Photo: Eduardo Marín / Gizmodo
Saramonic is a company dedicated to producing professional audio and recording systems, from microphones to mixing consoles. For several years now, the most affordable wireless microphone systems have hit the market, aimed at beginners or enthusiasts who can’t afford to pay for equipment worth thousands of dollars. The Blink900 is a wireless microphone that represents the next step in the evolution of these systems.
But why do you need a wireless microphone for your camera, especially if it comes with its own internal microphone? The answer is that not all microphones are good for everything. Even if you have a USB microphone connected to your computer, you can’t use it for everything. And in most cases, the internal microphone of a camera, regardless of brand, does not offer the best results. An unwritten rule for creating videos is that the good sound of a video is almost as important as its appearance (and even more so in some situations). Therefore, external solutions such as Saramonic.
Saramonic Blink 900 B2
The Blink 900 is the latest iteration of Saramonic’s wireless microphone system for cameras and mobile devices, with great audio quality and versatility for video creators, including youtubers, vloggers, journalists and even some users. professionals.
Saramonic Blink 900 B2
The Blink 900 is the latest iteration of Saramonic’s wireless microphone system for cameras and mobile devices, with great audio quality and versatility for video creators, including youtubers, vloggers, journalists and even some users. professionals.
What is?
A wireless microphone system for cameras and mobile devices.
Price
$ 400
Pros
It is a really complete kit with many accessories, including the charging box and even wash microphones. The audio quality is very good and it has a great design.
Cons
It would have been even better if it also included an internal recording system that could be used as a backup.
While it is true that smartphone microphones can deliver decent results, nothing compares to having a dedicated microphone for videos, vlogs, or interviews. Microphones placed on top of a camera or phone, called shotgun microphones, may provide the results you are looking for in some cases. Undoubtedly, however, a wireless microphone system is probably the most versatile and versatile tool you can have around. Not all microphones are good for everything, but this is as close as you get to a multi-purpose recorder with a professional-grade sound.
The wireless transmitter of the Blink900.Picture: Eduardo Marin / Gizmodo
What is the Saramonic Blink900 B2?
The Blink900 B2 is a wireless microphone system that consists of two transmitters (i.e., two microphones) and a receiver, as well as a carrying case that acts as a charging base, in the style of headphones such as AirPods. or the Galaxy Buds. Each transmitter includes an omnidirectional internal microphone that picks up the surrounding sound and delivers very clear results when capturing one or two voices. This is especially useful for filmmakers and journalists, as having two transmitters allows you to record the voices of up to two people, which is great for an interview, a debate, or a video podcast, just to name a few.
During my testing, each transmitter offered up to 6 hours of battery life. The receiver, on the other hand, lasted a little longer, arriving at 7 p.m. The case, which can be charged via USB-C, recharges the battery of these devices up to 3 times, so the approximately 20 hours of battery life should not be a problem for long recording sessions. You’re more likely to run out of space on your microSD memory card or phone before using 20 hours of charging in a single day, especially if you’re recording in 4K.
The Blink900 is compatible with any device that supports an external microphone. In my tests, I tested it with my camera, but also with my smartphone, an iPad, and a laptop. I was able to use it to record in all of these cases, and the box even includes a TRS to TRS cable (for cameras), a TRS to TRRS cable (for phones with a 3.5mm port), a cable with a USB-C connector and another with Lightning connector (for Android and iPhone or iPad devices, respectively).
The Blink900 is designed as a small glossy black square with a hook on the back, so you can connect the sender to a T-shirt or the receiver to a camera or recording device. But if you prefer to be more subtle about the transmitter, you can plug in a flap microphone (or flap), which will allow you to hide the transmitter in a pocket or attach it to a belt. The kit also includes lapel microphones, which helps make it one of the most complete systems of its kind available today, especially compared to its main competitor, the Rode Wireless Go II.
Photo: Eduardo Marín / Gizmodo
What can the Blink900 do?
In addition to its design, the carrying case and all the other accessories included here, the Blink900 has some very interesting features. Its frequency range or response is between 20 and 20,000 Hz, covering essentially the entire frequency range of the human voice, a standard that is expected to meet this type of microphone. As I mentioned a few lines back, transmitter microphones are omnidirectional, meaning they will pick up audio from everything around them, not just one side. This is a common feature of lapel microphones, for example, so they are usually placed as close as possible to the audio source (ie the mouth), although not too close. The collar of the shirt, or a little lower, is and has always been the ideal place.
As for the sound quality, it is clear and sharp, providing sufficient means to allow the dialogue to be understood well with little background noise, although this will of course depend on the device where the audio is sent. . When recording indoors, as in a room, it offers a minimal amount of echo or reverberation, as opposed to recording with a shotgun microphone in a room not set up to record audio (especially when cheaper shotguns are considered and lower quality). When recorded outdoors in very noisy places, it still offers a clearly understandable dialogue.
The Blink900 also features a low-cut filter (also known as a high-pass filter), which allows you to filter frequencies from 80 Hz, 120 Hz, or 160 Hz, depending on your user preferences. This type of filter allows you to cut off some of the sounds of the lowest vibrations and frequencies, such as the background sound of an air conditioner, or the footsteps of people living in the apartment above you.
The Blink900 offers mono or stereo recording capabilities. When recorded in mono, the sound of both transmitters will be mixed in a single channel (this is ideal when recorded with a single transmitter, ie a single person). When recording in stereo, both transmitters will be separated into two channels, left and right, allowing you to edit the volume or anything else you need in post-production.
Is it possible to record in mono with two transmitters? Yes, of course; As mentioned before, this will allow both transmitters and microphones to be mixed into a single channel and allow faster use of audio, without requiring any editing or other post-production work. But I do not recommend doing this. If one person speaks much louder than the other, there is no way – or at least not an easy one – to solve it by editing. Stereo recording may go a step further, but it could save an entire interview. This applies to this system as well as to any other two-channel stereo recorder.
Should I buy Saramonic Blink900 B2?
Overall, the Saramonic Blink900 B2 is a great choice for a complete wireless microphone system that can do just about anything. Or almost everything, because the only thing I would ask of this system is the ability to record tracks directly to the transmitters as a backup. This is something that the Rode system, for example, can do. However, the well-stocked kit, the audio quality – which is crisp and clear – and other features, as each device has its own LCD screen (showing the recording level) and being able to record voice from up to 200 meters. away (as long as the sender is on the receiver’s line of sight), they make it a great tool for content creators, journalists and vloggers, and even video studios.