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Best iPhone Microphone for Filming 2024
The iPhone is a great smartphone for making movies. There are the best mics to use with iPhone for filmmaking. However, if you want to do your best to make your movie, you need to buy an external microphone.
Your iPhone no longer has a 3.5mm microphone port, so your best bet is to invest in a microphone that fits your lightning port. Along with everything mentioned here, here are a few of my favourite and the best iPhone microphones for filming in 2024.
Lightning Microphone for iPhone
1. Boya DM1 Lavalier Microphone
Boya Lavalier microphone delivers crystal-clear, high-quality sound recording and plugs directly into your iPhone’s lightning port. No need for annoying adapters. If you are familiar with the Boya BY-M1 Lavalier microphone, you will be fully aware of what this microphone can get you. It offers up to 24-bit/48kHz resolution with a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz.
As it is an omnidirectional microphone, it captures the sound around you. This is great for interviews and documentaries. The sensitivity is -42 +/- 3DB, and it also gets power from the connected iPhone. Also, a generous cable length of about 6 meters allows you to get far enough away from your subject. If you’re looking for a cheap lightning port mic, you can’t go too wrong with this.
2. iRig Pro
iRig Pro is an XLR ¼-inch combo adapter that allows you to connect any XLR microphone to your iPhone’s lightning port. It is small in size and comes with two connectors. One adapter works with your iPhone’s lightning port, and the other can plug into your computer’s USB port. There is a manual gain adjustment dial on the front so that you can adjust the gain.
It also has a built-in preamplifier to help reduce hiss and give you more gain. The iRig Pro has a built-in high-quality A/D converter that can convert analogue audio signals to a lighting port and can record up to 24 bits and 96 kHz. So, the microphone you connect to should not lose sound quality. It also has built-in phantom power, so you can power any XLR microphone you need. If you’re doing a smartphone vlogging or Filmmaking task that requires two microphones, this is a worthwhile investment.
3. Zoom iQ7 Stereo
The Zoom iQ7 is a one-way condenser microphone that plugs into your iPhone’s lightning port. There are two high-quality condenser microphones. The mid-side stereo mic capsule is rotatable for easy switching between vertical and horizontal use. Thanks to mid-side technology, you can change the stereo width of the recording, and you can monitor the audio while shooting when you connect headphones or speakers to the stereo 3.5mm socket.
You can change the microphone angle from 90 degrees to 120 degrees to get different audio capture angles. There’s also a level control to adjust the input audio gain so you can get the right level on your iPhone.
4. Rode SC6-L Dual Lightning Mobile Interface
The Rode SC6-L, mobile interview kit, provides the ability to connect two clip microphones to your iPhone at the same time. It includes two Rode SmartLav+ professional Lavalier microphones, both with Omnidirectional condenser capsules that capture all the sound around you. This microphone has a 3.5mm TRRS jack and doesn’t have a lightning plug for the iPhone.
However, this shouldn’t be too much, as both microphones are connected to the supplied SC6-L Lightning adapter. The SC6-L is an input/output breakout box that connects to your iPhone’s lightning port. There are two 3.5mm sockets to connect SmartLav+ microphones and a headphone port so you can listen to the audio while recording.
When the lapel microphone is connected to the SC6-L, you can record both subjects at once. This is great when you want to have both the interviewer and the interviewer on the camera at the same time.
5. Rode I-XLR
The Rode i-XLR is an XLR adapter that connects to an XLR microphone so that you can connect it to your iPhone’s lightning port. The cable is about 3 meters long and provides enough length to reach the subject after plugging in the handheld XLR microphone. The iPhone powers the Rode i-XLR, so it doesn’t require a battery, so there’s no risk that your iPhone will run out of power otherwise.
The Rode i-XLR includes a level control to adjust the headphone volume so you can lower the volume of the audio slightly louder. This also has no lag time, so there is no lag in listening. What disappoints it is the lack of a preamp. There is no gain control or phantom power. If these details are not an issue, they will be a great help in connecting your favourite XLR microphone to your smartphone.
6. Rode Videomic Me-L
The Rode VideoMic Me-L is similar to the Rode VideoMic Me but has a lightning connector instead of a 3.5mm connector. This means it can be used on all iPhones, including iPhone 12 Pro, 11 Pro, XS, X, 8, and 7. You can mount the Rode Video Mic Me-L in any orientation of your iPhone, and it’s perfect if you want. Talk to the camera for a video blog. Like its predecessor, it has a 3.5mm headphone port so you can monitor the sound while recording. This is useful when you want to hear a specific audio problem.
The microphone uses a directional cardioid polar pattern. This captures only the sound right in front of it and ignores the sound from the sides and back. The iPhone itself powers the microphone, so you don’t need to add batteries to power it. It also comes with a convenient windsock if you need additional assistance when burning outside in bad weather.
7. iRig Mic HD 2
iRig Mic HD 2 is the successor to IK Multimedia’s iRig Mic HD. Like its microphone, it is a portable condenser microphone suitable for interviews, vvoiceovers or music recordings. The body is made of metal, making it solid and sturdy enough to withstand most audio recording tasks. It also comes with a dial control to adjust the gain.
The built-in preamplifier provides improved audio recording and a gain boost of the audio signal. It can record audio up to 24-bit 96kHz. So you won’t be disappointed with the quality of the sound source. It also has a unidirectional pickup pattern to help reject unwanted sounds around the microphone.
It has a headphone port for listening when recording audio. This is useful if you get the best sound for your movie and helps you troubleshoot audio problems. If necessary, you can use this port to connect to another audio recorder. There’s also a desk microphone stand if you’re looking to do a vvoiceoverjob.
8. IK Multimedia iRig Mic Video
iRig Mic Video is a directional shotgun microphone suitable for mobile reporting and interviews. It is also compatible with many devices and works with iPhone, iPad or Android smartphones as well as DSLR cameras. The microphone has a super-cardioid pickup pattern that rejects background noise outside the audio range.
This is great for noisy environments when you only want to hear the person in front of you. It comes with a 24-bit 96kHz converter so that you can get a clear signal for audio recording. It also comes with a TRS cable and cold shoe mount for use with your DSLR camera.
9. Smartrig + DI
Saramonic SmartRig + Di is a bigger problem for SmartRig Di. It includes two XLR inputs, allowing you to connect two professional XLR microphones to your iPhone’s Lightning port at once. These two inputs also contain two ¼-inch sockets that will enable you to connect two instruments to your iPhone. There are also two 3.5mm mic inputs if you want to connect a mic with a 3.5mm jack.
SmartRig + Di offers a frequency response of 20Hz to 20Khz and a signal-to-noise ratio of 78db at 1KHZ, -30dBu input. The two again-control thumbwheels control the gain. This allows you to set the audio level for each audio channel individually. Both XLR inputs have +48 phantom power, so you can turn on any mic you might need. If you need to listen to audio when recording, you can plug some headphones into the included 3.5mm headphone socket.
Note: This list will keep you updated with the best iPhone microphone for filming. Make sure to add this article to your favourite list.
