The microphone in the iPhone 4S is pretty good — I have found it to capture excellent quality on all my consumer-ish recordings and videos. Of course, that is not to say it could not be improved.
When the iRig MIC Cast was announced at CES this year, I was pretty excited. I have gotten a lot of use out of the original iRig MIC and this miniaturized version seemed poised to make my travel recordings an even more portable affair.
Thankfully, it did not disappoint. The mic’s dual gain setting really extended the abilities of my iPhone for my consumer Video/Audio recordings, which is especially impressive considering the microphone is about the size of a half dollar. The new iRig also comes with a desktop stand to prop my phone while I’m recording, and I while didn’t use it too often, it could definitely come in handy for sit-down interviews and the like. Oh, and in case you felt some weird urge to do so, it works just fine when taking phone calls too.
While I am not sure what other non-iOS devices are actually supported, I was able to get it to work with things like the Korg Kaossilator 2 — a nifty bonus for sure.
What can I say, I am a fan of this little gadget in all of it’s portable glory. It’s shipping today and costs $39.99/€29.99. More info at www.irigmiccast.com