Category Archives: Audio

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Belkin Microphone Brings Pro Audio To iPhone Video Camera

I’m still amazed at the creativity of companies who see smartphones as more than a personal communication devices.  It seems that just when you think you have it all, another must-have accessory is introduced.

Well I can truthfully say that, while I think about 99% of smartphone accessories are just cheap junk with amazingly high profit margins, I actually was impressed by this new little smartphone mic from Belkin.

The LiveAction mic simply plugs into your phone’s headphone/media jack and securely clamps to the back.  Now instead of the tinny, canned sound of the built in mic, you can actually produce a video worth sharing.  And at a price-point of just over $40, it is a reasonable addition to any smartphone owner who needs to be ready to shoot video at a moment’s notice.

Check it out here.

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Whirlwind PCDI Delivers Superior Audio From Your iPod, iPhone or MacBook

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It’s hard to believe that Apple’s iPod will soon celebrate 11 years of changing nearly every aspect of the music industry.  And yet, those of us who have used an iPod or Laptop for audio playback through a professional sound system have settled for less than pristine quality for the sake of convenience.

Because the headphone output of iPods and Laptops are unbalanced, their sound cards can be noisy, introduce hum and rumble to everyday RCA inputs on a mixer board and cause distortion in the playback of digital audio files.  If this is all you are used to hearing, you might not otherwise notice what you are missing.

Fortunately, CD (or better) quality audio is possible from your iPod or Laptop with the use of the Whirlwind PCDI.  Simply connect the headphone out jack through this device and then into your sound console using a pair of quality XLR cables and your ears will thank you.  Additional features, such as a ground lift and a stereo / mono switch add further versatility.

At about $130, these little boxes aren’t cheap, but when it comes to bang-for-the-buck in superior quality audio, they truly are a great bargain.