Microphone options for your iPad

I love the quality of the video that my iPad takes… but I’m running into problems with the audio.  The built-in mic just isn’t enough to get quality audio.  What are some easy options for adding a better quality microphone to my iPad?

First… before you add any microphone, you must add a special cable to allow a microphone to connect.  Many times, we hear from staff that just plug a microphone into the headphone jack of the iPad and are expecting that to work.  Sorry, you’ll need the following connector (or something comparable), we recommend….

Sescom iPhone/iPod/iPad 3.mm TRRS to 3.5mm Mic
It’s available on Amazon.com for around $25.   One end plugs into the iPad headphone jack and then there are two other ends: one for the microphone of your choice, and the other jack is optional and is for headphones so that you can listen in or monitor the quality of the audio.

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Option #1:  Wired Mic
Again, you’ll need the connector cable listed above first, then add the Audio-Technica ATR-3550 Lavalier Mic.  It’s also easily found on Amazon.com, typically for around $19.   What I really like about this mic  – it comes with a really long cable, about 20 feet.   In most cases, if your subject is further than 20 feet away, your going to want to record with something other than an iPad anyway.  It’s also small lavalier mic that most folks wire up through  the inside of a jacket or clothing and the end result is that no one can tell its a wired mic.  It does require a small battery, but that’s included with the mic.

Here’s what the final product will look like when your iPad has the special connector and the lavalier wired mic…. total cost: $30 for connector, $19 for lavalier mic: total is around $49

Option #2:  Wireless Mic
Even when looking for wireless mic option – you still need the special connector listed above, so that’s your first item needed.  Then we recommend the Sony ECM-AW3 Wireless Mic, also available on Amazon.com, costs around $156.   The mic comes with two seperate components, the receiver (which plugs into the special connector/iPad) and the microphone, which is wireless and sends to receiver via bluetooth.  The mic has a range of 150 feet – which effectively means that its way outside the range that the iPad can actually take video.

Here’s what the final picture looks like with iPad, special connector, and the wireless mic setup.  Cost is:  $30 for connector + $156 for wireless mic = $186 total.

The Lenovo X131e Chromebook

For the past few weeks, I’ve been testing the Lenovo X131e Chromebook.  For the most part, when folks hear “Chromebook”, they think of the $249 Samsung Chromebook. We’ve bought some of the Samsung models for testing and I’m impressed with the price, but not really that impressed with the product.

Why wouldn’t we want the cheaper model? Wouldn’t it mean that we’d get more devices?  It’s true that we’d get more devices for our money, but my concern is durability.  The Samsung models are smaller and lighter…. in fact, light enough to present some issues to the screens when they are accidentally dropped.  Although the Lenovo model is thicker and heavier than the Samsung models, its strength is durability.  They’ve built the frame and corners to be rugged and durable.  Another area of concern on the Samsung model is the power adapter, which is an extremely narrow metal connector.  We’re seeing them get bent or even worse… bending while connected to the device which breaks the ability to recharge the laptop.

So what does all this mean? Are we returning the Samsung models?  We’re not returning the Samsung model that we have, we’re just at the point where we think it’s wise idea to buy several different models so that we can see how the durability pans with real student usage.

Why is the district even looking at Chromebooks? Do you expect that Chromebooks will replace all other computers?  No, Chromebooks won’t replace all other models. Instead, it’s another tool that’s available to help provide more affordable access to basic Internet browsing and word processing.  Here’s another great resource that explains the 6 reasons educators are choosing Chromebooks.