[Hidden-tech] External mic for (Droid) smartphone

[Sam McClellan]

I agree with Jan that a phone-mounted mic will have trouble with noise 
isolation. Also, a directional microphone can be difficult to record a 
group since the musicians may be more spread out than the field the mic 
picks up and that the center sound is louder than the peripheral ones. 
The best option is to put a cardioid (picks up sound evenly on one side) 
mic relatively close to the musicians on a stand.

One suggestion would be to find a good interface and then you can use 
any mic, have much more flexibility in where you place it, and you won't 
be limited to only using it with a phone (or have to buy an adapter and 
not be able to mount the mic on the phone when your next phone doesn't 
come with a mini plug). Pro mics use XLR connectors to allow them to 
have long cables without picking up hum and for mics that need to have 
power supplied to them, but for shorter distances you can use phone or 
mini plug cables.

I really like IK Multimedia, they've specialized in mics and interfaces 
for phones/tablets for a while and have excellent quality for the price. 
You can buy their stuff direct or through online and local music retailers.
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/cat-view.php?C=microphones
Here are their interfaces if you want to buy a really nice mic and hook 
it up to your phone:
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/cat-view.php?C=interfaces

Sam McClellan

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