While the microphone that comes built into the average smartphone is perfect for phone calls, if you want to make some serious content or record a serious podcast, you'll probably need to upgrade the sound quality by plugging in an external microphone.
Targeted Recording with an Android or iOS Compatible Microphone
Most mobile phones and tablets come fitted with a microphone with an omnidirectional polar pattern. This means that sound is picked up from all sides, so these microphones basically capture everything. When picking out an external microphone that's compatible with your phone, you'll have a few different types to choose from, including directional microphones. Directional microphones have a unidirectional polar pattern, so they only pick up sound coming from one direction so you can actually target the mic and focus the sound. If you want to plug professional studio microphones into your phone, see our range of mobile recording interfaces.
Get a Wireless Bluetooth Clip-On Microphone for Your Phone
If you love the freedom of your wireless headphones or wireless earbuds, then why not try out a wireless microphone as well? Unlike the wireless microphones that performers use on stage, wireless microphone models designed for mobile phones connect with a receiver that runs on a rechargeable battery. These wireless systems will come as a complete back including the receiver and the microphone transmitter, and some wireless microphones don't even need a receiver since they can be paired with your phone via Bluetooth.
Microphones with USB-C Plugs
You can get various external microphones that are designed for mobile phones and that come fitted with various connection cables or sockets. So, you can get microphones fitted with a TRRS jack plug that you can hook up directly to the headphone port of your phone. But, since a lot of new phones don't actually have a mini-jack socket any more, you can now get microphones with a digital plug, like a Lightning plug that's compatible with iPhones, or a USB-C plug that's compatible with the current Android and iOS smartphones.
Raise Your Interview Game with High-Quality Sound
By plugging a good microphone into your phone, you can quickly transform it into a fully-grown portable recorder. If you're carrying out a lot of interviews, a handheld microphone with a cardioid polar pattern can be a good choice, or a set of two clip-on microphones. A clip-on, or lavalier microphone is so small it can be discreetly clipped onto clothing, leaving your hands free. You can also find wireless clip-on microphones as well as wireless handheld microphones that are compatible with both Android and iOS devices.
Android or iOS Microphone Extras
So you can record in all conditions and be assured of the best sound quality, it's worth kitting your microphone out with a compatible windshield. A microphone windshield is a cap that reduces the effect of wind on your recordings.
