[aldo who?]

Does anyone know of any smartphones, other than iPhone, which let you record broadcast-quality audio?

I'm due an upgrade and currently leaning towards sticking with Android (I have a T-Mobile Pulse just now, which I hate, but I've heard good things about Samsung Galaxy S2 and HTC). But this could be the deciding factor which pushes me towards the iPhone.

Anyone?

[Woofy]

The HTC Desire HD has an 8MP camera and lets you record in HD (720p) . The newest one (HTC Sensation) also has similar features. Both run Android. I've had my Desire since December and absolutely love it.

[aldo who?]

It's not video I'm after, just a quality voice recorder as I work in radio. One of my colleagues does interviews on his iphone which sound as good as any of our recording kit, so I'm ideally looking for an android phone that does the same - either via an app or its own mic (not very technically-minded so I don't know if the internal mic HAS to be good, or if an app can substitute?).

[clonmult]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woofy

The HTC Desire HD has an 8MP camera and lets you record in HD (720p) . The newest one (HTC Sensation) also has similar features. Both run Android. I've had my Desire since December and absolutely love it.

But then the video quality may be okay, but no way would it have ever been broadcast quality.

But back on the topic of audio quality, I'd suggest something like the N8 - that apparently uses some of the best quality (mems?) microphones in any mobile phone.

[chrisjr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aldo who?

It's not video I'm after, just a quality voice recorder as I work in radio. One of my colleagues does interviews on his iphone which sound as good as any of our recording kit, so I'm ideally looking for an android phone that does the same - either via an app or its own mic (not very technically-minded so I don't know if the internal mic HAS to be good, or if an app can substitute?).

A mobile phone with a crappy built in mic is no good for recording true broadcast quality audio.

You might be able to bodge something together with the hands free connection to a decent quality mic but to be honest it still would not be worth it.

To record something once in a while that otherwise might never be captured is one thing but as an everyday tool of a broadcasters work I doubt any serious organisation would suggest using anything other than a proper pro recorder. For example the popular Marantz PMD range or HHB's FlashMic.

And remember the adage, garbage in garbage out. To get a good quality recording you need a good quality source. No amount of software tweaking can compensate for a poor quality mic. And lets face it the mic in a mobile phone is optomised for the job of voice communication over the mobile phone network, not capturing sounds with great fidelity.

[aldo who?]

I've heard interviews with bands etc recorded on an iPhone 4 played out, and they honestly sound as good as any other recorders. I have a FlashMic, but to send audio back (I'm a journalist, so out and about constantly) I also need a laptop and reliable internet connection, and a lot of the time it just takes way too long. My colleagues are using Audioboo, but the audio quality on my current phone isn't good enough, which is why that's a deciding factor in choosing a new one.

[clonmult]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

A mobile phone with a crappy built in mic is no good for recording true broadcast quality audio.

You might be able to bodge something together with the hands free connection to a decent quality mic but to be honest it still would not be worth it.

To record something once in a while that otherwise might never be captured is one thing but as an everyday tool of a broadcasters work I doubt any serious organisation would suggest using anything other than a proper pro recorder. For example the popular Marantz PMD range or HHB's FlashMic.

And remember the adage, garbage in garbage out. To get a good quality recording you need a good quality source. No amount of software tweaking can compensate for a poor quality mic. And lets face it the mic in a mobile phone is optomised for the job of voice communication over the mobile phone network, not capturing sounds with great fidelity.

You are ultimately correct, but in the case of the iPhone 4 and the N8, the built in mic is far from crappy. Its designed for capturing a much wider range of audio than purely low bit rate voice.

So for the spoken word, a mobile can possibly do a very good job - easily acceptable for broadcast. But once we're talking about quality reproduction of music/singing/etc, then they're far from ideal.

[tonysidaway]

I recommend sticking with your existing phone but using a Bluetooth microphone. As long as your phone is reasonably powerful it will be well capable of handling the digital signal processing tasks, so all you are missing is a microphone of sufficient quality.

[aldo who?]

I'll definitely be upgrading as I hate my current handset, but I hadn't heard of a Bluetooth microphone - any idea how much they are? Could definitely be an option

[tonysidaway]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aldo who?

I'll definitely be upgrading as I hate my current handset, but I hadn't heard of a Bluetooth microphone - any idea how much they are? Could definitely be an option

You can pay as much or as little as you want. Some Bluetooth headsets may have a microphone of the quality and range/sensitivity you need, and because they are mass-produced the unit cost is often quite low. Professional quality microphones can be much more expensive.

[countyboy]

What about this? http://www.mobilemic.com/