Best Filmmaker Smartphone Audio Recording Devices

It is important to get a great filmmaker smartphone audio recording device as an accessory for your iPhone when using it in the place of a traditional camera. Your iPhone has the ability to record sound, because it does function as a phone after all! However, the stock microphone picks up all of the noise around you. This is not ideal for filming purposes, as you will want to focus your audio on the dialogue of your characters. Sure, you could get an audio person to work on your project, but if your budget is super tight, try out one of the below recording devices, compatible with smartphones.

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Filmmaker Smartphone Audio Recording Devices

A Basic Lav

On-Camera Mic

This microphone works with both smartphones and DSLR cameras, but one caveat is that to use this with a smartphone, you need to buy a Patch cable. The Rode SC7 3.5mm TRS to TRRS Patch Cable is sold on Amazon for less than $20. This enables you to link up Rode’s high quality smartphone audio recording device to your smartphone.

For Voiceover

Pro Tip

If you do not have access to a recording booth, there are a few homemade alternatives you can try. One of them is to record in a closet. The padding of the clothes provides sound dampening, mimicking the soundproofing of a real voiceover booth. Another alternative: hang thick blankets on all of the walls in the room that you are using to record in. Just like the closet, it will soften the sound by ensuring noise is not bouncing off the walls. 

Any of the above options will make the audio quality of your project infinitely better than just relying on your smartphone’s built-in microphone. Whether you start small with a simple clip-on lav or go all out with a high-end mic, you will be happy with the clean sound captured with a smartphone audio recording device.

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About the Author

Sam Klein is a writer, producer, and director based in Los Angeles, CA. He is a member of the Producers Guild of America, has written and directed shorts that have been in festivals around the country, wrote the ‘Hipsters” series for Youtube star Anna Akana, directed internationally distributed commercials for Dunlop, and is a staff producer for Tennis Channel’s original content department.

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