For recording the occasional podcast, your band's rehearsals, or interviews for work, you probably don't need a suite of professional audio gear. A convenient recording solution like Blue Mic's Mikey Digital microphone offers vastly superior recording quality over your smartphone's built-in mic, and it won't destroy your budget either. The company now has a version that attaches directly through your iOS devices' lightning connector.
Measuring about 2.5 inches square and a half an inch deep, the Mikey Digital is small enough to stow in a pocket or backpack. And at $100, it's reasonably affordable even when compared to other discrete digital recorders.
The Mikey's dual condenser mics capture 16-bit, 44.1 kHz sound and, once attached, can be twisted up to 230 degrees. Inside, it has a built-in pre-amp and A/D converter, multiple gain settings, and automatic level sensing to protect against distortion. It also has an audio jack for direct line input, if you just want to record one part of a multi-piece ensemble.
The mic promises to handle input levels up to a whopping 130 dB (that's louder than if you were in the front rows of a rock concert, or roughly the same volume that your teenage kids are jamming at in the garage, oy).
Since it plugs into your iPhone or iPad, you can pair the mic with a variety of iOS apps, including ones that support CD-quality audio. You can grab a mic at one of a number of online or brick-and-mortar retailers including Amazon, Guitar Center, and B & H.
