Mikme Pocket could be a mobile filmmaker’s best bet for crystal clear audio capture

 

 

Audio is probably the last thing that burgeoning filmmakers think about, and it's usually the last thing they master. Proper audio makes a huge difference in how a video's story is told, and even though environmental sound like cars, rivers and wind can play a big role in a story, the first thing that has to absolutely be nailed is human voice. You will see a lot of folks use shotgun style mics on-camera, but I personally have always been a fan of lavalier microphones, or lav mics. Lav mics clip to a fixed location on a subject, like a collar, jacket, or tie, and pick up audio from a localized area. They're absolutely my favorite for getting quality voice sound.

The thing is, there is a steep drop-off in reliability for these kinds of microphones, and the ones worth picking up tend to be very expensive and cumbersome to use for the uninitiated. They also have their own set of drawbacks.

Philip Sonnleitner, founder of Mikme, told me about his desire to address this issue years ago, and he finally has with the launch of Mikme Pocket, a product specifically designed to work with creative filmmakers and live streamers who want to keep a low profile, easy to use product without sacrificing audio quality.

 

 

The Mikme has three major selling points:

• Fast and of highest quality: 
As videomaker, you want high-class and straightforward setups. By automatically syncing the smartphone video with studio-grade audio from Mikme, you streamline your shooting setup: no wires, no additional receiver, no post-production.

• Failsafe and reliable: 
As videomaker, you know every moment counts. So never lose audio pieces again thanks to internal audio memory. There are no dropouts because of software-based and patented Quality of Service wireless audio transmission.

• Easy to use: As videomaker, you want to focus on your story, not the equipment. Mikme not only reduces the number of tools needed, but also covers the whole content production from recording to editing, branding and sharing. That eases the workflow and allows a better focus on the storyline.


With the ability to sync multiple Mikme pockets together, the benefit of built-in backup recording on the device, and a patented technology to allow for no loss of signal during recording and streaming (and even if there are a lot of signals that break up your monitor connection, you still have the audio recorded directly to the device that would not be affeceted by interference), the Mikme should be an excellent companion to a filmmaker who just wants to focus on filmmaking, and not fiddling with audio. Speaking from experience, if you watched our latest YouTube video, a major struggle during shooting was combating the high levels of signal interference on our lav mic. We had to be very careful where we stood, and how far our lav mic input was from the receiver on my camera. If we got too far away from one another, the microphone would fail. With the Mikme, this wouldn't have been a problem at all thanks to its onboard recording feature. 

I think the ideal customer for this product is a small team, one or two man crews, who need to travel light but not let that restriction hamper a high quality product. Mikme Pocket blew past their goal on Kickstarter in five hours when they launched, and the company has already successfully delivered their original Mikme via crowdsourcing in the past, so you can feel pretty secure in backing this project should the Mikme Pocket be a perfect fit for your operation. 

You can learn more about the Mikme Pocket at their kickstarter, and pick up your own starting at about $283.