MicW iShotgun Supercardioid
Mint Microphone Kit
The Chinese microphone man facturers MicW offer an ever-expanding range of high-quality studio and measurement microphones,as well as an intriguing line-up ocost-effective electret microphones desig ned for use with iOS device and other portable recordea,cameras. I reviewed the i825 omni laval'emic in the November 2012 issue of Sour:On Sound, and the newest member of the i- Series is the iShotgun , a miniature interference-tube or 'rifle' mic .
The ishotgun is marketed as supercardioid but, inevitably,that's a fairly optimistic description ln reality, it has a roughly cardioid response at 1kHz, with a progressive reduction in directivity in the lower octaves. At higher frequencies, it has a usefully narrowed response, which helps to minimise the intrusion of amb ient noise,but with the typical polar lobing associated with all interference-tube designs.This lobing can often be seen in high-resolution HF polar response plots,looking a bit like a squashed octopus, and it can result in a slightly phasey quality for off-axis sound sources that move around the sides of the mic , as the attenuation of different frequencies varies with the relative angle. So, for best results, don't wave the mic around,and try to avoid situations with moving off-axis sources (like conducting an interview at the side of a road with passingtraffic!).
With a slim black body roughly B.5mmin in diameter, 120mm long and weighing only 20 grams,the ishotgun is a very compact microphone. A 3.5mm,four-pole standard headset plug protrudes from the base,allowing it to be plugged directly into smart-phones.Laptops,tablets an DSLR camera with standard three pole 3.5mm input sockets are accommodated via a supplied extension/adaptor cable (see below.ln both cases,the mic's signal appears on both channels.Plug-in power is required to drive the internal impedance converter; of course, but that is commonly available and the ishotgun hasbeen tested with devices including the latest iPhones,iPads and the iPod Touch
lt also works with most laptops and tablets, as well as many DSLRs ,including Canont5D and 7D, Sony's Alpha ó and 7 Series, and Nikon's D7000.Supplied in a compact plastic carry-case, the iShotgun comes with a surprising array of accessories.A long foam windscreen protects the mic from moderate wind noise,and a hot-shoe mount withintegrated shock suspension allows mounting on DSLR cameras. lt can also be mounted on small tripods,if necessary thanks to a threaded socket on the base. Two extension cables - a three-metre straight extension with four-pole headset plug/socket, and ahalf-metre coiled extension cable with standard three pole 3.5mm plug - are also included,as are two headphone/mic splitter blocks (one in-line and one T-shaped). For situations where two mics are needed ( for interviewer and interviewee , or for stereo productions),Y-adaptor is also included that feeds each mic to its own recorder channel. Finally , there is a neat 220-900mm telescopic mini-boom pole that can be screwed into the hot-shoe suspension!
I used the mic with both a Canon DSLR and an iPod Touch,achiev erry usable results in both case.The sound quality is good,with a healthy sensitivity and negligible noise,and although it sounds a little on the lean side,this tonality minimise handling noise and helps with voice clarity.The laws of physics still apply to this mic,of course,so the closer it is placed to the source,the better the sound quality will be! But the interference tube does provide a useful degree of improved directivity at upper-mid and high frequencies ,and the iShotgun is a useful addition to the MicW range. Hugh Robjohns
