Iphone recording any good?
yrret
possible to plug a mic into a version of those?
Laurence Payne
>Can the Iphone or Ipod touch be turned into a decent field recorder? Is it
>possible to plug a mic into a version of those?
>
The fashion victims among the theatrical singers I work with have
taken to waving around i-something-or-others with a sort of bendy
stalk microphone attachment - unnecessarily over-designed in true
i-style. When I say "Ready?" they always reply "Hold on a sec....."
:-) But once they get it working I'm sure it records as well as any
other cheap digital device, i.e. surprisingly well.
Al, Cambridge, UK
> Can the Iphone or Ipod touch be turned into a decent field recorder? Is it
> possible to plug a mic into a version of those?
This looks fun: www.bluemic.com/mikey
I haven't tried it, so this is no sort of recommendation.
Al
Mike Rivers
> Can the Iphone or Ipod touch be turned into a decent field recorder? Is it
> possible to plug a mic into a version of those?
Oh, wow! I was beginning to thing that nobody talked about audio around here
any more.
I saw a couple of external mics for the iPod at the AES show. BLUE, I
think, and
maybe MXL. Also, Studio Six Digital, who has a suite of audio measurement
applications for the iPod Touch and iPhone has a plug-in adapter for a
measurement
microphone and another one with a pair of line level inputs so you can
use an
outboard mic preamp and mic of your choice.
The quality, and success of recordings made with a hand-sized portable
recorder depends on the microphones and where you put them (therefore
where you put the recorder). If you're looking for something that's
essentially
integral with the iPhone, you probably will always do better with a recorder
with built-in mics that were designed for recording. The new Sony PCM-M10
is about the same size as an iPhone and makes surprisingly good
recordings and
doubles as a pretty good file player. If you need to make phone calls or
check your tweets, it won't help for that, however.
Richard Crowley
> <b...@ahell.com> wrote:
>> Can the Iphone or Ipod touch be turned into a decent field recorder? Is
>> it
>> possible to plug a mic into a version of those?
>
> This looks fun: www.bluemic.com/mikey
> I haven't tried it, so this is no sort of recommendation.
"Records up to 500ft. Recommended Gain Setting: 3" [of 3!]
But at least it looks like they tried to make the best of the very
limited technology (iPhone/iPod) they have to work with.
There was a discussion here a couple months ago about the
software side of this question. Although the iTunes online
store seems to actively resist meaningful searches, the dozen
or so recording apps all seemed to be designed by game
designers who had never recorded a minute of audio in their
young lives. The best of them was fatally flawed with stupid
"metering" (a generous evaluation) and the inability to adjust
record level while watching the "meters" IMHO, not worth the
$2 cost of the download. Pathetic.
I'm sure somebody who knows what they are doing will release
a decent recording application one of these days. But the
intersection of iPhone developers and people who understand
audio may be very small, maybe even a null-set at this time.
Or maybe there really is a decent audio recording application
out there, but nobody has yet found it in the quagmire of iTunes.
Don Pearce
<rcro...@xp7rt.net> wrote:
>Records up to 500ft.
I wonder what that is supposed to mean. And what exactly happens when
you get past 500 ft?
Or is that how long the mic cable is?
d
Mike Rivers
>> Records up to 500ft.
> I wonder what that is supposed to mean.
A fairly large production of Riverdance, perhaps?
Don Pearce
wrote:
Please, anything but that.
d
Ken Winokur
> Can the Iphone or Ipod touch be turned into a decent field recorder? Is it
> possible to plug a mic into a version of those?
Most of the stereo mics for the Iphone plug into the mini plug -
headphone/mic input. I understand that this is not a good arrangement
- the Iphone has a severe low frequency roll off (to make use as a
telephone work better). Only the Mikey (that I've seen) plugs in at
the bottom of the phone, in the multi-pin connector that acts both as
a charger and a computer interface.
So, I bought the Mikey (for $49 on Ebay) and a variety of software
apps for my Iphone.
Several of the apps were crap, but the Blue Fire is good (and free).
Also the iProRecorder by Bias is good (for a couple of bucks).
Neither have manual gain adjustments, but the auto level works as well
as can be expected. The Blue Fire has a much better interface - good
meters, waveform display etc.
The FiRe software I bought didn't work (costing a bout $5). It
couldn't deal with the volume level of a quiet 4 piece band - even
with the pad on the Mikey set for it's highest level.
The StudioAppLite (free) also didn't work with the Mikey (although it
does work with the built in mic). The more expensive Pro version
might work - who knows?
I would like to try one of the 4 - 16 track apps, but haven't yet.
Actually the Voice Memo app that comes with the Iphone works OK (but
as I recall, doesn't work with the Mikey because of the connector
issues).
New apps are coming out every day. I suspect the perfect app will
eventually appear (with manual gain control and 4 or more tracks).
So audio quality - the Mikey is excellent. I compared it to a Zoom
H4, recorded at the same time from the same location in the room. The
Zoom was thin and very shrill. The Mikey/Iphone sounded really great.
There was a reasonable amount of low bass, a smooth high end, and
didn't sound like a cheap little recorder.
The Mikey has few controls - just a 3 position level control which
works well.
My problems with the system - the Mikey plugs in the the Iphone jack
at the bottom of the device. It doesn't lock in well, and can easily
get bumped so that it doesn't make contact. It works fine if you just
sit it on the table, but would certainly not be acceptable for a hand
hold device (for interviews for instance). Also, this makes the phone
work best upside down. Some software just turns itself around to
match, some doesn't.
The mike rotates up a bit, but not enough. Positioning the mic is
less than convenient. There is no connector to put it on a stand - so
you have to find a table or something.
Also the Mikey uses up the connections to the wall charger. So you can
only run the system on batteries. I think it will work an hour and a
half without recharging.
So, if you already have an Iphone. Get Mikey and the Blue Fire App
(for free), and you have an excellent portable recording device. It
won't replace a good pair of mics and mic pre's, but it is way better
than you would expect from this inexpensive system.
Richard Crowley
> "yrret" wrote:
>> Can the Iphone or Ipod touch be turned into a decent field recorder? Is
>> it
>> possible to plug a mic into a version of those?
>
> Most of the stereo mics for the Iphone plug into the mini plug -
Can you provide some examples? I've never seen ANY stereo
recording hardware that plugs into that connector. For one
thing, it is NOT stereo (since you don't need stereo for use
as a telephone).
> Several of the apps were crap, but the Blue Fire is good (and free).
> Also the iProRecorder by Bias is good (for a couple of bucks).
> Neither have manual gain adjustments, ...
Manual gain adjustment and reliable metering are the minimum
requirements for recording software that aspires to be something
more than a toy or novelty. No iPhone or iPod Touch applications
meet this minimum requirement that I have seen.