.
If you want the lowest budgeted Lav, I'd recommend the previous Rode model, the Rode Lav GO, 1st generation. They don't have locking connectors, but the design and sound has worked better for me than the 2nd gen.
ooh yeah sennheisers are good for sure. Ok sounds good, will figure something out, thank you so much for your insight!!!@@VideoGizmology
Thanks for sharing. I really appreciate that you have taken the time to share these issues. This will help a lot of people I am sure. I currently have the Go II and have been planning to upgrade. When I first saw these new mics, my heart sank, as I could see this happening. Is there a reliable method/workaround to ensure that they do twist once set? My main reason for upgrading would be for a step up in sound quality, more specifically zero white noise, which I cannot seem to achieve with the Go II's and my Sony A7IV. Do I need to use the 32bit float files to achive this or is the gain naturally superior and the 32 bit files only required for clipped or very low audio?
At this price range, you won't be able to get a consistent zero white noise. You'll have to spend more money on higher end equipment. The best you can do using the RODE system is buy a better Lav mic and have good mic placement on your talent. Having 32-bit helps to protect clipping and will slightly help with white noise, but it's not reliable every time.
RE: Rode lav mics, once you practice the tightening system enough times, it should be okay. I would recommend just buying another brand. The Rode Lav version 2 are not great in my opinion.
you're not using the clips correctly? But yes, even then they aren't the best.
Since the clips fall off all the time and I'm in a rush putting the mic on my subject, I sometimes reverse the clips without realizing it when I put the clip back on.
Sorry about your woes. But that was very informative.
I've just moved from the Rode Pro to the Pro II. I do prefer the sound. I find though the clip isn't as secure and the pop shield, as you say, is also pretty loose. But nothing I can't live with. I use a Rycote deadcat, and placing that over the pop shield seems to hold everything in place.
I had been wondering about the wireless system. I was reluctant as it was one more thing to go wrong. So I think I'll stick with just plugging directly into my Zoom H1n. I can usually find a pocket to stick that into so it still allows freedom of movement. Just remember to lock the buttons! (6 hours to set up a shoot, managed to turn off record just at the start. Someone smarter than me might have checked that before leaving the location)
Thx for this. Use mine with Sanken COS11 lavs and very happy
After this incident, I switched to a higher end Sennhesier lav and had no more connection issues. The Rode lavs are trash.
Hi there, sorry to hear about those issues, I've had them as well. My biggest issue is a bad static buzz though which appears to be relating to wireless interference. I never had the issue with my Rode Wireless Go II but it is constant with the Rode Wireless Pro. Here's the issue: th-cam.com/video/vbq8NLk6SB0/w-d-xo.html And here's another video showing the issue: th-cam.com/video/M7PsXHfFZuw/w-d-xo.html The issue seems prevalent with the Rode VideoMic (and I tried two different Rode VideoMic's) in conjunction with the Wireless Pro, but not the Wireless Go II. I have a long email thread with Rode support to sort it out but they're not very helpful. I'm quite annoyed by this. Have you had this issue as well?
I haven't had your specific buzzing issues, but whenever I have wireless problems, it's either due to cables (3.5mm into camera), antenna, Lav mics, or other wireless devices next to my wireless system. So I would try different cables first and then try to remove all potential wireless interference, by doing a test out in nature.
I'm really sorry for what you experienced. Thank you very much for making this video. It really triggers me to check things very good, even when I'm pressed for time. As you know, sound is 80% of a movie, so they'll have to let us get absolutely sure that things work properly. I hope that your shotgun Mike helped to save the day. Congratulations that you did work with that too.
Hahaha … I learnt from others mistakes … consequently, i’ve had zero issues with my RØDE Wireless Pros.
I love them!
The tip for the screw mount is to spin the lock fully onto the lav side/3.5mm plug/TRS, then insert the 3.5mm lav into the Transmitter then spin the transmitter onto the locking nut (not the other way around).
Secondly, get double sided tape to attach the lav mic to the talent’s clothing from the inside (the body side) of the clothing.
Thirdly attach a furry cloth (the size of the lav mic) so if the clothing moves against the talent’s skin it does not make very much ruffling noise.
I’ve used these techniques on three indie film shoots with zero issues (across the last two months of videoing).
Zero issues no lost audio from the RØDE’s … please don’t bag out a great wireless system due to your not knowing how to mitigate the risks.
It’s not poor design, this lav system is really very very very good.
Great tips! Thanks. But I would argue your first tip about the screw mount kinda points out the poor design from Rode, since most other locks don't require this very specific way to mount it in a transmitter. Other 3.5mm locking connectors from Sony, Sennheiser, Shure, and other manufactures are self-evident and don't require a special technique to plug them in.
You can read my pinned comment that further explains my situation I was in and addresses your criticism about me not knowing my gear. The Rode is a great low budget wireless system, however, the Lav mics were my main issue.
Witch camera do you use? And what is your preferred settings audio gain/level?
For this production I was on, I used a Panasonic S5II and IIX with a Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8, 29-70 f/2.8, and Panasonic 24-105mm f/4. The video was recording on an S5 II using the Sigma 16-28mm. For audio, I prefer to keep the gain in the camera as low as possible. Then I will adjust the wireless system's gains depending on the situation.
Get the Hollyland Lark Max. Way better mics.
I have the Hollyland Lark Max already. The internal mics are great, but I needed to use a Lav mic, not clip the transmitter on the people. When it comes to Lav mics, I found the Rode Wireless Pros to be better than the Lark Max.
My set already came with lav mics, but If you want something better, , check out a more professional brands (than Rode), like Sennheiser MKE 2-EW, Countryman B6
or Audio-Technica PRO 70. A cheap mic that performs way better than Rode lavs is the Boya BY-M1 (great low frequencies)
Thanks for the tip! I actually had other lavs with me during the shoot, so after this incident, I switched to a Sennheiser MKE 2 Gold Series, and had no issues after that. It was silly of me not to just use the Sennheiser from the beginning, but I thought the Rode Lavs were going to be better than they actually were when I tested them weeks before my shoot.
Im so conflicted. The auto gain and 32 bit float is amazing. But I have had these exact problems. I lost a locking connector. I lost a windscreen. And I lost a clip. Everything falls apart way too easily. The mic capsule being on one side is so dumb. This is SO close to being a home run for me but jeez.
I think the transmitters and receiver are great, it's just the lav mics that are bad. as soon as I ditched the Rode lav mics and started using another brand, all my lav issues were gone. sucks that has to be that way, but I'm sure Rode will update their lavs and fix these issues in their next lav model.
@@VideoGizmology which lavs did you get?
I used to have Sennheiser G3s, so I have Sennheiser MKE 2. Unfortunately, just one of these lavs cost more than the entire Rode Wireless Pro Combo kit, but they have lasted me almost 10 years so far with no issues on professional shoots.
@@VideoGizmology I just picked up the Rode Pro for $300 on sale (not sure if it's due to these issues). I'm planning to replace the lavs with the ones on my current DR-10Ls, which may retire soon thanks to the internal 32-bit recording feature on the Pro.
@@VideoGizmology Have not had ANY issues with the lav mics
Good info, sorry that your experience wasn't the best but helps all of us!
Thank you very much for the honest explanation of the weak points of this product.
If your shotgun recording is noisy or has room echo, try running it through adobe podcast mic enhancement.
I am shocked to see this. Seems like the design choices they made for the PRO are actually NONE-PRO. It's really time to consider DJI MIC 2.
it's really just the lav mics in the combo kit that are the problem. The actual wireless units are just as good, if not better, than the previous GO II. However, the DJI MIC 2 might be better in some areas.
Alway know your gear before going in the field. Also there is a correct way to attach the mic to the clip so it doesn’t rotate. And yeah the windshields could be a better fit
My pinned comment explains my situation in more detail. It's very easy to say, "always know your gear" -- I have yet to meet a seasoned professional who still doesn't make mistakes, but if you happen to be someone who never makes mistakes, more power to you.
Thanks, my frend. I will be attentive
Thank you for the video and sharing your experience. I had the same exact thing happen. This issue is that these locking collars are REMOVABLE which is normally not the case with lav mics that have the locking collar. The Rode mics have the collar threaded on on them, so when you're tightening the collar on the transmitter you are actually loosening the collar off the mics connector (unless you spin the entire connector while tightening). This causes the connector not to fully seat. The trick is to spin the entire connector when tightening the collar onto the transmitter. Any other lav mic I've ever had with a collar, the collar cannot be removed and therefore this does not happen. This is a very poor design for that reason.
From what I understand, Rode wanted to make their new Lav mics compatible with their other wireless products, which does not have a locking connection. If you tried to use a permanent locking collar with a transmitter that does not have a screw, it will not fit, so they must have thought it would be better for their customers to make a Lav that can work with both. The consequence of doing that is the problem that I had, but I don't think I fit the majority of Rode's customer base.
I just picked up the Rode Pro for $300 on sale (not sure if it's due to these issues). I'm planning to replace the lavs with the ones on my current DR-10Ls, which may retire soon thanks to the internal 32-bit recording feature on the Pro.
good call. using other lavs is the key.
I understand your pain. When you don't know the quirks of a new system this happens. Experience is the best teacher.
Very true.
I do not use foam indoors, you really do not need it)
My colleague had the exact same issue with the Wireless Go 2! Lav probably wasn’t connected all the way in. So no sound coming to camera, and, more interestingly, just silence in the back-up recording on the device. One would think that the back-up recording would roll no matter what’s going on in the input jack…I hope Rode is gonna fix this via firmware update if possible. Thanks for sharing! Another reminder for myself to tripple check everything.
Yeah, bizarre how if the lav isn't plugged in all the way, there is no recording whatsoever. You would think the recorder would at least default back to the built-in mic.
@@VideoGizmology Do you have any experience hiding these lavs? Because of their ‘unusual’ design, I fear these are inherently difficult to hide on subjects…
@@VideoGizmology Sounds like the lav is in far enough that the internal mic is deactivated but not far enough to make a proper electrical connection in the socket. Nasty.
Thanx for the review. I will steal clear of this product.
It's really just the included kit Lav mics that were the issue. After I figured out how to deal with the Lavs, the Rode Wireless Pros have been an awesome product.
People please, start monitoring your audio. It is absolutely necessary.
Yes, monitoring is very important. And just to be clear, I was monitoring the audio when this happened and I explained my specific circumstances, which will not apply for everyone. Other important audio tips is to have redundancy, use a shotgun mic and a lav when possible, record to multiple audio devices, whether that's a camera and audio recorder or multiple cameras, and do battery swaps during lunch regardless of how high the battery levels are when you break.
This is why you should hire a location sound mixer with real gear and not toys.
Unfortunately, not every production has the money or resources to crew up properly or rent/purchase industry standard equipment.
Thanks for info
Too many signals in the air
Thank you for sharing your experience, I was about to buy one. Any of these problems would spell disaster for me.
It's really just the included lav mics that I had the biggest issues with. I started to use other Lav mics from Sennheiser and the experience was much more professional and reliable. If I had more time to test this out before I started using it on a real production, I probably would have found out these issues and corrected them.
@@VideoGizmologyme too. I also experienced with the røde lavier that audio from one reciver was leaking over to the other reciver. And when I changed to www.thomannmusic.no/sennheiser_mke2_ew_gold-c.htm?gclid=Cj0KCQiAr8eqBhD3ARIsAIe-buMwzkXWWR5tbn83X4YZ3bISeS9tV3HS97WAEhV1ixX-GDBVR7ogNoQaAlreEALw_wcB then it was not a problem anymore. This seems like a strange fault, anyone else have experienced this?
Should go without saying you need to thoroughly test new gear before taking it out on a gig. I've got the WP too and in my testing discovered the locking connection is best done by screwing the lock all the way up tight, exposing as much pin as possible then attaching the TX by twisting it on. The clips suck. I bought several 3rd party clips from Amazon for 10 bucks. The mic on one side of the lav is good in that it isolates the mic away from clothes. Eitherway, eventually you want to ditch the Rodes for something better like Sennheisser or Countryman lavs. They're entry level mics: shitty cable, OK sound and big. My C Man is tiny with a more robust cable and sounds amazing. But cost 3x as much.
Just bought these recently and everything works as advertised! Looked at 3 very detailed Youbers explaining and showing everything including how to avoid YOUR problems so I was informed and prepared! I agree about the really small and cheap alligator clips holding the mic sort of in place. This needs to be better engineered but otherwise I am happy with the sound quality.
Thanks for sharing!
The locking system has issues. When I love either my deity w.lav or the lavs that come with the unit, I don't get sound, I just plug them in like the first gen of the wireless go 2. It's a bit stupid and annoying and you also have to be wary of the gain structure.
I had the same exact issue like you.
Sucks. Sorry to hear that.
Monitor sound with headphones.
Yes, I always monitor with headphones. The specific issue that came up is that I enabled the onboard recording on the transmitter. When I didn't hear the audio from the receiver, I incorrectly assumed the wireless connection dropped and my onboard recording could be used as a backup. What I didn't know until now is that if the Rode Lav mic isn't secured correctly, it disables any sound into the transmitter and will record nothing.
Stear, clear
What happen few years down the line the battery degraded and no longer hold a charge
@4:12 What camera are you shooting this video with? I noticed you have a lot of different ones you cover in your YT videos. Do you stick to certain ones or are you rotating between models depending on the work or situation?
This video was shot using a Panasonic S5ii and Sigma 16-28mm L lens. Yes, I rotate cameras depending on the jobs I'm working on, but I've found the Panasonic S5ii and S5iix to be the most versatile cameras I've used. For the job I was on in Japan, I actually wanted to go with Sony cameras, but they were unable to shoot in open gate, which is what my job required stylistically, so there weren't many camera choices for full frame open gate with auto-focus.
@@VideoGizmology Thanks for the info
Yeah those lavs look like total crap. I would definitely go with a different manufacture for the lavs.
Yes. I'm definitely not using these lavs anymore as soon as I can get replacements.
@VideoGizmology I really like Deity. And you can't really go wrong with Sennheiser.
But in any case that sounds super stressful. Thanks for warning the rest of us.
I don’t know how to use my gear = Rode Bad
Another guy did a video showing how to avoid these issues. Loops in the wires and tight plugs. Watch more videos
What i understand from this video the new rode wireless pro is not worth the money. For professional audio production.
it's good value for money as long as you are careful with how you use them. I was not careful, so I suffered the consequences.