Available from Sennheiser for £179.99
Here at What Mobile, we are given all sorts of tech to review and this review we cover the Memory Mic from Sennheiser. This mic allows a wireless microphone to sync with your phone so when you’re making a film of your kids or any other memory making it records higher quality audio then given on your phone’s mic.
My first view of this was why would you give your kid a mic when your filming a school assembly for example but am now eating my words. The mic is an genius tool for recording better audio at an event meaning you never miss a moment.
The Memory Mic it’s not a massive tool at only 2(H)x1.5(W)x0.6(D) inches and weighing at 1 ounce. The look of the mic is a small white device with a grey back with a shirt clip on the back. On the top of the mic, you find a metal grille protecting the mic. On the bottom panel is the USB-C connection and on the right-hand side is the power button that doubles up for pairing and has a small LED above to show its on.
The Frequency range is 100Hz-20kHZ and delivers 48kHz/16-Bit audio files. This mic also has a modest high-pass filter which reduces other noises such as wind or clothing rustling. The main disappointment with the recording is the memory mic only has 16-bit spec but most other mics similar to this have a 24-bit audio.
You are given a free app which is essential to the use of the mic. Sennheiser does a great job keeping the pairing and calibration easy to use, Set up is also very simple and does this by playing a series of different sounds in the mic records. Once set up you are ready to use. Once set up the low, medium or high sensitivity can be picked in the settings. Sennheiser suggests using low for extremely loud sources such as a concert. I used this on the medium level for my son’s assembly as I wanted the speeches amplified.
Battery Life is 4 hours but these depend on the amount you record. When you start using this the app shows how much audio time you have available and also the battery level. The app is simple to use and shows you how to use the mic. Once you have recorded audio these files are stored in the sessions section.
Something I like you can record an audio-only recording which I have found useful when having meetings. I also like the range of the mic as it seems to be unlimited this is because it doesn’t synchronize the audio to the video until it’s finished recording. Once you click finish the app helps you through the short process during which the audio and the video are synced. This is very impressive in execution and post-recording you can mix the audio from the mic with the phone audio but personally, I would stick with the mic sound. If you have to point out a negative I would say there a slight lapse in timing if you try and mix both.
When using the Medium sensitivity our recording of the assembly was crisp and clean. We had music playing from speakers nearby and the mic recorded everything so clearly without distortion. Make sure the LED on the Mic is green to record and if it’s orange the mic won’t record.
Overall is this would I keep using this? I would it’s a useful tool to have if having professional sound is something you care about. I find this very useful when doing a one on one interview at a phone launch and getting the sound and video perfect.
The Cost is something that might put me off a bit at £179 for a mic but the software and once you have used it a few times you will love it. The Negative points are no 24-bit option and the sensitivity settings are a bit hit or miss but with time you will know what works better. Maybe an app update could fix this.
So if you’re looking for the professional sound to go with your clips it’s well worth it so if that important go for it.
Available for £179 from Sennheiser.com