The Drift Ghost XL Pro is a replacement action camera for my GoPro Hero 5, which I sold some time ago due to its poor battery life of less than an hour. Before buying the XL Pro, I researched action cams extensively and ended up buying this one because of its seven-hour battery life and streamlined shape for helmet use.
I also bought a Drift external microphone with the camera, which is when the problems started.
Action Cam Microphones
Ever since having to buy a bulky, proprietary USB-C microphone adaptor for the GoPro Hero 5, microphones have always been the weak spot in my action cam experience.
Not only did I have to attach all this bulk to my helmet, but I also needed a TRS to TRRS adaptor and a boom to attach the mic to, so in the end, I resembled an astronaut when riding my bike around town. I also had a Cardo communicator on the other side of my helmet, which added to the fun. This GoPro arrangement worked well for a few years, but the battery life became a real nuisance, which is when I decided to change.
The Drift External Microphone Is Total Crap!
The adaptor (left), which came with the XL pro, screws into the camera and has a rubber washer to make it waterproof, and as soon as I opened the bag containing the $20 external mic, I knew it was rubbish. It’s no different from a cheap $5 mic that you can pick up in any bazaar or street market. Anyway, at slow speeds the microphone worked as it should, but in anything over around 30mph, all I could hear in the videos was the screeching of wind noise. Eventually, the microphone produced loud crackling noises and then packed up altogether. I know this because the tiny microphone icon wasn’t appearing in the minuscule rear screen.
I then tried several mics I had left over from other projects, but none of them worked, so out of frustration, I tossed the camera to one side and got on with other, more important matters, like fixing PCs. Then, just a couple of weeks ago, I spotted a Facebook post in an action cam group about this very problem, which spurred me on to find a replacement microphone. I scoured the area and eventually found a lapel mic with a TRS 3.5 jack in a local electronics shop, and on testing it with the helpful fellow who was serving me, to my delight, the microphone icon appeared on the camera screen. It was clear that the new mic was of superior quality to the crappy Drift one, so I bought two.
When I road-tested the new mic, there was very little wind noise, and my voice was loud and clear. This was later improved upon even more when I fitted everything to my new helmet, a Caberg Horus, which replaces the LS2 Strobe and is a much tighter fit, more aerodynamic, and quieter on the road.
There is still a little wind noise, so I then bought a dead cat, which is not what you think, but an effective wind muffler, which I’ll be experimenting with in the coming days.
I’m also grateful that the screw-in mic adaptor still works because they are impossible to acquire. However, I have spotted some on Ali Express, so I may get a couple as backup.
I hope to follow up this article with more of my experiences with the Drift XL Pro, which produces excellent videos and has an incredible battery life.
Here’s a video that explains the fun I had with microphones and the Drift XL Pro:
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