Well, in the video I shot the other day, I made 2 mistakes. I wanted to correct them and give you a better opportunity to really hear the difference between the microphones.
Nick from VeriCorder let me know that the “fart” feedback was RF interference. If you place your iPhone in Airplane mode, you won’t have that problem. He also let me know that I’m lucky because the current VeriCorder Mini Mic isn’t compatible with the iPhone 4. Apple changed their electronics on the new device and VeriCorder is having to design a new one. So if you have an iPhone 4 and want the Mini Mic, hold off until their new one gets released.
I also forgot to bring my stereo adapter for my Audio Technica microphones. Both of these mics are mono mics. I couldn’t turn the audio track into stereo in ScreenFlow which I used to edit the video. (Using ScreenFlow to edit video is a future topic so watch for that one.) Back in this video, I have the stereo adapter plugged in so you can better hear the difference between the mics. It’s not fair to compare the Kodak video with a mono audio track to the iPhone 4 in stereo.
Anyway, watch and listen to the new video and let me know your audio preferences.
Thanks Scott (and Nick). These last 2 posts were really useful.
Glad they help, Rob.
And Nick, keep us posted on the great things coming out from VeriCorder.
Scott,
The ATR 55 Shotgun Mic is a discontinued item (even though some retailers still sell it). http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/8db33c5971d3add5/index.html/
It has been replaced with the ATR6550 http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/wired_mics/a49c539ef22b0215/index.html
In the $50 range … The better Shotgun Mic for the iPhone 4 is the Azden ECZ-990 as posted in an earlier post on your site. It’s shorter and better performing.
In the $250 range … The Rode NTG-2 Shotgun Mic is the way to go. http://www.rodemic.com/microphone.php?product=NTG-2
Personally, I think the longer NTG-2 is way overkill with a small iPhone 4.
George
Very interesting post. I am currently thinking about purchasing the shotgun mic, for a different application (nature sounds recording, such as birds). Your comparisons are really interesting, but what if the distance between you and the Iphone increase? Or alternatively, did you try to record a distant sound with the shotgun mic, and compare it with a built in mic?
Thanks for the great posts!
Laurent,
I found the Audio Technica mic to be okay. George above suggests the Rode or Azden.
I haven’t moved too far from the iPhone with this mic. I’d say at most about 15 feet. But if I’m going to be that far away, I’d use the wired lav mic instead.
I’ve used this shotgun mic more for interviews when attached to the xShot camera extender. That’s because the cord to the Audio Technica mic is only about 3 feet. I can place it at the base of the xShot and capture really good audio while keeping the iPhone steady.
When I need to be further away from say a tripod, I can mount this mic and move about 8-10 feet comfortably without introducing too much white noise. Anything beyond that though and I tend to go with the lav mic because it’s much clearer.
How this mic would work for capturing nature sounds, I have to say I don’t know and couldn’t recommend a solution here.
But for picking it up for $25 off Craigslist, I’m pretty pleased with it.
Laurent,
The iPhone 4 and a Rode NTG-2 Short Shotgun Mic is primarily for jornalistic interview recordings where the interviewee is no more than 30 inches away from the mic. Many people think that a shotgun mic is good for picking up sounds at 10+ feet from the mic … and this is not the case! When using a shotgun mic for an interview subject you want to use it in an overboom or underboom situation so as to reduce the amount of ambient noise picked up. If you want to get into birding recording I suggest a long shotgun mic like a Sennheiser / or a parabolic mic and a Marantz PMD661 Recorder that has stronger mic preamps than a iPhone 4.
George, as usual, very sound (pun intended) advice. Thanks for contributing.
Thanks all for your comments. It has to be noted that most birders (sorry if I am off topic here) use simple voice recorders (or even audio from video recordings) from to later ID birds. A recent post of David Sibley, for instance (look at http://www.sibleyguides.com/2010/10/you-too-can-record-and-identify-crossbill-call-types/) show how you can use a Iphone to get IDable recordings. Surely, adding a directional mic can only improve things.
the link is actually
http://www.sibleyguides.com/2010/10/you-too-can-record-and-identify-crossbill-call-types/
Hello! Great information! I have an Iphone 4 and I want a lapel mic for interviews. Are these available? I wasn’t really clear if the VeriCorder was a lapel mic or not?
I can’t seem to find the answer….thanks for your help.
chuck
Chuck,
The VeriCorder is NOT a lapel microphone. It plugs into the the headphone jack on your iPhone 4 and extends out about 2 inches. It’s an omnidirectional microphone on your iPhone. It WILL pick up better audio than the built-in microphone of your iPhone.
You CAN use lapel microphones with your iPhone provided you get a kVConnection cable. This plugs into your headphone jack on your iPhone and allows you to plug real microphones into it. I talk about it in the first comparison post here: http://www.macscreencasting.com/iphone-video-microphone-comparison
I’ve also started using the Zoom H1 recorder along with the kVConnection cable to attach it to my iPhone. This provides really good audio too.
Hope this helps.
Scott Skibell
Great info. Thank you. Just one quick question from video newbie who loves her Kodak zi8. You mentioned using the stereo adapter. To what do you connect that adapter?
Grace,
I was using the stereo adapter because two of my microphones at the time were mono microphones. Both Audio Technica devices needed a stereo adapter so the sound would be on both right and left speakers. I plug the mic into the adapter and the adapter into the mic-in jack on the Kodak Zi8.
I’ve started using two different STEREO mics so the adapter is no longer needed. I’ve been playing with a stereo lapel mic that has a 10-foot cord and the Zoom H1 that also comes with a 10-foot cable. Both of these mics provide stereo output without the need for an adapter.
Perhaps this would make a good future post as I compare all of them again.
Thanks for stopping by.
Scott Skibell
Scott,
Thanks so much for the quick response. I will be using your site and most helpful posts in my class this fall. I’m a former old-school print journalist turned college instructor. I am always looking for cheap, but good, solutions to simple multimedia journalism. Am having to buy own equipment for class. Have three Kodak Zi8, two Rode shotgun mics…would you recommend adding the Zoom H1s to the mix to get good audio? My students would be doing man-on-the street interviews and some sit-down ones also. Thank you again.
Grace,
I’ve heard good things about the Rode mic’s. I haven’t been able to compare the sound quality though.
A lot of people are using the Zoom H1 because they can mount it to a DSLR camera. They work equally as well with the Kodak Zi8 too. I like the 10-foot cord because you can then do an interview with them without too much sound degradation. So for example, imagine mounting the Zi8 to a self-standing monopod and walking back a bit and holding the Zoom like a regular microphone. I found the Zoom for about $100 at Best Buy but you can get it from Amazon too.
The TechSmith lav mic works well too. You could use this type of a setup for a 2-camera shoot. For example, each Zi8 could have it’s own mic and you could do an interview with a camera on the host and the other on the interviewee.
Still others are using a separate audio recorder stored in their pocket with a mic on it. Then they can walk far away from the camera and sync the two in post. Just food for thought.
Feel free to contact me directly. I’d love to hear more about what you’re doing in your class on multimedia journalism.
Scott@SkillCasting.com
Scott,
I’m very interested in a mic for my iPhone 4 to record class lectures. The Mini Mic is intriguing but is the new version mono or stereo? I checked out the specs on VeriCorder’s website, but couldn’t find anything to answer my question. And if it isn’t stereo, what kind of stereo adapter would you suggest? I apologize, but I have only recently gotten into serious audio recording and am even less experienced when it comes to doing it on the iPhone. Any advice or info would be much appreciated.
-Aaron
Aaron,
When I think about recording a lecture, I imagine you’d be a little further away from the presenter. I’m not sure a Mini Mic, even if it is in stereo, would be the best choice if you were say, 50-75 feet away from the speaker.
You may find one of the shotgun mic’s to be a better choice. This way you could point the mic towards the presenter and minimize the room noise that an omnidirectional mic would pick up. Some of these mic’s are mono only so know double-check their spec’s before you buy one. And if you want to use it with your iPhone, you’ll need the kVConnection cable to get it to work with your iPhone.
I’d recommend testing them out though so make sure wherever you buy one, you can send it back. For this reason, I really like Amazon because they carry lots of different mic’s and if they don’t meet my needs, I can return them.
I have a RODE STEREO Video Mic that i want to use on my IPHONE 4. Anyone know how i can make this work? Pls link up things that i need to make this work. Thanks!
Leo, check out the kVConnection cable at http://www.kvconnection.com/product-p/km-iphone-mic.htm
It allows you to hook up an external mic like the Rode (I think it’s a 3.5mm connector) to your iPhone.
i have a Azden ECZ-990, it’s not working for me. Please Help. Thanks!
You can’t just plug a microphone into the headset jack of the iPhone. You need the kVConnection cable that plugs into the headset jack of the iPhone. Then you can plug a regular 3.5mm microphone jack into it. I’ve used several different mics with my iPhone all thru the kVConnection cable. You can learn more about it here:
http://www.kvconnection.com/product-p/km-iphone-mic.htm
If the Azden has a different type of connecter, see if they have the adapter for your mic. Hope this helps.
-Scott
After doing a day of research here is what I found that seems to be the best bang for the buck… THANKS Nick for the video, it was a great tool to help make the right choice.
http://cgi.ebay.com/270642343797?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fshop.ebay.com%3A80%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dp5197.m570.l1313%26_nkw%3D270642343797%26_sacat%3DSee-All-Categories%26_fvi%3D1&_rdc=1