Using the On-Board Recording Function

Each of the Wireless GO II’s transmitters has an on-board recording function, with internal memory capable of storing over 40 hours of compressed audio or seven hours of uncompressed audio.

This feature needs to be activated in RØDE Central via the ‘Record’ setting. When activated, a red 'REC' recording icon will appear above the channel that the transmitter is connected to on the receiver.

Configuring the Recording Mode

There are four different on-board recording modes to choose from. These can be selected via RØDE Central:

'Always' recording mode: When this mode is activated, the transmitter will start recording audio as soon as it is switched on. It will continue recording until it is switched off, regardless of whether it is connected to the receiver. This means that you will have a continuous recording from the moment the transmitter is switched on, making this mode suitable for using the Wireless GO II as a standalone field recorder. Note that in this mode, the ‘mute’ function will not affect the on-board recording (although it will still mute the wireless transmission). When this is activated, audio can only be recorded in uncompressed format (see below for more info on this).

'Backup' recording mode: When this mode is activated, the transmitter will start recording audio when it connects to the receiver. When the receiver is switched off, the recording will stop. This means that if the signal drops out at any time or if you forget to hit record on your device, you will still have a backup recording for the period that the wireless connection was active.

‘Button’ mode: When this mode is activated, you can manually start and stop your recording by pressing the ‘Ø Button’ on your transmitter. When triggering a recording using the button, the transmitter’s LEDs will cycle from dim > medium > strong and then flash every 5 seconds while recording. Stopping recording will cycle the LEDs from strong > medium > dim. Each time you end a recording, a new recording will be made when you next click the button. To activate this mode, configure the ‘Ø Button’ setting for your transmitter to ‘Record’ – this automatically enables ‘Button’ mode recording. When this is activated, audio can only be recorded in uncompressed format (see below for more info on this).

'Off': Switching off the recording function means the transmitter will not record any audio internally. Existing recordings will remain on the unit until manually deleted using RØDE Central.

Accessing, Optimising and Exporting Your Recordings

RØDE Central allows you to access, listen back to, optimise and export all internal recordings from within the software (desktop version only).

To access your recordings, open RØDE Central, plug in your transmitter(s) and select one from the list of devices. Your recordings will be listed chronologically in the left-hand column from newest to oldest, with the recording time, date, length, and file type displayed.

Click on a recording to get started. A waveform will be displayed with real-time and elapsed recording time on the horizontal axis. This allows you to scrub to the desired time easily. You will also find zoom in/out buttons to adjust your view of the waveform.

There is also a mini-nav bar above the master waveform, which shows all the waveform data as well as any dropouts and user markers in the file (see below for more information on markers). This allows you to quickly jump to a region rather than having to scrub through the whole file, which is particularly handy for longer recordings.

Direct WAV Export

If you record in ‘Uncompressed’ mode, you can also access your recordings as WAV files when you’ve connected your Wireless GO II transmitter to your computer, just as you would any other mass storage device or hard drive. The transmitter will show up as a drive on your computer when plugged in via USB – here, you can copy your recordings across to your computer if you need to quickly offload them.

Importing Files

When a Wireless GO II transmitter is plugged into a computer, you can access the on-board files as you would any other external storage device (such as a hard drive). If you recorded in uncompressed quality, you can simply copy the WAV files to your computer, however if you recorded in compressed quality, the files will be in a different format (UGG) and won’t be playable until they’re exported via RØDE Central. However, if you want to quickly offload your files, you can copy them onto your computer and import them into RØDE Central at a later stage in order to manage, select and export your audio into the format you wish, without the transmitter connected.

To do so, create a new folder on your computer and select both the EGG and UGG/WAV files corresponding to the recording(s) you wish to import later, copying them from your transmitter to your new folder. For instance, copy both “PEA00008.EGG” and “REC00008.UGG” if you wish to import “REC0008” later on.

To import these files, open RØDE Central (desktop), click the settings cog in the top right corner, click the ‘Local Recordings’ dropdown and select the folder that contains your EGG and UGG/WAV files. You’ll see a ‘Local Recordings’ device show up on the left, and clicking on this allows you to manage, trim and export any recordings in the same way you would if it was a transmitter.

Naming Recordings

You can rename your recordings in RØDE Central. Simply double-click a recording title to rename it and press ‘Enter’/’Return’ to confirm. This file name will be retained after being exported, making them easier to manage. This also provides a clear indication of which recordings are new each time you connect a transmitter (as these will be unnamed).

Compressed and Uncompressed Audio

When using the on-board recording function, RØDE Central gives you the option to configure the format of the audio file. Note that the ‘Always' and ‘Button’ recording modes will record in the uncompressed file format to ensure you have the highest quality audio available.

Compressed recording: In this mode, the Wireless GO II transmitter records audio in a compressed format. Each transmitter can store over 40 hours of compressed audio. Note this is higher than the 24+ hours stated when the Wireless GO II was launched – our engineers have been able to optimise the storage capability through firmware updates (ensure you have the latest firmware version installed via RØDE Central). This setting is only available when ‘Backup Recording' mode is selected.

Uncompressed recording: In this mode, the Wireless GO II transmitter unit records in uncompressed WAV format, and currently utilises a 48KHz, 24-bit audio stream. In this mode, the unit can store around seven hours of audio. This is the only mode available when using the ‘Always' and ‘Button’ recording modes. If you record in this format, your audio files are accessible as WAV files when plugging your transmitter into a computer, just as you would use any other USB drive or hard drive.

Safety Channel

RØDE Central allows you to activate the Wireless GO II’s safety channel. This is a handy feature that is also found on the VideoMic NTG and VideoMic Pro+.

The safety channel can only be activated in 'Merged' recording mode (when the transmitter channels are being combined into a single summed output). These recordings contain two channels of identical audio. However, enabling the safety channel will reduce the volume of one channel by 20dB.

This is a lifesaver in recording situations where your sound source suddenly gets louder and overloads the input of your recording device, causing distortion. This cannot be fixed in post-production and can effectively ruin your recording. Having a second channel recorded at 20dB lower than the main channel – and thus most likely not loud enough to cause distortion – means you will always have a safe backup of your audio.

To find out how to access the safety channel audio, check out this blog post on 'How To Record Two Microphones Into Your Camera', as many of the same principles can be applied.

Fine Gain Control

RØDE Central gives you access to an additional fine gain control. Activating this on the Wireless GO II receiver will expand the three-stage pad to a 10-stage pad, going from 0dB to –30dB in 3dB increments. This allows you to precisely tailor your Wireless GO II’s output to your recording device. It also gives you access to an extra 6dB of gain reduction, which is handy if you have a particularly sensitive recording device.

Camera Presets

RØDE Central features a large number of presets based on popular cameras. These presets automatically set the gain levels of your Wireless GO II to best match the audio levels and settings of the camera you’re using it with, and we’ve also created guides to help you set up the audio settings on your camera.

To access these presets, connect your Wireless GO II receiver to your computer and open RØDE Central (desktop). Click ‘Gain Mode’ to cycle through the options until ‘Camera’ is selected. Now you can click ‘Preset’, click the ‘+’ button, and select the manufacturer and model of camera you’re using.

On the next screen, you’ll find a link to a guide on setting up your camera’s audio settings. Once you’ve followed these instructions, click ‘Add’ to load the preset onto your Wireless GO II. Repeat the process to add other presets for any other cameras you’ll be using with your Wireless GO II.

Selecting a Preset on Your Receiver

With your camera presets loaded onto your Wireless GO II, you can cycle through them all by pressing the gain control/mute button on your receiver.

Along with any camera and custom presets you’ve loaded, there will also be a 'WIGO2' option that acts as a default preset. The gain level of this preset can be adjusted within the RØDE Central desktop app by clicking the three dots next to ‘WIGO2’ in the preset list.

You can toggle between camera preset mode, coarse gain mode and fine gain mode in both RØDE Central mobile and desktop apps, so if you’re on the go and want granular control over your Wireless GO II gain level, simply plug the receiver into your phone and use the RØDE Central mobile app to toggle gain modes.

Low Sensitivity Mode

Sometimes it may be necessary to reduce the sensitivity of the Wireless GO II's in-built microphone or external microphone, so we have included the option to activate a pad for the input of the transmitters.

To activate the pad, simply toggle the 'Pad' button in RØDE Central. You can also activate the pad from the receiver by selecting the transmitter using the pair button (‘∞‘), followed by a long press on the ‘dB’ button.

A short press will activate the mute function, so take care to hold the button until the pad symbol appears on the receiver display.

This feature is particularly useful when using the transmitter with the Interview GO handheld adapter, where it may be used very close to the mouth. The pad function also affects the 3.5mm microphone input if you are using an external lavalier.

LED Brightness

You can reduce the brightness of the LEDs on the transmitter via RØDE Central. Connect the transmitter to your computer and open RØDE Central. Select the transmitter, click the settings cog and toggle the ‘LEDs’ button to switch between 'Bright' and 'Dim' mode.

Transmitter Power (Ø) Button Mode

You can change the function controlled with a short press on the power (‘Ø’) button on the transmitter via RØDE Central. There are four options available: 'Mute', 'Marker', ‘Record’ or 'None'.

In ‘Mute’ mode, a short press of the button will mute the microphone, and another short press will unmute it. The mute status is displayed on the receiver screen (note that the mute function has no effect on the on-board recording when in ‘Always' recording mode).

In ‘Marker’ mode, a short press on the button will drop a marker into the internal recording, which is useful if you need to locate a specific section of audio in post-production.

In ‘Record’ mode, tapping on the transmitter’s Ø button will begin the on-board recording, and another press will end the recording (you’ll also need to select 'Button Mode' from the 'Record' setting to enable this function).

'None' mode deactivates the button.