Equipment: Sennheiser Memory Mic for Smartphones

Posted April 23, 2018

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Sennheiser has announced a new microphone designed specifically for smartphones. The new little mic looks like nothing Sennheiser has ever made before, links to your phone via Bluetooth, and even can be synced to work with Filmic Pro.

The microphone is designed for use on iOS and Android phones, records omnidirectionally, links via Bluetooth and transmits via wifi, can record up to 4 hours internally, has a 4-hour battery life and charges via USB-C. The microphone works in an interesting way in that it doesn't sync and transmit in real-time, but rather links to your phone via Bluetooth, records internally to the microphone, and when you are done automatically transmits the audio to your phone. If you are working in the Filmic Pro app then you can sync it in real-time. 

Sennheiser Memory Mic - Newsshooter at NAB 2018 from Newsshooter on Vimeo.

We are big believers and proponents of smartphone video production here at TheVJ.com. Latest smartphones like the iPhone X, Pixel 2, and Galaxy S9 have camera systems that can produce images that rival professional cinema cameras, and you can edit and share your video right from the phone. With specs like they have now you may wonder why anyone would buy any other kind of camera these days. One of the main reasons we hear a lot from those who are resistant to solely smartphone production is audio.

Microphones on smartphones have always been a major issue for video producers. Afterall, the main purpose of those microphones is for phone calls. While the internal microphones have gotten better, there still is a need for audio that may not be perfectly lined up with the camera. For example, if we are shooting a guide taking you through a busy market and the guide is talking throughout about the history and stories of the market, we want the viewer to hear the guide clearly and not muffled by the competing sounds of the market. The solution here is an external microphone. Put one on the guide and now we have that audio separate and can make it the focus of the audio mix.

There are a lot of options out there now for external mics that connect to your smartphone through the headphone jack or charging port, and more recently, plenty of Bluetooth options, but Sennheiser is one of the most trusted names in professional audio so if you want the best, you may want to check out this new handy wireless mic.

The new Memory Mic is expected to be released over the summer and will cost about $200. Check out other smartphone options from Sennheiser.

Check out our mobile section for great lessons on producing professional video with your smartphone and check out our new course on Filmic Pro.

See more gear news in our Equipment Section.