I have been a huge fan of the DJI Mic 2 for a variety of reasons. 32bit float, recording onto the transmitter as a back-up, ability to add a lavalier mic.

And you will see that infamous fuzzy cat on top of the mics in many many vids.  Like all gear, the right tool for the right situation.

To be honest, on my last coverage of a few art fairs, the ubiquitous mic, was starting to annoy me. And when I wanted to get some audio from those being interviewed, it became a real eye catcher, in the wrong way. Don’t need the logos

As I sometimes struggle with getting a high quality compact system of doing interviews and overviews, the gear has been changing, and evolving.

I recently picked up the Hollyland Lark M2S system, with the most discreet Bluetooth mic system.

This compact system had the right elements: the kit has a USB-C receiver to plug into the phone, or Osmo Pocket 3, and you get a receiver for your camera as well complete with all the needed cables.

To be clear, when speed is the mandate, this tiny mic system is perfect. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of their other mics, but it is the right tool for the job.

Plus, when putting out time sensitive content that honestly has a certain short shelf life, recording on the phone , editing in CapCut, and posting, this is a tool that fits my needs.

In a previous post, I wrote about recording Pro Res Raw on the iPhone, and this set-up works great for that as well.

You still need an external SSD to capture those large files, and here is the rig I came up with:

Planck 2 TB SSD

Planck Creator hub

Ulanzi magsafe with a ¼-20 7 Cold Shoe

BlackMagic Camera App

And of course, the Hollyland Lark M2S

As you can see, the whole rig can be built, sit in your bag, and be ready to go in an instant

The pairing on the Lark M2S is immediate and visually cues you to the connection.

Blue is ready, and green means it’s live.

The reason all these parts were chosen was the design of each element, and the way it all integrated.

Fast, small, and quality.

Now, one part that is still to be worked out is a battery to keep the phone charged.

I do have one from a Anker that is slim enough to fit in the spring-loaded part of the Ulanzi and can plug into the Planck hub. looking for a battery that can fit on the magsafe mount.

All in all, very happy with this rig.

Check out the video and let me know what you think!

And here is a video using the Lark MS2 in a real world situation.