Rode Wireless Go II
Your new go-to for wireless audio recording.
Rode’s first Wireless Go product was a game-changer in the industry – an ultra compact and foolproof wireless transmitter and receiver with an integrated microphone, all for an affordable price.
Rode’s next-in-line (the aptly titled Wireless Go II) improves on just about every area, taking its place alongside its sibling as a highly recommendable tool for video and audio content creators everywhere.
Design and updates
As we’ve mentioned, much of the design finesse that made the original Wireless Go groundbreaking has returned with the Go II, but the updates that have made their way into this release have done wonders to improve overall quality of life.
The units themselves are really small for what they promise, with each measuring around 44 x 45 x 18mm and weighing only 30g. Despite this lightweight and compact design, they feel rather robust, although we wouldn’t want to push this assumption with too many drops and there’s no weatherproofing.
The plastic clips are quick and simple to operate when affixing any of the units to clothing, and they double as a hot shoe mount to neatly slot on the top of your camera kit.
These clips along with the compact form factor make them ideal for attaching to a belt in order to run a lavalier microphone, or clipping closer to the wearer’s mouth (in a jacket or even dress) to use the integrated microphone.
Each unit houses a rechargeable battery that promises 7 hours of activity, and each can be charged via its USB-C input. Three USB-C cables are included with the kit for simultaneous charging, along with two furry windshields, a carry pouch, and a 3.5mm TRS cable to hook directly into your camera or other device. Smartphone cables (Lightning and USB-C) are available separately.
Aside from the 3.5mm and USB-C ports, there’s little else to clutter the
Wireless Go II – each of the devices has a multi-purpose button (more on this later), the transmitters sport a microphone and two indicator lights (to display power and connectivity), and the receiver features an extra two buttons and a screen that indicates recording level, battery life, signal strength, and a few other crucial details.
Where the original promised a 70 metre line-of-sight range, both transmitters in the Go II package can handle 200 metres. While this measurement is a best-case scenario from Rode, we certainly noticed an improvement in stability over longer distances (whether or not it’s almost triple that of the original unit is difficult to say, but we don’t doubt it).
One point worth noting is that the Wireless Go II transmitters and receivers aren’t compatible with the original units, and vice versa. We imagine this has to do with the improved transmission technology mentioned above, but it’s worth considering if you were hoping to add more of either device to your existing fleet.
In use
The setup for the Rode Wireless Go II is one of the easiest out there for products in this category, with everything ready to go as soon as you take it out of the box. For those that like to dig in and customise their kit, there’s plenty of finetuning available either via the receiver’s buttons or the Rode Central app.
The software gives you the ability to access all the settings for your device, and includes nifty features like setting up what the multi-function button does on the transmitters and receiver, such as mute, set a marker, or enable the backlight.
It’s in this software that you’ll also be able to access the recordings stored directly on each transmitter, as well as configure the audio’s settings. You can choose to record uncompressed or compressed audio, giving you either seven hours of recording time or over 40 respectively, as well as view any placed markers in order to quickly find a good take or key moment.
Some other key features accessible via the software include fine gain control, for setting precise levels rather than the set increments available by the hardware buttons, as well as establishing a safety channel – a genius feature that records the same signal at a lower volume in case the main channel clips and you lose audio.
While the software is a great way to view each and every setting for your Rode kit, a lot can be done with the hardware alone. Changing from the default merged channel to split-channel, for instance, is done by holding both the dB and link buttons simultaneously for three seconds. This latter option allows each transmitter to record its audio separately so you can later mix the two to your liking.
We’ll avoid covering all the tweaks and features exhaustively, but instead say that we certainly weren’t left wanting whenever we needed to adjust something or modify how the Wireless Go II operated.
The hardware buttons and screen do a great job in allowing access to crucial functionality, and the Rode Central software is incredibly user-friendly and covers everything else you could need.
As for the audio itself, the integrated microphones in the transmitters produce excellent quality recordings, as Rode is known for, and you can plug in any external mic to the TRS connection if you have a preference for lavalier mic or similar.
To ensure there’s even less of a chance of quality loss, you can connect the receiver to your camera or smart device directly via USB-C, which bypasses the analog audio signal conversion in the receiver entirely, allowing for only one analog-to-digital conversion to occur at the microphone end of the system.
If your goal is to transmit and record two independent audio sources wirelessly over great distances, then the Rode Wireless Go II is your solution. This kit offers a wealth of clever options in an incredibly intuitive package, and does so for a significantly lower price than it has any right to. Harry Domanski