Zoom F2-BT

I’m planning to launch my moto vlog channel in the new year, so it’s essential that my equipment is up to the task. It needs to be reliable, easy to use, and compact enough to carry on the bike without any hassle.

I’ve tried a few methods to record my voice while riding, but none of them have worked out for me. I’ve been really unhappy with the sound quality.

I've tried to find a small and easy to use setup. I’ve tried mounting a DJI Mic 2 inside my helmet and using the integrated Bluetooth audio system in my helmet, but neither setup gave me the results I wanted. I considered using my GoPro Hero 10 with the Media Mod and connecting a lavalier mic, as I know many moto vloggers have used this setup. However, I’ve since switched to the DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro and don’t really want to go back to the GoPro.

The way we'd record audio in the studio would be to use a field recorder and a lavalier mic so I thought I should give this a try. The smallest I have is an old Zoom H1 that I could try, but then I decided to look for something more modern - something with a better form factor and 32-bit float recording for improved audio quality as I don't think I'll get good results with the H1.

This was a project I’d planned to explore in the new year, but then I was watching another YouTube video by usernamekate on my TV connected to my Sonos system. Her audio sounded fantastic, and I noticed she was using a lavalier microphone with a windscreen. She also wasn’t using the GoPro Media Mod setup anymore, so I reached out to her on Instagram to ask about her current setup.

She got back to me and explained that she’s using a Zoom F2-BT paired with a Sennheiser MKE 2 lavalier microphone. Thanks again, Kate!

Kate really knows what she's doing so I decided to get myself the same recorder and see how it works out. The Zoom F2-BT, with its 32-bit float recording capability, comes with a basic lavalier mic. However, I already have a Sennheiser ME 2 - not quite as good as the MKE 2 that Kate uses, but still better than the included mic. We also have some Sanken COS-11D lavalier mics in the studio, though I can’t use those full-time on the bike.

If the ME 2 doesn’t perform well, I’ll experiment with what we have and see how it goes. Depending on the results, I might invest in the MKE 2, especially if I find that the ME 2 falls short and I get promising results using the COS-11D.