DJI is making its latest wireless lavalier microphone system even smaller without scrimping on features or battery life. The DJI Mic 3 is half the size and weight of its Mic 2 predecessor and introduces new capabilities, including two adaptive gain control modes, three voice tone presets, and a sizable increase in storage capacity for internal recordings.
DJI’s latest wireless mic can support up to four transmitters and eight receivers at once for recording audio from large groups, with a range of 400 meters (1,312 feet). The Mic 3 automatically switches between 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands to help keep the transmission stable and prevent interference. Two-level active noise cancelling is also available for reducing background sounds.
The Adaptive Gain Control modes include an Automatic option that can suppress sudden volume spikes and prevent clipping in noisy environments, and a Dynamic mode that automatically adjusts gain to keep volume consistent in quieter indoor settings like studios. The three voice tone presets include Regular, Rich, and Bright, which can be selected based on the vocal characteristics of whoever is speaking to adjust clarity.
At 16 grams, the Mic 3 is closer in size and weight to the 10-gram Mic Mini system that DJI launched last year. Unlike the Mic Mini, however, the Mic 3 retains features like built-in backup recording abilities to prevent losing audio, and a touchscreen display on the receiver to adjust settings and monitor battery levels. It also includes 32GB of storage for dual-file internal recordings that support both 24-bit and 32-bit floating points, which is significantly larger than the 8GB of built-in storage on the Mic 2.
Battery life sits between the two older DJI lav mics, providing up to eight hours for the receiver and 10 hours for the transmitter, compared to six hours for both on the Mic 2, and up to 11.5 hours and 10.5 hours on the Mic Mini’s transmitter and receiver, respectively. The Mic 3 charging case provides 2.4 full charges, according to DJI, giving users 28 hours of extra juice on the go.
What we don’t know is the price or release timeline. DJI says the Mic 3 won’t be available in the US immediately, which suggests it’ll be launching in other markets first. The two-microphone transmitter kit for the Mic 2 launched at $219, and the more affordable Mic Mini is $169 by comparison, so we’ll have to wait and see how the Mic 3 stacks up when it arrives in the US.
