We've reviewed several wireless mic systems at SCN, so what makes the new Insta360 Mic Pro offering unique? In a word, e-ink. Each of the system's transmitters/mics is equipped with an e-ink display, something I haven’t really seen since Saramonic’s Blink Me system a few years ago.
Basically, the Mic Pro e-ink display affords you the opportunity to build branding into every shot without a handheld and mic flag. Both the host and guest can be adorned with your logo—or, if you have prep time, your guest can sport their own company’s logo. The e-ink technology only draws power when you change the image, so battery drain isn't an issue.
Several custom wallpapers are available through the Insta360 app, from emojis and color bars to numbers and letters. Yes, it might take a minute to load the new wallpaper, but that’s to be expected with e-ink.
Of course, I had to create a custom wallpaper. I uploaded the SCN logo from my photo library and it looked great. It could be read from across a room and was easily visible on video.
I also uploaded a selfie and it looked, well, not so great. Unless you’re trying for some sort of meta joke, you likely wouldn’t have a photo of yourself (or anyone else) on your lapel during an interview, anyway. Remember, this is a small display with only a 1.22-inch diameter—and it’s e-ink, not OLED. Stick with simple graphics built around primary colors and you’ll likely be very satisfied.
Bits and Pieces
The Mic Pro is more than just a pretty face. Once you get past the eye candy, there's a lot of serious audio going on here. The system is available with four transmitters and one receiver, two transmitters and one receiver (which I tested), and one transmitter and one receiver, with separate transmitters also available.
About the size of a very portly cell phone, with a USB-C port on the outside for easy charging and four white LEDs that indicate charging status, the charging case has a dedicated place for everything. The mics/transmitters nest on either side of the receiver. There are dedicated slots for mobile phone adapters, but the receiver’s charging spot accommodates an adapter, so there’s really no need to detach it. That means one less essential accessory that won't be easily lost.
Speaking of charging, the Mic Pro has a five-minute fast charge feature, good enough for about 90 minutes of use. According to Insta360, the receiver can operate for up to 11 hours, the transmitters up to 10 hours each, and a fully charged charging case can charge all three components roughly twice before you need to juice it up. I didn't experience any battery issues, but I tended to store the components in the charging case between tests.
The case also has areas for the button magnets and clips, though the mic slots have room for either accessory if you leave them attached. Insta360 includes a storage pouch with the Mic Pro that includes a main compartment for the charging case, as well as mesh pockets for the included dead cat windscreens, 3.5mm cable for DSLR/mirrorless camera connectivity, and USB-C cable for charging.
The mic clips are plastic and metal, and they snap in place via a metal bracket on the plastic back of the mic. I would recommend snapping these clips in place and leaving them there, swapping to button magnets only if necessary. That said, while not heavy, a Pro Mic transmitter is heavier than a lavalier. Fabric sag could ruin your on-camera branding, so be careful with placement. The custom dead cats snap snugly into place—but again, the bracket is (say it with me) plastic.
Fashion tip: The Mic Pro looks great on a blazer. That said, if there’s no blazer pocket available, you might have to clip that mic between the buttons or buttonholes on a shirt. If you do that, you’re going to have to turn the mic to clip it—and that means your e-ink display is going to be sideways!
Yes, you could create alternate versions of your logo to compensate or remove the clip and switch to the magnet, but both of those solutions take time. A clip that can be rotated 90 degrees on the back of the transmitter would go a long way toward solving the problem.
Audio Performance
You can't fault Insta360 for options, as the Mic Pro is loaded with them. Each mic has four different pickup patterns, which you can set through the receiver: omnidirectional, super-directional, cardioid, and figure eight (for conversations).
To test the cardioid options, a likely choice for stand-ups, I decided to step out during a South Florida evening thunderstorm. I stood just outside my garage, so you couldn't avoid the sound of thunder, rain, and water flowing through the gutters. I turned the low cut on but kept the gain off. You can set gain manually or choose between auto and dynamic gain. You can also choose between three voice tone presets; I went with standard during my tests, but you can experiment with full and bright.
One catch with the super-directional setting is that noise cancellation is unavailable. As a result, though I sounded louder (it is designed to improve voice isolation from a specific direction, after all), there was no escaping the weather sounds around me. Best to leave that setting to quieter weather events. The "regular" cardioid setting sounded great, very natural with minimal weather noise.
But I made a total amateur mistake during my test shoot: I had my front-facing camera mirrored on the Blackmagic Camera app. As a result, the SCN logo displayed so beautifully on the Pro Mic was backward. Yes, I could flip the footage in post, but I'd rather get it right from the start. Let my gaffe serve as a reminder to check your shot, especially if you add e-ink graphics to your transmitters.
For my next test, I stood next to a favorite microphone test cohost: my air conditioner. As you'd expect, the omnidirectional pickup pattern was the worst choice, as that condenser unit came through loud and clear. As with the thunderstorm, the super-directional picked up more noise than I wanted, but the cardioid setting did a fine job minimizing the fan noise. No tinny audio pickup here.
Yes, I have a few nitpicks, but there's not a whole lot wrong with the Mic Pro. If anything, it almost feels like Insta360 developed this wireless mic system to be all things audio to all content creators, everything from a single mic to capture conversations to a shotgun replacement for your DSLR. And yes, with three mics in each transmitter and your choice of pickup patterns, the Mic Pro can do both of those things. You also have the option of 32-bit float recording to avoid clipping as well as onboard recording for peace of mind in the field.
But let's be honest: If you're considering the Mic Pro, the e-ink display is the differentiator at Insta360's $330 prosumer price point. If you're looking to bring subtle (or not-so-subtle) branding to your content, this is a great way to do it. More importantly, you're not sacrificing audio quality for the sake of an on-screen logo.
