When Insta360 came out with its customisable e-ink displays on Mic Pro, many called it a gimmick. They were wrong. Rode, DJI, and many others get free branding from your content by smacking their logos on the camera-facing side of the transmitter. I can’t blame them for doing it; it’s a free plug on millions of videos. I mean, Insta360 also does it.
But after decades of trying to hide microphones or at least minimise their visual presence with lapel models, I came close to giving in. These mics are so damn convenient; maybe it’s worth the price of branding in shot? At least with Insta360 Mic Pro, you can have your own brand or anything you’d like on the round, e-ink display.
Why not use the e-ink display to name your mics and hide them, out of shot, under a collar? I’ve lost count of how many wireless mics I’ve lost track of because labels have fallen off or they’ve been too hard to stick labels on in the first place.
The brilliant thing about e-ink is longevity. Once you change the display, it stays like that. Although the colour range is limited, it’s good enough.
As you can see from some of the examples from my News24 segment, it’s a lot of fun. Despite the ‘novelty’ of these e-ink microphones, they are actually outstanding at their core job, recording audio. The two-mic kit is normally more than A$500, but I notice it’s going for A$450.99 at the moment.
The 3-mic array on each transmitter enables flexibility as recording situations vary. Add 32-bit internal stereo recording of up to 22 hours, and you have an excellent wireless setup.
I’m currently recording a lengthy review video, so make sure you check that out before you consider buying the Insta360 Mic Pro.
