Alesis ProTrack

The Alesis ProTrack is a pretty high performance microphone built to work with the iPhone. It’s got a ton of features (though I found I only used a couple), it’s fairly light, and it definitely looks legitimate (may not seem like much, but the look of your hardware has a pretty significant effect on your subject. It reassures them that you do actually know what you’re doing). When I took it out reporting, I found it to be extremely handy for a couple of reasons.

It can record in stereo and in mono. I was trained to typically record in mono for editing purposes, so it’s nice to be able to record in that format, but even better I can switch to stereo for music recording. Also, there’s a switch on the side of the microphone that allows the user to charge their device while in use. Since the microphone uses four double-A batteries, this means you’re going to run out of juice pretty fast, but if you need that extra boost to capture the last 30 minutes of something, then it’s a pretty sweet switch to flick. The meters on the device are also quite accurate, giving you better control over your audio, which is good because the Microphone is pretty sensitive.

Which brings me to my next topic, the quality of sound. To say it simply, this microphone works. It’s certainly better than the internal mic and several of the other microphones we tested out. The only thing that gets close is the actual XLR microphone. The sound from this device is clear, it’s crisp, and it’s pretty close to professional quality, if not all the way there.

The only downside is that it’s a bit bulky and unwieldy. If your hands are small, it may be a little tough to grip, and it’s definitely large, even if it’s light, so have a way to carry it around, because there’s no strap. Also, without the ball on the end, it resembles (only slightly and possibly in the dark only) a taser, I got stopped for a moment and was the unfortunate recipient of a long look in security for a street festival I went to cover while using this equipment for just that reason, which is why I mention it.

Other than those few negatives, this is a pretty solid purchase, even if it’s expensive. I recommend it for sure.

Blue Mikey

I haven't decided how I really feel about this thing yet. On the one hand, it's pretty clear audio. And it does pick up more than the phone's internal mic. But on the other hand... it's still no stick mic.

First of all, the thing didn't work with the 4G phones. It caused them to spaz out and continually pop up an error message. It still did that with my 3G, but after acknowledging this once, it quit with my phone. Still, it would literally not be possible to use the mic with a 4G, so that already cuts into its usability and overall performance.

Now, the mic is pretty easy to use, assuming you are able to. Plug it into the bottom of the phone. It works with any application. Where things get interesting is in figuring out what kind of setting to use. There's a small switch on the bottom of the device that you can flick to select between the setting denoted by one wavy strip of bacon (probably airwaves, but really... it looks like bacon), two strips of bacon, stacked on top of each other, or three strips of bacon, a la IHOP style. The setting using one bacon is the equivalent of turning your volume down, so that you don't over-modulate. As you can imagine, increasing the bacon means your captured volume will be louder. However, whe you increase the bacon to get an interview to come through clearly, you also get some REALLY loud background noise. The mic picks up in 360 degrees, so you can't direct it. And if you're using a tripod, don't even bother with the thing, because it isn't going to pick up an interview any better than the internal mic.