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| Tascam iM2 box |
January 30 2013 – Today we take a look at the iM2 from Tascam. The iM2 is an external condenser microphone that plugs into an iPod, iPhone or iPad. We go to many concerts of various sizes from small bar gigs where the audience can be counted on two hands all the way to outdoor festivals where the attendance is measured in 6 figures. When reviewing these concerts it very difficult to carry a pad and paper to take notes (or even to type on a smart device). Our usual modus operandi is to take mental notes as well as record the show on our iPhone or Android devices. Once we get home we use the recording to refresh our memory, as well as document things like the setlist or what the singer said to the audience, while writing the review. We then delete the recording as it is not to be used commercially or distributed to anyone else. Well if you have ever used your iPhone or Android to record a concert you know that the sound quality sucks in a big way. It is distorted and inaudible.
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| Tascam iM2 |
Cost: Since we usually get ripped off for electronics in Canada it is usually better to order from the States and pay custom/broker fees. The unit itself was ordered from B&H Photo and only costs $49.39 as of November 12 2012 – Add to that shipping and broker fees and it cost $67.41 to show up at my door in Toronto. Details are below:
Sub Total:$49.39
Shipping:$8.80
Sales Tax:$0.00
Landed Cost:$9.22
Total:$67.41
- Stereo cardioid condenser microphones
- Up to 125dB SPL input level capacity, for recording lound sounds like live music or auto racing
- Variable-angle microphones rotate 180 degrees for recording flexibility
- Lightweight (1.4oz) microphone draws power from your iPhone4, iPad, or iPod touch for portability
- On-board low noise digital converter connects digitally to your iphone4, iPad or iPod touch
- Free TASCAM ‘PCM Recorder’ app available on the iTunes store
Other specifications which may be of interest are:
- Frequency range – 10 Hz -20 kHz
- Sampling frequency – 44.1 kHz
- Input 0-40 dB
The bottom line is that the unit promises to deliver CD quality recording.
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| Tascam iM2 |
In the retail package you get exactly what you see above – the microphone unit itself, a warrantee paper, and a big ass piece of paper with instructions on multiple languages. The size of the unit itself is shown below in relation to an iPhone4 to put things in perspective. Note you will not be able to use any type of protective case or sleeve on your device – you will need to remove it to get the microphone unit to connect.
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| Tascam iM2 |
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| Tascam iM2 |
Software: – In reality any recording software should work (including the natively built in Voice Memos app included in iOS) but we will use the one TASCAM “bundles” with the unit. TASCAM PCM Recorder is free from the App Store and does not even check for the existence of an iM2 to work. This means you can try out the software without buying the hardware. A caveat for this software that defies any usability logic. To record you have to actually hit the record button twice – not sure why but the first time I used the unit I got burned by not knowing that. The second thing is to actually hear back your recording you have to go to settings and enable speaker. So remember push record twice when you take the unit out for a recording session. Furthermore I find this software very unresponsive – sometimes so much so that I had to reboot my iPhone. Oh and catch this one – default recording mode is mono, if you want Stereo (who would want mono?) you have to go to the settings each time you record and enable stereo recording. Other than these (major) flaws the software does what you expect – lets you set the recording level and start/stop your recording. If you want to get to your recordings you have two options – upload them to SoundCloud or get them through iTunes – which brings in another flaw for us – I would like to have the option to email it to myself as an attachment. Instead if I am not at my computer I have to sign up for yet another service that I don’t want or need. Full instructions for the application are found here – however we can summarize this as an awful software application – we will be looking for alternatives.
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| TASCAM PCM Recorder software as part of the iM2 microphone |
Contols:– the unit itself has four buttons or controls on it.
1) Rotation – not an actual button but the user can rotate the speakers to the direction they desire – usually towards the sound source. This is helpful in that you dont need to reposition your iPhone
2) Limiter – two positions on/off. This control limits the input level and in theory reduces distortion at loud venues.
3) Level – Recording input level performs the same function as through the software.
4) USB-Mini-B Port – Used for charging your device, it unfortunately is not used for data transfer.
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| Tascam iM2 microphone attached to an iPhone4 |
Battery: The unit draws its power from the iPhone itself and a 30 minute recording used up 7% of the battery while doing a similiar recording without the iM2 used up 2% of the battery. This means that a 6 hour recording using the iM2 on a fully charged device is quite possible.
File Size: The recording is in a .WAV format and will require about 5-10 mb per minute of recording depending on quality (Stereo is recorded at a bitrate of 1411 kbps).
Results: The easiest way to describe the recording is to let you hear a recording. This recording was of Toronto Indie band TimeGiant at a packed bar show. The device was right at the front of the stage (we did that to get maximum distortion to see performance), and we recorded the intro of a song from that night.
The recording proves that the iM2 really performs well for its price and although will not match professional recording equipment in terms of sound quality, it really is heads above what is built into the device. Concerts are the toughest source to record due to their very loud volume but the unit did well. In our samples of conversations/interviews the recording was flawless.
Verdict: 3.5 out of 5. The hardware itself is reasonably priced and is way better than what is built into the iPhone. Decent concert recordings can be made if you master the input level controls and not get too much distortion. The software itself is so horrible that it cost the overall rating for the product to drop. We would have scored it higher without the frustrations and unresponsiveness of the software. Hint – if you are thinking of bying the product download the software first and play with it. Or better still, forego this software and find something better – we have been using 3 or 4 different ones and they are all way better.
The unit gets a 4 out of 5 from 46 user reviews at B&H Photo and a 3 out of 5 from 30 user reviews at Amazon.com. As such we feel that our 3.5 out of 5 rating is in line with other people’s expectations.
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You mention 3 or 4 better softwares you are trying. Do you have any names for us to look at?
I am using iRig Recorder now – the rest are all long gone ;-)