Back at CES, IK Multimedia unveiled a trio of music / recording accessories for iDevices. One of which was the diminutive iRig MIC Cast to handle those on-the-go podcasting and voice recording duties. The outfit has announced that the ultra-compact microphone that plays nice with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is now shipping. Let's have a quick refresher, shall we? The kit plugs into your Apple device's 3.5mm audio jack and sports a headphone output of its own for monitoring purposes. Inside the kit, a unidirectional condenser capsule goes to work to isolate the audio you want recorded instead that pesky background chatter. If you're looking to snag one, it'll set you back $40 (€29.99) and includes a stand for your handheld inside the box. But before you take the leap, head on past the break for some of our hands-on impressions of the device.
You won't have to worry about the iRig MIC Cast taking up much space in your backpack, that's for sure. The mic portion of the device isn't much larger than a quarter -- a quality we think is a real plus for this mobile recording accessory. On the exterior, you won't find anything overly flashy. The aforementioned headphone jack rests on the right side and a lo / hi toggle switch on the front keeps those input levels in check. We didn't really care for the kit's plasticky frame due to the fact that it seemed to give the mic a cheap feel. However, once we got the rig plugged in and ready to use, we found that the performance overcame the facade.
Like other iOS accessories we've test driven before, this one is very much a plug-and-play type peripheral. Once you've downloaded at least one of the requisite applications, you're in business. Two free apps are available for use with the iRig MIC Cast: iRig Recorder for more general use and VocaLive for voice processing tracks from those with a decent set of pipes. Of course, you could always splurge for the $4.99 version of the former app if the unpaid version just won't cut it. Looking to add some better audio to those FaceTime and Skype chats? This add-on can help with both of those, too.
We mainly used iRig Recorder for our testing purposes and found it to be quite useful for capturing voice (read: speaking) tracks. During the process, we were pleasantly surprised by how clear our recordings were. In a room with little to no background noise, our informal prose and spoken word performances remained crystal clear on playback through both earbuds and the iPhone's speakers. If you're looking to snag a compact kit for recording interviews, voice notes and the like, the iRig MIC Cast should definitely be a consideration -- especially if you can get past its somewhat deceiving exterior.Show full PR text
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