Mikme Launches Silver Microphone, New App, and USB Mode
There’s a lot going on at Mikme recently, starting with today’s launch of the Mikme Silver Indiegogo campaign.
Mikme Silver is a more affordable version of the original Mikme, which is known as Mikme Blackgold. The savings come from a smaller 2/3” Silver electret capsule, compared to the original 1” gold-plated condenser capsule.
Mikme Silver’s capsule will have a directional polar pattern, which will block more ambiant sound and make it less sensitive against wind noise.
The other difference is the Mikme Silver will feature 2gb of internal memory, giving you roughly 45 hours of recording, compared to 360 hours with the Blackgold’s 16gb memory.
All told, the Silver looks to be a great, consumer friendly version of the Mikme. The Silver will start at $199, whereas the Mikme Blackgold currently retails for $499. In August it will reduce in price to $299-399. That might make the decision of which one to get a little more difficult, but the lower price point will be a good deal for those who are new to Mikme.
Mikme Gets USB Mode
When we first reviewed the Mikme Wireless Microphone, we were bummed that there wasn’t a way to use the microphone as a USB mic, considering it already plugged into a USB port for charging and data sync. Well that’s now a reality thanks to a firmware/software update - go here for update instructions.
This is really great news for anyone who already has a Mikme or was considering getting one. Now, if you want pro grade audio for your Skype or conference calls, webinars, podcasts, and livestreams, you can use your Mikme as a plug-and-play mic. If you want to record vocals or acoustic instruments while you’re working on a music track, you can use the Mikme directly with your favorite music software.
The alternative up to now has been to use dedicated USB podcasting mics, or setup some kind of USB preamp, along with a microphone holder or shock mount that can sit on the table, and use your available XLR mic. Or, record to a pocket recorder or a Mikme, and then import sound into your computer, and sync and replace your computer mic. Of course, that doesn’t work for live applications - only use cases where you can edit in a recorded audio clip.
In fact, we would guess that the USB Mic feature of the Mikme Blackgold and Mikme Silver is the key to finding a wide userbase in the professional video (and maybe even audio) world. Having a great wireless microphone for smartphone video is certainly a powerful tool for hobbyists and pros who shoot on smartphones, but for most of us, it’s the simplicty of giving our computers an excellent microphone that sells us on the Mikme.
So whether you need to record a VO track, or a how-to screen cast, or if you want to Skype or Google Hangout and you want good audio (to go along with your perfectly lit webcam frame), the Mikme will find its way into many workflows.
Podcasting
Of course, everyone and their cousin is starting a podcast these days, and the quality of audio can be a make-or-break situation for new podcasters. The Mikme wireless microphone was a pretty good solution to podcasting in its original form, but if you had multiple guests, each would need a Mikme, and you would need to sync their recordings in post.
Now, you could plug several Mikme’s into a USB hub and you have an instant podcasting studio. The microphone is a good balance between sensitivity, directionality, and noise handling, that it makes for a great simple mic to give to guests who don’t know their condensers from their dynamic mics.
One situation we really see a future for Mikme is with remote podcasting. Ideally a podcast guest would be available to come to a home studio to have an in-person conversation, but for anyone who doesn’t live in a big city, the only option sometimes is to record a phone call with a podcast guest. And phone calls make for terrible audio conditions.
So as a unique solution, a podcast host could mail their guest a Mikme in advance of the show. And all the guest would have to do is place the Mikme on the table, press the one button to record, have a conversation over the phone or Skype, and then mail the Mikme back with a clean audio track on it for an easy sync edit. That’s a very simple solution for a guest who has no tech skills. There’s not a pocket recorder on the planet that would be easier to use.
For a more advanced guest, he or she could plug the Mikme into their computer and set it up as a USB mic, and then the Skype recording would have decent audio - compressed, but good enough for the Podcast to go out live.
Mikme App
Finally, the last piece of the Mikme update announcement is their recent app redesign. The new interface is now optimized for iPhone X and iPhone SE, but it works on other iPhones as well. Pairing can now be done directly in the Mikme app settings, rather than in the Bluetooth settings. And if for some reason a sync breaks during a recording, the video will still be stored in the app with the internal iOS mic.
The other app features added are an ability to manually adjust video focus and exposure within the Mikme app, the option to add watermarks for branding purposes, and you’ll be able to use the app for video live streaming.
Mikme Silver Indiegogo
Currently the anticipated ship date for backers of the Mikme Silver is November 2018, and given that Mikme now has a manufacturing precedence and is available in retailers like B&H, we don’t see a reason why shipping would be terribly delayed.
Along with both Mikme Silver and Mikme Blackgold, new purchases will include up to a year of service. We’ve been able to go on the Mikme website and speak with real support personnel anytime we had questions or needed assistance with firmware updates, so the Mikme support is something that they really emphasize.