Instamic Wireless Smartphone Microphone
By chance I stumbled on Instamic while I was looking at the followers of an old Twitter account. As I took a closer look, I thought “hey, this is a device like that Sennheiser Memory mic I wrote about recently”.
The Instamic guys raised over $0.5 million on IndieGoGo back in 2015 to produce their original mini attachable mic. I was running my own campaign at the time for a scifi web series and so they probably followed me for that reason.
Since then, they have turned the mic into a wireless mic using Bluetooth just like the Sennheiser. There are a few notable differences: one, the price is somewhat lower than the Sennheiser; two, the device is smaller than the Sennheiser; and, three, it comes in black which is nicer looking and easier to hide amongst clothing. A lot of potential buyers for the Sennheiser Memory mic said the size and colour put them off.
Here’s Instamic founder Michele Baggio to tell you about the update:
Firstly the price: an Instamic costs $149 and an Instamic Pro costs $189 from the Instamic online store. (no affiliation)
Tell me more
The Pitch: “The Instamic is a tiny audio recorder that can be placed easily on subjects or objects for intimate sound recording that would otherwise be difficult or impossible with wireless lavaliere transmitters, portable recorders, or with long range shotgun microphones.
It really is a game changer for news, documentary, corporate, and wedding filmmakers. Or anyone looking to easily improve their audio game without getting into complicated sound rigging.”
One thing about the Instamic is you have the option to use it as a standalone device. The device is a mic and recorder, like a very small H4n that you can slip to your clothes or other things. So, if you want, you can just hit the button on the mic to start recording and the audio files are stored inside, waiting to be downloaded to your editing device later.
To me, as a filmmaker working with actors (as opposed to a vlogger or Mojo-er, for example), this is probably preferable to fiddling around with Bluetooth link ups and apps in your phone. The Sennheiser has no standalone mode – it must be operated with the app.
Another advantage the Instamic has over the Memory mic is the audio level setting. Another complaint about the Memory mic is that you can only set the record level to low, medium or high sensitivity. With the Instamic app you can set the record level with a slider for more precision.
The audio quality seems ok and equivalent to the Sennheiser.
“To get the best quality out of Instamic I still recommend to use the uncompressed audio files saved on board.” Michele Baggio
Camouflage
Since many people complained about the white Sennheiser Memory mic being too visible to be usable, Instamic have been clever to think of little covers for their mics in various colours.
Specs:
- 48 / 96 khz – 24 bit recording – up to 16 hours uncompressed WAV to internal 8GB media.
- Frequency response of 50 – 20,000 Hz.
- Mono, Dual Mono, and Stereo recording (on the Pro only), up to 16 hours.
- Internal Li-ion rechargeable battery that lasts up to 3.5 hours, with 1 hour recharge time.
- The microphone is actually an array of 4 Omnidirectional MEMS microphones, which are miniature digital mics built on silicon chips. The Pro Stereo model has an additional two MEMS mics on the sides.
- 1.5 x 1.0 x 0.5 inches – or about the size of the upper portion of your thumb.
- Weighs 18 grams or about 0.6 ounces.
- Exterior has 3 LEDs indicating battery and charging level, VU meter, and on/off/record operation.
- Instamic is IP65 splash proof by rain and water spray; Instamic Pro is waterproof up to 5 feet underwater.
- USB 2.0 port for charging and file transfering to a computer.
- Bluetooth 4.0 connection to the Instamic mobile app, which can control up to 10 Instamics, set levels, and start/stop recording.
- Recording level is automatically set on its own based on the first 8 seconds of audio input when the Auto Gain function is activated.
- Instamic can be used in standalone mode without a phone, and triggered holding the button on the unit.
- Quick release clip has an option for attaching via magnet, velcro, or 3M adhesive.
The dual mono function allows you to record 2 audio tracks: one normal record level and one safety level (at a lower level to cover an unexpected noise peaks).
Check out this comparison test
In this test, although both mics have some downsides, the Instamic seems to be the clear winner. Another thing, Michele Baggio seems dedicated to making this mic the best he can and is focusing his energy on one device, whereas Sennheiser are including this as one of many mics and audio kit.
Instamic tell me that audio can be streamed direct to camera apps which have the option to use Bluetooth mics, such as FiLMiC Pro.
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