Best Vlogging Microphone? — Deity D4 Duo Review
If you've been looking to upgrade from recording your audio internally to a camera's built in microphone and are ready to start using an external microphone, this new D4 Duo microphone Deity sent me is a solid option.
And it has a new feature I've never seen before in a microphone that is especially great if you're recording vlogs or interviews. Let's take a look and listen to it.
In the Box
Here's what is included in the box:
- the microphone capsule
- the shock mount with a cold shoe adapter & a 1/4-20" or 3/8" mount at the bottom
- 2 dead cat wind dampening covers (one large for the front and one small for the rear)
- a yellow 3.5mm TRS to TRS cable meant for DSLRs, mirrorless, and action cameras
Features
This is the Deity D4 Duo, a small on camera microphone that is perfect for vlogging or recording interviews because it actually has two built-in mics. One pointing towards the front and one pointing towards the back.
The rear microphone is optimized to work best within arm's length, like when you're holding a camera in front of your face, and it records at a quieter volume level than the front mic (-10db less).
There is a toggle switch on the unit to change between 2 modes.
Switched forward you'll using only be using the front microphone in a dual mono format.
Switched towards the back it enables both microphones to record to the left and right stereo channels separately.
Let's test it out.
Setup
To use it, just plug one side of the yellow cable into the microphone jack on your camera and the other end into the output port.
Be sure to push the excess cable into the cold shoe tightening screw to help keep it in place.
There is no battery or on/off switch to worry about. Just flip the toggle switch to change between using the front mic only or both microphones.
Then, on your camera, manually set your audio levels so that they are peaking at -12 db.
Attach both "furry windscreens" and you're ready to go.
3.5mm Input
Another great feature of the Deity D4 Duo is the 3.5mm input port. You can plug in another microphone or audio source, like a wireless lavalier kit. This audio is then used instead of the rear microphone's.
This is a really handy feature when recording so you can choose which of the two audio sources sound better while editing the video. It's always better to have more options in case there is an issue.
Using With a Phone or Tablet
If you want to use this with a phone, you'll need a TRS to TRRS adapter cable. RODE sells one called the SC4 for $15 US. (Or if you want just the cable with male ends on both sides, get the RODE SC7.)
BUT when using it this way it only accepts a mono signal, so you can't use both the front and the back mic at the same time. (I've heard that it might work with the BOYA 35C to lightning or usb-c cable, but I don't have one to test that theory out.)
Alternative / Comparison
If you're looking at buying this microphone you're probably also considering the RODE Video Micro.
At the time of recording this video in August 2020, the RODE Video Micro is $59 US and the D4 Duo is $30 more at $89 US.
They both weigh basically the same and the wind cover is a bit smaller on the Deity, but what it really comes down to is which do you think sounds better and are you going to use the rear facing microphone.
Recommendation
The Deity D4 Duo is a great and versatile microphone for the price.
If you’re not going to do the extra work to go into manually editing the audio tracks in your videos to select the front and rear microphones, this microphone is probably too advanced for you.
Is it the best sounding on-camera microphone you can buy? No, you're going to have to spend more money for better audio quality, but it gets the job done.
If you're looking for a small microphone under $100 that has the option for you to record both in front of and behind the camera, this is what I'd recommend.
Or if you want to run a shotgun microphone on top of the camera and a lavalier into separate left and right audio channels, this is a great way to do so.