Micromemo
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Follow-up: Recording Voice on the iPod Touch
As iPod touch enthusiast Marian continues working on his pre-amped dock-connector Mic for the iPod touch, my Amazon Marketplace MicroMemo (i.e. clearance and cheap) showed up this morning. I loaded the latest Voice Notes onto my iPod touch, hooked in the MicroMemo and gave it a try. Like most recorders, the MicroMemo provides two settings: Mic and Line. I found that if I shouted into the attached microphone on the Mic setting, I could just about be barely heard on the recording. Using line-in from my Macintosh was far more successful, albeit with line distortion and clipping. I've put my test samples over at my ftp site. The LineInput is 15 seconds of music straight from my mac, over the line connector, using the Line settings. The two voice samples are Line and Mic. The Line sample is completely inaudible. There actually is a signal on the Microphone version but it's very very low--be careful not to blast out your eardrums after adjusting your playback to hear it. I suspect if I lower the volume from my Mac, the distortion and clipping will go away but although I tried hooking my microphone through a radio-shack amplifier, the Mic recording remained very limited. I'm not sure why the iPod touch audio-in signal would vary all that much from, say, the iPod video. I tested the same MicroMemo with a 5th Generation iPod and it worked beautifully, with clear levels.
iPod Stethoscope
Okay, this is not your everyday iPod accessory. Thinklabs is bundling their ds32a Digital Stethoscope with a XtremeMac MicroMemo and a 2GB iPod nano to create a digital stethoscope recording system for $495. In fact, it looks like a pretty good deal since the stethoscope by itself runs $445 (with the same warranty).One thing I don't understand, though, is why they bundle the MicroMemo for the full-size iPod rather than the one for the nano.[Via Endgadget]
Thinklabs' iPod-based digital stethoscope
To say we've seen our fair share of iPod accessories would be a mild understatement, but we're pretty sure this one takes some sort of cake. This little Stethoscope Recording Package from Thinklabs bundles a ds32a Digital Stethoscope, 2GB iPod nano and an XtremeMac MicroMemo, for the ultimate in digital stethoscope recording. Sure, Thinklabs' Digital Stethoscope can hook up to anything with a line-in jack, and we know that there are more than a few audio players that carry that line-in functionality without needing an add-on and wouldn't look so terribly hokey (though we're pretty sure none of them can match the MicroMemo's 16-bit fidelity), but we're still pretty well enamored with the juxtaposition. The $495 pricetag isn't as exciting, but that's a small price to pay for 1000 Heartbeats in Your Pocket.[Via Make]
XtremeMac announces MicroMemo and MemoMic for 2nd gen iPod nano
XtremeMac today announced additions to their MicroMemo audio recorder lineup. The new MicroMemo is a stand-alone, hi-fi digital audio recorder designed specifically for the new iPod nano. It captures CD-quality audio through a flexible, detachable microphone and features one-touch recording and a built-in speaker for instant playback.In addition, XtremeMac introduced the new MemoMic, a lapel microphone that clips onto your shirt, jacket or tie and is designed to work seamlessly with the MicroMemo, but also works with any device sporting a 3.5mm jack. Both products are powered by the iPod nano itself, so no extra cables or power sources are required. The new MicroMemo comes in your choice of black or silver anodized aluminum is available for pre-order now and is priced at $59.95. It's expected to ship early this month, while the MemoMic is currently shipping for a mere $29.95. Complete specs for both can be found on XtremeMac's website.
Record 16-bit digital audio with your iPod
Here's a great podcasting tool. The MicroMemo by XtremeMac is a mic that plugs into your iPod's dock connector port and produces 22 KHz/16-bit, high quality recordings. The mic is on a flexible neck for easy positioning, and there's a built in speaker for instant playback (no need to put on the headphones). The MicroMemo is powered by the iPod (we're not sure how much of a strain that's going to put on the iPod's battery) and the mic can be detached. Plus it just looks cool.XtremeMac is currently taking pre-orders at $79.95US.
