iRig Mic?

Gabe Carter · #1 03-23-2011, 08:10 PM

Writing songs and wanted to record my own demos of song ideas on guitar and saw the iRig Mic on Crunch gear. So I have iRig for my electric for practicing with my tele and AmpliTube but IK just released a new iRig Mic for my iPhone. Just ordered it today since they're finally shipping, anyone else think this is going to be a solid little demo studio? They have VocaLive Free for it with a 1 track recorder. I really think thats all I'll need just me singing playing acoustic and if I need I can upgrade to the 4 track but I doubt I'll need that. It'll just be for demos and I want it to be portable. Any thoughts?

http://www.ikmultimedia.com/irigmic

Gabe Carter · #2 03-26-2011, 05:42 PM

Somebody? Anybody?

Paultergeist · #3 03-26-2011, 08:05 PM

I don't know, but I would be happy to hear of your experiences of you decide to try one of these things.

I have an iPad, and I have been waiting for a higher-quality microphone to be approved for use with the iPad's various recording apps -- it seems a real shame not have one available just yet. As for what you are looking at, my concern would be the quality of the interface -- plugging anything into that tiny jack is likely to introduce some noise and loss of fidelity into the signal path. My guess is that this microphone would be fine for scratch recordings and memos, capturing the creative spark at the moment, etc., but probably not something requiring higher quality. That is just a guess.

The other question I have is: once you record something, how do you export it over to other apps -- say, burn it on to a CD, store it in iTunes, etc?

Look forward to hearing about your experiences with it.

Gabe Carter · #4 03-27-2011, 12:37 PM

Ya here is a video on Gizmodo comparing it to the built in one. Mine should be here in a day or two.

I'll be sure to report back.

http://gizmodo.com/#!5785441/irig-mi...g-not+horrible

moon · #5 03-27-2011, 01:03 PM

I don't really get the idea of a full size mic with an iphone. Some kind of high-quality, miniature mic which can optionally attach to the phone or, with an extension lead, clip on to a lapel/guitar/flute etc would surely have been a better fit with the lightweight, portable iphone concept.

Paultergeist · #6 03-27-2011, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moon

I don't really get the idea of a full size mic with an iphone. Some kind of high-quality, miniature mic which can optionally attach to the phone or, with an extension lead, clip on to a lapel/guitar/flute etc would surely have been a better fit with the lightweight, portable iphone concept.

Exactly. It is almost like trying too hard to prove what an iPhone CAN do, as opposed to showing what an iPhone SHOULD do. A miniature microphone which is quick and easy to carry, plug-in, etc., and would make the recordings better would -- in my opinion -- be a better fit.

Gabe Carter · #7 03-29-2011, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moon

I don't really get the idea of a full size mic with an iphone. Some kind of high-quality, miniature mic which can optionally attach to the phone or, with an extension lead, clip on to a lapel/guitar/flute etc would surely have been a better fit with the lightweight, portable iphone concept.

I think a handheld mic looks much more professional and its also unidirectional. Most of those small lapels are omni directional.

Ed422 · #8 03-30-2011, 04:37 AM

I don't think the elements in the lapel mics are a significant improvement over the onboard mics of an iPad/iPod. They are fine for voice but I don't think they have a wide enough range for anything else. I don't think the iRig mic is going to rival your Neumann but it's probably going to be better than many of the lapel mics available.

Ed

Gabe Carter · #9 03-30-2011, 06:37 PM

Agreed. Its not supposed to rival it though. Its for the iPhone and works great as is. I got it and have been playing with it and it sounds way better than the built in mic.

Definitely happy with this purchase!

Ed422 · #10 03-30-2011, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gabe Carter

Agreed. Its not supposed to rival it though. Its for the iPhone and works great as is. I got it and have been playing with it and it sounds way better than the built in mic.

Definitely happy with this purchase!

Cool. Thanks for the update.

Ed

Bob Womack · #11 03-31-2011, 06:12 AM

Interestingly enough, I remember some studio magazine articles where pretty top engineers were using lapel mics for acoustic guitar. As I remember, I tried it once when I was a young engineer and budgets and stresses weren't quite as high as they are now. It was a Sony ECM-50 (I'm that old) and I remember it being great for high-end presence if the guitar was going in an ensemble, but a bit thin for solo. Of course, on that mic you needed P48 (phantom) or a battery.

Speaking of which, ask me sometime about how well lavalier mics and bunny rabbits mix.

Bob

moon · #12 03-31-2011, 06:42 AM

Now why would you put a wire on a wabbit? Is this some kind of homeland security thing?

Bob Womack · #13 03-31-2011, 07:36 AM

Actually, it was the early '80s and I was doing dual duty between mixing a live network show in the morning and teaching a university class that had been authorized to use the studio and control room where the show was shot. I argued with management that it wasn't a good idea to use the show's lavalier mics because we had to take the show to air first thing the next morning. I lost that argument.

The class was doing on-camera interviews and someone decided to interview a person who raised bunnies with a bunny on her lap. We did two takes. between the first and second take we had the mics up so we could hear what was happening on the set when all of a sudden the bunny guest's mic cut out. I went out to the set and found that the bunny had chewed right through the cable between the mic and wireless pack. I replaced the mic and admonished the interviewer, interviewee, and floor director to pay attention to the killer rabbit and save mic because we needed it for the next day's show. Immediately after we completed the second take I ran out to the set but the bunny had chewed through the second cable in the space of twenty seconds.

An engineer had to stay late into the night and replace the cables on the two mics, a really fussy, persnickety job with the tiny mic capsule. Somehow, the blame devolved onto me (ironic, eh?) but we did stop lending out our main show mics.

Bob

Ed422 · #14 03-31-2011, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Interestingly enough, I remember some studio magazine articles where pretty top engineers were using lapel mics for acoustic guitar. As I remember, I tried it once when I was a young engineer and budgets and stresses weren't quite as high as they are now. It was a Sony ECM-50 (I'm that old) and I remember it being great for high-end presence if the guitar was going in an ensemble, but a bit thin for solo. Of course, on that mic you needed P48 (phantom) or a battery.

Speaking of which, ask me sometime about how well lavalier mics and bunny rabbits mix.

Bob

I agree. I still have a couple of the RadioShack button battery lapel mics that I used for the same (probably mentioned in that same article). That's not what is being marketed as iPhone/iPod/iPad plug-in lapel mics these days, though.

Ed

Gabe Carter · #15 03-31-2011, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Actually, it was the early '80s and I was doing dual duty between mixing a live network show in the morning and teaching a university class that had been authorized to use the studio and control room where the show was shot. I argued with management that it wasn't a good idea to use the show's lavalier mics because we had to take the show to air first thing the next morning. I lost that argument.

The class was doing on-camera interviews and someone decided to interview a person who raised bunnies with a bunny on her lap. We did two takes. between the first and second take we had the mics up so we could hear what was happening on the set when all of a sudden the bunny guest's mic cut out. I went out to the set and found that the bunny had chewed right through the cable between the mic and wireless pack. I replaced the mic and admonished the interviewer, interviewee, and floor director to pay attention to the killer rabbit and save mic because we needed it for the next day's show. Immediately after we completed the second take I ran out to the set but the bunny had chewed through the second cable in the space of twenty seconds.

An engineer had to stay late into the night and replace the cables on the two mics, a really fussy, persnickety job with the tiny mic capsule. Somehow, the blame devolved onto me (ironic, eh?) but we did stop lending out our main show mics.

Bob

Thats awesome! Blame it on the bunnies!