Ways to improve mic performance for Field recording / Sampling ?

[Deleted User]

Hi, maybe you would like to share your experience regarding how to get a good quality recording with internal/external mic on iphone/ipad? Thanks in advance!

I use a small condenser mic plugged into the headphone jack (with monitoring).
Recording into audioshare opens up a lot of possibilities, as do other apps.

What is your preferred approach appwise to arrive at getting usable results, outside or in a room?
Are you applying noise filters, compressors, etc.?

e.g. tried the iaa in tonestack on me iphone, with a/b - a/jamup with delay, b/aufx:x, interesting to get two effect lanes on the signal ...
noticed, btw, that taking out the amp, but leaving the cabinet speaker, and placing the instrument mic. near/on the edge, reduced a fair amount of noise - (maybe, I'm an amateur)

Matt_Fletcher_2000

Under a thick duvet

[Deleted User]

@Matt_Fletcher_2000
Mhm, with socks , now that you mention it, yes, actually, why didn't I think of it before, when I want to record my old guitar in my room to prevent feedback, this is how it's done

funjunkie27

Audioshare and the internal mic, but I'd like to try an ext to see how it differs.

[Deleted User]

There is an audible difference, esp. for surroundings, while not as huge as in a hardware recorder, quite practical, fwiw.

funjunkie27

I have the Samson Go mic....gotta give it a go.

[Deleted User]

Aha, with usb, good luck, let's see ...

funjunkie27

Thanks, but it's at home and I'm doing some contract work out of state, so it will be a few weeks before I'm able.

[Deleted User]

Then bonne chance for some moments of finding sounds on the go ...

funjunkie27

Yeah...I really should have brought it with me. I'm pulling mid-shifts and there are some great sounds in the middle of the night around the NJ mountains.

Tarekith

Been using a Rode ixy and absolutely love it. Great sound and stereo imaging, awesome carry case and pop shield, and suffers from very little handling noise when holding the iPhone. Using the rode app for recording and set the input gain to halfway gives me the best mix of fidelity and least self noise. Highly recommended if you need to do a lot of on the go recording.

[Deleted User]

Ok, @Tarekith, will look into it.

Apart from taming the self/handling noise, it's that full, cinematic sound I'd like to achieve.

As mentioned, while monitoring a natural environment or urban scene, it may be important to have a strong resp. reduced signal, manipulating it with aufx: push could be favorable?

For sampling my guitar at home, into a soundcard with cck, it's been good enough for experimenting (altispace, or auria's vocal channel settings), apart from feedback (that issue seems to be covered with a blanket) and latency (audiomux2/musicIO coming on recently)

Cheers, crs

rickwaugh

I might be confused, but would you bother with any kind of stack at all on the initial capture? I always assume that the best thing to do is capture as much raw sound as possible, then manipulate it after the fact, with whatever works. I have not done any field recording - I'd be thinking some of the Zoom products would work good for that, then into the DAW and start hacking.

nic_b_nice

Im no recording pro but i thought condensor mics would be better for studio work rather than outdoor.

??

[Deleted User]

Yes, yes. Of course. I had a zoom in hands, now it's only the budget irig cast, but, until - and anyway, the point I am trying to elaborate, even with the enclosed apple headphones/mic or internal, is:

Surely with some ios effects, apart from or with the micsimulations, there must be some simple but elegant strategies to enhance the monitoring experience (loudness) and the recording quality - comp., eq., etc.

Furthermore, for sampling an instrument or yr. voice with cck/soundcard, and/or for an integrated live setup with computer, daw, idevice ... (sure enough, taking the raw input for processing is the way to go)

Bear with me, it's only to achieve some private and personal 'success' / 'satisfaction' on a mini budget

mister_rz

If I'm field recording using the internal the one thing I watch out for is the wind, try to shield my ipad with my body or hand, if I'm using my usb mic, I watch for handling noise, try to use it in a stand and keep as still and quite as possible. Two apps I mainly use are audioshare and auria, if I get wind or handling noise, sometimes it actually goes with the track, other times I'll either use an eq/filtering plug, volume automation or creative use of fx. I was at a bird sanctuary yesterday (unplanned visit) and didn't have my mic, just used audioshare and the internal and got a decent recording.

[Deleted User]

Yeah, ... and the focus on the rec. then will almost always be a question of finetuning it. I'm interested in how you apply the eq/filtering, @mister_rz , and agree with striving for a mind- and careful posture, feeling earthed, noticing the moment.