Insta360 Mic Pro - New wireless mic with 32-bit stereo internal recording

[todd e]

i literally just put it in the basket with my lighter, keys and earplugs and they handed it back to me.  found a metal hand rail, and the rest was history.
pleasantly surprised at the quality, when i took a closer look.

[vwmule]

Can't imagine that thing will rouse any suspicion. Love the idea of slapping to bottom of phone, as it looks like one of the ubiquitous finger holders. 

Ordered one today.

[todd e]

Can't imagine that thing will rouse any suspicion. Love the idea of slapping to bottom of phone, as it looks like one of the ubiquitous finger holders.

Ordered one today.

as i understand it, two mono's are a bit better for tapers since you cant utilize the 32bit in stereo mode.  at least that is what i thought i learned from datbrad

[Craig T]

I think that limitation applies to the Zoom Instamic Pro C.  I believe the Insta360 Mic Pro will record 32bit stereo.

[vwmule]

Mine arrived same day. Played around with it a bit, straightforward controls and shockingly small. A simple test recording close to computer monitors resulted in a bassy recording but that improved farther back.

If on shirt, it would run vertical; horizontal on hat brim. Should we expect one to be better than the other?

Notice I had to pair each time to phone, meaning it doesn't remember the phone.

Seems wise to leave low cut off, and TX auto gain off.

From a design perspective seems they could have left off the microscopic icons for power and record from the face. Do like the vibration function for starting recording or powering down.

[papabliss]

I got mine yesterday. After the initial pairing,which went smoothly, it got ornery after I USB connected to pull a file and wouldn't connect the rest of the evening. Haven't had any issues today.
I wish they had a lite app version that was for audio only. App takes up over 3g with all the video components. 
Testing it by recording off the home stereo it was very bass heavy but good sound otherwise. 
I'll be using it at an outdoor show this weekend to give it a good test. 

[vwmule]

Agree on the app - larded up with a lot of crap we don't need.

[Ozpeter]

All you need is the $99 transmitter?

https://www.amazon.com/Insta360-Microphone-Recording-Bluetooth-Customizable/dp/B0GVS7PGZG

If you are likely to use it outdoors (and not hidden totally) then I recommend ordering the full size wind muff accessory which only costs $5 or less.  The supplied one does not actually cover all three mics.

[Ozpeter]

i literally just put it in the basket with my lighter, keys and earplugs and they handed it back to me.  found a metal hand rail, and the rest was history.
pleasantly surprised at the quality, when i took a closer look.

Indeed quality is excellent but I do suggest using EQ to reduce low frequencies a bit, and add a bit around 4kHz to give a slightly brighter sound.  Of course it depends on how the particular performance sounds in the first place.  But it's just a matter of adjusting the balance rather than trying to recover what isn't there at all.

[Ozpeter]

Mine arrived same day. Played around with it a bit, straightforward controls and shockingly small. A simple test recording close to computer monitors resulted in a bassy recording but that improved farther back.

If on shirt, it would run vertical; horizontal on hat brim. Should we expect one to be better than the other?

Notice I had to pair each time to phone, meaning it doesn't remember the phone.

Seems wise to leave low cut off, and TX auto gain off.

From a design perspective seems they could have left off the microscopic icons for power and record from the face. Do like the vibration function for starting recording or powering down.

As mentioned, it is a bass heavy device - which given its size is surprising!  And IMHO some brightness helps when applying EQ, as well as cutting the low frequencies a little, to taste. Given that you have to do a normalise pass, running it through an EQ pass is no big deal, and I've got a couple of presents memorised so it's all the work of a moment. 

I would quite strongly suggest using it horizontal if possible.  When I recorded that blues band in that tiny pub, I stood about 2m away from the band, worrying about losing my hearing, but they didn't seem to notice the Mic Pro attached beneath the peak of my baseball cap - the magnet is visible above of course but it's tiny,  and I rub it with a black felt tip marker to hide the logo.

If you are recording in 32 bit float stereo with the "original" setting on, the options for low cut and TX gain don't make a difference anyway.  Or in fact virtually any of the settings.  It's original not processed.  

Yes, it has to be paired each time it is used with the app.  Turn on, and immediately press the power button three times to put it into pairing mode, as a reflex action.  Done.  But mildly annoying.

The little LEDs to show the state of the device are vital in my opinion (see below) but they can be turned off in the second page of the app, near the bottom.

In the most recent firmware update, what seems to be to be a bug has been introduced which causes the device to turn on when attached or detached from USB.  Whenever you finish transferring files and unplug it, do check that it is definitely off after doing so, otherwise it can quietly turn itself on and go flat.  That's why the power LED is important!

[Ozpeter]

I got mine yesterday. After the initial pairing,which went smoothly, it got ornery after I USB connected to pull a file and wouldn't connect the rest of the evening. Haven't had any issues today.
I wish they had a lite app version that was for audio only. App takes up over 3g with all the video components.
Testing it by recording off the home stereo it was very bass heavy but good sound otherwise.
I'll be using it at an outdoor show this weekend to give it a good test.

Indeed there seems to be some odd behavior caused by the recent FW update.  It's a bit inclined to turn itself on, or off, when connecting via USB.  Make double sure that after disconnecting, it hasn't quietly turned itself on causing the battery to go flat.  Mine used to act like a USB stick when I first had it - no power required - but now it seems different.

Insta360 just have one bulky app for all their devices, it seems, which makes sense from their perspective but indeed it is a bit of a sledgehammer to crack just the tiny Mic Pro nut.  Maybe some talented person will write a 3rd party targeted app in due course... Also, most of the options in the part of the app related to the Mic Pro are more relevant to its use as a mono device recording with effects.  But it seems very clear to me that the company did not begin to realise that they have made a remarkable recording device, which happens also to function as a wireless mic... It's only in this forum (and in my excessive YouTube uploads!) that its value for location recording is appreciated.

[vwmule]

Annoying on the windscreen, but just ordered the larger size.

Also make sure you have the stock screen fully in place so a mic isn't partially covered. I noticed that when I put on the screen for a second time, had to ensure it was properly clicked into the slot.

[vibrioidxire]

Tested the mic very unconventionally. I wrapped it in a sock and held it in front of me on the barrier like a standard mic. I had the mic angled to have it be facing directly at the P.A. stack (having the wallpaper side parallel to the speaker). It may just be me, but to my ears it doesn't sound like the mics are pointing directly at the sound source. However, it sounds great regardless. I had to EQ it quite a bit but it sounds effin' great for how small this thing is. Something to note, the mid channel has plenty of bass, the side channels have none above 200Hz. It very minimally reflects that in the stereo image but not the end of the world.

Something to try out: You're able to connect a mono lavalier mic into the recorder with a 3.5mm female to USB-C male. Since there is the stereo option, maybe we could test out to see if this could be a great step to having the smallest 32-bit rig ever? Ex. Schoeps MK4 > Babynbox > Insta360 Mic Pro. 

I've attached a sample of my pull though I did EQ it, but it's still a feat!

My EQ notes in Audition if you want to fiddle with your pulls:
- 95.9 Hz and lower --> -7.7dB (high-pass slope, not rolloff)
- 372 Hz and higher --> 7dB boost (low-pass slope, not rolloff)
- 1479.6 Hz --> 3.9dB (Q 0.8 wide)
- 6928 Hz --> 2.3dB (Q 0.3 wide)

Real magic touches were heard here, pretty much reflects Ozpeter's findings:
- 1259 Hz --> 5dB boost (Q 2 wide)
- 4002Hz --> 3.5dB (Q 2 wide)
- also did a slight pull down of 5530 Hz at -1.7dB.

Probably needs a lot more tinkering but wow! 9/10. Only downside has been accessories.

[vwmule]

^ omni?

[vibrioidxire]

Mics were set to cardioid