Here’s a short blog post for this month. I’ve got other blog posts that I’m working on along with a few other things.

Recently, I picked up the DJI Mic Mini microphone, because I really am going to start making fun YouTube videos, I swear. Plus, the microphone was on sale so I thought it was a good time to buy one.

It’s an impressive microphone for sure, but when I started to record some test footage using my Panasonic Lumix DMC-G7K, I heard some static or a hissing noise coming from the audio. Or more specifically, the right speaker. It was hugely distracting and irritating so I decided to do a little bit of detective work to see if I can fix this issue.

This issue didn’t happen when I connected the receiver to my phone via USB-C, so there must be something going on between the receiver and the camera itself. I also ruled out the microphone as being the source of the problem as well. I figured that if the noise I was hearing was being heard when recording from my phone as well, then I would need to return the microphone.

With that out of the way, my attention turned to the camera. Maybe there was a setting that I was missing? I checked out the mic level adjustment and changed it in the hopes that it would make a difference. It did mask the noise somewhat, but you could still clearly hear it. I also adjusted the gain on the receiver of the Mic Mini, just to be on the safe side.

So at this stage I was thinking that there was an issue with my camera. Could it be that the microphone port was broken? It didn’t make sense to me why that would be the case. I haven’t used that port very much, and I’ve taken excellent care of my camera.

So what could the root cause of this issue be?

The cable.

It was the only part of this setup that I hadn’t considered yet. The cable that connected the DJI Mic Mini receiver that was included in the box. I held the cable while recording, rotated the cable, unplugged it and plugged it back in; same result each time, the hissing noise would persist.

So I decided to investigate TRS Patch cables to determine if the cable was the source of the problem.

I ended up finding this one on Amazon, the RØDE SC2 3.5mm TRS Patch Cable, and some of the reviews mentioned using this with a DJI mic product. I decided to roll the dice and ordered it.

And thankfully, it worked! The cable worked like a charm. The test recordings worked well and I was happy with the audio quality.

I decided to write this post because in case anyone out there who has bought a DJI Mic Mini recently and has been experiencing issues the same issues as me, I definitely recommend swapping out the cable that comes included in the microphone.

It is slightly disappointing that the included cable didn’t work. I’d bet that there are others who have experienced the same problem I have.

Speaking of the DJI Mic Mini, I want to add that it’s an incredibly impressive microphone. I bought the one transmitter and receiver and for the price I paid, it’s phenomenal. The build quality is also excellent.

I’ve only scratched the surface of what this microphone can do, but I do appreciate the mobile application for allowing users to configure their devices.

Now begins the hardest part…

…making YouTube videos.