Review of Zoom iQ5 Microphone for iOS ★★★★

The Zoom iQ5 Stereo Mic for iOS is the first attachable, plug-and-play iOS mic that uses the Lightning connector. At $100, it's a very functional 2-element, mid-side mic for podcasters and musicians wanting to record directly on their iPad or iPhone. It works with most recording apps and is especially useful with universal synced apps like GarageBand, where you can handhold while recording on iPhone and then do the final edit on iPad or even Mac. The functional size and fact that it's attachable make for minimal setup time in field recording.

+ Captures one of the most natural sounds of any mic that works with iOS + Minimizes room ambiance + Mid-side mic array gives beautiful, full-range, stereo placement to sound + Adds pro quality audio to your video on iPhone or iPad + Gain and focus controls give you a lot of flexibility in capturing sound + Records 16Bit, 44kHz CD-Quality audio + 40db preamp controlled by the Gain knob + Free Handy Recorder app records raw PCM or AAC files which can be uploaded to SoundCloud or retrieved on the Desktop through iTunes File Sharing

- Still can distort, even with a max db level of 120. (An issue with most iOS compatible mics.) - Limited function with apps other than Zoom Handy Recorder - Plastic globe holder seems flimsy - Will monitor playback of multitrack channels, but won't do live monitoring of input.

► Get the Zoom iQ5 Stereo Mic for iOS

More (than you want to know)

How to use iQ5

Zoom's Handy Recorder app unleashes the full feature set of the iQ5. While the app has it's uses, I think most people will use the iQ5 more with other apps, so this article will only cover the features that work with all recording apps that accept an external mic.

Plug it into a Lightning connector or the Lightning Adapter for older iOS device.
Open any compatible recording app
Turn the mic so the red dot is facing the audio source and L-R markings are horizontal.
Position the mic 6-18 inches from the source.

Tips

You can use the end of a sock or panty hose as a windscreen to reduce wind noise and popping Ps. Or buy a pro model.
If getting distortion and the red light isn't flashing, move a little further away from the sound source.
if you use an iPhone video mount like the Glif you can use a tripod as a microphone stand.
USB jack can be used to charge your iOS device while recording.
Unplug and flip the mic around if it's not moving to the position you want
If you get interference, set your iDevice into Airplane Mode in Settings.
For the cleanest sound, set the mic focus to 90°.

Sample stereo recording of the iQ5 on an iPhone

Settings

Focus You have two choices: 90° (standard cardioid pattern) and 120° (wider stereo capture). The M-S (mid-side) setting reverts to 120°. The difference in the two? 90° is best for capturing a single source, like a voice or instrument. 120° is best for capturing multiple sounds or ambiance, like a band or meeting.

Gain There are two settings you can use: Off and Limiter. Auto only works with Handy Recorder.

The Off setting puts the gain dial completely in control of the incoming audio level. This will give you the cleanest, most natural sounding recording. To set the level, do a mic check with the audio live and turn the Gain knob up until the red light starts to flash. This is the point where the recording starts to distort. Now back off the Gain knob until flashing stops. Create a little head room in case sounds get a little loud by backing off the gain by 1 or 2.

The Limiter setting automatically reduces the louder sounds to avoid distortion. This is really useful when sound levels are unpredictable. Like a compressor, the Limiter will bring up the volume of background sounds, and in most cases will sound natural. To set the level, do a mic check with the audio live and turn the Gain knob up until the red light starts to flash. This is the point where the recording starts to distort. Back the Gain knob off by 2.

Check this post on using the iQ5 with a multitrack recorder

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