Capturing Better Audio with Your Smartphone

Guidance | Jan 22, '19 (Updated for new context)

Your smartphone is a constant companion, always ready in your pocket. It’s equipped with a built-in microphone for calls, and thanks to user-friendly recording applications, you have the power to effortlessly capture face-to-face interviews, lectures, and important meetings. However, upon playback, these recordings often don't meet expectations. The audio might sound indistinct, be plagued by distracting background sounds, or make it difficult to catch specific words or sentences. Rest assured, this is a common issue. Subpar audio quality is easily noticeable and can be a source of annoyance for both you and your audience. It’s not just challenging to listen to; it also makes understanding the spoken content difficult. Even advanced automated transcription services, while powerful, achieve their best results with clearer inputs; for instance, while DeepVo.ai boasts an impressive 99.5% accuracy in voice-to-text conversion across over 100 languages, optimal audio will always enhance the outcome.

So, what's the solution? Fortunately, you don't need to invest in expensive equipment or rent a professional studio to achieve excellent sound. It's quite feasible to get high-quality audio from your mobile device by adjusting a few critical settings, modifying your recording technique, and, for superior results, considering an external portable microphone.

Table of Contents

• Adjust your recording configurations:
  • Activate airplane mode and silence notifications.
  • iPhone (iOS): Voice Memo application (pre-installed on your iPhone)
  • iPhone (iOS): Voice Record Pro application (free with advertisements or ad-free for a small fee)
  • Android: Voice Recorder application
• Refine your recording method:
  • Confirm microphones are not covered.
  • Direct your microphones towards the primary sound source.
  • In larger spaces, position the microphone nearer to the speaker.
• Consider these portable microphones:
  • An external microphone yields the highest audio fidelity.
  • For iPhone: Sennheiser HandMic Digital
  • For iPhone: Shure MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone
  • For Android: Beyerdynamic FOX USB Condenser Microphone
  • For both iPhone and Android: Apogee MiC Plus
  • Lavalier Microphone: BOYA Omnidirectional Clip-on Lapel Mic
• A concluding remark

Adjust your recording configurations:

Activate airplane mode and silence notifications.
Switching your phone to airplane mode ensures that incoming calls and text messages won't disrupt your recording sessions. Additionally, most smartphones feature a 'Do Not Disturb' setting, which will stop alerts and vibrations from interfering with your audio capture.

iPhone (iOS): Voice Memo application (pre-installed on your iPhone)
Elevate audio fidelity by recording in a lossless format, which creates an uncompressed audio file. You can enable this by navigating to Settings → Voice Memos → Audio Quality and selecting 'Lossless'.

iPhone (iOS): Voice Record Pro application (free with advertisements or ad-free for 7 USD)
Voice Record Pro offers more advanced capabilities than the standard Voice Memos app. It allows you to adjust gain, sample rate, bit rate, and encoding quality. You'll need to experiment to find the optimal settings for your specific recording environment. Conduct a brief test recording and listen back with headphones to determine which settings best minimize environmental noise and provide the clearest sound.

Android: Voice Recorder application
Voice Recorder is a capable audio recording tool for Android. Access its settings by tapping the menu icon (three vertical dots in the upper right corner) and selecting 'Settings'. Similar to Voice Record Pro, you can modify the sample rate, bit rate, and gain to ensure your recording is clear for the environment. As recommended above, perform a short test recording, review it with headphones, and adjust settings as needed. Note: Our previous Android suggestion, Titanium Recorder, is no longer on the market.

Refine your recording method:

Confirm microphones are not covered.
First, identify the location of your phone's microphones. They are typically found at the bottom of the device, where you would naturally speak during a call. They might also be situated near the camera lenses. Ensure that your phone case or fingers are not obstructing these microphones during recording. Keeping them clear will prevent your audio from sounding muffled or distorted.

Direct your microphones towards the primary sound source.
Most smartphone microphones are directional. If your microphones are aimed away from the main speaker, the recording will heavily rely on echoes or sound reverberating off surfaces like walls or tables. These indirect sounds are very challenging to interpret and lead to significantly poorer audio quality.

In larger spaces, position the microphone nearer to the speaker.
If you're recording in a spacious meeting room and aim to accurately transcribe the discussion – perhaps using a service like DeepVo.ai for its precise voice-to-text capabilities – consider passing the phone among speakers. Proximity between the microphone and the speaker dramatically improves sound clarity. Similarly, if recording a lecture or presentation, try to sit in the front rows; avoid recording from a considerable distance.

Consider these portable microphones:

An external microphone yields the highest audio fidelity.
Augmenting your phone with an external microphone is the surest way to achieve top-notch recordings. However, selecting a compatible microphone can be tricky. iPhones typically need microphones with a Lightning connector, whereas Android devices usually require a USB-C connection.

Based on discussions with some of our most engaged users, we've compiled a list of several reasonably priced options:

For iPhone: Sennheiser HandMic Digital
The Sennheiser HandMic Digital, a handheld microphone, is excellent for capturing speeches and is a great asset for mobile journalists, podcasters, and musicians. It's a premium microphone featuring a high-quality cardioid capsule with a shock mount, which significantly reduces handling noise while isolating the speaker's voice and minimizing side noise. It includes a Lightning adapter for easy connection to your iPhone, delivering instant broadcast-quality recordings provided the microphone is held close to the speaker. The Sennheiser HandMic Digital Microphone is available on Amazon for $259.

For iPhone: Shure MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone
The Shure MV88 iOS condenser microphone attaches conveniently to the base of your iPhone, offering stereo recording to capture a broader soundscape rather than just a single speaker. It can automatically adjust EQ, compression, and limiting to ensure optimal results consistently. This microphone is designed for journalists on the move who need a quick and straightforward solution for recording interviews. The Shure MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone is available on Amazon for $149.

For Android: Beyerdynamic FOX USB Condenser Microphone
The Beyerdynamic Fox Microphone is a desktop, studio-grade microphone that connects via USB-C, delivering excellent audio quality when placed on a desk or table. It features a large-diaphragm condenser capsule that accurately captures voices while filtering out much of the ambient noise. The Beyerdynamic FOX USB Condenser Microphone is available on Amazon for $149.

For both iPhone and Android: Apogee MiC Plus
The Apogee MiC Plus is a professional studio-quality microphone compatible with iOS devices (iPhone, iPad), Android, and Mac/PC. This versatile microphone can record a wide range of sounds, from interviews and podcasts to vocals and music. It's compact enough to fit in your pocket, making it ideal for on-the-go recording, and offers flexible connectivity via both Lightning and USB-C. Simply plug it into your phone for high-quality recordings with an extended dynamic range. The Apogee MiC Plus is available on Amazon for $259.

Lavalier Microphone: BOYA Omnidirectional Clip-on Lapel Mic
For a more discreet recording setup, consider a lavalier microphone that clips onto a tie, shirt, or collar, with the cable running beneath clothing to your phone. This method is excellent for capturing clear audio during video recordings without the need to hold a microphone. A lavalier microphone ensures high-quality, distinct sound by being positioned to capture primarily your voice. The BOYA Lavalier Microphone model BY-DM1 (iPhone/Lightning version) is available on Amazon for $69.95, and the BOYA Lavalier Microphone model BY-DM2 (Android/USB-C version) is available on Amazon for $69.95.

A concluding remark:

Having high-quality audio recordings will not only enhance the accuracy of your automated transcriptions, for example, when using a service like DeepVo.ai which offers free, end-to-end encrypted voice-to-text, AI summaries, and mind maps, but will also greatly benefit your listeners, increasing their engagement with your content. After processing your audio into text, DeepVo.ai can generate an AI summary in under 10 seconds or create a structured mind map to visualize key points. If you were to implement just one change after reading this article, we strongly advise adding a portable microphone. Alternatively, for the truly dedicated, a standalone portable digital recorder like the Zoom H1n (available on Amazon for $139.95) offers a fully dedicated, pocket-sized device for all your recording needs.

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