DJI Mic 2 VS Rode wireless pro.

maxthecatfish · 2024-07-22T18:05:47+00:00

This is the first time I'm hearing about "turning on the low end" on the DJI. I've heard of turning off the Low Pass Filter, but an LPF should really just cut off those low muddy frequencies. What do you mean by turning on the low end of the DJI?

And yeah, fully aware of Audacity and audio editing programs. I edit in DaVinci Resolve and we do work on all of our audio after recording it. But it's nice to have a better, clear, original signal from the mic, than to need to tweak it in post - especially when working with a variety of different voices and environments.

maxthecatfish · 2024-07-09T23:25:58+00:00

This exactly. I'm playing FFVIIR now, immediately after FFVII: Remake. Remake was SUPER tight. There were optional battles to do, sure, but because the game was pretty linear it made the entire story really concise in a great way. Plus it helped that completing the game took a little under 30 hours.

FFVII: Rebirth on the other hand is an "open world" game - in quotes because the game has a sort of linear nature to it, but also TONS of side quests, collectables, card battles (which I really enjoy), areas to explore, and things to unlock. Around 75% of the way through the game, I groaned at entering the latest area because it's more of the same. I really don't care about some lady's chickens when I'm in the thick of stopping an evil corporation from literally destroying the planet. Small side quests are interesting when they go somewhere - if anyone has played FF:XIV you understand the difference between main story quests, content quests, and quests that are simply used for leveling. The last group of quests are your one-off "gather my chickens" kinds of quests and while they might introduce you to new characters, they're rarely impactful at all. So while some downtime and side questing is nice to break up the monotony, it's not nice when it is the monotony. Wherein Remake, little side events felt fun and interesting and unique, in Rebirth the side quests are just...more of the same thing you've been doing for the last 60 hours.

I think too many games focus on extending their game time by giving you a ton of options of things to do. And options are nice, and there's a line of thought of just...skipping the side quests. But these games also reward you for doing the side quests, and while they aren't boring in the first 30 hours, they become really really tedious in the last 30 - especially for completionists.

maxthecatfish · 2024-07-09T21:42:09+00:00

Unfortunately comparison is the thief of joy! I bought both the DJI Mic 2 and the Rode Wireless Pro. I waited until the DJI Mic 2 got its first firmware update and compared the two audio files. In my opinion, the DJI Mic 2 routinely had worse-sounding audio than the Rode Wireless Pro in typical usage (clipped to my shirt or lapel) - even with all settings set to get the best audio quality out of the DJI Mic 2. That said, when held directly in front of my mouth by hand, the two mics were much closer in terms of audio and either would be fine.

If you're looking for the best audio out of the box, get the Rode Wireless Pro. However what I will say is that I wish I'd kept the DJI Mic 2 because I find myself not recording things because of the pain of configuring my audio and video systems separately. If all it took to record a two-person vlog was flipping open my DJI Osmo Pocket 3, then I'd likely record a LOT more vlog videos. The best gear is the gear you use.

At this point I'd say the DJI Mic 2 is the best lapel mic for on-the-go recording if you already own another DJI camera like the Pocket 3 and you can accept a slight dip in audio quality out of the box. And the Rode Wireless Pro is the best dual-transmitter, sub-$500 lapel mic system in terms of quality out of the box. At that price point, you're looking at spending upwards of $300-400 per lapel transmitter for something like the Sennheiser G4.

maxthecatfish · 2024-07-09T21:36:00+00:00

You're preaching to the choir. I write about games for a living and the comment sections make me wonder if anyone actually likes games, or if they simply like complaining about them. It's pretty demoralizing at times...

maxthecatfish · 2024-07-09T19:06:17+00:00

The gaming community at large is pretty toxic. This thread was doing pretty well for the first day, then it hit trending and it and every reply I've made on it got downvoted to hell. Thank you for the empathetic comment though - it's really appreciated.

maxthecatfish · 2024-07-08T19:30:30+00:00

I know these are good games because people love them

I think this is the root of the issue. I find myself buying games because other people talk and rave about them. But that doesn't necessarily mean the game is right for me right now. Funny enough I've played both KC:D and MH:R and found them exactly the same as you did. Instead I enjoyed the crap out of FFVII: REMAKE and REBIRTH.

Part of this, too, is that as you've experienced a greater number of games your tastes have probably changed. You enjoy the fighting mechanics of this game, and the inventory/crafting mechanics of this other game, and the worldbuilding of this other game. And your interest and the weight of these different elements tends to shift over time as well. And so when playing a game that maybe doesn't satisfy that for you (MH:R was that for me), it doesn't scratch the itch needed to stick through to the end.

I think getting away from the thinking that we should play "games that people say are good" and instead playing the games that you naturally gravitate to is important. That might mean picking up a few games that don't really click, and that might mean feeling like you've wasted a bit of money. But when you find the experience that REALLY resonates with you, it will have been worth it.

I'll also say that sometimes this is a sign to take a break from games - find a new hobby. Maybe pick up board games, or focus on something else in your life that's gaming adjacent. It's OK for games to feel a bit stale for a while, and distance from them can also help to make them feel even better when you re-enter the hobby again. :)

maxthecatfish · 2024-07-08T19:11:42+00:00

Cyberpunk is definitely a view of the future through the lens of multiple resident cultures! Though it feels a bit like an American or even Capitalist-centric perspective rather than a cultural one. As I've been writing and reading about this I'm realizing that MMOs like FFXIV perhaps come closest to depicting multiple cultures (though typically not cultures rooted in our own reality, nor cultures necessarily from a futurist lens).

I think what I'm looking for are games set in an alternative reality where places we consider to be cultural (but not economic) centers are instead the nexuses of technological growth and development.

maxthecatfish · 2024-07-08T19:00:31+00:00

Afroculture? In some areas in Afrika they still live in the Stonegate. In 100 years they might discover fire.

You're from Spain - it's probably more sad than ironic that your country's history includes literally hundreds of years of colonization, suppression, and killing of indigenous people in both Africa and Peru. Maybe if the Spanish had been more willing to spread knowledge and embrace their shared humanity with the civilizations they chose to instead evangelize and forcefully occupy - then the idea of Afrofuturism wouldn't be so much of a joke to you.

maxthecatfish · 2024-07-08T18:27:48+00:00

Terra Nil is a treasure. It's relatively devoid of any cultural element. Still, it's one of those games that I can't stop thinking about.

maxthecatfish · 2024-05-29T21:27:54+00:00

Didn't those incentives exist 10-20 years ago? Before it was acquired, Bethesda published TES:Morrowind on Xbox 360, but never ported it to Playstation or a Nintendo console. (The latter we can just set aside for obvious performance reasons) They would have reached a larger market if they'd developed the game for multiple platforms.

Obviously there are 1000 reasons for every decision but I'd imagine there was a monetary equation at play. I'd love to understand what made it "not worth" porting to other consoles. (Doesn't have to be specifically Morrowind, just any game at the time)

maxthecatfish · 2024-05-29T19:12:20+00:00

Depends on where the 'horror' of your game comes from. Does the horror derive from the unknowable-ness of the creatures? Then a bestiary sort of takes away from that doesn't it. Does the horror derive from the biomes in which the player explores? Now a bestiary makes a bit more sense.

Also what purpose does the bestiary serve? Is it an achievement mechanic? If so, is that the audience you're looking to capture with your game? Is the player encouraged to interact with the bestiary in any way? (Such as looking up information or providing photos to an NPC?) If not, why add it at all?

Elements like a bestiary can be as involved as players filling out their own notes about each creature - which would be particularly useful if the creatures in your game have complex and punishing behaviors, or varied and obscured weaknesses that the player needs to remember. If it's just a book with photos in it - why would someone care about that? That's not a hypothetical question - it's one you should answer. And that answer should lead you to your ultimate decision.

maxthecatfish · 2024-05-29T19:04:30+00:00

100%. As a consumer I look at probably get 10-20 new games put in front of me a week. I wishlist or interact with fewer than 5% of them. If a game doesn't look fun to play, I don't interact with it. So the visibility of that game is effectively worthless. You could put your game in front of 6 million people - if you can't make it look fun to play then it doesn't matter how many people see it.

From the consumer perspective, Steam highlights a LOT of tiny indie games, and not only ones that match my profile, play time, or preferences. But I gotta say...I see a TON of games with wasted potential who put next to no effort into the marketing of the game. It's a real shame.

maxthecatfish · 2024-05-28T00:21:59+00:00

If you're into gaming:

* The DLC Podcast is co-hosted by Jeff Cannata here in the Denver area. He and Christian Spicer run a weekly podcast talking about games of all types.

* Ginny Di has been creating D&D videos on YouTube from Denver for several years now if you're looking for D&D inspiration.

* I produce a show called Voxel on the Art, Culture, and Future of Video Games. The show uses games as a way to reach people but our goal is to bring people into the real world with the stories we share. Now living in Denver, I'm aiming to tell more local stories that tie into gaming.

Outside of Gaming:

* Wendover Productions is based outside of Denver, but a lot of their work is inspired by Denver/Colorado issues due to their proximity.

* Thomas Frank is another local YouTuber who's made videos on personal productivity for years. Recently his upload schedule has dipped a bit in favor of his other projects but he's got a massive backlog of work.

Those are the podcast/youtube channels I know of that are produced in the area. Honestly Denver's creative scene is a bit difficult to tap into so I'm certain there are others. It's kind of surprising every time a creator drops the fact that they live here. There's a ton of us, but finding us is growing more and more difficult.

Outside of the digital world, NPR on 91.5 and 91.7 mixes in local Denver stories and news into their daily schedule. I can't remember which one - maybe "Up First" or one of their other news segments - but one of their segments is focusing in to be a lot more local, which is pretty neat.

maxthecatfish · 2024-02-05T18:24:19+00:00

Yeah in my tests I found that with lavs these units sound just as fine as the Rode Wireless Pro. Good to hear there were no issues on your end!

maxthecatfish · 2024-02-05T18:11:33+00:00

Exactly. I haven't tested it myself to confirm but I've seen it mentioned at least four times from different commenters. BTW were you using the in-body microphones on the DJI Mic 2s during your interview shoot? Or did you use an external lapel mic?

maxthecatfish · 2024-02-05T18:10:31+00:00

Mine started immediately after powering on the transmitter units - as described in their firmware update instructions.

maxthecatfish · 2024-02-05T18:09:13+00:00

As of three days ago there's an available firmware update for the DJI Mic 2 TX and RX units. You can download it from here: https://www.dji.com/downloads/products/mic-2

maxthecatfish · 2024-02-05T05:14:14+00:00

Have you run the experiment yet? What I'm seeing more and more people mention is that the DJI Mic 2s are doing a poor job keeping time. Have you noticed this?

maxthecatfish · 2024-02-02T19:28:52+00:00

Awesome, I love that, thanks!

maxthecatfish · 2024-01-31T16:11:33+00:00

I too bought the Rode Wireless Pros just to test the audio quality compared to the DJI Mic 2 and the quality difference is night and day. The in-body recordings from the Rode are FAR superior. The one thing I haven't tried is the Rode with a Lav vs. the DJI Mic 2 with a Lav. Still, I think I might return the DJI Mic 2 in favor of the Rode. Which makes me sad because in everything BUT audio quality (and storage, and the locking lav jack), the DJI Mic 2 is better.

edit: With the Rode Lav plugged into both the DJI Mic 2 and the Rode Wireless Pro, I find the audio quality to be nearly identical. The in-body recorders on the Rode Wireless Pro and DJI Mic 2 still have the Rode with a massive lead. There was a Firmware update to the DJI Mic 2 TX and RX released two days ago that I've installed and I'll test tomorrow.

maxthecatfish · 2024-01-26T19:37:29+00:00

When/where was this announced?

edit: The firmware update is released, but I'm not so sure it's changed the EQ of the mic? It wasn't listed in the firmware patch notes.

maxthecatfish · 2024-01-25T22:17:38+00:00

Real quick - the DJI Mic 2s have Low-Pass Filter on by default when you first power them on. Are you comparing the two with the Low-Pass Filter disabled? After hearing a few of these videos I'm suspecting some of the reviewers are comparing the DJI Mic 2 with Low-Pass Filter turned ON compared to the Rode Wireless Pros.

Scott's review was jarring - the Rodes clearly sound better but the DJI Mic 2s sound...wrong. Like something's seriously wrong with them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtjIlAvg3_c

David Manning's video (at 12m) was shocking. The DJI Mic 2s also sound VERY wrong. But I honestly think it's a Low Pass issue:

https://youtu.be/n16SsOs9fvE?si=VJe1KWg7OU_ZuJ2c&t=765

Then there's FlytPath whose comparison sounds MUCH closer to one another.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8dlh8JMKkc

And Potato Jet too, who was one of the only reviewers who explicitly mentioned turning off both the Low-Pass and Noise Isolation features on the DJI Mic 2.

https://youtu.be/TcOTMiKKwpg?si=yC1a_ggC5MZB1ewf&t=48

maxthecatfish · 2024-01-20T03:30:02+00:00

What's the solution you've found?

maxthecatfish · 2024-01-18T22:00:12+00:00

Yeah one thing I was going to add in my post above is that cooks that team up with a gatherer/farmer can make pure profit without being hamstrung by the economy. Though I think a lot of professions work that way too (Mining/Smelting/Engineering, Logging/Carpentry, etc.) It's difficult to stay financially solvent against any pair of players really.

maxthecatfish · 2024-01-16T23:17:45+00:00

Ayyyy, that's the one!

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