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Rycote Micro Windjammer GoPro Wind Noise Reduction Solution
Wind noise is one of the most troublesome factors to deal with when attempting to record clean sound. Covering the GoPro microphones with a Rycote Micro Windjammer GoPro wind noise reducer is a simple but effective solution to wind noise.
This guide will take you through the steps on how to attach the windjammers, camera audio settings, plus we’ll take a look at alternative wind noise reduction solutions for GoPro cameras.
What Is A Windjammer
A Windjammer is a fur microphone cover made from synthetic fibres. It provides protection against extreme noise caused by windy conditions.
The materials used are designed so that high frequencies are retained while wind-noise is cancelled out.
Why Rycote Micro Windjammers?
For those not familiar with the Rycote brand. The company has been developing innovative wind protection for a whole range of microphones aimed at the professional market for over 50 years.
Throughout my career as a broadcast cameraman I’ve always used their products for all my outdoor mics. Including lavalier wireless mics, shotgun microphones and ENG camera mics.
Rycote have come up with a great solution for covering small camera on-body mic ports for most cameras and tech, these include smartphones, DSLR cameras and of course action cameras such as GoPro.
These low cost wind noise reduction solutions come in a pack that contains all you need to attach these little furry jammers to a GoPro.
Water Resistant
The Windjammers will stay in place even when the camera becomes wet or even submerged briefly. Although I’d suggest using an alternative wind noise reduction cover if you plan on, let’s say spending alot time in the water surfing.
GoPro Hero 10 Microphone Locations
There are 3 microphones built into the camera body of the Hero 10 Black. Take a look at the photo above, where I have placed yellow arrows and circles highlighting the mic locations.
The front mic is located directly underneath the camera lens. You’ll find what looks like a small pin hole adjacent to the shutter button which is the top mic. Finally the side microphone is located at the bottom of the side panel with the Hero 10 graphic image.
How To Apply A Rycote Windjammer To GoPro
A packet of Rycote Mini Windjammers contain:
- Easy to follow instructions.
- 30 adhesive pads
- 6 reusable fur covers
Start by peeling an adhesive pad from the sheet. Ensure the camera surface around the mic port is clean.
Stick the pad around the GoPro microphone holes, then peel off the top liner covering the adhesive surface.
Carefully apply the fur cover onto the adhesive pad. Hold in place with your fingers for 10 seconds.
Trim the fur cover if there is a possibility of the fur being visible through the camera lens. Use a small pair of scissors to trim the fur to a suitable length.
As mentioned there are 3 mics in the Hero 10 camera body. I only cover the front microphone with a windjammer for recording spoken words.
The top and side mic are used for recording ambient sound. If you wish to record clean audio of say, birdsong or a waterfall for example then covering these mics is good practice.
Audio Settings
The later GoPro camera models do have wind reduction settings. In the case of the Hero 10 there are 3 wind settings to consider.
- OFF – Always records audio in stereo with no wind noise reduction.
- ON – Always filters out excessive wind noise. Audio in mono.
- Auto – Automatically filters out wind noise. Audio switches from stereo to mono.
The audio settings are found in the Protune settings panel under the video mode Presets.
Vlogging
If you’re spending time vlogging then I’d suggest setting the audio to option 1. The mini windjammers do that good a job you’ll find you don’t need to have additional wind noise reduction.
Ambient Sound
For general video filming documentary style or sports activities such as skiing I tend to use option 2 and have the wind noise filter switched to On.
When you’re skiing down a slope you do get wind noise with option 2. However, it is the sound of the wind rushing past the camera which makes for a more dynamic video as it gives the impression of speed.
Alternative Wind Noise Reduction Solutions
You may want to consider other solutions to the wind noise problem when recording video clips on your GoPro.
Windslayer
This is a foam housing that encases the camera leaving the lens and screens unobstructed. It does work reasonably well. I’d take a look at these if you are looking to film action sports in the water.
Media Mod
GoPro offers an official Mod that uses a small directional microphone to capture sound. The mic is covered in a removable foam mic shield.
The Media Mod also has a cold shoe mount, HDMI out, USB-C port, plus a 3.5 mm mic port.
If you’re thinking of using an external radio mic the 3.5 mm mic port is the way to go. However the Media Mod does come at a cost.