I received an iSolo Choice wireless microphone system from Cloud Vocal, a company in Taiwan, specializing in instrument mics. I’ve been using it on several gigs this year and have found it to be a surprisingly good wireless saxophone mic.
Watch my video unboxing and review below.
What Comes In The Package
You get the wireless mic, and the receiver as well as all the cables necessary. There are also a few foam wind shields that work okay, but I have heard wind noise come through a few times (the wind was blowing quite hard to be fair).
The mic itself has a rechargeable battery that plugs into a mini USB cable. I find this to be very convenient. The battery life seems to be quite good. On a full charge I have played gigs with three 45 minute sets no problem. I haven’t had to do anything longer recently and rarely would anyway.
The main receiver’s power cable is also USB so you can plug it into any standard USB charger. Again this is super convenient.
Range
I’ve tested the range on it and with the receiver set to “close” I’ve been able to go more than 10 meters away and still get a perfectly clear signal. It also has a far mode which will allow you to go even further away but with a loss in audio quality.
Sound
I have noticed that the mic needs a bit of EQing to get a satisfactory sound when playing through a large PA system. I recommend cutting some mid frequencies.
I’ve used the on-board hall reverb effect on every gig and it sounds good. I love having all the knobs for effects and EQ at my fingertips. Once you dial in your settings, they will be all set every time you plug it in.
The Good
- Nice case, small package
- Clip is sturdy, simple to use
- Nice selection of effects although I have only used the hall reverb on stage so far.
- Input for music player that can be used for backing tracks
- No interference encountered to date
- No feedback issues to date (I have played several concerts with this already)
The Bad
- Very short cables included (I found this not to be a problem in live situations since the unit can usually be placed very close to where it is being plugged in.)
- When playing through larger PAs I found that we had to cut a lot of mid frequencies to get a natural saxophone sound.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the iSolo Choice wireless mic system by Cloud Vocal is a great compact solution for any type of amplified sax performance.
The best part is how quick and easy it is to set up and how little room it takes up in your bag. I think this is an ideal mic for any sax player who works with DJs. You’ve got great wireless signal, no feedback issues and quick setup.
If you’d like to pick one of these up, you can get an additional 5% discount and free shipping by ordering directly from the Cloud Vocal site using this link.
Enter the coupon code BETTERSAX2020.
If you’ve got an iSolo Choice mic already, leave a comment below and let us know your experience with it. If you have any questions about it, leave a comment and I’ll get back to you.
Interested in more microphone reviews? Check out “Easy Recording Setup & Tricks for Saxophone.”
Also be sure to follow BetterSax on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube to stay up to date with us for news, giveaways, and other saxophone tips and tricks.
21 thoughts on “iSolo Choice Wireless Microphone – A Great Compact Solution for Sax Players”
Dear Jay
I do not know your system (maybe it’s very new) but as a sound engineer, working gig every weekend and tried almost every mic out there, I still think the best is the Sennheiser EW100 G4 system. Extremely reliable, sound incredible accurate and player can go out to get a coffee at Starbuck and I will still have a good signal.
Wireless sound can be extremely tricky, especially if you use Bluetooth system (do yourself a favor and never, ever use a Bluetooth microphone on a paid gig).
But I will dig on this system. 😉
Thanks for the input. I have no doubt that the Sennheiser system may deliver better quality audio and an interference free signal. What’s nice about this setup is that there is no preamp on your belt and no wire connected to the mic at all. The whole thing is a very small package, so for gigs where there is no engineer and a sax player wants to just plug something in that can fit in their sax case, this is a great solution.
Dear jay
i just got a new saxophone which i have been longing to start playing and dont know how and where to start
from, please i really need a teacher can you help me and if yes where do i start from, i need help.
I have just begun a new free course on YouTube for beginners. Visit the Bettersax Youtube channel for lots of free lessons. When you’re ready for the next level, I recommend starting with the Pentatonic Foundation Course.
Thanks for the thorough review, Jay!
I’m a beginner/intermediate tenor player currently living in a Parisian apartment, deathly afraid to bother my neighbours when pushing myself with new material or late at night, and unable to afford places to practice other than the metro & under bridges (which only really works outside of the colder/rainier months here).
Would you be willing to review and/or share your insights on saxophone mutes such as but not limited to the Best Brass E-Sax Mute (Japan), Sax Partner VTS-II (China), and the Saxmute One (Russia) please?
Thanks in advance and thank you for all of your content here & on YouTube!
Davide,
I would like to do a review of these things on YouTube one day. I can tell you that I used to own the E-sax mute. I bought it from sax.co.uk several years ago. It works and you can practice with it. The sound would be equivalent to having the television on at normal volume so no problem for neighbors. It’s not an ideal way to practice, but it is better than nothing.
Thanks for the quick response, Jay.
That seems to be the general consensus on all three mutes from what little information is out there…You wouldn’t happen to know anyone wanting to resell theirs secondhand by any chance? ^_^
Hi, I am the dad of a young alto sax player. Love your video’s they are really insightful and well put together. My lad is looking at doing some street performance. We are going to get a Street Cube amp. Was considering the cloud local wireless mic (albeit a bit $$$) that you reviewed, anything cheaper you would consider? Also wondering if we would need to purchase an interface as well or if with the mic and the amp that is all you need. Cheers mate.
You won’t need any other gear besides the mic, its receiver and the amp but you will need a power source for the mic receiver that normally plugs into a power outlet. There are cheaper alternatives out there, and I get asked to review them all the time. Perhaps I should but I hesitate to work with lower quality devices.
Jay, If you are trying out a “Clip-on” mic, why are you standing and holding the sax up to a mic that is on a mic stand? is that mic on? What are we hearing?
I did that so I had a point of reference to compare to. The audio in the video is from the isolo mic.
Like a few others have asked on the YouTube clip, for us brand newbies can you show us exactly how you use this thing as far as recording yourself playing and live performances please? Also what kind of amp or speaker set up to use and if there are battery or rechargeable options. I travel a lot in a small caravan but would love to be able to record outdoors in the wild somehow. Is this at all possible with this mic?
Thanks, and thanks for the lessons too I’m enjoying learning again.
Lisa
Lisa, this mic has a rechargeable battery but the receiver needs power. If you want a truly wireless recording solution you should watch my video about USB microphones and recording with your phone.
Hola Jay, me encanta todo su contenido. Estoy ojeando el mercado para comprar un nuevo sistema inalámbrico. En mi caso yo toco a diario durante casi todo el año, en hoteles y en eventos privados, y al hacer tanta cantidad de actuaciones lo que busco es comodidad con un mínimo de calidad por supuesto. Del Isolo me preocupa saber si la calidad del sonido al ponerlo en modo de rango alto baja mucho o a penas se nota, ya que cuando toco en clubes de playa necesito esos 30 metros de rango. Muchas gracias!
Francisco, I recommend the new NUX-B6 mic over the iSolo now. https://geni.us/1B7Qq
How can I get wireless mic for saxophone
Hi Jay. Thanks for your review of the ISOLO Choice. I’m thinking of buying one, but my band leader told me that wireless mics can be very problematic with regards to interference. I play in an 11-piece dance band, and everyone is amped. We have 5 horns and others are also considering buying isolo. I know they have a daisy-chain to connect up to four of the receivers. I’m not really sure what that accomplishes. Also, I know that the isolo uses 2.4GHz band, which is very commonly used by Wi-Fi routers. I asked the CloudVocal folks about this and they said don’t use it near a Wi-Fi router. But Wi-Fi is ubiquitous. Are my concerns valid about interference? Much appreciated.
Jack
Jack, all I can say is that in my experience using this particular mic in live situations I have never encountered interference. I’ve used it in busy hotels in major cities as well as my home and office which have wifi networks so if there was going to be interference I would have already experienced that.
I know of several other sax players who use this professionally without any interference problems.
The system that wireless mics used to use years ago was much more prone to interference since it was using radio frequencies UHF. This is a different system.
Thanks Jay. That’s very helpful, and it’s what I was hoping to hear. Cheers!
Jay,
Love your info. Thinking of getting this mic. Do you have an updated coupon code? The one you shared isn’t working. Thanks!
Debbra
Sorry I do not.