A Guide to Digital Wireless Microphone Systems for Beginners

Wireless microphone systems are prevalent in modern communications, despite not having the same status, tradition, or respect as studio microphones. These mics are used in everything from filmmaking and broadcasting to journalism, business, and education, and they are essential for beaming voice to ear.

Wired microphones are uncomfortable and impractical in certain cases, and their use is simply not possible in others. Early wireless prototypes were used for a number of uses, from micing up performers in theatres to broadcasting umpires in baseball games, by technical innovators as far back as the 1940s.

Since then, a lot of progress has been made – wireless microphones are now inexpensive, dependable, and flexible. There’s a bit to learn if you’re new to wireless microphones. Using a wireless device may seem intimidating at first because it has more physical parts, technological elements, and realistic implementations than conventional microphones, but once you understand the basics, it’s actually very easy. Let’s get started.

What Are Wireless Microphone Systems and How Do They Work?

The microphone, the transmitter, and the receiver are the three basic components of a wireless microphone device.

Mics (microphones)

A wireless device will typically include one of three microphone types: handheld, headset, or lavalier.

Handheld device

The first is your typical stage microphone, which is normally a dynamic or condenser. These typically have a transmitter built into their bodies, making them simple to set up and transport around. The RDELink TX-M2 is an excellent example of a high-quality, versatile handheld wireless mic. They’re used by everyone from actors on stage to journalists and educators.

Headphones

As the name implies, these are worn on the head, often over the ear, with the capsule positioned very close to the mouth by a concealed arm. Headsets, such as the RDE HS2, are particularly useful in noisy environments or when subjects are on the move since the mic remains at the same distance from the mouth and the user is totally hands-free. The RDE Filmmaker Kit and Wireless GO are two examples of headsets that use the same beltpack systems as lavs.

Lavalier microphones, also known as “lav” or “lapel” mics, are small and unobtrusive microphones that are clipped onto the clothing of the person speaking. They have a decent signal-to-noise ratio because they are so close to the mouth. It also solves a lot of the problems that come with shotgun or on-camera mic placement when it comes to getting decent audio quality. When a visible mic doesn’t fit into the sense of what’s being filmed, or when the subject wants their hands free, lav mics are most widely used in video and filmmaking.

Mics are connected to a transmitter bag, which is normally worn on the subject’s belt. They can be time-consuming to set up (ensuring that they are placed correctly and appear neat, or in some cases, invisible) and are delicate, so they aren’t always appropriate for quick-fire situations. A classic example of a wireless mic device is our Filmmaker Kit.

So, what exactly does the transmitter do? Its task, as you would expect, is to transform the audio signal it receives from the mic into a signal that the receiver can pick up and transmit wirelessly. When it comes to digital wireless systems, this method entails transforming the analogue mic signal into a digital signal, which is then sent to the receiver over a radio link as a sequence of 1s and 0s.

Recipient

The radio link’s receiver is at the other end. It removes the optical signal’s 1s and 0s and transforms them back to an audio signal. These can be single-channel or multi-channel devices, and they can be larger desktop units (like our Performer Kit) or smaller camera-mounted units or beltpacks, depending on their capabilities (like the Wireless GO).

Wireless Microphones’ Advantages

Compared to conventional cabled microphones, wireless microphone systems offer a slew of advantages:

• They’re absolutely wireless! There will be no trip hazards or mucking around with tangled cables.
• They make it much easier to get around.
• The transmitter and receiver in many wireless systems are separated by a significant distance.
• They’re unobtrusive – whether you’re taking footage or playing on stage, wireless systems keep things looking tidy.
• They are long-lasting – unlike wires, radio waves do not wear out.
• They can be operated without the use of one’s hands.

While there are some drawbacks to using a wireless device, such as latency, interference, and environmental factors (such as ‘dead zones’ where signals cannot transmit), they are often the best – or only – choice in several applications.

What Are Wireless Microphone Devices Used For?

Wireless microphones have been critical to the advancement of many media formats since their inception, and their flexibility is one of their greatest assets. They are essential to workflows in many creative and technical fields, and have been central to the advancement of many media formats since their inception.

Microphone headsets for singing are used in Filmmaking, broadcasting, and streaming. Those beyond the world of feature films ­– emerging videographers, content producers, video journalists, and streamers – have become the most enthusiastic adopters of wireless mic technology. There are many explanations for this, but one stands out from the rest: handheld microphones don’t look good when they’re stuck in front of someone’s face.

There are alternatives to using a hand-held microphone to capture sound on set. On-frame microphones are an effective way to record both main and backup audio from a DSLR or video camera. Shotgun mics mounted on the boom are another choice. A wireless lav mic device is the way to go if you need to close-mic your subject and don’t want a hulking microphone in your shot. Wireless microphones are extremely useful in educational settings because they enable instructors, lecturers, and guest speakers to move about freely when interacting with students and referencing content with their hands. Remote education is also on the increase, and the demand for lectures and classes to be recorded for live streaming and replay means that recording devices can be found in nearly every educational institution around the world.

This is valid for every form of presentation. Wireless microphones are an efficient way to transmit and capture audio in a variety of settings, including lectures, conferences, public gatherings, and places of worship.

Since many stage performers need the use of their hands, conventional microphones are out. Wireless headset mics allow freedom of movement and reduce the chance of tripping over cables, whether it’s for a rock show or a musical. Wireless mics often minimise the difficulty and size of cable looms and runs for large-scale performances.

Wireless Microphones: Analog vs. Electric

In a variety of ways, digital wireless microphones outperform analogue systems.

Sound Quality – Optical wireless microphones send audio signals converted to 1s and 0s that are unaffected by the transmitting medium. Analog devices, on the other hand, transmit the audio signal as a modulated radio wave, which ensures that any transmission disturbances or interference can result in audio artefacts. Analog systems often use a device known as a “compander” to compress the dynamic range of the audio signal before transmission, which can result in signal loss. This is generally not visible in high-end analogue systems with high-quality components, but it can be a problem with less expensive units.

Longer Battery Life – On average, digital wireless mics have a longer battery life than analogue wireless mics. Digital systems typically need a lower-power transmitter than analogue systems, which can result in up to a 40% increase in battery life.

Digital networks are encrypted, making them impenetrable to eavesdroppers, although analogue signals can be picked up by anyone with a suitable receiver throughout the vicinity.

Battery Life – When selecting a wireless microphone, battery life is a significant consideration to consider. Bear in mind, however, that battery life, size, and range should all be considered together. If you value portability above all else, you can have to sacrifice battery life.