[alligator]

I'm waiting for my 5G microphone from . . . anyone! How @#$^@# long can it take to hook a microphone up to the dock connector to make a new product?????? Come on people, this is not rocket science.

[f1000]

[VanMulk]

Lol

[michaelb]

http://www.xtrememac.com/audio/earph.../micromemo.php

"Spring"

[Daveecee]

80 dollars :'(

[Apple Pro Underwear]

wow thanks, i wonder what the quality is on that mic...

[ghporter]

Serious engineering analysis shows that it works well for high-level input, but sounds a little tinny. Oh wait, you're asking about MicroMemo... It says "44kHz/16 bit audio," which should be fair, but not outstanding.

[alligator]

Thanks, at least there is something!

[analogika]

Belkin has pre-announced something, as well.


BTW, 44kHz/16-bit audio being "fair, but not outstanding" is a little misleading.

A crap recording through a crap microphone will sound like complete crap, regardless of whether it's played back at 16-bit 44-kHz audio or 24/96 or full analogue resolution.

Fact is, the iPod w/ video now officially supports CD-resolution, which means that if you're feeding it a line input, the recording quality will be equivalent to or superior to the playback quality of a great many consumer CD players (seeing as the 5G iPod actually has pretty decent D/A converters which presumably go both ways).

But if you hook up a schitty miniature mic to it, with a schitty miniature mic pre-amp, then whatever you're recording will sound like a schitty miniature mic through a schitty miniature mic pre-amp...

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by analogika

Belkin has pre-announced something, as well.


BTW, 44kHz/16-bit audio being "fair, but not outstanding" is a little misleading.

A crap recording through a crap microphone will sound like complete crap, regardless of whether it's played back at 16-bit 44-kHz audio or 24/96 or full analogue resolution.

Fact is, the iPod w/ video now officially supports CD-resolution, which means that if you're feeding it a line input, the recording quality will be equivalent to or superior to the playback quality of a great many consumer CD players (seeing as the 5G iPod actually has pretty decent D/A converters which presumably go both ways).

But if you hook up a schitty miniature mic to it, with a schitty miniature mic pre-amp, then whatever you're recording will sound like a schitty miniature mic through a schitty miniature mic pre-amp...

Absolutely true. The linked info doesn't provide enough data to tell if the product's filtering will be great or even merely acceptable. A high bitrate doesn't guarantee quality audio by any means, just fidelity with the filtered output. This gadget may indeed sound like a tin can...but there's no way to know right now from where I sit.

My assertion that the quality "should be fair but not outstanding" comes from the visual impression I had of the microphone itself. It doesn't look like it is physically large enough to escape wind noise, be particularly directional or be well isolated from the physical case. Cheap microphones can't escape their physical limitations...

[SkaGoat]

If you've ever seen a hair mic, you'd know that looks mean nothing when dealing with audio equipment. You can't tell by how it looks how nice it sounds, or how well it isolates wind noise etc. No way to really know until it comes out.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by SkaGoat

If you've ever seen a hair mic, you'd know that looks mean nothing when dealing with audio equipment. You can't tell by how it looks how nice it sounds, or how well it isolates wind noise etc. No way to really know until it comes out.

The problem is that there are a number of established microphone technologies that are applicable to microelectronics, and they all have some common issues. One is physical isolation from a case being essential; they are far more sensitive to sounds picked up by conduction through their cases than sounds picked up from the air. Another issue is directionality; typical condenser microphones are only moderately directional, so they need specialized cases to help produce some directionality.

And I've seen things less advanced than a hair mic-two wires and a row of pencil leads can do quite well, and though such assembies lack broad frequency response, they're surprisingly sensitive.

[analogika]

I think it's safe to assume that a 5-mm microphone at anything less than around $1200 is probably NOT going to sound like a Schoeps.

"fair but not outstanding" is probably pushing it for $80, but should be accurate for the target market.

I'm more interested in the line input, anyways.

[Juneappal]

http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/new...e-for-5g-ipods
Similar sort of thing: Griffin iTalk Pro - nice big start button, *gain control!* (though rudimentary)

Anyone actually recorded anything yet?

[analogika]

We'll let you know as soon as it actually becomes available.

[Juneappal]

Originally Posted by analogika

We'll let you know as soon as it actually becomes available.

Oh...I take it then, that it is not possible to record through the headphone jack as with previous models?

[Juneappal]

Received this morning:

"This item is still in the manufacturing process. We expect to launch
it in May.


[redacted name and title]
XtremeMac
"

[Juneappal]

Griffin wrote me an email /today/ saying they "have not yet been given a release date."

[Juneappal]

Regarding the Belkin Tunetalk (Microphone for 5g)

"Thank you for contacting Belkin Technical Support.
Thank you for your interest in Belkin products. We estimate this product to be available by late May. "

[analogika]

Heh.

Belkin initially wrote me "early 2006".

Late May, eh?

I'm not holding my breath.