Why Not Use The Built-In Microphone On The iPhone?

It’s important to understand that the microphone on your iPhone is a single channel mono audio recording that will produce less than desirable audio quality for applications like video and podcasts. The sound produced from your regular iPhone audio recorder is muffled in the important high frequencies and hard to make out words. For this reason, your better option for recording podcasts and other vocals with your iPhone is to purchase a microphone that can be used in conjuction with your iPhone or smartphone.

Factors To Consider When Buying A Podcast Microphone For Your iPhone

Newer models of iPhones have completely ditched the headphone jack to go wireless with headphones. Opinions aside, you will need to consider this heavily when purchasing an iPhone microphone. Some models simply will not work with newer iPhones. For these models you will need to look for a lightning connected microphone. Lapelle or Lavalier microphones are the style that will clip onto your clothing or collar and work best in close proximity of the person they are recoridng. While Shotgun style microphones usually will attach directly to the phone, record anything in close proximity, and are sometimes able to repsition the direction the microphone is pointing while on the phone.

Shure MV88

Attach to phone style.

Comes with foam wind screen cover, carrying case and a 3.5mm extender for headphone jack

Adjustable mic allowing you to reposition for best sound but it’s only 90 degrees of range which seems like a drawback.

Connects via Lightning (iPhone).

No lightning pass-through so you are unable to charge the phone while using the microhpone.

Great sound quality.

Play with the settings for your own preference.. But, the mono cardioid setting is probably best recommended for podcast applications.

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Shure MV88 Specs

Bit Depth / Sample Rate: Up to 24 Bit / 48 kHz

Maximum SPL: 120 dB SPL

Net Weight: 40.5 g (1.43 oz)

DSP Modes (Presets): Speech, Singing, Acoustic, Loud, Flat

Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz

Headphone Output: Available through Apple device

Dimensions (H × W × D): 67 mm × 25 mm × 35 mm

Transducer Type: Cardioid (1cm), Bidirectional Condenser Cartridge (1cm)

Adjustable Gain Range: 0 to +36 dB

Power Requirements: Powered through Lightning Connector (iPhone)

Polar Pattern: Adjustable Width Stereo / Mono / Bidirectional / Mono Cardioid / Mid-Side

Sensitivity: -37 dBFS / Pa at 1 kHz

Housing: All-metal construction

Rode iXY-L

Attach to phone style

Slick design. Visually appealing.

Comes with foam windscreen protector, carrying case, and headphone jack adapter

Connects via Lightning (iPhone)

Attaches to bottom of phone and covers home screen button, however the home button is still functional due to a silicone button cover on the mic.

Best recording bitrate will come when recording within its own app.

Great sound quality. Audio sounds high quality.

Built-in gate feature of some sort seems to block out low ambient noise very well.

The app is not included and costs $6 which is pretty lame.

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Rode iXY-L Specs

Mono/Stereo: X/Y

Polar Pattern: Cardioid

Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz

Max SPL: 139dB SPL

Signal to Noise Ratio: 76dB SPL

Low Cut Filter: 72Hz Switchable

Color: Black

Connector: Lightning

Weight: 0.11 lbs.

Included Accessories: Windshield and zip case

Manufacturer Part Number: iXY-L

IK Multimedia iRig Mic Field iOS Microphone

Attach to phone style

Blue and green light indicator shows when the mic is on and being used. Red and yellow light indicates audio is too loud and you are approaching clipping. Handy.

Headphone jack on the side of the actual microphone

Adjustable gain dial on the side of the microphone to control levels.

Connects via Lightning (iPhone)

Good sound quality

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IK Multimedia iRig Mic Field Specs

Microphone Type: Condenser

Polar Pattern: Cardioid

Frequency Response: 40Hz-20kHz

Max SPL: 115dB SPL

Color: Black

Connector: Lightning

Weight: 0.07 lbs.

Manufacturer Part Number: IP-IRIG-FIELD-IN

Rode smartlav+

Lavalier/Lapel style microphone

Cable is reinforced with kevlar. Points for quality.

Comes with foam windscreen, clothing clip, and carrying case.

Cord is kinda short for some applications and uses but you can always purchase an extension.

Plugs in via headphone jack so won’t work with newer iPhones. Works with most smartphones with a headphone jack though.

Built in gate setting hides hiss and background noise well. An upgrade from the previous mode.

High sound quality. Sounds great.

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Rode smartlav+ Specs

Acoustic Principle: Permanently Polarise

Active Electronics: JFET

Capsule: 0.10″

Polar Pattern: Omnidirectional

Address Type: End

Frequency Range: 60Hz – 18kHz

Output Impedance: 3000Ω

Maximum SPL : 110dBSPL

Maximum Output Level: 189.0mV (@ 1kHz, 1% THD into 1KΩ load)

Sensitivity: -35.0dB re 1 Volt/Pascal (17.80mV @ 94 dB SPL) +/- 2 dB @ 1kHz

Equivalent Noise Level: (A-weighted) 27dBA

Weight: 6.00g

Dimensions: 1180.00mmH x 4.50mmW x 4.50mmD

Output: TRRS Output

Warranty: 1 year

MicW i437L

Attach to phone style

The most lightweight option of all the microphones discussed in this article.

The most portable iPhone microphone available.

Connects via Lightning (iPhone)

Sounds honestly good… Doesn’t sound tinny.

Static noise and hiss on recordings could be a little less noticeable as pointed out by some buyers. This won’t be a factor for some users who will be using gates and other things in post production.

Some users make the point that this mic is more of a lavalier mic that is attached to your phone rather than clip to your shirt or collar style. Probably best used as a “talk into the mic” point style microphone.

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MicW i437L Specs

Microphone Type: Electret condenser

Capsule Diameter: 0.3″ / 7 mm

Polar Pattern: Omnidirectional

Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz

Sensitivity: -27.5 dBFS / 94 dB SPL @ 1 kHz (±3 dB)

Signal to Noise Ratio: >62 dB

Operating Temperature: -4 to 122°F / -20 to 50°C

Power Requirements: Powered via Lightning port

Connector: Lightning

Length: 2″ / 50 mm

Weight: 0.4 oz / 10 g

MicW i316

Lavalier/Lapel style microphone

Comes with foam windscreen, clothing clip, and slitter for monitoring.

High quality sound but also really great value for a lavalier style microphone.

Plugs in via headphone jack so won’t work with newer iPhones. Works with most smartphones with a headphone jack though.

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MicW i316 Specs

Transducer: Electret condenser

Capsule Diameter: 0.3″ / 7 mm

Polar Pattern: Omnidirectional

Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 20 kHz

Sensitivity: -35 dB (±4 dB)

Signal-to-Noise Ratio: 58 dB

Impedance: <2.2 kOhms

Power Requirements: Plug and play

Connectors: Microphone: 1 x 1/8″ (3.5 mm) TRRS

Split Adapter: 2 x 1/8″ (3.5 mm) TRRS, 1 x 1/8″ (3.5 mm) TRS

Operating Temperature: -4 to 158°F / -20 to 70°C

Cable Length: 5′ / 1.5 m

Weight: 0.2 oz / 5 g

Boya M1

Lavalier/Lapel style microphone

Lots of extra cable

Comes with foam windscreen, clothing clip, 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter LR44 battery, and a carrying pouch.

Switch on the cord allowing you to switch from smartphone to camera.

High quality audio but the sound kind of varies depending on settings and uses. Good quality for price.

Connects via headphone jack so won’t work with newer iPhones that lack a headphone jack. Able to use on most phones, not only Apple iPhones.

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Boya M1 Specs

Polar pattern: Omini-directional

Frequency response: 65Hz-18KHz

Signal/Noise: 74dB or more

Output Impadence: 1000Ω or less

Power requirement: LR44

Zoom iQ7

Attach to phone style

Functional adjustable Gain dial on the microphone is handy.

Connects via Lightning (iPhone)

Headphone jack located on the actual microphone.

Sound quality is kind of tinny and not quite as good as competitors.

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Zoom iQ7 Specs

Mid-side (M-S) stereo mic (90°/120°/M-S)

Output Connector: Stereo mini ⅛” jack (combined headphone/line level output)

Audio Quality: 48kHz/16-bit

Input Gain: +3 to +43dB

Maximum input sound pressure: 120dB SPL

Connector: Lightning connector

Power: Powered by the connected iOS device

Compatible Devices: iPhone (5, 5s, 5c, 6, and 6+), iPod touch (5th generation), iPad (4th generation), iPad Air, iPad mini, iPad mini with Retina display

Supported iOS: iOS 6.0 or newer

Included Accessories: Operation manual, Foam windscreen

Optional Accessories: Hairy windscreen (WSU-1)

Dimensions: 54.5 (w) x 57.2 (d) x 26.5 (h) mm

Weight: 30.5g

iRig mic

Classic microphone style that plugs into phone.

Perfect cord length for the proper distance of doing video in front of iphone

Good weight and build to it

Comes with mic stand, carrying case and the cord.

Plugs in via mic jack on phone. Won’t work with newer iPhones that lack a headphone jack. Able to use on most phones, not only Apple iPhones.

Sensitivity switch on microphone with three settings for sound intensity.

Not so great sounding when a second mic is added via the second input spot via the cord.

Sound quality isn’t extremely great. Kinda sounds how it looks.

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iRig Mic Specs

Microphone Type: condenser electret

Polar Pattern: unidirectional/cardioid

Frequency Response: 100 Hz – 15 kHz, -3dB

Maximum Sound Pressure (set for high sound pressure): 120 dB

Maximum Sound Pressure (set for mid sound pressure): 90 dB

Maximum Sound Pressure (set for low sound pressure): 75 dB

Distortion: 3% THD at 120 dB, 1 kHz

Windscreen: built-in

Power and Connection: works with iOS, most Android devices (CTIA/AHJ compatible) and most Mac computers

Rode VideoMic Me

Mini shotgun style microphone that plugs directly into headphone jack.

Comes with furry windscreen protector. Higher quality windscreen than any of the other mics.

Because it plugs into the headphone jack means it will not be compatible with newer iPhones. Will work with most smartphones with a headphone jack though.

Great for selfie style video recording.

Great for point and shoot style audio recording applications. Able to point the microphone wherever you need for shooting.

Pretty good sound quality. Focuses the sound on the subject you are shooting.

Check on eBay

Rode VideoMic Me Specs

Acoustic Principle: Pressure-gradient

Active Electronics: JFET impedance converter

Polar Pattern: Cardioid

Address Type: End

Frequency Range: 100 Hz to 20 kHz

Maximum SPL : 140 dB SPL (@ 1 kHz, 1% THD into 1 kOhms load)

Sensitivity: -33.0 dB re 1 V Pascal (22.00 mV @ 94 dB SPL) +/- 2 dB @ 1 kHz

Equivalent Noise: 20 dB-A

Output Connection: 1/8″ (3.5 mm) TRRS mini-jack

Dimensions (H x W x D): 1.5 x 0.8 x 3.1″ (38 x 21 x 80 mm)

Weight: 1.2 oz (34 g)

Other iPhone Podcasting Options To Consider

Another option to consier is simply using an iPhone converter with a regular podcast microphone not designed for use with smartphones. This is a plus because you can utilize the quality of a larger more expensive microphone with the convienence of your iPhone or smartphone.

Rode SC4 Microphone Cable

Check them out here available for purchase.