Using Rode VideoMic Me with Osmo Pocket

If, like me, you are a creator of minimalist video content, you have probably opted for one of those many sports cameras or an Osmo Pocket.

If Osmo Pocket’s internal microphone is acceptable, you may need an external microphone to get good, professional-quality sound. All links are from Amazon because that’s where I bought my gear.

I’ve read many reviews online, and everyone is going for the Rode VideoMicro model (95$, Amazon link). I tested this model because my sister has one. It’s compatible with Osmo Pocket, has all the mounts you need, but I find that its microphone stand is a bit big and its cable too long.

Since I do podcasting and some voice-over, I need a model that’s easy to use with my smartphone without having to drag a ton of cables. My choice went to Rode VideoMic Me (59$, Amazon link), which I find much lighter and more versatile.

If you don’t have a microphone at the moment and don’t need to record anything via smartphone, the best microphone for Osmo Pocket is still Rode VideoMicro (58€, Amazon link).

However, if you already have the Rode VideoMic Me (50€, Amazon link) and you wonder if it’s compatible with Osmo Pocket, the answer is YES! This microphone is compatible with Osmo Pocket, as long as you buy two small complementary accessories.

Rode VideoMic Me: what is it?

Let’s first talk about this Rode VideoMic Me microphone, a unidirectional microphone of excellent quality. Unidirectional means that it records sound where the microphone is pointed, in a heart-like perimeter, instead of recording sounds from all directions equally (360°C).

This model is basically designed for smartphones (hence its small size). It is composed of 3 parts

an extra anti-wind/anti-breathing/anti-noise fluffy thing (recommended but not mandatory): called deadcat
the main microphone (with 3.5mm jack or lightning jack, depending on the model): I recommend the version with a 3.5mm jack
a piece of silicone to keep the microphone in place when plugged into the smartphone (not necessary when used with an Osmo Pocket)

It has an output for headphones. So if you do live stream or make calls on your smartphone, for example, you can talk (producing a good sound) and listen to your voice + what others say.

I use the Dictaphone app to record my videos’ voice-over on my iPhone, and I am delighted with the sound quality.

The jack used is 3.5mm TRRS. However, DJI does everything so that we can’t use a banal USB-C – 3,5mm TRRS adapter to sell us many accessories.

1st accessory: 3.5mm adapter

There are two places where you can connect something to Osmo Pocket. It’s the part in the middle and the USB-C output underneath. Many brave people have tested the middle part, but it’s not made to connect a microphone, so what we want is to connect a microphone to the USB-C output underneath Osmo Pocket.

Several smart guys have tried to connect a USB-C compatible microphone directly but failed.

Because Osmo Pocket absolutely requires a special USB-C – 3.5 mm adapter, Osmo Pocket compatible.

This leaves us two choices:

buy a USB-C – 3.5 mm DJI branded adapter for 35€, Amazon link, DJI link
buy a USB-C adapter – 3,5 mm without a brand name but produced by a DJI provider for 23€, Amazon link

I opted for the cheaper version without the DJI logo, and it works very well (23€, Amazon link).
Be very careful because not all adapters are compatible, and most importantly, you need an extra adapter for it to work.

2nd accessory: TRS/TRRS adapter

The second problem is that the DJI adapter only offers a 3.5mm TRS output! Now, as we said earlier, my microphone is 3.5mm TRRS. So I also need a very small TRS to TRRS adapter. Luckily, Rode offers it for 8.99€ Amazon link

I propose you listen to the Rode VideoMic Me mic’s sound vs. the sound recorded by the Osmo Pocket internal mic. Quality has nothing to do with it! Beware, you will hear some noise because I tap and blow on my microphone to be sure that it is the mic’s recording. The stereo sound comes from a video filmed by Osmo Pocket, but as I’m filming a table only to make a test, I thought it would be better to upload only the sound.

Now, to film discreetly but still guarantee me good sound, I can walk around with the microphone plugged in this way.

Optional accessories

Well, I know that walking around with a microphone like that, the microphone not being attached to anything, scandalizes you. You’re ready to throw stones at me. But! I also thought about the accessories to fix this microphone. You will need 2 additional accessories.

1.A cold shoe mount

I highly recommend this cold shoe (8,9€ Amazon link) because it allows you to fix a microphone or a flash and hang Osmo Pocket on a selfie stick, tripod, or other mounts.

2.A microphone stand

Then you need to buy a hot shoe microphone mount (to be plugged with the cold shoe mount previously) 7,49€ Amazon link

So I chose support reserved for another Boa mic, so it’s a bit too wide for my Rode mic (so the mic slides a bit on the red support). However, if it’s an indoor use, the microphone shouldn’t move. The DIY system works great. And this allows me to go with a much smaller microphone stand than the original Rode.

If you prefer Rode’s original version for more stability, you can buy it here but be careful it will be bigger.
You can point the microphone at yourself or others, with or without the deadcat ~~fluffy anti-wind thing~~, without having it in the camera’s field of view.