Sony has offered a number of hotshoe microphones over the years. Today we’re looking at the Sony ECM-B1M digital on-camera microphone. This unit isn’t only small in size but offers 8 high-performance mic capsules and onboard signal processing with the ability to operate without connecting extra cables to the camera.
Concept
Sony’s digital mics, as a concept, are a worthwhile competitor to the various on-camera mics on the market. The main selling point is eliminating the audio cable. This not only makes for a neater setup but also avoids bringing (or forgetting to bring) extra pieces of gear.
The standard auxiliary cable may cause a problem with audio recording when faulty or not properly connected. A Sony digital mic connects automatically when the camera is powered on, so there is no worry about plugging in the cable.
Another important feature of a Sony digital microphone is powering it through the hotshoe without the need for a battery. Of course, there are some really small on-camera mics available, but they are not powered, and the audio quality is only a bit better than the camera’s built-in mic.
The ECM-B1M is a lot more portable than other powered mics, and also offers digital processing for clear audio while eliminating possible mistakes like a discharged battery or a faulty audio cable.
In the box
Sony ships the unit in a padded carrying pouch and includes a windsock for outdoor recording.
Design and build
The ECM-B1M measures 9cm x 7cm x 2.5cm. It’s very light and comes in a plastic enclosure. The mic’s audio capture capsules are placed on the top of the unit.
On the bottom, the microphone features a shock mount. To minimize the unit’s size, this mount is very minimal. During abnormally harsh camera moves, this mount will not eliminate handling noise.
On the back of the unit, there are switches to control audio reception direction, attenuation, and digital filters. There is also a toggle between digital audio for newer camera models (A7rIV, A1, A7IV, A7rV), and analog audio for older A7 series cameras (also a6300, a6400, a6500, a6600.)
When automatic audio leveling is turned off, the wheel allows controlling the levels manually.
8 audio capsules on the top
Functions
The ECM-B1M is an on-camera microphone by design. Since it is powered by the hot shoe, it’s not meant to be used on a boom or a stand. This may be a limitation when compared with a regular on-camera microphone since you can run a longer auxiliary cable.
Sony does sell a multi-interface shoe extension, but that cable isn’t very long and is kind of pricey.
When connected to the camera hotshoe, the microphone powers on automatically. There is no indicator on the microphone, though, which is a shame.
The camera screen doesn’t show mic connection either. The only way you can tell that the mic is connected is that you cannot change audio levels through the camera.
Adding this little feature would really give this digital mic an advantage. With regular on-camera mics that is one of the biggest problems – you never know if the camera is recording through the right microphone.
Another major feature made available by Sony’s digital mics is audio recording direction. There are three settings available. Superdirectional will pick up audio only in front of the microphone and eliminate any audio from the sides and the back of the mic.
The setting in the middle is unidirectional. This mode picks up audio within 180 degrees in front of the microphone.
Omnidirectional is used in scenarios like an interview, where audio from behind the microphone is also recorded.
Controls on the back of the unit
In use
In testing this mic we found the audio quality to be pleasant with plenty of bass and good leveling in auto mode. In situations where sudden changes in audio are expected, Sony offers attenuation up to 20dB.
During normal street recording, 10dB is probably enough to make sure your recording doesn’t peak. For studio use, you can leave this setting on 0dB.
Sony included digital signal processing in this microphone that converts analog sound to suppress noises. There are two filters available on the ECM-B1M. Noise cancellation is used for street recording, where Sony’s algorithms recognize speech and filter out other noises. Hear a demo of the filter in action in our video above.
The low-cut filter is best used in a setting where there is room noise, like air conditioning or some constant sound. (again, you can hear a demo of the filter in action in the video).
Another important feature of any on-camera microphone is handling noise. The simplified shock mount on this unit is one of the only weak areas. There is actually considerable handling noise, but the noise cancellation filter does a pretty good job of cleaning it up.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Sony’s ECM-B1M microphone is a quality product that is very portable and seamless in connecting. It offers clear audio with variable settings for a variety of shooting scenarios.
The only thing we could ask for is a better shock mount and a power indicator. If it could also function as a tally light, that would make this smart microphone a part of an ecosystem that could possibly grow and include other functions as well.
No battery, no cable
Pricing
As for pricing the ECM-B1M sells for $350.
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