In case you questioned why our NAB and Cine Gear movies sounded so good this 12 months: we lastly discovered the right microphone answer for good audio in noisy environments, and it comes from Sony. This can be a shameless plug as a result of we had been so pleased with the Sony UWP-D22 microphone units. We’ve lined commerce exhibits for manner over a decade – truly, we began round 2008. Capturing interviews about new merchandise on the present ground all the time proved troublesome on numerous ranges: Hoards of individuals strolling via your picture on crowded present flooring, combined lighting situations, and a variety of gentle air pollution from different cubicles which can be usually demo-ing lighting gear.Sony UWP-D22 handheld mic answer with its receiver on a FUJIFILM X-H2S on the NAB present ground. Picture credit score: CineDTrade exhibits = audio recording problemsOn the audio facet, we regularly had even worse issues up to now: a lot of surrounding noise from individuals speaking subsequent to you, the occasional music within the background, and infrequently wi-fi connectivity points due to Wifi and basic airwave congestion – which, by the best way, is the worst, as a result of you’ll actually be caught with no usable audio until you introduced one other wi-fi answer that works on different frequency bands, or just a wired microphone answer. The principle selection for present ground movies: hand micsWe usually use hand mics for gear interviews on the present ground. They’re simple and versatile once we are shifting from sales space to sales space capturing movies about new gear. Typically, they choose up much less surrounding noise than lavalier mics.Sony UWP-D22 handheld mic answer held by Nino Leitner throughout an interview on the NAB 2023 present ground. Picture credit score: CineDSony UWP-D22 microphone offered a lot better audio qualitySo, after our lengthy odyssey with wi-fi handheld microphone options from totally different producers over time, which “form of” labored however with mediocre audio high quality, background noise, and interference, we not too long ago examined Sony’s UWP-D22 wi-fi handheld microphone. We had been surprised by the distinctive audio high quality it delivered, so we contacted Sony to mortgage us two units for our NAB 2023 protection. It proved to be the very best determination. It virtually didn’t matter the place we had been standing doing interviews, the audio all the time sounded nice. I’m not a sound or audio knowledgeable, however as a DP I’ve to say that it sounded fairly dry, virtually studio-like, and clearly optimized for voice recordings whereas shutting out surrounding noise that was not within the neighborhood of the hand mic. It’s not a detailed mic, so that you don’t have to carry it tremendous near your mouth or almost press it towards your lips, which can be very unhygienic when interviewing numerous individuals all through the day. After we held it at a normal distance, the Sony UWP-D22 labored flawlessly, making it completely perfect for our particular use case.Sony UWP-D22 handheld mic answer held by Graham Sheldon throughout an interview on the NAB 2023 present ground. Picture credit score: CineDWireless reference to Sony cameras, one receiver for 2 senders with the UWP-D27We additionally had the set with two wi-fi lavalier mics and transmitters (Sony UWP-D27), which we solely used a couple of times for sit-down interviews. It’s tremendous handy that there’s just one receiver for 2 lavs, which in fact makes it simple to work with mirrorless cameras, mounting the receiver on prime and connecting it straight to the digital camera with a mini jack cable. At this 12 months’s NAB, we had been working with FUJIFILM cameras as a result of we used their camera-to-cloud workflow (watch our behind-the-scenes documentary about that right here in case you haven’t seen it but). However if you’re utilizing a Sony Alpha or FX-series digital camera, the sensible hotshoe connection eliminates the necessity for a cable. Merely plug the Sony UWP-D22 receiver into the digital camera’s prime, and also you’ll have a seamless audio connection between the receiver and the digital camera.A nightmare for wi-fi interference: the NAB present ground. Picture credit score: CineDAlmost no interferenceWe by no means had any interference points the Sony UWP-D22 microphones on the present ground, which is a rarity. With so many units transmitting on numerous wavelengths throughout your complete Las Vegas Conference Heart throughout NAB, it means there are a number of dropouts once in a while. We didn’t expertise it in any of the halls the place all of the cubicles and most people had been. We bumped into a difficulty solely as soon as, contained in the press room. We realized that one among our two UWP-D22 units prompted interference with the opposite set when the second was turned on whereas the primary one was already in operation. Shutting one among them off solved the issue instantly, however it’s one thing to concentrate on. I’m certain it’s potential to keep away from the state of affairs by manually selecting the frequency as an alternative, however we didn’t dive into that. The Sony UWP-D22 wi-fi handheld mic set. Picture credit score: SonyBattery hungry solutionIf there may be one small draw back to the Sony UWP-D22 microphone system, it’s that they’re comparatively power-hungry. Remember that you need to take sufficient alternative AA batteries with you on a shoot when utilizing this technique. Nevertheless, rechargeable AA batteries work very well with it, if you wish to be extra environmentally-conscious. Basically, I’m additionally fairly glad they don’t use a proprietary battery answer for the UWP-D22 system. It implies that it’s tremendous versatile and is instantly able to function repeatedly anyplace on this planet, impartial of any AC energy connections. Round 50 movies shot in 4 days of NAB: Gear merely has to work. Picture credit score: CineD.Audio downside for future commerce exhibits solvedIn conclusion, the Sony UWP-D22 will stay our dependable go-to answer for any future commerce exhibits. We like the standard of the sound compared to all different options we examined – it’s clear, voices sound exceptionally full, surrounding noise is cancelled out properly, and the wi-fi connection is strong and comparatively interference-free. What’s the wi-fi audio answer of your selection that you simply belief? And why? Tell us within the feedback beneath.