“Why you can trust Digital Trends – We have a 20-year history of testing, reviewing, and rating products, services and apps to help you make a sound buying decision. Find out more about how we test and score products.“
iRig Mic Field captures dynamic sound in a compact design perfect for turning iPhones into a superb live audio recorder.
Whether it’s Beyonce in an amphitheater or a local rapper at a bar, fans have become amateur concert broadcasters thanks to video recording features in phones. But while manufacturers are busily improving cameras for future phones, audio recording has not seen the same attention.
We’re left with gorgeous, high definition video — with audio that sounds like it was recorded in the middle of a storm.
The box-shaped iRig Mic Field, with its sleek feel and nighttime black color, aims to change that and help your struggle recordings. It’s a phone attachment that produces stereo-quality audio for your camera phone videos, and it comes with a pouch if carrying it in your pocket is too cumbersome. We tested it out, along with the separately sold wind blocker, to isolate the high and low notes.
The iRig Mic Field offers a low-noise/high-definition pre-amp in its microphone to filter out distortion; the wind protector does wonders for improving the quality of audio recordings too. A slider on the side of the mic adjusts the volume, and a light changes to indicate the level. Blue is low, green means medium, and red means you’re about to hear everything — including noisy wind rushing over the recording surface and distortion from everyone and everything nearby.
The device is super compact and able to fit in your pocket better than the iPhone 6 it’s fitted for. We found it easy to carry and quick to pop on and off when the mood strikes.
Digital Trends took the iRig Mic Field, its accompanying windshield, and an iPhone 6 on a variety of sound tests around New York City, including a recent concert by funk group Tuxedo at Le Possion Rouge in Manhattan. Bring the noise!
Less than three feet from the stage, the iPhone was plagued by the typical distortion from being in such close proximity to massive speakers blaring out bass. Once the wind-blocker was placed on, the entire video changed, however. What had been a chaotic jumbling of sounds with moments of clarity was turned into a subdued, jazzy affair.
The combination of windshield and mic, at the right volume, was able to produce stunningly clear audio no matter your proximity to the stage.
New York City trains are notorious for instantly transforming into dance concerts, offering evidence in sexual harassment cases, and serving as a literal underground market for sugary treats. So capturing video in this environment is clearly essential.
Without the mic, the maddening sounds of the train clanking against the tracks is highly apparent, even when the train was barely moving. With the mic and the windshield, not only are the tracks barely audible but the mic picks up a conversation from two people a few seats over.
Over 50 million people visit New York City and this melting pot usually results in a smattering of noises. The iRig Mic’s windshield eliminates the grumble of busses, a constant fixture on New York City streets, improving many cell phone videos of the city.
IK Media also provides an iRig Recorder app for audio recording, helpful for journalists in the field dealing with unpredictable noises. The complete package, with the wind visor included, is available on IK Media’s website for $79.99.
If you’re going to spend an entire concert staring through your phone so you don’t miss the moment, the iRig Mic Field will make sure you don’t drown the sound.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.