Recording audio is becoming increasingly simple with the advent of devices like smartphones. Recording high-quality audio, however, is not as easy.
That's where Mikme wants to help - allowing users to easily create high-quality recordings straight from their smartphone. The microphone is making waves on Indiegogo, and has already received $40,008, quite a bit more than its $25,000 goal.
"Mikme is the world's first fully wireless recording microphone that captures your audio at the push of a button," says Mikme on its Indiegogo page. "Equipped with a gold-plated condenser capsule, you'll get nothing short of studio-grade sound."
The microphone itself certainly is high quality on paper. The device can capture audio at 24 bit / 96 kHz, which is really a higher quality audio than even many studios use. It is, however, nice to have the option to record at 96 kHz if the user wants.
High-definition audio isn't very useful, of course, if the microphone doesn't sound good in the first place. Fortunately, the Mikme does pretty well, especially when pitted against the built-in microphone for the iPhone 6. The company even put up a video detailing the difference between the two microphones, showing the Mikme to be much clearer and defined. It's certainly not the next Neumann U87, but for the musician on the go or the bedroom recording artist, it's not a bad choice at all. It's also important to note that Philipp Sonnleitner, the brains behind Mikme, is a former engineer at AKG, a respected professional audio company.
The real kicker, however, is not the fact that the microphone is able to record high-definition audio, but rather that it is able to do it wirelessly. To do this, the microphone uses Bluetooth technology, sending data, through Bluetooth, to the user's smartphone, tablet, or computer. In fact, for situations where there isn't Bluetooth connectivity available, the Mikme can still be used to record through a USB connection. Or, it can be used as a standalone device, able to record up to 7 hours of audio on a single charge. It also includes an 8-GB memory card for such occasions, although it should be noted that this can fill up pretty quick when it comes to high-quality audio, especially with a sample rate as high as 96 kHz.
The Mikme app is nothing to scoff at, either. The app is able to mix up to 8 tracks in-app, making simple audio recording very easy. Again, this is not Pro Tools, the industry standard for audio recording software, but some reports suggest that the Mikme app is to Pro Tools what Instagram is to Photoshop - a stripped-down app that makes things easier for the hobbyist or professional on the go wanting to use the Mikme as their digital "notepad" for musical ideas.
The Mikme is available for preorder on Indiegogo, with backers able to get their own device for $169. This is far cheaper than the eventual retail price of the device, which will be $299. The campaign still has 35 days to go.
