Whether you’re a citizen journalist, podcaster or simply interested in sharing some sound with friends, your cell phone can become your mobile radio studio.
MobileActive has published an excellent guide to making mobile audio in the field. A few key tips from the guide:
Microphone positioning. “Place the mobile phone so it faces your subject (or yourself if you are recording self-spoken audio). Remember that the microphone is usually at the bottom of the phone.”
Minimize background noise. “Beware of spaces with too much background noise — fans, air conditioning, refrigerators, traffic or computers. If possible, turn off or deactivate these noise sources. Practice with test clips before you produce the audio. Journalist Victoria Foley suggests that you record from inside a car, which provides great audio insulation and a makeshift sound booth.”
Check signal strength. “If you are streaming live audio or uploading content right after recording, make sure to find a space with good signal strength. Poor signal strength can result in poor audio quality.”
Use an external microphone. “External microphones can drastically improve the quality of audio. However, mobile phones’ audio jacks are designed for headset-based microphones. If you are regularly planning on recording audio on a phone, consider buying a microphone designed for mobile phones.”
Photo by CNN.