NAMM originally stood for North American Music Merchants, but now it’s an international show for manufacturers, affiliates, resellers, and other vendors in the world of audio.

On the heels of CES in Las Vegas, NAMM was held this year in Anaheim, CA, and broke previous records for attendance.

If you saw my quick review of the new Blue Microphones at CES, well, NAMM is that…on steroids… times ten.

Apparently USB mics continue to be the darling of any recording set — vocals, voice-overs, or musical instruments.  Most audio engineers agree it’s not possible to get the same high quality fidelity from a USB microphone as you can with a XLR input, but that isn’t keeping manufacturers from trying.  That’s mostly driven by the insane pace of iPhone and iPad sales, and the realization that these devices can actually serve as excellent portable/mobile recorders.

At CES and NAMM, many of the name mic vendors bring their prototypes to show off, and then make vague promises that they’ll be on shelves “mid spring”, or “sometime in March or April”, or “just before Summer”…as was the case with the 3 new “Blue” mics I reviewed.

The mic pictured above, though — the MXL Tempo — is available now.  You can even get it in red and black, and it’s being priced all over the place at $59.   MXL also touts it’s iPad-compatible TRIO USB mic.

There are others, of course.

The iRig MIC Cast Mobile Microphone is a nice unit, but plugs into the earphone jack of your iOS device…not the 30-pin connector.

Finally, the Editors Keys SL150 USB mic comes with a kit that lets you plug right into your iPad for recording.

So many choices!  So little budget!  It almost makes you wanna hope for a road trip just to justify the expense of a USB/iPad mic to your better half!

CourVO

Up to this point, the Alesis iODock is the only device this reviewer evaluated that really met the minimum recording quality most voice acting pros would be comfortable sending to client…and it’s not that portable.

A caveat:  ANY $3,000 microphone will not fill the bill if your recording environment sucks.  So the Tascam iM2 is no panacea if you’re recording in the men’s bathroom at Target.

Having said that, though, the iM2 is the closest we’ve seen to making the grade with portable, on-the-fly, smartphone-device recording that you won’t be embarrassed to send to your best VO client.

Right now, it seems to be available only from B&H Photo.  $80.

See my video below for a quick look at the device itself.  My previous blog on the iM2 gives the specs.  Most importantly:  this device plugs into the 30-pin connector on the bottom of the iOS device (works with iPhone 4 & 4s, iPad, iPad2, and iPod), giving it the best possible shot at a decent recording since the Blue Mikey.  Apple changed the internal wiring when it moved from the 3Gs to the iPhone 4, rendering the Mikey unusable going forward.

(ed. note:  see a similar review of this device by Beau Weaver in the comment section of this blog)

Match the iM2 with Twisted Wave’s iPhone/iPad app for the optimal recording.  Twisted Wave also gives you powerful editing and post-production tools, and lets you share by FTP, iTunes, DropBox, email, or Wi-Fi, but does not record in .mp3.  Instead you can convert it to mp3 through a service online TW supports. Save in .wav, AIFF, CAF, or AAC.   Not quite as good, but getting close in quality are the apps:  FiRe,  Monle and  MultiTrack.

• The dual-positioned mics rotate so you can direct these condensers to the direction of sound.
• The unit works best when you set your iPhone to Airplane Mode, avoiding any interruptions.
• The unit is also very sensitive to movement, so you need to get a comfortable grip and not move the phone around, nor move your fingers on the unit while recording.
• To listen to what you’ve recorded, you must then UN-plug the iM2 to hear the speakers.
• The iM2 does not come with it’s own headphone jack.
• If you have the Apple-supplied earphones plugged in the phone will prioritize the built-in mic on the headset cord, and not record through the iM2.

Now the mic comparison.

I simultaneously recorded a couple of sentences holding the Tascam iM2/iPhone4 as pictured.

The saved .wav file on the iPhone, I uploaded to DropBox, opened in AA3.0 and converted to .mp3.

The Studio Projects C-1 recording was into the AA3.0 DAW through a Steinberg CI2 USB interface.  That recording was a  native mp3.

The ONLY tweak was a boost to the gain in AA3.0 for the Tascam recording.  Even though I had the volume control on the iM2 at max, the two comparison sound waves were not equal in gain.  I had to boost the Tascam recording by about 30%.

Below are the two comparison sound files.  I think you’ll agree that while they are not equal, the Tascam recording — standing on its own — would probably pass muster for an acceptable audition, or even a final cut.

The first soundfile is the Tascam iM2/iPhone4 recording.  The lower soundfile is the Studio Projects C-1 recording.

Tascam-iM2 against StudioProjectsC-1 by CourVO

StudioProjectsC-1 against Tascam-iM2 by CourVO

Pretty close, eh?

LA voice acting pro Beau Weaver has also previewed this device extensively, and his analysis is included below in the comment section.  Absolutely a must-read if you are interested in the deeper technical side of this issue.  Beau is very thorough in his critique.

CourVO

Right?

“Microphones output a very low signal by nature. Using a really high quality cable on your mic connection will allow the best of a bad situation: your low-output mic will give you better definition, more robust frequency extremes (better lows and more highs), and most importantly, remain even truer to the source.” (from this source)

Some factors to consider when choosing mic cables:

-Price doesn’t necessarily dictate the quality of the cable, but as with most things, you get what you pay for.
-Age of the cable.
-Length of the cable.
-Shielded vs. unshielded (shielded is better)
-Impedance (resistance)  cheaper cables tend to have more resistance due to bad soldering and lower-quality componenets
-Thickness by itself does not dictate a better cable…but better cables are sometimes thicker
-Metal used as conductor (yes, gold is tops, but also most expensive).

“A mic signal is very low power, low impedance, balanced. It is quite susceptible to external interference, which is why it’s balanced: the idea is that the same interference will affect both signal conductors identically, and the mic preamp then subtracts one signal from the other, hopefully eliminating the interference.  Some mic cables use “Star Quad” wiring where there are actually four, rather than two, signal conductors; they are intricately braided together and then paired up at the ends so that they behave like two conductors that are very close together physically.”  (from this source)

Resources:

Mic Cable Comparison article #1

Mic Cable Comparison article #2

DMX Cable vs. Mic Cable YouTube Video

Musician’s Friend Audio Cable Buying Guide

Bottom line:  A reliable mic cable should be shielded, made of good materials, not too long, not too old, and have good worksmanship (some sales people at music stories tend to want to sell you a “Monster” brand cable.  Be sure to ask ‘em why “Monster” is better).

In research for this article, I kept coming up with the term “NEUTRIK” brand connectors and cables.  Apparently, a lot of people think highly of their quality.  Here is the Neutrik Website for Audio Cables.

George Whittam, Dan Friendman….what’d I miss?

CourVO

He’s a geek, too…but not as frivolous with his discretionary cash, apparently.  So he lives vicariously through my wanderings up and down the virtual aisles of online geekdom.

The latest is Tascam’s iZX microphone interface for iPad, iPhone, and iPod.

For $50 this is a sweet little gem of a portable unit for recording.

Or is it?

Well, that, my friends, is for you to decide.

First, for the hard-core among you…some hard-core specs:

Now, watch the video below, where I introduce you briefly to the hardware, then scroll down further to listen to a quick sound recording using the iZX with my iPhone4.

CourVO tests the Tascam iXZ from Dave Courvoisier on Vimeo.

Now, listen to the brief soundfile I recorded using a AKG C300B mic, a standard 5-foot XLR mic cable, the Tascam iZX, and my iPhone 4, recording with the Twisted Wave app.  The input volume on the Tascam unit was at about 2/3rds maximum.

I uploaded the resulting .wav file to AA3.0, edited out the breath sounds, boosted the gain a little, but applied no other effects.  The result is here:
TascamiXZ Sample Courvoisier by CourVO

I’ve blogged about the Alesis iODock here a couple of times, here.

At NAB here in Las Vegas in April, iODock was the talk of the convention floor.  Now the iODock is out, and it’s at BSW and other equipment retail outlets.

The BSW write-up says: “…The Alesis iO Dock universal docking station has the connectivity to let you create, produce, and perform music on your iPad with virtually any piece of pro audio gear or instruments. The iO Dock can connect your iPad’s powerful processor, touch-screen interface and extensive library of apps to your collection of microphones, instruments, professional speaker and PA systems, MIDI controllers, sound modules, video projectors and much more.“

BSW has it listed at $199.

Here’s an Alesis introductory video on the iODock.

CourVO

That’s not meant in a mean-spirited way.  These guys (like B&H, Sweetwater, BSW, and Full Compass) put it all in one place, make it searchable, and knock each other out trying to find the lowest price.  (See SWEET!,  my blog  from the other day.)

Since they can all pretty much get the same stuff for the same price from the manufacturer…they distinguish their companies from each other with specials, shipping, service, customer service, return policies, and info.

Which brings me to one of the best explanations I’ve ever seen of the considerations you should take into account when you are thinking about buying a preamp.

Musician’s Friend’s PreAmp Buying Guide is comprehensive.

A preamp can be an expensive purchase, and like buying a microphone, the unit needs to be matched to your needs and your voice (not to mention your budget).

Stop by and take a read, even if you’re NOT buying a preamp…you’ll walk away with a much better understanding of preamps than you thought possible.

CourVO

They’re an audio equipment supplier…kinda like BSW, SweetWater, B&H…you know…they’ve got it all: microphones, mixers, pre-amps, mic stands, cables, cords, plugs…yada yada yada.

Oh, and one other thing, when you visit the site…it helps to read Mandarin, ’cause this company is based out of CHINA, specifically:  Kingstar Audio Equipment Technology Co., Ltd, is located in Shenzhen City, the Pearl River Delta of Guangdong Province, near Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Macao, more convenient for the traffic.

OH!  OK, then…I feel much better.

Name brands, here:  Sennheiser,  Yamah, Beehringer.  I couldn’t find a price anywhere on the KingStar site.

Would you feel comfortable ordering from these guys?

I just keep wondering about the unsafe levels of lead.

CourVO

SweetWater is offering free interest on any purchase over $499 for the next 12 months.  I’m sure there’s some fine print, and I think you have to get their “platinum” card, but this could save you a few hundred dollars on a big-ticket item.

Check it out.  SweetWater’s No-Interest offer.

I’ve used SweetWater a number of times, and find their customer service to be excellent.  I have an inside name if you want to go that way…just let me know.

CourVO

http://www.realtraps.com/p_pvb.htm

iRig Mic Evaluation

iRig Mic Comparison, Take 2

It seems I’m not the only one fascinated with seeking a  smartphone or tablet computing-solution for a mobile recording apparatus, because the above articles got a lot of traffic.  Eventually, a set-up like this could be a primary recording configuration…if the technology becomes sufficient.

While few were impressed with quality of the iRig Mic sound recording for a job, many said it might be good for a quick audition.  For my part, while I love gizmos and software apps, I always felt the software-side of things with the iRig Mic was confusing.  Their native software seemed to be buried within the Amplitube or VocaLive smartphone apps.

Now iRig is out with their own recording to accompany their iRig Mic:  the iRig Recorder.  Among it’s features:  Exporting the recording by email, iTunes, Wi-Fi, FTP, or SoundCloud…nice!  It has 8 effects processors, and saves in .m4a or uncompressed .wav formats.

$5 for the app on iPhone…I have not had the chance to try this out yet, but (heh) you know I will.  ‘Just wanted to let you know as soon as I found out.  The announcement was in my email box this morning.

CourVO