It’s been said a lot, but it’s important to say it again. When watching a movie, bad sound quality is more annoying than bad video quality. If you depend on the microphone on your camera for sound, you will probably be let down at some point.
You can’t just buy a separate microphone and use it with your action camera. You will need a microphone for your action camera. Most action cams don’t have a place where you can plug in a microphone.
Do you want to improve audio quality to take your sound quality to the next level? Then check out our review of the best microphones that can be added to action cameras.
How to Attach a Microphone to An Action Camera?
The lack of a headphone jack is the first problem that needs to be fixed. You need to get the audio input into your action camera. Action cams don’t have a place to plug in an external microphone.
To use an external microphone, you will need a microphone connector. But some older or cheaper action cameras might not even have that choice. This review believes that action cameras should be small and easy to use.
All of these external mics can be hooked up to an audio recorder, but that’s not the point of this post. (As an aside, an audio recorder takes your music quality to the next level. Mostly because it makes the mic pre-amp much better.)
If this doesn’t apply to you, then let’s move on.
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GoPro Cameras Have Adapters for Microphones from The Outside
If you want to connect an external microphone to a GoPro HERO3 or HERO4, you will need a 3.5mm USB small B adapter. It’s possible that this is just a simple dongle. But it will let you connect a microphone from outside your GoPro.
After the GoPro HERO5, things get a little bit easier. GoPro makes an adapter that plugs into a USB C port and gives you both a 3.5mm and a USB C port. This is the easiest way to switch from a HERO5 camera to a HERO7 camera.
GoPro’s own Camera Media Mod is the coolest thing for the HERO8, HERO9, and HERO10. (The HERO8 Media Mod doesn’t work with the other two action cams, even though they are similar.)
The Media Mod is an adapter that wraps around and plugs into the action camera’s USB port. It adds a microphone that can be pointed in a certain direction, two cold shoe mounts, and 3.5mm, USB C, and small HDMI ports.
The extra microphone built into the action camera is already better than the one built into the camera itself. With the base and the 3.5mm socket, you can do so much more.
But there are two problems with that. The mod isn’t waterproof, so it will hurt the protection of the action camera. This means that you can’t use it if the camera could get wet. It also makes it harder to change the battery because it has to be taken out of the camera fully.
A different choice is the Ulanzi line of housings for GoPro action cameras. They don’t have the built-in microphone that comes with the Media Mod. But they do give you more options for how to place accessories.
The housings make the battery and SD card easy to get to. They also have choices for mounting with both a tripod screw and the GoPro finger. But you will still need an adapter that goes from USB to 3.5mm.
External Microphone Adapters for DJI Osmo Action and Action 2
The DJI Osmo Action and Action 2 cameras should work with generic dongles that go from USB C to 3.5mm.
But it’s always a good idea to make sure things work together before you buy. The CYNOVA Osmo Action Dual is an option that looks more modular and comes with a USB C port. Like the GoPro Media Mod, using the adapter makes the device less waterproof.
So, the adapter problem is taken care of. Now, let’s talk about how to choose an external microphone for your action camera film.
What Is The Best Mic for An Action Camera?
We’ll talk about the two most common types of mics for your action camera: the shotgun and the lavalier. Which one is best for you depends on what you want to do.
The way microphones pick up sound is similar, but they are made for different uses. A microphone on an action camera will work in all directions. So, it picks up sounds from everywhere.
But in reality, these microphones can pick up sounds from an area that is 180o wide.
A boom mic lets you direct the sound more. It will also make the sound better and cut down on wind sounds better. It will block or reduce sound coming from the sides and back, focusing on what is right in front of the mic.
A Lavalier microphone picks up sound in the same way that the mic on an action camera does. The good thing about it is that you can get close for talks or to tell a story. This helps reduce background noise. Wires don’t make sense when you have an action camera, so we’ll just look at wireless options.
How to Pick a Lavalier Microphone?
The Lavalier microphone is also known as a tie-clip mic or a neck mic. It’s something we’ve all seen on TV. What isn’t always clear is that they are often used in plays and movies without being seen.
They are liked by audio workers because you can put them close to where the sound is coming from. The lav mics we picked for this review are different from the ones you see on TV. This is because the transmission and microphone are built into the same unit.
Not so great for watching TV, but great for traveling. It means that there are no loose lines, which is important for the person who is using the action camera.
7 of The Best Microphone Attachments for Action Cameras
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The Rode Wireless Go II
Rode is a well-known company that makes recording equipment. And the Wireless Go II is a great example of why they are so popular. There are two kinds, one with one emitter and the other with two.
They’re small, square, and easy to move around. The emitter is attached to the person’s clothes, and the receiver is put on a cold or hot shoe. Also, you’ll need to connect the radio to the 3.55 input port of the adapter you choose.
The wireless is said to have a range of 200 m (660 feet). So, in reality, anything closer than 330 feet (100 meters) shouldn’t be a problem. The emitter can record on its own. This means that even if the connection goes down, you won’t lose the sound.
Rode’s safety mode is used in the Wireless Go II. At -20 dB, this records a second audio track. Even if you get too excited as you jump out of a plane, the transmission will save your sound at a lower volume without clipping.
The Rode phone app lets you change the settings for safety mode and other things. The antenna also has a clear color LCD screen that can be used to keep an eye on a number of things.
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DJI Mic
The DJI Mic was made to work with the DJI Osmo Action. It comes with a cold shoe adapter that lets you use it with other cameras, including your action camera. There are two transmitters/microphones and one listener.
All of them can be stored safely in a charging carry case. This makes it easy to move the units, pair them, and charge them.
The receivers can be clipped to clothing. If that isn’t an option, they also come with a sticky mount. This is a good way to store T-shirts or shirts without buttons.
The battery will last for 15 hours, which is a lot longer than any action camera can record. And the dead cats that are included will cut down on wind noise.
The DJI Mic has a built-in recorder and a -6 dB safety track, just like the Rode Wireless Go II. It also has gain settings that you can change, so you can match the output of the receiver to what your action camera needs.
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Synco G2
I’m putting this in the running for a cheap extra microphone. The Synco G2 works the same way that the other microphone sets did. It doesn’t have an onboard recording feature, so if your music cuts out, you lose that part of the recording. And there’s no safety track on it either.
When you compare the sound quality of the Synco G2 and the Rode Wireless Go II, the Rode is better. Less noise is there, and the sound is fuller. The sound quality of the Rode is better than that of the Synco G2.
But, all things are different. The built-in microphone on the action camera isn’t as good as the Synco when it comes to recording sound from far away. If you don’t want to spend the money on the Road (or the even more expensive DJI), the Synco is worth a look.
What to Look for in a Shotgun Microphone?
Unlike Lavalier mics, a shotgun mic lets you point it in a certain direction. It is made to pick up sounds from the way it is pointing. This makes the sound better because it cuts down on noise from the outside.
A shock mount will cut down on the noise that gets into the body of an action camera. A dead cat will help with the noise from the wind. Given how you use an action camera, these are useful tools.
If you got the GoPro Media Mod, you already have a shotgun mic, in a way. It is by far the smallest choice and can face either forward or backward. Most of the time, it will have better sound than the built-in mics.
But it’s not the same as a microphone that you plug in. Wind noise will be lessened by the foam window that comes with the car, but not as much as with a dead cat.
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Sairen VM-Q1
I’ve only just learned about Sairen. But some people are saying good things about the VM-Q1 microphone. The price of the mic is very low. It is very small and comes with a dead cat, foam windshields, and a shock mount.
There are pros and cons to the sound quality, and at least one reviewer said that the lines that came with the mic were very noisy. Still, the sound is good for the price, especially if you update the cables.
Again, even a cheap mic like this will make a big difference in the sound quality of your video recording.
The Sairen VM-Q1 doesn’t have a headphone jack, so you can’t listen to the sound while you’re on the go.
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Rode VideoMicro
Rode is a major player in the world of YouTube and blogging. Part of the reason is that they have a lot of different mics. The Rode “sound” seems to meet the needs of both people who make material and people who listen to it.
When compared to other devices, the VideoMicro can sound a little weak in the lower tones. This is because the range below 100 Hz is almost totally cut out by the frequency response.
This is a great way to quiet down the noise of traffic. It also makes the mic work well even when there is a lot of wind. This is especially true when you use the dead cat window that comes with it.
The higher tones are also important for the human voice. Maybe people like this brand because Rode makes speech sound clear. It also helps it stand out from the noise in the background.
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Boya BY-MM1
When it comes to sound quality, it’s hard to tell the Rode VideoMicro from the Boya BY-MM1. But your wallet will notice the change, since the second one costs about half as much.
The BY-MM1 has all of the things we’d expect from a microphone of this type. It comes with a carry pouch, dead cat, shock mount, and wires.
The BY-MM1 works well, and I like the sound from the Boya more than the sound from the Rode. But the fact that it doesn’t work as well in the wind might be a deal-breaker for you.
