I performed four video interviews on a noisy conference floor at the AI Engineer World's Fair (AIEWF) in 2024. Field interviews aren’t easy since you can’t control much of the environment. Lighting, noise, and acoustics are the luck of the draw. I researched many possible microphone setups for videos shot with my iPhone 15 Pro.

Attending the AIEWF, I planned to spend most of my time talking to attendees. Sessions are great, but I wanted to network and get an idea of what practical technology folks were excited about. I also wanted to capture some of the more interesting conversations on video. Video poses many challenges, but one of the largest issues to overcome is the inevitably noisy conference environment. Iffy lighting isn’t great, but an unintelligible conversation is a fail.

All these factors meant bringing along a more professional microphone setup than the built-in microphone on my iPhone.

Considerations

As I researched microphone options, I developed criteria based on many reviews, videos, and interview courses. The final list of my microphone criteria looked like this:

• A cardioid (directional) pickup pattern
• Handheld
• A wired interface
• All equipment had to fit in a small bag
• Rapid setup
• Durability
• Resistant to handling noise
• Professional-looking
• Portable

First, I wanted a cardioid microphone to reject as much background noise as possible. I have experience using cardioid microphones as a presenter at a science museum and from podcast interviews. The cardioid pickup pattern captures audio sources in front of the microphone (usually the top of handheld cardioids) while rejecting much of the sound from the sides and back of the microphone.

I also wanted a handheld microphone. Many video interviewers use lavalier microphones, which can do a great job but tend to be omnidirectional, wireless, and fussy. I've been to too many conferences where a worn microphone either picked up too much clothing noise, fell off, or had to be adjusted in the middle of a speech. Also, since I wanted minimal editing, I preferred the idea of a single, handheld microphone.

A handheld microphone has the added benefit of providing a visual cue to speak. It lets you avoid talking over a guest and also offers control since you can withdraw and offer the mic. The downside of a handheld mic is that they can pickup handling noise — the sound of your hands moving on the microphone handle. Some microphones reject this noise more than others.

Since I was attending a conference, I also suspected that a wireless microphone wouldn't work well. The place was full of other wireless microphones, BLE devices, Wi-Fi, etc., and I didn’t want to accidentally interfere with a speaker’s mic.

Size and complexity were also factors. I didn’t want to haul around a backpack all day, nor did I want to spend ten minutes preparing an equalizer, etc. My final choice is about $200 and fits in a small camera bag alongside the camera.

My Choices

Shure SM58 Microphone

The Shure SM58 Microphone is a dynamic microphone with a cardioid pickup pattern and XLR connection. You can read a mountain of reviews of this popular microphone, which is widely available for around $100. It's an easy choice, as it is often a benchmark against which other microphones are measured.

Unlike some of the options I considered, this mic takes abuse; there are videos of buses running over them and folks using them to pound nails into 2x4 lumber. Since I prefer to travel light, I had no interest in hauling around a foam-lined Pelican Case to baby an exotic condenser microphone.

Since the ShureSM58 is an XLR microphone, it would need an additional audio interface to act as an amplifier and analog-to-digital converter. On the bright side, it is a dynamic microphone, meaning it doesn’t require phantom power.

I considered several handheld USB microphones with cardioid pickup patterns as an alternative. While a few of these microphones had "great for the price" reviews, I increasingly realized that for an extra $100 bucks or less, I could buy a microphone that would have better sound, diminish plosives, and resist handling noise. While the Shure would require additional hardware, it offered a more foolproof, high-quality audio capture.

iRig Pre HD Audio Interface

The IK Multimedia iRig Pre HD Audio Interface is a USB amplifier and analog-to-digital converter that can be connected directly to an iPhone with a USB-C connector. One end has a micro-USB connector and a headphone jack, and the other has an XLR connector.

One side of the iRig Pre has a volume control for the monitor (the headphone jack). The other side has the gain control for the microphone and a switch for providing phantom power to a microphone (phantom power is not needed for the Shure SM58).

The bottom of the iRig has a battery door for 2 AA batteries; these batteries are only necessary when using a microphone requiring phantom power. I never installed batteries. The battery door has two slots to velcro the iRig to a cable or stand.

A small velcro strap is included, as are several USB cables, including a micro-USB to USB-C cable, which can connect the iRig to an iPhone 15 Pro.

One of the iRig Pre’s more beautiful features is the soundcheck LED. Before each interview, I used the LED to adjust the microphone gain quickly. When the LED is green, the audio level is low. When it is orange, the audio level is high. When the LED turns red, the audio is clipping. If you tune the gain so that the LED bounces frequently between green and orange but never red while you’re talking, your level is good. The process only takes a few seconds, and you feel cool saying, “Test check one two” into the mic.

Many devices promise to connect an XLR microphone to an iPhone, but this was the only one I could find with great reviews for audio quality, excellent affordability, and portability. Most of the competition had poor reviews of audio quality or were designed for tabletop use.

The iRig pleasantly surprised reviewers in every aspect except build quality, which reviewers noted felt cheap. And while it does feel cheap compared to the Shure SM58, it doesn’t feel fragile. It feels light and plasticky. You won’t hammer nails or drive a bus over an iRig Pre. That’s fine. I prefer a lighter weight for travel. Despite feeling more like a consumer product, I don’t think it will break if you drop it on the floor; it doesn’t seem fragile.

Amazon Basics XLR Cable

The Amazon Basics XLR Cable is exactly what you expect: six feet of XLR cable to connect the Shure microphone to the iRig. Except for the branding, it looks and feels basically like every other XLR cable I've used. Six feet is the perfect length. I draped it over my neck while shooting to reduce the weight on the iRig and still had plenty of cable for interviews. These cables are a commodity, so any similar option with decent reviews is likely acceptable.

Any Cheap Headphones

I used an old pair of stereo earbuds to monitor the microphone’s audio. These are plugged into the iRig Pre HD’s monitor jack so you can hear what the microphone is picking up. In my experience, what the iPhone records sounds much better than what the monitor headphones pick up. This may be a function of my cheap headphones. I suggest a few practice recordings so you know what you’ll get.

A Magsafe Ring

While not strictly necessary, if you plan to handhold your iPhone like I did, a ring can help you hold it steady for a longer time. I have this Spigen O-Mag Ring, but any similar product can help. You could also use a tripod for your iPhone or enlist an assistant to capture the video.

Operation

Preparing for an interview is simple:

• Attach the XLR to the Shure microphone
• Attach the other end of the XLR to the iRig Pre HD
• Plug headphones into the iRig Pre HD’s monitor jack
• Switch the iRig 48V switch to off (the Shure SM58 doesn’t need phantom power)
• Switch the iRig Direct Monitor switch to on
• Connect the iRig to the iPhone 15 Pro with the USB cable
• Open the iPhone camera app and select video mode
• Adjust the monitor gain on the iRig for comfort while speaking into the Shure
• Adjust the microphone gain on the iRig so that the audio level LED flashes between orange and green (but never red) while performing a mic check
• Begin recording and start the interview

Note that the gain and the monitor level on the iRig Pre HD are numbered. You can use these numbers to dial in your setup, but I encourage you to check the levels anyway because a louder environment will cause you to speak louder. Your recordings will sound better if the gain keeps your voices in the sweet spot without clipping.

Practice

Practice several times before using this setup for a field interview. It will take a little practice to understand how close to hold the microphone (closer than most folks think), where to speak into the microphone (the top in the case of this Shure), and how to set the gain. My second video interview was much better than my first, and I’m sure I have a lot of room for improvement. Watching and listening to your videos in a quiet environment will help you improve your technique.