The best mobile microphones for 2024

Rode’s Lavalier II iis a slick-looking low-profile lavalier that sounds nice. Whereas it’s not a wi-fi lavalier microphone, at $99, it’s someplace within the candy spot between finances and higher-end clip-on choices. It’s straightforward to suggest the Lavalier II simply on its sound alone, nevertheless it comes with a rugged case and a wide variety of equipment. For much more flexibility you may pair this with Rode’s AI Micro interface ($79) which offers straightforward connection to an iPhone or Android telephone (and even PCs) and provides help for a second mic – good for recording podcasts or interviews.

At $60, Sennheiser’s XS (USB-C) lav condenser mic is pretty inexpensive, sounds nice and plugs proper into your telephone (or laptop computer) with no need an adapter. This not solely makes it handy however reduces the general price as you don’t want a headphone adapter to your telephone, which is a good profit of those mini mics. What’s extra, the XS has a 2-meter lengthy cable which supplies you loads of scope for motion or framing.

After we examined the VideoMic GO II we had been stunned at simply how good it sounded proper out of the field. At $100 it rivals many desktop microphones that price thrice the worth. You’ll want a companion app to vary settings, in any other case this performs nicely throughout the board.

If there was an audio “penknife” then the iRig Stream Mic Pro might be it. It’s a chunky condenser microphone, however you may join devices and even different mics to it through a 3.5mm enter. When you have background music in your telephone or PC, you too can pipe that into the combo through a loopback mode. In brief, whether or not you’re busking, podcasting, reside streaming or acting on the go, the Stream Mic Professional has all of the core options you must flip a fundamental recording into an expert one.

Cellular connectivity is a major function with choices for Lightning and Kind-C/Android included within the field. The mic itself provides 4 polar patterns that ought to cowl most recording situations — be that recording a singer, two individuals talking head to head or the overall atmosphere round you in a TikTok or Instagram video. The Stream Mic Professional won’t be essentially the most pocketable on this record, nevertheless it’s possible essentially the most versatile.

This dynamic mic is a favourite with podcasters, with many manufacturing firms utilizing it as their customary mic to ship out to distant visitors due to its glorious high quality to worth efficiency. The Q2U options each USB (sadly not Kind-C) and XLR connectivity making it versatile for each desktop and cell purposes, nevertheless it’s the previous we’re interested by right here as that’s what means that you can join it to your telephone with nothing greater than a USB cable and an adapter (see under).

What’s extra, the Q2U is stable sufficient to endure a little bit little bit of tough and tumble, so will fortunately reside within the backside of your backpack prepared for once you want it. In the meantime, the hand held design is flexible sufficient it will possibly flip its hand to singing/devices, podcasts, interviews and extra.

You is probably not accustomed to the title, however Tula snuck into our hearts with its versatile, classic impressed debut microphone. From a cell perspective, the Tula connects to Androids instantly over USB Kind-C or iPhones with the correct USB-C to Lightning cable (extra on this under) or a USB “camera kit” adapter. What makes the Tula particular is that it’s additionally a desktop mic and transportable recorder with lavalier enter and 8GB of storage and even options noise cancellation – good for chopping down on exterior background sounds. With the Tula you may theoretically have one mic for house, cell and standalone recording. Due to its transportable design and as much as 12 hours of battery life, the Tula can act as a wi-fi microphone once you want it, too.

Many of the microphones on this information will do an honest job of recording musical performances, however some are particularly constructed for it. Based in 2019, Audigo places artists and performers entrance and middle. At time of writing, it solely provides one mannequin and all its focus goes into that. When you’re a musician on the go, or need one thing you may hold in your pocket for each time inspiration strikes, the Audigo is likely to be for you.

The sq., puck-like Audigo mic is mainly a pocketable rival to iZotope’s (now discontinued) Spire transportable studio, proper right down to the companion app. The Audigo is much extra transportable than the Spire ever was and you may mix a number of gadgets for multitrack recording. When you’ve recorded your observe, you may add reverb, delay, equalize and extra to provide it some polish earlier than exporting it out to your most well-liked platform. There’s a video mode, too, so it’s good for sharing edits to TikTok and Instagram.

This compact wi-fi microphone requires the app (iOS just for now) to work, which isn’t superb and we’d love to have the ability to use it over USB to increase its performance, however for performers on the transfer Audigo provides options which are laborious to search out with out having to buy round for numerous totally different apps.

With the iPhone 15 becoming a member of the USB-C household, there are tons of gaming and podcasting microphones that may merely plug straight into your telephone. However if you wish to use virtually any professional microphone system for recording subject interviews, foley sounds, podcasting on the go and something for broadcast, then an interface just like the Centrance MicPort Pro is a should.

With its XLR-combo connection, the MicPort Professional works with all the published customary microphones like Shure’s SM7B or the Electro Voice RE20 — together with mics that want phantom energy. In contrast to different, cheaper XLR interfaces, there’s virtually no self noise (hiss) and there’s a built-in battery that ought to final for round 5 hours of subject use. You may cost it whereas in use through a USB-C ought to you must.

Centrance has stored issues easy, however you’ll nonetheless discover vital instruments like real-time monitoring, a high-pass filter to fight wind or dealing with noise and there’s even a limiter that ought to cease any sudden loud noises from ruining your recording. For shotgun mics, the MicPort Professional may even double as a deal with. As cell as this factor is, it’ll fortunately function a easy audio interface when you’re again within the house workplace too.

This information is about cell recording, and formally, Shure’s MVX2U XLR to USB interface doesn’t help telephones. However you realize what? It positively does work with the telephones we’ve tried, together with a number of Androids and the iPhone 15. The excellent news is that it’s half the worth of the Centrance. The unhealthy information is that the settings can solely be modified through Shure’s desktop app, so if you must modify one thing out within the subject, you’re out of luck. Nonetheless, it’s an excellent worth choice in case you can reside with its limitations.