Sennheiser ClipMic digital Review | For the iPeople

Lakshmi Rajan — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 09:50:32 +0000

The Clip Mic Digital was created in conjunction with Apogee technology. Apogee delivers technology into this product that coverts the signal for the tiny microphone. Its sampling frequency is 96 kHz with a 24-bit resolution, which surpasses CD quality and most mobile recording technologies.

What’s included

ClipMic digital (Sennheiser ME 2 microphone)
Windscreen
Clip
Carrying pouch
Quick Start guide

Hardware

First thing I would suggest upon unboxing is to add the small wind screen to the head of the microphone, trust me its a must do. This minuscule wind screen reduces wind noise up to 20 dB and it makes a good difference to the audio quality especially when shooting outdoor. The clip of course has to be added too to work as a proper lavalier mic. The clip can attach to your shirt, I prefer to route the cable underneath your shirt unless you are interviewing someone in that case obviously you would be holding it on hand. That’s it connect the ClipMic’s lighting connector to your iPhone and you are good to go. I had always liked the Sennheiser ME 2 Lavalier microphone, its a classic product and ClipMic actually uses it. Being custom made for iPhone, it’s relieved of the 3.5mm jack and goes in for the lightning connector which makes this product non-compatible outside apple eco system. The cable is pretty long which works well for most use. The build quality is good too.

APP – Getting Connected

Before you start firing your recordings, you need to download the free MetaRecorder app by Apogee. Of course, it works with just about any iOS app and replaces the built-in microphone of your device once connected but the MetaRecorder app makes a difference. It’s custom build for iPhone and has tons of features to bring out the best of the audio and also easy to use. Highlights of the Apogee app:

Mono or Stereo audio recording, WAV. or CAF format, up to 96kHz 24-bit resolution
Intuitive multi-Take recording and audition
Master-Satellite Link of up to 4 iOS devices, all controlled from a single Master device
Integration with Apogee audio interfaces, Sennheiser ClipMic digital and MKE 2 digital
Metadata capture and export to Final Cut Pro XML format
Share via Dropbox, AirDrop, Email, Message and iTunes File Sharing
Offers Apple Watch App
Unlimited Single-device and Multi-Device recording in-app purchases available. For a limited time, unlock Single-device unlimited recording by connecting a compatible Apogee or Sennheiser interface

It also has Apple Watch remote control to start and end the recording which makes it really a breeze to use the mic plus multi-device synchronization. There are also extra bits like tweaking the sound of the clipMic, hiss reduction etc. Even though the Clip Mic Digital works seamlessly with iOS technology, you must still download an app to enable the microphone. Apogee Maestro and Apogee MetaRecorder are both free to download and they both instantly recognize the microphone.

Performance

I tried the mic in mix scenarios and the results were impressive. It’s easy to use and sound quality is great. The app integration is neat and user-friendly. The ClipMic is great for interviews on the go, vlogging. It’s compact and can be sneaked easily in your pockets.

Verdict

If you are tied up with an iPhone, the Sennheiser ClipMic digital is a great accompaniment for your audio recordings.]]>

After iPad, now Opera brings Coast for iPhone

Lakshmi Rajan — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:00:50 +0000

Ever since Opera outed Coast for iPad, its brand-new browser that re-imagined the browser as we knew it. Two questions sprang into my minds. First when they will make something similar for Android and two, when will it make appearance for iPhone. While Opera is non-committal on the first question, there is good news for iPhone users. Today Opera released the Coast for iPhone to provide an all-new browsing experience offering a very minimalistic clean interface doing away with much of the bells and whistles of traditional browsers. Talking about the Opera Coast, Huib Kleinhout, Product Manager on the Opera Coast project at Opera Software says ” “I was never quite happy with how apps and browsers kind of got in the way of the content. With Opera Coast, we have made content the main star of the show, letting the browser app itself get out of the way when you just want to kill some time. It’s the way the web was meant to be enjoyed.” Opera trumpets Coast as the first true made-for-touch mobile browser and I have to largely agree with it after using the Coast for iPad and now it is the turn for iPhone. [gallery link="file" columns="6" ids="6973,6974,6975,6976,6977,6978"]

Opera Coast for iPhone features and functionality

The homescreen of Opera coast is minimalistic with a clean look and yet functional. We have a unified search and address field on the top. Below that we have a site tile grid that can have a grid of 3×3 or 3×4 tiles where you can list your favourite websites. The tiles picks a default image from the website and list them as neat square. The tiles can be tapped and moved between the grid. Also you can swipe left and right for more entries. At the bottom, there is a tile that shows the last opened site. You can tap and drag the site to the set of site tile grid for easy access later. On the bottom right sits a small bar which shows the recent sites when pressed. Pulling down anywhere on the screen also brings the search screen active. When on a webpage, you can long tap the picture to save it or back it as a background for the browser. Also the grid button on the bottom middle when pressed take you back to the homescreen. Taking optimum use of touch functionality, while browsing you can go forward or backward by swiping right or left. Also pulling down at the top of a page, reloads the page. We can also shift between recently opened sites by swiping to right or left and also can close a site by swiping it up. As a security measure, a warning appears when you access suspicious site and you can also view the site safety report. With Coast for iPhone, Opera also has added automatic sync between iPhone and iPad the site tiles in your Coast browsers with the same iCloud account. So you can retain the site bookmarks (tile grids) across your iOS devices. The Opera Coast browser is available today for iPhone and iPad, as a free download in the Apple App Store.]]>

iPhone – Tech Raman