Smartphone voice note recorder how to#
Smartphone voice note recorder pro#
Smartphone voice note recorder professional#

Remember, your phone is designed to capture a very loud sound (your voice) at close range, but most bird sounds are relatively soft and distant.

Smartphone voice note recorder professional#

Good recording technique always improves your recording, whether you are using a smartphone or professional recording equipment. Check out our 2019 gear review for more information on microphone options. These types of highly directional microphones absolutely do make a difference in recording quality. However, if you have a shotgun microphone or a parabolic reflector but not a recorder, a simple cable or adapter can allow you to connect these microphones to your smartphone. In general, using good recording technique (see below) makes more of a difference for smartphone recordings than purchasing a small external microphone. Most are so small that they do not make much of a difference compared to the built-in microphones on smartphones. You should aim to have the peak between -6 and -12 dB, and most importantly, do not let the peak level hit 0 dB.Īutomatic gain control – Often labeled AGC, this functionality should be turned off on your app so you can control the record level manually.Ī variety of external microphones are available specifically for smartphones. Level setting – Most dedicated recording apps allow you to control the recording level. With the “Stereo” option, the audio will often record two identical channels, unnecessarily doubling the size of the sound file. We recommend a sample rate of 48 kHz and a bit depth of 24 bits, if available.Ĭhannels – Most phones are only able to record audio in mono, so this is the best option to choose. Some programs give simplified options, such as “Low” or “High,” while others will let you choose sample rate and bit depth settings. Recording quality – Set this to the highest possible option. WAV, an uncompressed file format that gives better results than compressed files like. Menus vary between apps, but these are some of the most common and important ones.įile type – Always select. In almost all cases, you can choose your settings once and your preferences will be saved for future recordings. If you decide to use a different recording app, it’s important to check your settings.

Smartphone voice note recorder pro#

WAV format include Voice Record Pro for iOS, and RecForge II and Hi-Res Audio Recorder for Android, among many others.Īnother great feature of the Merlin Sound ID app is that you don’t have to worry about choosing any technical settings–our team at the Macaulay Library has already done that for you! Other recording apps that allow you to record in. WAV format, and recordings you make with Merlin can be shared via email, messaging, or the cloud, making it easy to transfer your recordings for later processing and archiving. Merlin Bird ID from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology records in. To make the most out of your smartphone recordings, you’ll need to download a recording app that allows you to record in. Use Merlin Sound ID or another recording app that makes.

Smartphone voice note recorder how to#

Learn how to make the most of recording with a smartphone. Whether you use an iPhone or an Android, with a free or inexpensive recording app and good technique, you can use your smartphone to make recordings to add to an eBird checklist.