Adapter

Sabrent USB Adapter Warning

There's not much to say right now except, do not buy a Sabrent USB Soundcard if you plan on using it with a condenser microphone (BM700, BM800, NW700, NW800, NW1500, etc.) They changed the audio chip inside which dropped the voltage pass through by 1.5v causing a huge decrease in performance. Some people have even claimed that their microphones don't work at all. So please hold off on buying this if you're using it for a condenser microphone. 

NOTE: It should work great if you are using a DYNAMIC microphone that requires no voltage. I still think it's a great option for that. 

What's the Best USB Sound Card / USB Audio Adapter?

Yes. I just reviewed a bunch of soundcards a few weeks ago, but I made another review for a few reasons. The Sabrent adapters that I selected as the best are not available in most areas outside of the United States, so I ordered 5 more USB soundcards to test out. Also, I got a multimeter and I wanted to test the amount of voltage going in to each card vs the amount coming out of each card. 

Here's a ranking of my favorite sound cards from 1-11.

  1. Sabrent Stereo: http://amzn.to/1Ikwqt5
  2. Sabrent 7.1: http://amzn.to/1IkwtVI
  3. Syba Stereo: http://amzn.to/1Pds77X
  4. HDE 7.1: http://amzn.to/1Ikww3H
  5. Virtual 5.1: http://amzn.to/1T8qZ64
  6. Gino Stereo: http://amzn.to/1IkwCIQ
  7. Trond Stereo: http://amzn.to/22gQbxC
  8. Plugable Stereo: http://amzn.to/1PdsdfP
  9. ATR2USB: http://amzn.to/1Pds9N9
  10. Gino 7.1: http://amzn.to/1T8r21R
  11. Optical Shop 5.1: http://amzn.to/22gQ84Y

This ranking is based on multiple factors. The quality/level of the audio, the required gain on the computer, the voltage passthrough to the microphone, and the background noise. This is only my personal opinion and ranking of these sound cards. Feel free to make your own decision on which one you think sounds best.

If you have any more questions about these sound cards, leave a comment down below or on youtube and I will try to answer the question ASAP. Thanks.

How To Record a 3.5mm Mic on an iPhone

Another day, another video. In the first day of my last video, I received a lot of questions about what other mics work on the iPhone 6. So, I tested out the SF-930, SM-58, NW-700, BM-800, & NW-1500. Surprisingly, all the microphones technically worked.

This method consists of plugging the microphone into the Startech 4-pin Splitter, and then plugging the splitter into my iPhone and recording into the stock Voice Memos app. 

Some microphones performed much better than others in this test. However, none of the microphones even came close to their full potential. Every single microphone sounds much better when being recording on a computer in the appropriate fashion.

I have major concerns about this technique. I don't know the iPhones TRRS jack specs, but I don't think it was designed to handle the power needs of a 5v condenser mic. This could possibly damage your battery or damage your TRRS jack. I'm not sure. I would need to consult Apple on this, but I don't have the time. 

I guess, I should just say that I do not recommend using this method. It does not provide good results, and you could potentially damage your phone. The iPhone mic doesn't sound terrible. Just use that in the mean time. I think that the quote from Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park is surprisingly fitting. I was so preoccupied with whether or not I could, that I didn't stop to think if I should.