Phone Mics

[Scouser]

I am wondering if there are any iphone mics out there that would do a better job than my zoom H5 ? I have more high end field recorders like sound device Mix Pre, but just wanting to know if there is anything really portable that does a decent job. I've watched so many youtube vids, nothing is jumping out. I just want to confirm there isn't anything i'm missing. The recording are mainly of me playing guitar in various locations so not really lav based mic.

The Mix Pre is great when my footprint doesn't matter, but when I need to be in a store without getting in the way too much compact is what I need

[James Perrett]

I have the X-Y mics for my U-44 interface which are very similar to those on the H5. The sound from my Google Pixel 6a isn't that far off in quality so I often don't bother bringing the U-44 these days although, if I want the best quality I'll use it.

I've heard a few other phone recordings and none of them have been noticeably better than my phone.

The H5 also accepts other clip on mic modules so maybe one of the alternatives (like the M-S capsules) might be more appropriate in your situation.

[Scouser]

I saw the MSH-6 on offer and thought I would give it a blast, haven't had a chance to properly demo it yet doesn't sound vastly different to my average ears, but I can hear a difference. The MSH seems to be noisier I have heard that it has the advantage over the XYH-6 in terms of post production..

I came across this
" In the context of acoustic guitar recording:
The MSH-6's ability to adjust the stereo image post-recording is a significant advantage. This means you can fine-tune the width of the stereo field to match the specific characteristics of your guitar and the room acoustics. The MSH-6 is also generally praised for its ability to capture a more natural and spacious sound, which can be ideal for acoustic instruments"

And also this :
Cons:
More complex setup and requires more processing in post-production. ( what does this mean ? ) Doe's one have to fiddle around in post production to get a workable sound ?

Any thoughts

[Wonks]

It's a still a Mid-Side recording, so you're best putting the two tracks through a mid side decoder plugin to give a standard stereo output. You won't want to use the two tracks without any processing.

Hence 'more complex and more processing'.

[Scouser]

Ok I should explain, I am recording this direct to iphone as I need something better than iphone mic, but something I can do with minimal fuss.

Of course I will have the option to grab/seperate that audio file from the iphone and process ( Presumably ) or am I missing something.

As I will be shooting content with time limits that may amount to 30 different clips, I don't want to record to H5 and give myself the extra work of messing around in post and syncing everything...

Also I'm guessing that it wouldn't work well for a live broadcast either then...

[The Elf]

I use an MSH-6 with my Zoom hand-helds. It's a good-sounding mic. and I prefer it to X/Y for a number of reasons.

As to processing... download the free Voxengo MSED and you have all the post-recording stereo manipulation you will need, including M/S encoding/decoding.

[Scouser]

Thanks Elf,

I’m assuming in order to do any of this processing, I would need to record to the H5 as opposed to the iPhone ? As this can get complicated when time restricted, this is for shoots when I need to get in and out quickly.

As mentioned above was hoping to avoid that route if at all possible.

Are we saying it is unusable without post ?

[Wonks]

Basically. You can use an iPhone but you'll have a two track recording with mids on one track and sides on the other. So you'll either need to download it and process it in a DAW, or find an iPhone App that will do that for you. There seem to be a few, but I've no idea how easy they are to use or whether you can do something like simply replace the audio in a video file with a decoded stereo soundtrack.

[Sam Spoons]

A thought, if you use an add on stereo mic for the iPhone it will need to be able to be oriented to point in the same direction and in the same plane as the camera or the audio stereo image won't match the space/scene the camera is seeing.

[Scouser]

Basically. You can use an iPhone but you'll have a two track recording with mids on one track and sides on the other. So you'll either need to download it and process it in a DAW, or find an iPhone App that will do that for you. There seem to be a few, but I've no idea how easy they are to use or whether you can do something like simply replace the audio in a video file with a decoded stereo soundtrack.

When you say I will have a 2 track recording, not sure what you mean. When I shoot the iphone video it will have 1 stereo track, is that what you mean ? Are we saying we then export it to a daw, fire up the appropriate plugin and do what in terms of processing. I have downloaded the voxengo plugin mentioned but wanted to check what I should be doing ?

[Sam Spoons]

If you record using a mid/sides mic array you will have a recording with the mid mic output on one channel and the sides mic on the other. That won't be a stereo recording until you run it through a M/S decoder, the output from that process will be a stereo recording.

[Scouser]

It doesn't appear to me that I have 2 tracks as you describe. Remember I am not recording to the H5 but to the phone, so I am using it as an interface.

This means I get the audio sent to the iphone, which when I look at, for all intents and purpose looks like a stereo track, when I import this into cubase it appears as a stereo track, or if I choose to split the tracks on importing, they appear as identical tracks. when I apply the voxengo plugin nothing is changing ?

So I'm confused

[James Perrett]

I don't know how seriously these recordings will be used, but it is worth remembering that the iPhone will probably record the audio in a lossy format. That's fine if these videos are only for personal viewing but if you want to use them seriously then it would be better to also record the audio on the H5 in a lossless format and match things up afterwards. There's nothing worse than the wishy washy audio you get due to it passing through multiple lossy codecs.

Matching audio to video is dead easy in Reaper if you have audio on the video track - just line up the starts and then adjust the speed of the audio in item properties so that the end matches.

[James Perrett]

So I'm confused

Does it sound like you have different things on each channel when you listen to it? Could the iPhone be recording in mono?

[Wonks]

Basically as Sam said.

We are being technical - which is important here in your understanding of what’s going on. You will have a linked two track recording with a M/S mic, but it’s not ‘stereo’. One track is Mid and one track is Sides. Just because it looks like a stereo track at first glance doesn’t mean it’s stereo.

So you get a two track recording, you put it through a mid/sides converter and then you get a stereo track as the output. But until you put it through the M/S converter, you simply have two linked mono tracks.

It might get described as a ‘stereo’ file by the phone software, but it isn’t. Not until it is processed.

[Scouser]

Nope, both channels sound the same...

I don't think this capsule is going to be the way to go.. The XY one I can just use for what I need in and out and job done. Whereas the other requires more than that, granted recording to the H5 in itself is not difficult, neither is syncing, but if I can get very similar results with XY mic, it doesn't seem worth the hassle...

[Bob Bickerton]

There seems to be some confusion in this thread.

To record reasonable stereo .wav audio on an iPhone, with or without video I’d suggest the Shure MV88+ https://www.shure.com/en-ASIA/products ... s/mv88plus

Use the free Shure app and you get lots of good options. From memory it records mid-side, but decodes on the fly so you set stereo width as you go.

Had one for awhile and I’d rate it as better than any of the Zoom add-on mics.

As always, check compatibility before you buy.

Bob

[The Elf]

Nope, both channels sound the same...

I don't think this capsule is going to be the way to go.. The XY one I can just use for what I need in and out and job done. Whereas the other requires more than that, granted recording to the H5 in itself is not difficult, neither is syncing, but if I can get very similar results with XY mic, it doesn't seem worth the hassle...

One of the joys of an M/S pair is having one mic plumb centre to the source - you won't get that with XY.

And it *is* worth the effort (it's not hassle as long as you understand what you're doing).

The confusion here seems to be in whatever your phone is doing. Personally I'd get the phone out of the equation and just use the Zoom...

[Sam Spoons]

I'm even more confused now, the MSH-6 is a mic for the Zoom, how are you using it to record to the iPhone? I'm guessing you are using the H6 as an audio interface connected to the phone via USB?

[Bob Bickerton]

Scouser says he just wants to use an iPhone = forget the Zoom mics!

Bob

[Drew Stephenson]

I'm with Bob!

[Bob Bickerton]

That’s nice…..

Bob

[Albatross]

What if someone rings you up?

[Drew Stephenson]

I'm still with him...

Oh right, I see!

That's what aeroplane mode is for. I think most phones will route incoming calls to answerphone while video recording is in progress anyway.

[Sam Spoons]

Scouser says he just wants to use an iPhone = forget the Zoom mics!

Bob

That's what I thought, and why I'm confused. In and earlier post he says "I saw the MSH-6 on offer and thought I would give it a blast,"!