It's become easy for anyone to record audio on a smartphone. That audio is however sub-par, especially when compared with the technological advances in smartphone cameras.
This is especially problematic for musicians, who may find themselves on tour or simply driving to work when an idea strikes. These ideas need to be captured immediately so as not to forget them — and the better the quality, the better altogether. Mikme aims to provide the solution as an ultra-portable, high-quality microphone that is far superior to any smartphone mic out there. Not only that, but it's also wireless, and syncs to smartphones running iOS and Android.
We had the opportunity to ask the creator of the Mikme a few questions about his new product. The man behind the mic is Philipp Sonnleitner, and he has a history in professional audio, having worked for AKG in the past.
Where did you get the idea for Mikme?
I am a piano player on my own and I was annoyed by how long it took me to set up my audio gear, stands, cables and all that stuff to just record a simple melody. So I ended up using my iPhone most of the [time].
There is only one problem: the iPhone [doesn't have a really] great sound quality, so audio was only good enough for sketches — not for further use or publishing songs. So I wanted to get the studio-quality sound of studio microphones, with the easy-to-use concept of an iPhone, without the need for cables.
That was the birthdate of Mikme.
What did you change / tweak about Mikme or about marketing Mikme since the failed Kickstarter campaign?
We have learned a lot from the first Kickstarter campaign. We failed for a couple of reasons. Too high goal, no community-building in advance, no press briefings in advance — only [focused] on musicians.
This time around, we have a lower goal, which we overreached already by 200 percent within eight hours. We have our community of 410 Kickstarter backers already – lots of them backed on the very first day – and I traveled two weeks from LA to San Francisco and New York to meet press folks and show them the working prototypes they could try on their own.
We also massively shifted in communication by adding podcasters, Skype, lecture recording and video makers to our target group. We learned that from a customer survey I sent out to our 410 Kickstarter backer after the campaign. So Kickstarter was like a door and eye-opener for us about how large the audience for Mikme is, and what we should focus on.
Do you eventually see microphones like this being used in larger studios?
Maybe that's a possible route. The sound quality is good enough to compete with some of the studio microphones. And if speed and mobility is important, Mikme can play its strengths over conventional XLR studio microphones, as it's faster and easier to setup.
Mikme is currently undergoing crowdfunding through Indiegogo, and had raised $98,576 at the time of this writing, far more than the $25,000 goal. To pre-order your own Mikme, head to the Indiegogo page.
