Love that we have a first party set of dual wireless mics. But without internal recording, I would never feel overly confident using them. Seems like transmission through objects is good but if there is a lot of frequency interference I would worry about them dropping out. Their price of $470USD makes me consider the competition instead.
Man sony audio department didn't upgrade anything...fire them for putting out worse mic quality then last gen....how tf can this compete with rodes wirless pro
I think that no one is talking about it is because the release date isn't until December 6th. The release price is $469 on Amazon. The sound is awesome. A comparison with the DJI might be an interesting comparison.
I meant mainly content creators and other RU-vidrs. I know they have it, they just haven’t made a full video about it. Many people have made shorts and IG reels but no full videos
The audio quality on the W3 is not that good! But most importantly, simple design features like having the on-camera receiver turn on and off automatically when the camera is turned on and off or goes to sleep is a serious omission by the engineers. The reciever stays on after the camera is turned off... why? And when you turn the camera back on it doesn't automatically turn on! Again, why?!! You still have to pay constant attention to the receiver being on or off separately from the camera, that completely makes the hotshoe benefits limited. I can't believe Sony designers and engineers are so shortsighted! It should turn on and off with the camera automatically and it should record 32bit float on the transmitter separately, have locking mic jacks and it would be perfect!
The Sony ECM-W3 seems very comsumery, plus is these are much easier to use than the old Sony digital wireless mics. But, its very desireable to have a visible VU meter and volume knob on the receiver. Goods: using noise filter and hot shoe attachment. Good: Safety Track. I use a safety track that all the time. Good: the travel charging box. I use my lapel mics to quickly mic presenters at trade shows.
Thank you for the informative video. What about the battery time? Is it possible to leave it on for hours nonstop in a vlog or POV style configuration? Thank you.
I like the form factor, and the multi shoe feature, but the lack of recording is a deal breaker. I want redundant audio systems in the field. Lack of 32 bit float…mmmm….want it, but I don’t have it now, so less issue there.
If these had the 32 bit float internal recording I think they'd be a competitive product. The convenience of being able to run into the Mi smart shoe is really tempting but for these smaller wireless systems in the consumer/prosumer marker, I think a backup recording is a must. For vlogging and content creation, it's possible this could be a good offer, but they priced this too high to stay competitive in that market. Sony was close with this but they missed their mark.
Without internal recording, £130 higher then the DJI, only usable on Sony cameras, 100m less range it's a really hard sell from Sony, it's a fairly poor product, I'd imagine they realised this and priced them high as they will only be for the Sony fan boy / casuals
The ECM-S1 to me sounded significantly better than the SM7B in the first, regular speech test. Regarding the wireless mics, I still prefer the Rode Wireless Pro, it’s got so many great features, 32bit internal recording, locking connector, great audio quality, etc.
I mean I get what he is saying about you dont need 32bit Float BUT BUT BUT he goes on to say that with 16bit and 24bit you need to make sure your mics are not hot. But with 32bit float you dont need to worry about the ONE MAJOR thing that goes wrong without 32bit float sooooooo Yeah ill use 32bit float
Is this good for run and gun shoots? Does it automatically turn on the microphone when you turn on the Sony camera? Or do you have to wait and pair it all the time? I want to get this one but I’m afraid to miss Vlog shots if I need to wait for it to pair compared to a normal shotgun mic. Would love an answer since I can’t find it anywhere. Thanks mate.
Honestly nope, no where close unless they were competing with the original Rode Go system. It’s cool not having cables but that’s the only selling point.
It does. I’m pretty embarrassed about the Shure. I will either need a cloud lifter and boost the audio in the Shure or try adjust my EQ. Sony really have done a crazy good job with the S1
Hi Jason! Thanks for reviewing the ECM-W3. I had to get rid of my DJI mic because of unacceptable latency (15ms) whilst monitoring. Ie. there was a lag between what I could hear on location with talent vs what I heard in my headphones: caused an echo which meant it was unsafe to trust the audio being laid down. I could not find this referenced in ANY review prior to purchasing :(. I note you were not using monitoring / headphones whilst recording either, but on the off chance you did off screen, did you notice any latency? I guess these small wireless devices are mostly being used by vodcasters and whatnot, but it’s bizarre no one is checking what’s actually being laid down (in headphones / on camera) during recording. Appreciate your thoughts, cheers
You’re right. The latency on these is absolutely awful. Side by side comparison with the Rode Wireless Go II knocks the ECM-W3 out of the park. No contest. Had high hopes for the ECM-W3 but very disappointed with my purchase.
Sorry to hear you had a similar experience: I had to get rid of the DJI Mic as they were gathering dust. Have now been able to test Sony ECM-3, DJI, and Rode Wireless Pro and concur, Rode wins. I’m not purchasing any of these smaller systems though. Will be staying with my old JuicedLink Riggy preamp and Sony UWP radio mics. Just can’t trust these new devices for professional work. Ah well, guess I can skip the gym on shoot days, given all the extra gear I have to carry!
Rode, DJI, synco, godox, and other brands also have similar products and don’t have removable batteries. It’s the way for industry in the low end is going. It’s a standard now because people from want to remove batteries to charge
If the W3 was $200 bucks I would buy it. But, because it has less features than my $329 DJI mic, and they want $140 more for it, absolutely not. They would make more money if they just sold us the thing we really want, which is a 3.5mm to Multi-interface show adapter, to let us use the mics we already have on our FX6 and other Mi shoe cameras. This is an incomplete product and a slap in the face. No record, no gain control, half the transmission distance. Why? Why did they bother with this thing?
*They're Nice, but I still Love my Hollyland Lark M1's and Rode Wireless II. I don't think I'd notice it myself but then again I'm not doing professional Work, just RU-vid*
Mic in camera: watch EVERY major TV magazine programme. They are ALL wearing visible laveliers. Sure if you're film making you don't want them visible.
Well Jason - they're more expensive than the Rode Wireless Pro ($AUD100 more expensive), they don't have timecode, they don't have internal recording and they aren't 32bit float. Seriously, the only advantage is they plug directly into the Sony MI shoe. And if you use the safety track you're back to a single channel aren't you? I think you could have come to the same conclusion - they don't make sense. I never rely on recording directly into camera anyway but if I did and most of my work was a maximum of 2 channels, single camera (it isn't) it could make sense.
Compared to the competitors they have advantages but also disadvantages. For my use I definitely miss the internal recording. Other than that 24bit is plenty when audio is set correctly.
Yeah - but the timecode… I was considering buying a mixpre 6 II to replace my existing mixpre 6 to get both timecode and 32bit float. I could buy 2 wireless pro sets for less than that. Sure the TC is not quite as flexible but I would just have to sync the Deitys to the Pros and it’s done. I’m still not seeing the rationale for the Sony offering though. Except no one ever got fired for buying Sony 😎
ThHE GOOD - I like the streamline build (much better the Rode Go). And the 32bf is great. Also the controls seem more intuitive. (Again Rode Go fails at this, so hard to get to the settings). THE BAD - No internal recording. Price. THE CURIOSITY - This is not a 2.4 wireless transmitter. It uses blue tooth. So will it perform better in areas with crowded 2.4 traffic?
I am 100% keen to get a set, I think they tick all the boxes I need for my "smaller" jobs. Love Mi hotshoe kit that that requires no cables on my camera. (but also love having an output jack option on the same unit) Will still hold onto my UHF mics for when I need ultimate range, battery life and for higher budget client jobs but will sell on my original Rode Go sets and get this Sony set to replace them. I have no need for 32bit float or internal recording for the work I do, both are great features for people who may not be confident with audio capture and equipment. But if I want perfect reliability I will just use a UHF mic and capture it correctly in sync rather than pulling the internal recording off a bluetooth or wifi mic in post.
There is no “correctly” and uhf isn’t more reliable in many circumstances. So, for everyone who has actually done their research, you are sounding out of touch. Professionals just want what works, that’s all
@@RicanStudio sorry you are triggered by how I choose to use my own equipment for my own specific use case. As a professional who has been using wireless mic systems for the past 10+ yrs in the harshest environments I must not know what I want in my own kit 🤷 Reliability of a wireless unit is not based solely on getting uninterrupted clean signal. Reliability is also being able to have user interchangeable batteries, manual descreet frequency selection, metal bodies of the packs, longer range, durability that will last decades of daily use, locking connectors. All these things I class as reliability. As a professional user, the 2.4ghz ultra compact packs are great for low stress, low risk, low pay jobs that don't warrant pro equipment. I use 2.4 packs all the time on these jobs. But if I mic up someone for a TVC, live or complex 1 take shot, I am not risking using a 2.4 pack. Your concern about me being out of touch has been taken on. May I extend my own concern that you jump to conclusions about people on the internet far too easily. Have fun out there 👋🙃
I heard Godox microphone with a Sony Mi shoe , you can't set the audio level in the camera and recording in the camera limits to 16 bit audio ? Is it the same with sony ECM w3 ?
I do wonder if no internal recording is a technical impossibility because of the MI connection. No locking lav and no internal is a miss at this price.
You could be on to something. That could be a hardware issue for sure. I think their market seems to be for social media content creators judging by their specs
Jason has somehow downplayed 32bit float, but its a HUGE UPGRADE over 24 - you can FORGET about clipping FOREVER. Apart from that the new w3 sounds average at best, and having to compete with new Rhode wireless go which does have 32 bit float - I mean what were they thinking there at Sony?
32 bit float should have been implemented on audio recording devices years ago. Sony and Shure will have to follow the others now Rode have stepped up, due to the lesser known ones forcing their hand, thank goodness
Just cancelled my preorder. Seemed great until I realized there’s no USB C port on the transmitters. Might sound like a nitpick but it really isn’t. I need a way to either switch batteries or power the transmitters continuously for up to 14 hours in certain filming situations. Need a USB connection for the situations where I have to hook a small battery bank into the mic to prevent a break in filming
For $500 you may as well buy the Sennheiser G2, G3, or G4 wireless system with interchangeable batteries and more adapters for mic and lav setups. I don't know why people are so hung up with permanent batteries and single function devices.
32 bit float is nice but certainly not necessary. I work in broadcast radio and it is extremely rare that high quality audio clips of the level is set somewhat decently. Its a bit like megapixels, something hobbyists and spec heads obsess over. Lack of internal recording is perhaps a bummer but tbh if reliability is important I would never use any of these types of bluetooth mics. Get proper radio transmitters/receivers in that case. These new Sony wireless mics will be a great complement. Love love love that I don't have to fiddle with any cables.
I suppose if you are a wedding photographer, the certain features are going to be important - 32bit float, recording on the transmitter, safety track, wireless range etc. For me those are just a nice to have, using good technique, you can mitigate most issues and normally I'm filming myself or people in same vicinity so crazy wireless coverage isn't going to matter so much. Would be cool if the receiver could also be used a mini shotgun mic.
the trick with 32 bit recording is you can't clip the noise level, example you record a very noisy place there is room to bring back your sound to an acceptable sound level, it's almost as dynamic as your microphone can handle most mic can handle 137 Db of SPL, but you must take care of the SPL anyway, we can say it's a safer way to keep level control in post.
Thank you for the great and informative review. One question: if I'm recording two transmitters and activate the safety track, do I end up with 4 tracks - two original and two with -6dB?
I noticed most of the time he is speaking into it in Omni mode and it sounds great. Only video I’ve seen with someone mainly using the Omni mode. Nice bottom and warm. However. When he switches to cardoroid front address the sound quality takes a significant dip…. I wish he used the Omni in a more uncontrolled environment
Do you get 4 channel audio into a sony compatible camera via the mic input on the camera. i.e. 2 channels via the hotshoe radio mic setup, then plugging another 2 channels in via the analoge mic input on the camera?
I was recording a talking head piece to camera the other day, and it was in a busy environment. For some reason, the sound was dead in camera, but the track directly on the DJI Mic saved my ass. I’ll be sticking with them.
You may not need 32bf very often. But when you need it, you really need. If I have the option of buying a mic with or without 32bf I will choose the 32 every time.
Hi, great videos as usual!. Some advise for the following scenario, recording family vacations where I want to be recording all ambient sound but as well the voices of 1 or 2 family members. Would you recommend using for example on an FX30 the ECM-B1M connected through the hotshoe to get the Digital audio embedded and then through the 3mm jack use the ECM-W3? is it possible to bake in all audio sources at once? Cheers!
You can't use both. One thing you can do, since you have an FX30, is use a recorder with timecode like the the Zoom M4 MicTrak to record ambient sounds and then sync in post. You will need a timecode generator (highly recommend tentacle sync) and special cable to connect it to FX30. That's the setup I have and it works perfectly!
