Input options and microphones

[pwnified]

I hesitate to recommend anything that plugs into the headphone port except for the Apple headset which was designed specifically for it. This is not to say that products don't work, it's very possible to get this working but with the quality of products we've seen recently it's an iffy proposition. We've heard reports of the iRig working great for electric guitar (but with some reports of crosstalk problems), and jorgren has posted a custom design for an excellent cable in this very thread which isolates the input using active components. There are various cables for sale over the internet also, but I can't recommend any of them at this point, because of the strict requirements of signal/voltage/impedance that this input needs.

The best thing to do is to get a doc connector microphone, made under the "made for iPod" program or the "works with iPhone", which also doubles as a line in, like the Belkin Tune Talk or Alesis ProTrack. That way, you can plug the line level signal out of the Line 6 directly into the unit without worrying about dc offset voltage, asymmetrical clipping patterns, triggering the iPod player (which also shares this same line), or generally bad sound, lack of frequency response or noise/crosstalk.

As a bonus of using the line in on the doc connector, you also get stereo recording.

About disabling the internal mic, this is all under automatic selection by iOS, so when you plug in an external microphone it gets selected. If you plug in headphones without a mic, iOS continues to use the internal mic. Hope this helps.

[gBeat]

Edirol UA-20 + Apple CCK ok but only stereo

[jabraham]

Looks the Belkin TuneTalk isn't available in Canada.

There are lots of TuneTalks on ebay.ca. I'm thinking of buying one. But they all say that they work with old ipods, on the product page
http://www.belkin.com/iwcatproductpage. ... _id=291417 it says
"Compatible with following iPods
* nano-2g-al-2-4-8
* 5g-video-30-60-80
* 5g-video-30"

Is this the right TuneTalk? Have they just not updated the product literature? Or is there a newer TuneTalk that is advertised to work with an iphone?

I know I should wait for the new BlueMikey in just a few days, but with TuneTalks going for so cheap on ebay I could pick one up, buy a separate stereo microphone and be done (right?)

[jkevinwolfe]

I have been using a TT with my iPhone 3Gs in another app for recording for a long time and it works fine. You get a warning that it's not designed for iPhone, but once past that. All is good. The line in on the TT works well too.

I really like the sound of the TT mics. It's biggest fault is that the circuits are hissy. If you want a clean sound out of it, you must mix on the desktop and use some noise reduction on the tracks. There were also a lot of issues with monitoring while recording but there were work arounds and I found the TT the most convenient way to record.

Mikey2 will be out soon. I was not impressed by the first Mikey, but two is supposed to be great and it has line in.

I have head that the TT will not work with the iPad but haven't tried it.

[porkpeye]

Anyone tried a MicPort Pro from CEntrance, or Shure X2u, or Icicle from Blue?

[porkpeye]

Mikey2 will be out soon. I was not impressed by the first Mikey, but two is supposed to be great and it has line in.

That's good news.... for everyone with anything older than an iPhone 4 or iPad.

[jkevinwolfe]

There were rumors that Blue has been delaying Mikey2 for so long in order to make it compatible with the iPad and iPhone 4, but they have turned out to be false. The new pin lineup in the iPhone4 and iPad use a true digital audio in, making them incompatible with the Mikey and Mikey2 or any current iphone mic that plugs in through the dock like the TT.

I can't imagine this will be left unaddressed for long by some company, but for the moment iPad users can resort to the camera kit and apparently many USB audio Interfaces. But it appears iPhone 4 users will have less options.

Good news for older iPhone users: the Mikey 2 line out doubles as a headphone jack for monitoring. It would appear that with MT DAW you will be able to monitor both Mikey2 and DAW tracks simultaneously. But I guess we won't know for sure until Mikey2 is out and someone tries it.

[Idlefrets]

I'm trying to use the 1/8 connector to 3x RCA on my iPad to take a "line in" from a mixing desk. The line is -10dbV but I haven't been successful yet. Any suggestions? Ps the cable works fine for other apps like amplitude which uses yellow RCA for mic/guitar input.

[jabraham]

There were rumors that Blue has been delaying Mikey2 for so long in order to make it compatible with the iPad and iPhone 4, but they have turned out to be false. The new pin lineup in the iPhone4 and iPad use a true digital audio in, making them incompatible with the Mikey and Mikey2 or any current iphone mic that plugs in through the dock like the TT.

But it appears iPhone 4 users will have less options.

When you say "less options" what options are you thinking still exist for us iPhone 4 owners? We need something with a D/A converter built in, right?

[jabraham]

When you say "less options" what options are you thinking still exist for us iPhone 4 owners? We need something with a D/A converter built in, right?

Not sure why I missed this before, but can I just by the KVConnection adapter and plug in my Shure SM57? http://www.kvconnection.com/product-p/k ... e-xtrs.htm maybe would allow me to monitor through headphones? Or http://www.kvconnection.com/product-p/k ... e-micx.htm without any chance of headphone monitoring. Both claim to be iphone4 compatible.