Snap on a Zoom mic for better iPhone audio recording

VENICE BEACH, Calif. — Anyone with a smartphone knows the frustration of trying to shoot a video outside, only to find out that the built-in microphone doesn't do the job. It picks up everything — the crowd, buses, police sirens, birds chirping, wind — as well as the subject at hand.

To isolate the subject, you need a real, standalone microphone, but how many of us are willing to walk around with a big, bulky one?

The folks at Zoom, who make the go-to H4N audio recorder that many video-makers use for their professional projects (including us at Talking Tech) have come to the rescue with the teeny $99 iQ5. It plugs directly into i-devices with Lightning ports — the iPhone 5, 5S and 5C phones and recent iPads.

The iQ5 isn't the first mic to try and solve the iPhone's audio shortfalls, but it's the best we've seen — offering stronger audio than models we've tested from Blue Microphones and IK Multimedia, which both sell in the $50 range.

If you're doing an interview for a family history project, recording a band in the garage or something else that lets you get close to the subject, you're in great shape with the iQ5. It wouldn't be recommended for recording something from further away, as the iQ5 is a small little contraption that fits directly into the bottom of the iPhone or iPad.

Thanks to its swiveling mechanism, you can point it toward the audio you want to capture. This is especially useful for video: It can be rotated toward your subject when using the rear camera or toward yourself when you're shooting selfie videos.

You'll find the most dramatic before and after results using the mic in outdoor situations, where nature's elements usually get in the way.

Beyond video, iQ5 will turn your iPhone into a high quality Portable Audio Recorder, especially when used with the free HandyRecorder app, which is available on the iTunes app store and offers more controls and effects than the Apple-supplied Voice Memos audio recorder.

For folks working on more serious productions, Zoom recently updated its $299 H4N with a newer, more expensive model, the $399 H6.

The H4N is usually purchased as a tool to bring multiple channels of sound to a production, since cameras only have one input. What if you're doing a two-person interview? How do you mic both subjects?

With an audio recorder, just like they use in the movies.

The big changes for the H6 are:

— Additional audio channels. With the H4N you can plug into two mics; the H6 lets you input three.

— A bright, color LCD screen is more pleasing to look at than the two-tone H4N.

Another improvement: audio control. Each input has its own gain dial which makes adjusting individual inputs a breeze. You can turn each input on or off on the fly and have independent control.

Fans of the H4N who do two-person interviews and don't need the extra inputs probably won't need to upgrade. But if you've a trio that all wants to be in the show, and you like color LCDs, you might want to take a good look at the H6.

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