It was barely three years ago that DJI released their first wireless lapel mic, which they soon followed up with the 32-bit capable DJI Mic 2 and the compact DJI Mic Mini. This time around, they’re following it up with the new DJI Mic 3.
Looking just slightly bigger than the Mic Mini, the new wireless lapel mic doesn’t make the same compromises as its compact predecessor. Instead, it has all the same features from the larger Mic 2, while adding even newer capabilities. That means, you get a discreet wireless lapel mic that can do even more things than previous releases in the line.
The DJI Mic 3 comes in at around half the size and weight of the Mic 2, making it a whole lot more discreet anywhere you decide to clip it. It supports up to four transmitters, so you can have a quartet of people with their own microphones in a single audio feed, while also supporting up to eight receivers, making it suitable for larger, multi-camera productions. Like the Mic 2, it comes with dual-file 24-bit and 32-bit float internal recording, ensuring you always have high-quality audio backups for those times you encounter any transmission problems, complete with built-in timecodes for precise syncing when you need it during post-production.
For the first time, DJI’s mic is getting adaptive gain control, allowing you to switch between automatic and dynamic modes, depending on the setting to ensure balanced volume throughout the recording. There’s also three voice tone presets, namely regular (for clean and natural audio), rich (adds emphasis to low frequencies for fuller sound), and bright (highlights the high frequencies for added clarity), as well as two levels of noise canceling (basic for quiet indoor settings and strong for noisy outdoor recordings). Each transmitter also comes with a windscreen for passively reducing different kinds of unwanted noise. The big omission here, though, is the 3.5mm mic port found in the Mic 2, which means you won’t be able to use the transmitter with a different microphone.
The DJI Mic 3’s receiver comes with a 1.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen and a dial, allowing you to quickly check battery status, adjust gain, change channel modes, and more. You can also set the receiver to quadrophonic mode when used with select Sony cameras and software, which allows it to output four channels at the same time for precise track separation and more flexible mixing. Range between transmitter and receiver, by the way, maxes out at 1,300 feet, with the device automatically switching between 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands to keep the transmission stable at all times.
Each transmitter has a rated battery life of eight hours, while each receiver can run for around 10 hours. The case, which holds one receiver and two transmitters, comes with an integrated battery that automatically charges the transmitters and receivers once they’re docked, with the battery able to recharge each one about 2.4 times before draining. Naturally, it works with DJI’s OsmoAudio System, allowing the transmitters to pair directly with various action cams and 360-degree cameras from the outfit’s lineup with no need for a receiver.
The DJI Mic 3 is available now.
