- Is there no headphone jack on your new smartphone?
Well, we're about to run through the best options
when it comes to microphones for iPhone 7 or later
and newer Android phones, including the top
microphones that I currently recommend for smartphones.
(upbeat music)
Hey, it's Justin Brown here from Primal Video,
where we help entrepreneurs and business owners
amplify their business and brand with video.
If you're new here, then make sure you click
that subscribe button, and all the links
to everything we mention in this video,
you can find linked in the description box below.
So let's jump into it.
iPhone and Android smartphones are awesome tools
for creating video content.
They're incredibly convenient, the camera quality
in the latest phones is great, and it's only getting better.
The biggest issue though is that most people
tend to rely too much on the internal microphone
or a set of headphones, and the resulting audio
can massively degrade the quality of any videos.
We've covered the different microphone options
for smartphones in the past, but all of these
have really relied on that 3.5 millimeter port,
or headphone jack to connect the microphones
to your phone.
So with Apple canning the headphone port
back when they released the iPhone 7,
and newer Android phones going the same way as well,
thanks Google Pixel, it's time for an update
with some new options.
So whether you've already got a 3.5 millimeter
microphone that you wanna try and use,
or you're looking for a new microphone
and you wanna get the best options,
then we've got you covered.
And once we've got you set up with the best solution
for you, at the end, I'll also drop my pick
for the number one microphone that you need
in your filming kit, and the simple trick
that you can use to get the best audio results.
And while we're going through, if you've already
got a microphone that you love, then let us know
what it is down in the comments.
So to start with, with that headphone jack plug gone,
let's take a look at the devices
that have now been designed to work with our smartphones
without the need for the headphone jack.
So, specifically we're talking about microphones
with that lightning connector on the bottom of it,
or a USB-C microphone so you can plug it directly
into your smartphone without the need
for any adapters.
So on the Apple side of things,
there's actually quite a few options for microphones
out there now that have the lightning connector on them,
meaning that you can plug them directly into your iPhone.
A lot of the popular, big brands out there
have actually created microphones specifically
for this purpose, so that includes people like Sennheiser,
like Rode, like Apogee, and there's a heap of other
ones as well, but typically what you'll find
with these microphones is that they're not cheap.
And while they will work well on your iPhone,
the biggest downside I can see is
that you actually won't be able to use
these microphones for any other devices,
because of that connector.
So given the amount of money that you're gonna
be spending on these microphones,
and the fact that you actually can't use them
on any of your other cameras, or any of your
other devices that don't have that lightning connector,
it might be pretty hard for you to justify
the purchase, given the price and that it is
so device dependent.
So that's the Apple side of things,
but if you've got an Android device
that doesn't have the headphone jack plug,
then what are your options?
Well, surprisingly, there really isn't too many
USB-C microphones out there these days.
So the answer here then is to use adapters,
and that's what we're jumping into next.
The second option for getting great audio
and external microphones to use with our smartphones
is to use adapters, and what you'll find
in most cases is if you're buying a device
that doesn't have that headphone jack port,
they will actually give you a free adapter
when you purchase the phone to convert
either lightning or USB-C to 3.5 millimeters
to give you that headphone jack plug.
So if you really wanna expand your options
with microphones that you can use with your smartphones,
then this is the best way to do it.
Now if you're gonna be using the adapter
that came with your phone, it will open you up
to using a huge range of microphones
that are out there.
Whether the microphone was actually designed
to work with a smartphone or not,
you can get an additional adapter to plug
into the adapter that came with your phone
to be able to convert it from either a TRS connection,
which is pretty standard when you're looking
at microphones, or a TRRS connection.
And again, all the links to everything
that we're mentioning will be down in the description,
but all that you need to know here is
that with some simple adapters,
you can actually adapt most microphones these days
to work with your smartphones.
Now you might be thinking that could be a bit cumbersome
or a bit clunky to have your phone with an adapter,
and then the microphone plugged into that,
but it definitely doesn't need to be.
Depending on the type of microphone
that you're looking to use with your device,
there's actually some really great mounting options
and simple mounting options around now
to help you mount a microphone side-by-side
with your smartphone.
Our really simple go to recommendation
for exactly that is something like this,
so this is an Arkon tripod with an Arkon phone mount,
and it is on an Estone hot shoe bar,
and I will have links to all of these in the description,
but this will let you mount your phone on one side,
and a microphone on the other.
And this microphone is the Rode VideoMicro.
So this, again, will be connected through to
your smartphone using the adapter
that it came with.
So if you are gonna use that adapter,
then what microphones are the ones
that we recommend you use?
Well if you're looking for a wired lapel
or lavalier microphone, the one that we recommend
is the Boya BY-M1, this will work on both
smartphones, and on DSLRs or cameras as well.
It's actually the microphone that we use
for most of the videos on this channel.
If you're after a wireless lapel or lavalier microphone,
the one that we recommend is the Rode Filmmaker Kit,
now this would definitely be on the larger end
of the scale if you use this setup,
but it will give you wireless audio
back to your smartphone.
Okay, so that's wireless and wired lapel
or lavalier microphones, as for shotgun microphones
that we recommend to use with your smartphones,
our top pick, or our top recommendation
is currently the Rode VideoMicro,
which is actually this tiny little one here.
It will work with your DSLRs or with your cameras as well,
because it does just have the standard
headphone jack plug.
The biggest downside though with using the adapter
that comes with your device is that it will plug
into the port that you use to charge your device.
So you won't be able to be charging your phone
while you're recording with a microphone plugged in.
Now this obviously isn't gonna affect a lot
of people out there, but if you're gonna be
creating long videos, and you wanna be able to
charge your device or plug your device in
so it doesn't go flat while you're recording,
then there are other adapters out there
that you can pick up that will give you
an additional lightning port, or additional USB-C port
and the headphone jack as well so
that you can plug in your charging cable
and your microphone as well.
Now once again, there are heaps of them out there,
but we will put out links to the recommended ones
down in the description.
And the next couple of microphone options
that you've got aren't anything to do with
that 3.5 millimeter or headphone jack plug
for getting audio in.
So option number three then is to use
a Bluetooth headset, now this is something
that a lot of people don't ever realize
that they can use for their videos,
as well as just making phone calls with their device.
So these are headsets or ear pieces like the Apple
AirPods, the Google Pixel buds,
there's a heap of options out there from
companies like Jaybird, or Bose, or Jabra,
you've really got so many out there to choose from.
And depending on the types of videos
that you're making, these could be the perfect solution
for getting great audio on your device.
A lot of these headsets will also have
things like built-in noise cancellation,
so if you're gonna be filming in loud environments,
or if it's really windy, then the noise cancellation
can help to reduce that and give you great audio
into your videos.
Probably one of the biggest downsides with
using a Bluetooth headset as the audio for your video
will be that you're gonna see the headset in your shot.
Whether it's the ear pods hangin' out of your ears,
or whether you've got one that just hangs
around your neck, it's gonna be visible for anyone
watching your videos, so that will depend
on your types of videos you're making,
whether that is a deal breaker or not.
The other thing to be aware of would be the battery life.
So depending on which one you go,
and there's so many out there to choose from,
some of them have fairly decent battery life,
whereas others wouldn't.
So what I would suggest you do is look at
the actual talk time, because essentially
that's what you're gonna be doing while you're
recording your videos, this will be chewing up
talk time on there.
Standby time isn't going to come into effect
when you're creating videos.
So where I'd probably suggest you start here
is with either the Apple AirPods,
or with the Google Pixel buds.
Both of these are amazing headsets and will give you
really clear audio through in your videos.
The fourth option you've got is to use
a Bluetooth microphone, and to pair it up
over Bluetooth to your device.
Now surprisingly there really aren't too many
of these around, or too many decent ones around.
One of the best ones out there, and my recommendation
is a Sony microphone that's actually been around
for quite a few years, and that's the Sony AW4
Wireless Bluetooth Microphone.
So this will allow you to get really decent audio
over Bluetooth, so again, you're not tied
or tethered, or physically connected to your smartphone.
The biggest downside with this unit though,
is that essentially it works the same way
as a lapel or a lavalier microphone,
meaning the closer the microphone is to your mouth,
the better the audio you're gonna get.
So this microphone is actually designed
to clip onto your shirt, or your jacket,
or something that you're wearing,
something close to your mouth,
but given the size of this microphone,
it's not huge, but it's a lot bigger
than a standard wireless or wired lapel microphone,
so you're definitely going to see it
clipped onto a shirt or a jacket given the sheer
size of the unit.
So again, it's really gonna come down
to the type of videos that you're creating
and what you're happy for your viewers to see
or not see when it comes to the audio
that you're recording.
Now I think it's a pretty safe bet
that in the coming year at least,
but potentially two years, we're gonna see a heap
of change in this space.
With people taking filming with smartphone
more and more seriously, and the level of the quality
of the cameras, we can only expect
that the audio side is going to improve rapidly
along with it.
So as for the top all-round microphone
that I'd suggest that you carry in your video kit,
it's the Boya BY-M1 lavalier microphone.
As I said, it's the microphone that we use
for most of the videos on this channel.
For around the $20 U.S. price-point,
it is by far the best bang for buck microphone
that we have used, and it works on both
DSLRs and smartphones.
It's actually got a huge cable as well,
meaning that you don't need to be sitting
so close to your phone, you can actually get creative
and move further away and still get really good audio.
Now if you don't want the really long cable,
you could roll it up and stick it in your pocket,
and it's not going to affect you either.
So for flexibility, for audio quality,
and for bang for buck, that's why this is
our number one pick for microphone
that should be in your camera kit.
And you can easily use this microphone
to get great results, even when it's windy
or if conditions aren't ideal
by hiding the microphone under your shirt.
It's actually what I've done here now.
So you can do all of that in under 30 seconds,
so make sure you check out the video linked on screen
right now for a step-by-step tutorial,
showing you exactly how to do it.
And I'll see you soon.