I just tested the perfect mic for content creators — and there's a reason why you see it in so many TikTok videos
Yes, it's true: the Go Gen 3 definitely deserves its place as one of the most iconic wireless mics. While there are still a few little annoyances (for example, opening the Rode Central app stops recordings midway and the high-pass filter isn't super adept at noise cancellation), the Wireless Go Gen 3 is a fantastic set of compact mics.
So is it worth the $329 price? It depends who you are — if you're a content creator looking for the best of the best without dropping $$$, then it's certainly for you. Keep reading to find out the full story in this Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 microphone review.
Price
$329 / £279
Connectivity
USB-C, TRS, lightning
On-board storage
32GB (40 hours)
Range
850 feet / 260 meters
Max SPL
123.5
Audio resolution
196kHz, 32-bit
Frequency response
20 Hz – 20 kHz
Microphone type
Condenser
Battery life
7 hours
Polar pattern
Omnidirectional
Weight
1.2 ounces (RX and TX), 3.6 ounces altogether
Dimensions
1.8 x 1.7 x 0.8 inches
Colors
Various: I tested black
The Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 costs a pretty hefty $329 from Amazon U.S., making it $20 pricier than its predecessor the Wireless Go Gen 2. Surprisingly, the Gen 3 comes in a huge range of colors: I tested black, but it also comes in white, red, purple, blue, and more. I've never seen a mic with this much range before, so it's a welcome departure from mundanity.
On Amazon U.K., the Wireless Go Gen 3 has an RRP of £279, but has been around £230 since April. Right now, I'm unsure why there's such a price difference between the U.S. and U.K. However, I think $329 is still a pretty decent price for a microphone of this quality.
If you want the most basic Rode wireless mic, I'd suggest the $149 Wireless Micro. It's basically just the Wireless Go Gen 3 but with a much more beginner-friendly usage and slightly reduced quality audio. Even so, for amateurs or beginners, there's nothing better. Conversely, if you need a fully professional mic, then check out the Rode Wireless Pro ($399).
The Rode Wireless Go Gen 3 looks pretty much like every other wireless RX and TX set, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the design. The transmitters and receiver are the same size: just 1.7 x 1.8 inches. The microphones also come with a soft pouch for easy transportation, which is also roomy enough to fit the USB-C, lightning, TRS cables, and dead cats.
On the receiver, the controls are as follows: Volume (mic gain) buttons, channel buttons, and the Ø button for connection. The transmitters have one button for pairing or recording, and an Ø button for muting and marking (which I struggled to get working — more on that in the 'Features' section below). Both transmitters and the receiver also have a clip, which I found incredibly useful for on-the-fly recording. There's also a 3.5mm output on the RX for live monitoring and 3.5mm inputs on each TX for additional lav mics.
I quite like the RX's bright LED screen. It's a little brighter than the Shure MoveMic 88+'s screen (which I still liked), but a decent amount smaller. In future versions (I know the Gen 3 has literally just been released), I'd like to see this screen even bigger, and maybe even controllable via touch for even easier usability.
There's also a dead cat for wind resistance. I found this really efficient for pop reduction when carrying out my plosive testing, so I'd recommend using it to mitigate pops with interviewees who perhaps don't have the best microphone etiquette. Unlike the Sennheiser Profile Wireless, the dead cat didn't distort audio clarity.
First off, one of the most impressive features is the 850-foot wireless range. This makes it a touch longer than the Sennheiser Profile Wireless' ($299) 800 feet. The Rode Wireless Go Gen 2 ($299) has a max range of around 650 feet, so this is a major improvement on the previous iteration.
Another major improvement is the massive 32GB onboard storage — 40 hours of 32-bit recording. On the Gen 2, this is 40 hours of 24-bit float recording, which means the Gen 3 has higher memory. You can still export at 32-bit on the Gen 2, though.
While the Gen 3 has improved range and memory over the Gen 2, it also carries over one of the Gen 2's most helpful features: Safety Channel mode. This mode automatically records a second track at -10dB, so if your first recording is too loud or distorted, you've got a backup. Enabling this feature is easy: simply activate it in the Rode Central app.
Even when I was trying to shout loudly into the mic and distort it, my recordings were reasonably salvageable thanks to GainAssist. I definitely would place my trust in this mic, even when recording in noisy environments.
Due to the 32-bit float recording, even tracks from loud environments are easy to edit in post. I tested this with both whispered speech and shouted speech. I was able to amplify my whispered recordings without losing any quality.
Incredibly, the recording still sounded clear and crisp. In fact, all the recordings you'll hear in the 'Audio quality' section were amplified in Audacity. Then, I held the mic way too close (think complete microphone newbie) and talked loudly into it. I was, again, able to save this in Audacity.
One of the most interesting features is the customizable 'Ø' button. This button can be configured to mute the mic, or place a 'marker' in the on-board recording. Markers can be used for noting in long audio files where you need to trim, edit, or cut, amongst other reasons. It basically makes your life easier in post.
I was expecting this marker to place a beep sound in the recording, but nothing happened. I've reached out to Rode for assistance, but have yet to receive a response. I'll come back to update this review once I hear back.
Another fantastic feature is the Camera Preset. This is an automatic, premade setting that links up with a number of cameras. You can load these presets into your RX (via Rode Central desktop only) and then enable when the mics are set up with your camera. Unfortunately, this is limited to new and popular cameras: my Canon Rebel T3i is too old now.
Finally, battery life. The Go Gen 3 has 7 hours charge in each TX, and you can buy a charging case (to up the overall charge to 21 hours) for $89 from Amazon U.S.. This is a pretty good battery life, but other wireless mics come with a charging case, like the Sennheiser Profile Wireless.
As with the Rode Wireless Micro, the Wireless Go Gen 3 works with the Rode Central app. This app is very straightforward and easy to use: I had no problems navigating it during testing.
As you can see from the three screenshots above, the camera preset settings has a huge range of cameras, from Canon, to GoPro, to Panasonic and more. You can also customize channel gain and split or merge the TXs, and configure settings like the Ø buttons.
As you can record in 'Split' or 'Merged', be aware that you will need to re-merge the mics if you turn one off. The first time I used the Go Gen 3, I didn't realise this and was left with a stereo recording only on one channel. I had to fix it in post, which was easy, but a little annoying.
Thankfully, due to the 32-bit float recording quality, my recordings were never distorted even with a lot of fiddling in Audacity. The tracks were crisp, clear, and faithful to my voice, even when I had an ambient noise track playing in the background. Here you can listen to all my standardized audio testing clips.
As with all mics I test, I recorded clips of tongue twisters (to analyze plosive and fricative performance), ambient noise clips to test the high-pass filter, alongside generic spoken tests.
Plosives
Here you can listen to the Rode Wireless Go Gen 3's ability to record plosive (B, P, D sounds) sounds without popping. To get the best result, I used the dead cat here.
As you can tell from the audio clip above, the Go Gen 3's quality was pretty excellent. There were no loud pops thanks to the dead cat. A word of warning, though: I would recommend using said dead cat, as when I repeated this test sans-muff the recording was quite poppy.
Fricatives/sibilance
Fricatives are soft, airy sounds like F and Z, and sibilance refers to S sounds (like a snake). I recorded myself saying a couple of S-heavy tongue twisters.
As you can hear above, the sibilance performance was really impressive. There's no unsavory hissing whatsoever, and I was really trying to do my best imitation of an angry snake here. I would have no reservations about interviewing even the most serpentine of guests with this mic.
Ambient noise performance
As with the Wireless Micro, the Wireless Go Gen 3 doesn't really have an 'ambient noise reducer' like some of the best Shure microphones. It's got a high-pass filter, which basically blocks noises below a certain threshold (75Hz or 100Hz). For these clips, I used the 75Hz.
This is with the high-pass filter enabled.
You can still hear quite a decent amount of background noise. Sure, my voice is still audible, but this might require a few hours in post-production if you want it completely silent.
This is the same clip without the high-pass filter.
See, there's not much difference between the two clips. It's definitely because the Wireless Go Gen 3 doesn't have an ambient noise reducing technology like Shure's proprietary 'Denoiser' (which is excellent). It's just a high-pass filter, so better to use for wind and quiet interference.
In the future, I'd like to see Rode release an AI traffic/speech reducer, so post-production would be easier if recording in very loud environments. Still, it's not awful… just not mind-blowing.
The Wireless Go Gen 3 is a worthy upgrade from Gen 2. You get higher quality recordings, more onboard storage, a range of new features like GainAssist, a charging case, and live headphone monitoring.
On top of these extra features, the mic's recording quality is fantastic — of course it is, it's Rode. You'd expect it to be brilliant. My only qualm is that the high-pass filter isn't hugely adept at minimizing ambient noise. For a mic that's so often used as a street interviewing mic, I'd expect it to have much more advanced ambient noise reduction in future.
However, if you're a content creator looking to upgrade your professionalism, of course it has to be the Rode Wireless Go Gen 3. There's a reason this mic is everywhere in TikTok videos.
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- Tom's Guide
I tested this soundbar and subwoofer combo with Dolby Atmos — and I can't believe how affordable it is
It's so tricky to find a good soundbar under £500, let alone a soundbar and subwoofer combo. So the Sharp 5.1.2 Soundbar (HT-SBW55121) was like finding a diamond in the rough. It's just £449 and has a full Dolby Atmos setup, including support for DTS:X. Is this enough to make it one of the best soundbars? Well, just because something has a subwoofer doesn't guarantee that the subwoofer is particularly mind-blowing. In the Sharp 5.1.2 Soundbar's case, it's simply good enough. There were moments during testing when I'd amped up the bass to max and was still left a little disappointed. However, that doesn't negate the soundbar's areas of excellence. It performs phenomenally with dialogue and high-frequency sound effects, and the Dolby Atmos is truly immersive. I think, all things considered, this soundbar and subwoofer is a steal. I'll go through everything in this Sharp 5.1.2 HT-SBW55121 Soundbar review. This is a U.K. only soundbar. If you're in the U.S., I recommend the Polk Audio Signa S4 ($399). Price £449 (+£179 rear surround speakers) Connectivity eARC, HDMI, Optical, Bluetooth 5.3, aux in, USB playback Weight 12.3 kg Dimensions 126 x 7.6 x 12.4 cm Colors Black Subwoofer Yes Dolby Atmos Yes Channel 5.1.2 / 2.0.2 rear speakers The Sharp 5.1.2 Soundbar is only available in the U.K. and is purchasable from Amazon U.K. for £449. The soundbar is compatible with two rear surround speakers, which I used during testing. These speakers are £179 also from Amazon U.K.. I do not think these rear speakers are an essential addition, but they were nice for extra surround sound. All things considered, this is an incredibly affordable price for a soundbar of this quality. No, it doesn't have as many features as the Samsung or JBL similarly-priced offerings (the Samsung Q600C and JBL Bar 500), but it performs excellently for a £450 soundbar. The £499 Sonos Beam 2 has no subwoofer, so the Sharp setup has a one-up there. 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When the young girl is hammering on the locked door, I could feel the reverberations as if they were just next to me. The masked killer's breathing and dialogue were horrifyingly close, as if vibrating right in my eardrums. When Bond knocked out the attacker's glass eye, I felt it bounce off the road. During the car chase, when the church bells are ringing, I could hear the scene all around me. Then, when Bond and Madeline are being pummeled with bullets, I could feel the impact of the bullets in my chest. Finally, I watched 'Wicked' to test the musical performance. Again, the bass wasn't as powerful as I would've liked. It was still good, but just not mind-blowingly good. Even so, the vocal performance was excellent, and I never struggled with understanding dialogue. When Elphaba summons stones and throws them at other children, I heard the stones rising as if they came from behind me. For the most part, I was really impressed with this performance. 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5 days ago
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Adding a Hot Girl Walk to my working day with this foldable under-desk treadmill helped me hit my 10,000 steps with ease
I don't know about you, but my social media feeds are a constant stream of 'get your 10,000 steps,' 'go on a Hot Girl Walk,' or '12-3-30.' The pressure to get the steps in seems to be getting heavier, but admittedly, I always feel better for doing them. So, adding the WalkingPad Z1 has changed everything. Adding one of the best under-desk treadmills to my home office is something that has appealed to me for a while now, and since trying it, I'm not going back. Truthfully, I felt like the missing member of the Proclaimers testing this out for my Hot Girl Walk. Despite being on the affordable end of home treadmills, the WalkingPad's understated looks still fit in with any home office. When combined with the companion app, you can get digestible metrics to evaluate your walking. It is also incredibly comfortable to walk on with four-layer shock absorption. It does have its drawbacks, though. 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If you're ordering from the U.K., you can add expert assembly for an extra £56, but unfortunately, this isn't an option if you're ordering to America, so you'll have to do a little DIY. At this price point, the treadmill is at the lower end of the market, with the price of a decent pad ranging from anywhere between $200 to $1,600. The WalkingPad C2 ($499) is one of the best compact under-desk treadmills, and is foldable like the Z1, but more expensive. The WalkingPad Z1 has a very minimal design, which looks understated and sleek and would fit in with any home office setup or just in front of the television. In my opinion, one of the best-looking under-desk treadmills in the range is the WalkingPad A1 Pro ($699). It is, however, twice the price of the Z1. So, while the look of the Z1 is less premium, it may be a sacrifice worth making if on a budget. It's worth noting that you'll need one of the best standing desks to use the Z1 as your workstation, for obvious reasons, although you can simply use it as a normal treadmill away from your desk. The power cord included with the treadmill is around 2 meters long, so you need to be set up pretty close to a power outlet. But if you're using it at your desk as part of a home office, you're probably next to a power outlet anyway, so it should be fine. It also comes with a remote control that has a wrist strap. The WalkingPad Z1 is low profile and sits just 6.7cm off the floor. Because of the low profile, consider using the Z1 on a hard floor; if you need to use it on carpet, be wary of the pile and height. This is because the friction from the belt rotation can cause friction on the carpet. If that is a concern, you could look at the WalkingPad P1. It's pretty thin and folds in the middle, so it fits comfortably under my desk and doesn't encroach too much into the walkway behind. It's also easy to store, and the wheels mean that if you tip it, it is actually simple to transport. However, if you need to carry it up or down stairs, you'll need an extra pair of hands, since it's pretty heavy at 51 lbs. There is an electronic display at the top of the treadmill that gives the speed, distance, time and calories on rotation. I found this to be a great motivator to check how far I had walked, and it's not too distracting since it sits under the desk. There are two ways you can control the WalkingPad Z1: the app or the remote. Personally, I have qualms with both methods, but in short, I feel like a more advanced version of the remote is all that's needed here. When using the remote, you can only increase and decrease the speed in increments of 0.5km/h. This was slightly annoying, as my ideal walking speed needed to be between 3.0km/h and 3.5km/h — I really felt like Goldilocks. And yes, that's all you really need the remote to do. However, with the KS Fit app, you have much more control over the pad, and I'd have liked to see some of that functionality make it to the remote. In the app, I was able to alter the speed in increments of 0.1km/h and settled on a speed of 3.3km/h, so I could walk and work with ease. In the app, you also see a whole host of metrics, including steps, calories burned, time elapsed, distance travelled, current speed, current pace, average speed, average pace, stride rate, average cadence and average steps. You can also set targets for these metrics. There's also a leaderboard section in the app to compare your stats with other app users, which is pretty great for motivation if you need it. The app can also keep your phone awake to act as a display for the treadmill, and you can switch the data displayed in the app while you walk. I genuinely enjoyed using the WalkingPad Z1. Not only was it easy to set up and use, but it also offered digestible metrics and got me active during my sedentary job. It's very responsive to inputs, and there is no lag when changing speed using the remote control or the app. It can also increase to a speed of 3.7mph/6km/h, so you can jog on it, but this felt a little unstable as I'm used to running on larger treadmills with handles. It doesn't mean you can't run on it, I just prefer the extra stability. The Z1 has four-layer shock absorption, and this had a positive effect after walking 5km. As someone with an old knee injury (yes, I would've made it into the big leagues otherwise), I often experience discomfort on other treadmills or outdoors at these distances. Not so with the Z1. The WalkingPad Z1 has a brushless motor, so it's supposed to be pretty quiet. However, to my ear, it made the same amount of noise as the treadmills I've used at the gym. It gave an average reading of 57.3dB, while the product description said below 45dB. I would certainly recommend the WalkingPad Z1 under-desk treadmill to anyone looking to increase their daily steps. As someone who works an office job, it's been an ideal addition to my work set-up — now I can squeeze in a quick walk and hit my 10,000 steps with ease when working from home. The Z1's foldable design makes it easy to store. It also looks good and is affordable, unlike WalkingPad's pricier models, including the A1 Pro. My only major issue is with the remote. While the app is great for providing digestible metrics from the data the treadmill collects, a more detailed remote control could have negated the need for an app altogether. Nevertheless, this pad is sure to help you hit your steps. If you want to walk 500 miles in your working week (and then 500 more), the WalkingPad Z1 is the way to do it.
Tom's Guide
5 days ago
- Tom's Guide
Rode AI-1 review
The Rode AI-1 is one of the best beginner-friendly audio interfaces out there, hands down. The AI-1 is so easy to use straight out of the box and has a foolproof design. While there's only one XLR input, this is a compact audio interface designed for podcasters and home musicians, so this should be all you need to get up and running. There are also two ¼' speaker outputs and a ¼' headphone input for live monitoring. Everything simply works as it's intended to. There's a reason the AI-1 is so well-respected in the audio world. I can't lie, though, I do wish it had just one more input for more versatility. That said, the AI-1 is only $129, so it could be a worthy toss-up. I'll discuss everything in detail in this Rode AI-1 review. Price $129 / £129 Analog inputs 1 x Neutrik XLR-¼' combo Analog outputs 2 x ¼' speaker outputs / 1 x ¼' headphone output Power USB-C plug-and-play Gain range 60dB Bit depth 24-bit Preamp Yes Weight 1.2 pounds Dimensions 3.5 x 4.9 x 1.5 inches Colors Black App Rode Central The Rode AI-1 is a beginner-friendly audio interface, and that's reflected in the price. The AI-1 will set you back $129 from Amazon U.S. and £129 from Amazon U.K., which is $300 cheaper than Rode's second-cheapest audio interface, the $489 Rodecaster Duo. However, if you're looking to save as much $$$ as possible, you might want to consider the even cheaper $79 Rode AI Micro. It's not the most versatile of devices with its single input, so I'd only recommend it for those recording single tracks at a time — if you have multiple podcast guests or want to record multiple mic layers at once, you might want to check out the aforementioned Rodecaster Duo. The AI-1 looks very simple — because it is. But simple doesn't mean boring. As with other Rode gear I've tested, the AI-1 is weighty and premium. The body is just 5 inches wide and 3 ½ inches deep, which meant it fit perfectly beside my MacBook Pro during testing. The compact size means the AI-1 will be at home in even the smallest bedroom studios. On the front of the interface is the XLR input, headphone (¼', not a 3.5mm) output, and two gain dials. There's a tiny LED that glows red or orange if your levels are too high during recording, which I thought was a great way to warn me about clipping while live. These dials are smooth and feel lovely to turn; they're sturdy and well-made, and aren't flimsy in the slightest. I had no issues jumping between the two quickly. On the reverse, you'll find the USB-C power and two ¼' headphone outputs. As the AI-1 is a plug-and-play interface, it must be plugged into your computer or laptop. It has no internal power supply. I find this to be more of a help than a hindrance, as it means the AI-1 is portable and versatile. As you might expect, the Rode AI-1 performs like a high-quality, high-caliber product. I've yet to be disappointed by Rode. On top of being an audio interface, it can also be used as a headphone amp, although audiophiles are better off looking for a dedicated device. If you have a high-quality mic, like the Rode PodMic ($150) or the Shure SM4 ($199), this is a sure-fire way to achieve near professional recording quality. Thanks to the 24-bit depth, the AI-1 provides a high-resolution sound. I didn't have these available to me during testing, so I used a $40 Behringer. Remember, if you want professional recording quality, you'll need one of the two mics I mentioned above. The Behringer mic I used was just to test the Rode AI-1, not to test mic quality. The AI-1 doesn't do anything except act as a connection between an analog device and a computer. It has a high-quality DAC, for high-quality sound. It's a straightforward, no-frills product, with straightforward, no-frills performance. If you already have one of the best microphones like the Shure MV7+, Shure MV6, or the Shure MV7i (which is actually a microphone and audio interface in one, and is one of the best microphones I've ever used), you won't need the Rode AI-1. This is an audio interface designed for analog instruments and mics. If you've used the iconic Focusrite Scarlet 2i2, the AI-1 is basically a more compact version of that. If you need 2 channels, the Focusrite is your best choice, but if you need the one, then I'd save $100 and get the AI-1. While there's little room for improvement, there's also very little room for error. The Rode AI-1 simply works. It connects up analog instruments, XLR mics, and allows clean, high-resolution recordings directly into your computer. As I've said earlier, there's very little room for error in the same way there's very little room for improvement. The Rode AI-1 knows what it is and does its one job well. Considering the AI-1 only has one XLR input, it's a little restricted in what it can and cannot do, but if you need one channel, it's probably the best compact audio interface you can get. If you want an audio interface and a mic in one, I'd check out the Shure MV7i I mentioned above. However, if you want the simplest and most straightforward option on the market, then there's nothing like the Rode AI-1.
