IK Multimedia iRig Mic Handheld Mic for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad

by IK Multimedia

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9 x 2 x 2 inches ; 10.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B004IA8F50
• Item model number: IP-IRIG-MIC
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,872 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)

Product Description

iRig Mic is the first handheld, quality condenser microphone for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad designed for all of your mobile sound needs. Now you can make professional audio and vocal recordings anywhere on your iOS device. IRig Mic is ideal for the singer, vocalist and songwriter on the move, but also perfect for recording speeches, instruments, performances or other sound sources in the studio, on stage or in the field. The iRig Mic features a highly unidirectional condenser-electrets microphone capsule that provides quality recording in both close mic and long distance mic conditions, and provides real time monitoring with its dual mini-jack connector design. A three-level gain switch makes it instantly adjustable for any sound pressure condition - from soft speaking to loud playing. Its familiar form is perfect for handheld performance, plus it allows you to mount it on any mic stand leaving your device free for operating your favorite app. Its rugged metal body is road-ready for the mobile musician. IRig Mic also comes with Voca Live free, IK’s new real time effects processor suite for the singer and vocalist, and AmpliTube free for guitar players and songwriters. iRig Mic also works with a multitude of other vocal and audio processing apps for the iOS platform.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars iRig Mic Superior to iPod/iPhone Internal Mic, August 18, 2011

By 

Andrew Drozd "Computer Teacher" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: IK Multimedia iRig Mic Handheld Mic for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad (Electronics)

Length:: 2:01 Mins

I put the iRig Mic to the test against the internal iPod Touch mic in several different Manhattan public settings. The iRig mic on the 2nd setting captures normal talking exceeding well against a backdrop of loud noise including traffic, construction, subways and crowds. Previously I've used flip cameras for video projects but flips do not have external mic capabilities. Here on out, I'm all about the iRig and iPod Touch.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Mic....Awful Cables, October 8, 2011

By 

Jim - See all my reviews

This review is from: IK Multimedia iRig Mic Handheld Mic for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad (Electronics)

Great microphone.....And love the app associated with it for the iPhone/iPad but the wiring on this microphone is horrible.

I've had problems with it since day 1 and the jack that plugs into the iPhone or iPad is very cheaply made and takes some tweaking to get it sound correct.

Absolutely love the actual microphone but the cabling needs some work.

IK Multimedia doing some very cool things, I have a feeling they will release an iRig 2 that will be either wireless or cabled together a lot better

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Third time a charm? Not so much...., November 20, 2011

By 

Holly Figueroa "Something Witty" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: IK Multimedia iRig Mic Handheld Mic for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad (Electronics)

I purchased this mic the first week it came out. It lasted about 2 weeks before the cable came loose from the base of the mic.

BTW, the cable is attached to the mic. It is not an XLR to mini cable. I knew this going in, so it was not an issue for me, but some folks might want to have that information repeated.

I sent it back, partial refund because the instructions were not included in the return. (as if they were going to turn around and sell a broken mic. hmm...)

I bought a new one. This one was a dud out of the box. Just didn't work.

I sent THAT one back, and thought it had to be a coincidence...that I just had the bad luck of having the only two defective mics from the lot. Wishful thinking.

The third one lasted about 10 days. I sent it back and obviously will not be purchasing this mic (or any other hardware) from IK until their hardware department shows as much promise as their software department does.

Here are three things that I understand about this mic, and want to just say in fairness to the company:

1) I am a professional singer/songwriter. I use my iPad a lot on stage, and was hoping to use this mic on stage with the iPad. That didn't happen, because none of them lasted long enough for me to rehearse a decent performance with the mic, but I did try to get it to work for a performance, which meant that I used the mics every day for several hours...sometimes on a stand, sometimes hand held. So, I might not be the target end user of this mic. The target end user might be a casual singer, or someone who bought the mic because they had to have the latest iPad gadget, but never uses it, I don't really know. But I *do* know that the target end user is not a professional musician.

2) The mic is under 60 dollars. There are no "pro" mics on the market that are 60 dollars new. If you are singing into a 60 dollar mic, you are either at karaoke, or it was purchased used. I recognize this as a limiting factor to the quality and longevity of a mic. But when the longest lasting mic of 3 is around 2 weeks...well, you get what you pay for usually. In this case, I got much less than I paid for. In essence, I rented what amounts to a Radio Shack mic for 2 weeks for 60 dollars.

3) During the short time that the mics worked, they worked pretty well as a unidirectional mic. Outside noises were kept at a minimum, and mainly the voice that was directly behind the mic was the only one heard. There are three quite confounding setting on this mic: 1) completely and utterly inaudible, 2) I can almost hear what you are saying, could you speak up slightly?, and 3) OMG STOP SCREAMING AT ME!!! when the person holding the mic is barely whispering on the "higher" setting. In some applications, there were ways to modulate the output of the mic, but on less sophisticated apps, this mic was useless.

I agree with other users. The onboard mics for the iPad/pod/phone are at least as good as this mic, maybe better. No need to get another mic. At least not until the cables come apart from the mic, so they can be replaced without replacing the entire mic. I'm looking forward to seeing their G2 of this mic.