Today, Comica is announcing an all-new, “groundbreaking” microphone with its CVM-VM30 wireless shotgun mic. That’s right, it’s a wireless shotgun mic. Traditionally, a shotgun microphone had to be plugged directly into the recording device, whether that was the camera or an off-stage dedicated unit. But, with the CVM-VM30, you’re now free of this requirement as the shotgun microphone itself transmits to a wireless receiver which means it can be placed almost anywhere without having to run a cable. Ready to find out how this can completely overhaul how you set up a recording space? Head below to fold to find out our thoughts and what all the Comica CVM-VM30 has to offer.
Comica’s new wireless shotgun mic also works wired
For years, shotgun microphones haven’t seen much innovation. Sure, some now come with built-in rechargeable batteries so you don’t have to provide phantom power… but that’s about all we’ve seen. Until now.
The all-new Comica CVM-VM30 breaks the mold of traditional shotgun mics by going dual function. It’s a super cardioid condenser microphone, which is pretty typical for shotgun mics. However, the innovation here is that it has a 2.4GHz wireless adapter that you can place up to 100 meters away in open areas, and 20 meters “even in difficult, cluttered, or obstructed environments.” This means that you can be anywhere between 60 to 300 feet away from the microphone with the wireless receiver and still get the high-quality audio transmitted without signal loss.
Wondering how high of quality it is? Well, you’ll find that the transmission is 48hKz/24-bit for “high-fidelity sound.” There’s also a gain control on the microphone, a safety mode to “prevent unwated loud peak sounds,” real-time monitoring, muting, and a 2-stage low-cut filter and high-frequency boost at 75/150Hz.
Comica’s CVM-VM30 wireless shotgun microphone also does something a little unique with its dual connectivity option – run both at the same time. That’s right, you could come out of the shotgun microphone directly into a dedicated audio recorder, but have the wireless pack on your camera so your “scratch audio” is even high-quality. Then, since the main audio track is wired from the mic, you don’t have to worry about potential signal drops causing interruptions or anything there, either. This is a fantastic feature and probably my favorite thing about the microphone.
Included with the Comica CVM-VM30 microphone is a shock mount and high-density windmuff to help filter out noise, impacts, and vibrations even when shooting outdoors. The battery in the microphone will last 50 hours in wired mode (since you won’t need phantom power) or seven hours in wireless mode, and it even supports charging over USB-C while in use if needed. The microphone has an OLED display for signal status, gain level, battery power, and more, while the receiver features an IPS LCD display which shows much of the same.
When it comes to price, honestly, the Comica CVM-VM30 is fairly reasonable, all things considered. My shotgun microphone of choice, the Rode NTG4+, costs $399, and has to be wired to be used. It has a rechargeable battery, but no wireless transmission option. The Comica CVM-VM30 comes in at $189, which is over 50% less than Rode’s counterpart, while offering more features at the same time.
9to5Toys’ Take
If I was buying a shotgun microphone right now, it would be the Comica CVM-VM30, hands down. While I love my Rode NTG4+, and it works fantastically, having to wire it into my camera (or audio recorder) can be cumbersome at times, and often makes it not the first mic I reach for. However, with the Comica CVM-VM30, being able to transmit the audio wirelessly makes it ideal for a live stream setup that has a mobile camera. It also makes this the ideal microphone for booming right over the talent in a video shoot as you can stretch the boom as far as you want and not have to worry about a cable falling into the shot.
All-in-all, I’d say that the Comica CVM-VM30 is a solid launch all around. It has a great price, nice feature lineup, and the fact that it can be used wired and wireless at the same time means that those who don’t want to deal with wireless interference for the final recording can easily plug a dedicated interface in, while the wireless pack sits on the camera for quality scratch audio that’ll make editing a breeze.
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