TASCAM iM2 Channel Portable Digital Recorder

I bought this device for my iPhone 4 because I thought it would be handy to record myself with a better quality mic instead of the in-built mic and also record stuff on the fly. I tried it out the first day, and it seemed to work out alright. The quality is definitely better than the in-built mic, but the recordings with this device are generally softer, so you have to make sure that you're close to the mic. The recordings would also occasionally contain digital glitches and weird buffers even though I didn't touch the phone or mic, and there was no wind blowing. I thought it would eventually go away.Nope.This is the main reason I'm giving this product a one star. I just finished using this mic to record songs of me singing while playing the ukelele. But all four of my recordings had weird glitchy noises, and I have no idea why! I plug it in, the blue light turns on, I make sure that the red lines are facing the source of the sound, and I record, but the glitchy noises still happen, rendering my recordings useless. I read the reviews, and it didn't seem like this was happening to anyone else. I purchased a new one, but it doesn't sound new. I've tested the mic with various recording apps, and the glitches have occured with every app. There's the occasional recording that doesn't contain glitchy noises, but the iM2 is still unreliable. The only possible explanation I can think of is that this device doesn't work with iOS 7.So here's the breakdown of negative aspects you should take heed of:-the iM2 feels like light cheap plastic-while the iM2 is connected to your Apple device, you won't be able to listen to playback regardless of whether you're wearing earbuds/headphones-in response to those who have said that you can't record using the iM2 while earbuds (w/ a mic) are also plugged in: the phone/tablet uses the most recently plugged in device to record, so if you want to use the iM2 while wearing earbuds, you should FIRST plug in the earbuds THEN connect the iM2. But if you want to hear playback, you will still have to disconnect the iM2 every. single. time. It's annoying.-the iM2 does allow you to charge your phone while it's connected, but it needs a certain type of cable. I'm not sure what cable you need (sorry); I just know that you'll need something that is NOT your typical Apple or Android charging cable.-THE CABLE DOES NOT COME WITH THE PACKAGE!!-the iM2 doesn't use batteries; it thrives on your Apple device's battery. And there's no on/off switch. You will be constantly connectiing and disconnecting this device, AND IT'S SO ANNOOOYING.-weird glitchy noises will occur throughout your recordings. As far as the reason, I do not know. All I can say is that I am using an iPhone 4 w/ iOS 7. And these glitchy noises occur regardless of the recording app. It's major butt.The good:-it's portable.-without the weird glitchy noises, the audio quality is definitely better than the in-built mic because it removes a lot of white noise, and the sound is more balanced. The gain is pretty low, so unless you have a way to bump up the audio, make sure that you're close to the mic.I am very disappointed with this device. It's not what I wanted it to be. But to be honest, what can you expect from a mic that's 15 bucks? -_-Do what you want, you have been warned.

To be honest I didn't expect a whole lot out of this considering it only costs 20 bucks, but I figured I'd give it a shot since it wouldn't be a huge loss even if it sucked. However, the iM2 completely exceeded my expectations and blew me away. I write a lot of downtempo and ambient music so I use this mostly to gather field recordings (water, footsteps, clanking, machine sounds, nature sounds, etc). This thing gives you very high quality, crisp recordings and extremely low to no noise. I also own a Zoom h4n which is nice but quite noisy and incredibly bulky compared with it. I almost never even bother with it now, the iM2 is way more convenient in terms of size and since I almost always keep my iphone with me anyway. I haven't used the Zoom for a while so my memory of it's sound quality is a little hazy, but honestly I think the iM2 sounds as good and maybe even better. I'm not sure how this would do if you were trying to record a band live or something like that which is dense with many layers, but this is definitely perfect for recording random sounds or voice stuff (a lecture or whatever).I can't comment on the tascam app because I've never used it (saw lots of people complain about it, but there is no reason you need to bother with it). I used this for a while with FiRe 2 and it worked perfectly. My phone got wiped after an OS update and now I use it with some free recording app (cant remember the name at the moment) and was worried that it wouldn't be compatible, but it works with no issues at all. Just plug in and hit record.

I am a musician as well as a big fan of live music in general. I've been trying to find a simple, portable way to get video recordings with quality audio. Typically, high volume levels in live music environments cause the built-in microphones on smartphones and camcorders to overload, clip the signal, and distort the sound. I've always liked the video functionality of my iPhone (short of the audio performance obviously) so I decided to give the Tascam iM2 a try. Here's what I've found out so far:-Physical Elements: The iM2 seems well constructed and as sturdy as you would expect from a little gadget like this. It's tiny, lightweight, and goes unnoticed in your pocket when detached from the phone. It should be understood that the mic should only be attached when in use. It is clearly not designed to be "installed". In fact, it will interfere with your iPhone's connectivity when attached. Just put it on when you're going to use it and save the wireless activity for afterwards. Also, the mic's jack connects confidently enough but understand that you will need to remove your case unless you have a thin or flexible one. I actually got a rubbery silicone case that can be pushed aside to accommodate the mic. The volume knob and limiter switch are teeny-tiny but functional.-App Compatibility: I have only tried a few apps with this device but every one of them has recognized and utilized the iM2 as the audio input. I have successfully used "Video Camera+", "Voice Memos", "Tascam's PCM Recorder", & "GarageBand". Tascam's app is a very simple audio recorder (similar to "Voice Memos") but works just fine. I read complaints about only being able to export to SoundCloud but this is not the case. All you have to do is use iTunes when your phone is connected and go to iPhone > Apps and scroll down to the bottom. You'll see your recordings right there under "Documents" when "PCM Recorder" is selected and they can be dragged over to your Library. I also heard about issues with live audio monitoring through headphones. You have to make sure you use headphones that are NOT equipped with an in-line mic. The iPhone will prioritize that microphone over the iM2 and won't send the audio out of the headphone jack. I use my Sony studio cans and have been allowed to live monitor in "PCM Recorder" as well as "GarageBand".-Audio Performance: I don't have to tell you that the sound quality is better than your device's built-in, miniscule, mono microphone. Of course a stereo condenser sounds better! It sounds a LOT better. You will receive a clear, crisp, and transparent signal feeding directly into your iPhone with no middleman. I've found myself having a lot of fun just repositioning it all over different rooms and hearing the differences. The crazy portability makes this experimentation a lot more feasible than dragging a mic, cable, interface, and laptop all over your house. I look forward to hearing people create fully produced songs with nothing but their phone and this mic! The challenge I did find however, with my application of recording live performances, was getting the input level correct. Because the video app has no level meter, I kind of had to guess and check results a lot because the signal certainly will clip if you have the iM2 turned up too much during a concert. I've found it easiest just to set the levels pretty low with the limiter on and end up with a low-volume audio track. Then I just put the file in iMovie and hit "normalize volume" under audio adjustments, for the whole video. This works great, just turns everything back up to where it should be in the file but with no distortion or clipping because I recorded at an appropriate level. I've now got a pretty easy way to record and process live performances with really good sound.There are a couple of features that I would really like to see on this device (maybe they'll show up on the iM3). This is one of the very first microphones of this type for iOS devices and I imagine they'll get better and better in the next few years. I agree with others who say a line-in would be a nice addition. More than that however, I would go 5 stars all the way if there was a level meter on the front. Even a single clipping light would help but a 3-segment, green-yellow-red, level meter would make it a nearly perfect product in my opinion. Overall, this is a really great audio accessory for your phone and a solid value at <$100.