Microphone advice for recording video? $50-100 range

[JoeyBTL]

So I want to start making play-throughs and stuff like that to post on Youtube and I need advice on what type of mic I should look into. I'm going to be using my iPhone 5 to shoot the video and that will work just fine but the mic on it isn't exactly as good as I'd like for what I'm looking to do.

I'll be using my Axe Fx directly into my computer to Logic but I'll still be talking in the some of the videos and I'd like it to pick up some of the room noise of the guitar. I feel like the easiest way to do it is to just get a mic that will work well with the phone and just record the sound on there.

Does anyone have an experience with this and what a good mic would be. I looked at a lot of the made for iPhone mics and they don't seem too amazing for the price. Would any mic with a 3.5mm plug work? If so what would fit my needs.

I found a video recommending this mic that they used with a smaller video camera with interviews and stuff.

Amazon.com: Audio-Technica PRO24CM Stereo Microphone with Camera Mount: Electronics

 

[chris]

it's less about what mic, and more about where the mic is. if you attach a mic to the iphone and it's still 10 feet away from you or whatever, it will pretty much sound the same as the on-board iphone mic.

so just make sure whatever your source is (voice, guitar sound, etc) that it's providing enough signal to the mic vs anything else in the room and outside noise etc.

i'm not sure if the mic you linked to will work directly with an iphone, as it expects a TRRS plug with the last Ring being the mono mic signal.

 

[JoeyBTL]

it's less about what mic, and more about where the mic is. if you attach a mic to the iphone and it's still 10 feet away from you or whatever, it will pretty much sound the same as the on-board iphone mic.

so just make sure whatever your source is (voice, guitar sound, etc) that it's providing enough signal to the mic vs anything else in the room and outside noise etc.

i'm not sure if the mic you linked to will work directly with an iphone, as it expects a TRRS plug with the last Ring being the mono mic signal.

Well I know that the mic needs to be relatively close to me but I also know a better mic will change the sound quality as well. I can't exactly point the mic on the iphone towards myself and record the video at the same time. With the few reviews I did watch you could tell a difference between certain mics being used and I could get one of them but they were around the $25 range and I won't mind spending a little more to get a better mic to use.

Good point with the mic. But I just looked and there appears to be quite a few adapters that will work for it. Something like this
Amazon.com: Signalear Professional iPhone, iPad2, iPod Touch XLR Cable for XLR Microphones to be Plugged In to the iPhone with a 3.5mm Mini Jack for Headphones Specialty connector to fit even when in case: Electronics

 

[Manning]

You'll be wanting a condenser mic. In that price range the Behringer C1u is not a bad choice (you'll need an XLR adaptor as noted). If you go this route, check that your iPhone adapter can provide +48V phantom power (a quick web scan indicates some can, and some can't). I'd advise against a stereo mic - it's hardly worth it in this circumstance. A better quality mono mic would out-perform a dirt-cheap stereo mic. (FWIW, most TV news gathering is still done in mono).

Also, rather than recording your audio to the iPhone, record it to Logic along with your guitar. Let the iPhone record the ambient audio. This way, you can edit the audio you've recorded (eq, etc), and mix it with your guitar tracks.

When you've done that, then use your video editing software to replace the iPhone audio with your final mix (using the iPhone recording for manual sync).

 

[Rotaholic]

Zoom H1 - Best $100 you will ever spend

 

[Zwiebelchen]

You don't need a stereo microphone, as the Iphone can not record in stereo through the TRRS jack. So I'd say go with the standard and buy an ordinary vocal microphone.