I’ve been a big fan and user of IK Multimedia’s iRig devices over the years. One of their latest, the iRig Mic HD really hits a sweet spot. Like most microphones, there’s not much to say about it operationally. It’s pretty much plug and play direct to your iOS device or computer. But it does have an on-mic volume control to control the hotness of the signal and a light that indicates you’re recording at a good level. I had been using the old iRig mic and it was pretty good but it only used the audio jack to connect so thus was only good for iOS devices. With USB capability on the iRIG HD, it’s going to be pretty tempting to keep my regular audio interface unplugged. To my ear the sound is great and really clean. I recorded an all acoustic version of my band Japan Soul’s song “Fight With Love” to give the iRig Mic HD a proper test drive. I used the IK app Vocalive to track a simple 4 track demo of grand piano, guitar, ukulele and my voice with the iRig Mic HD. My iPhone is getting on in years and some real-time playback glitches had me a little dubious of the quality. On export it sounded great. The real-time recording issues I experienced are just indicative that I need to get a new phone so I can really feel the mic performing to its fullest in optimal conditions. It should be noted that this is condensor mic quality. Recording in a noisy situation will all end up on your track. That’s a good thing as it means you’re going to get a high level of detail that you wouldn’t be able to capture with a dynamic live mic. The iRig Mic HD retails for $129. They’re not giving it away but it’s still a lot less than you’d pay for a regular condenser mic of comparable quality. Here’s my all acoustic performance of  “Fight With Love” recorded solely with the iRig Mic HD. I can hear that the signal did get a little hot on the vocal in some spots. But that’s on me. I just need to get to know the mic a little better.

• Affordable handheld digital condenser microphone for capturing audio on the go
• Plugs directly into the digital input on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Mac/PC via its included 1.5m (59”) Lightning and USB cables
• High-quality 24-bit, audiophile-grade A/D converter
• 44.1 – 48 kHz sampling rate
• Gain control with mutlicolor LED indicator
• Handheld design — also compatible with standard mic stands
• App/software bundle*, mic clip and carry bag included
• iRig Recorder, VocaLive and AmpliTube (iOS & Mac/PC versions) included
• Available in black or in an exclusive silver version (only available at the Apple Store)
• 30-pin cable available separately