Zoom Am7 Mid-Side Stereo Microphone for Android Devices with USB-C Connector
Often people face problems recording high quality audio in their android devices. There are certain options in the market however, recording M/S stereo is not one of those.
Zoom Am7 M/S Stereo microphone
To fill this niche, Zoom has launched the Am7 M/S stereo microphone to record high-quality M/S stereo recordings straight to Android devices. This microphone directly plugs into the USB-C port of your android phone. This produces a stereo sound which appears to resemble the natural depth of the space With its naturalistic stereo depth of field, the mic is wonderfully suited to music-video recording, video-based podcasts etc.
Professional sound recordists love the sound of M/S stereo as this technique helps in achieving a realistic recording of the width and depth of the space. One can easily get a mono signal from the M/S recordings. So if a person wants to listen using a single mono headphone or speaker then the M/S recording technique is of help as there is mono-compatibility.
The Am7 records audio at broadcast-quality 48 kHz/16-bit. Having 24 bit recording would have assuaged the nerves of professionals, however, 16 bit is fine for the intended audience. This microphone offers a stereo-width slider to adjust how “wide” you want the resultant recording to feel. The controls are easy to master: a simple gain knob and the stereo-width control. It is a good thing that there is a 3.5mm headphone jack so that one can monitor the output using headphones while recording. Though it is perhaps never going to be used, however, one can use the 3.5mm headphone jack to also get a line out for backup if needed. This technique is more for professionals who want to use every single microphone at their disposal.
The Am7 mic has a rotating capsule design. So you can rotate the microphone to align the camera with the audio recording. When recording audio without video, simply rotate the mic to the audio position, and point your phone like a mic to the sound you want to record. Keeping with the selfie generation who are more prone to be using this microphone, the Zoom Am7 also offers a selfie mode for recording the audio of the person.
The mic is designed to work with Zoom’s free Handy Recorder app, which is now available on Google Play to work with this particular model. You’ll be able to monitor audio without latency straight from the app. You can also record, mix, and share your audio right from your Android device. The app can automatically upload to SoundCloud for public sharing or Google Drive for sharing among collaborators.
M/S & Stereo Width Controls
Any M/S stereo microphone would contain two microphones – one which is known as the mid mic and which captures the audio from the front side and the other microphone which is known as side microphone and records the audio from the side or ambient audio.
With this M/S stereo microphone we can set the width of the stereo to 90° or 120°. With the Handy Recorder Android app of Zoom, one can also record the raw signals and adjust the stereo width later during post processing. One can also use this app to collapse the signal and make it mono and record voiceovers or interviews of people.
Easy Controls & Monitoring
There is a big mic gain knob in the front so you can adjust your input levels and LED level meters show up the levels.
Zoom Handy Recorder App
Available on Google Play, the Zoom Handy Recorder App allows you to record, mix, and share audio from your Android. You can upload your audio directly to Soundcloud or Google Drive.
Zoom Am7 M/S microphone Specifications:
| TYPE: | Mid-side (M-S) stereo mic (90°/120°/M-S) |
| MAXIMUM INPUT SOUND PRESSURE: | 120 dBSPL |
| INPUT GAIN: | +3 – +43 dB |
| AUDIO QUALITY: | 44.1 kHz/16 bit, 48 kHz/16 bit |
| POWER: | Powered by the connected device |
| CONNECTOR: | USB Type-C connector |
| Stereo mini jack (combined headphone/line level output) | |
| DIMENSIONS: | 54.5 (W) x 57.5 (D) x 28.1 (H) mm |
| WEIGHT: | 31.8 g |
Zoom Am7 Price:
The Zoom Am7 M/S Microphone is priced at $99.99 US Dollars.
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