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All smartphones come with microphones built-in which are used to capture audio and also used while you’re on the phone. While the microphones in our phones have improved over the years to deliver better call quality, sometimes they aren’t good enough especially if you’re trying to do things like record music, do voiceovers, and so on.
If you’re looking to improve the audio capture of your smartphone, then investing in an external microphone can come in handy, which is why you might want to take a look at the Lark C1. This is an external microphone designed for iOS and Android devices. It is priced pretty reasonably and comes with a bunch of very attractive and useful features that we’ll be taking a look at below.
Plug and play
Perhaps one of the selling points of the Lark C1 is that it is plug-and-play. What this means is that all users need to do is connect it to their smartphone using Bluetooth and they’re basically good to go. There is no need to perform any kind of complicated setups like connecting your phone to an external amplifier, dealing with cables, and so on.
This means that if you need to quickly record audio on the go, all you need to do is remove the C1 from its charging/carrying case and you’re all set. It is also compatible with both iPhones and Android devices and for the iPhone version, it has MFi certification, meaning that it complies with Apple’s requirements when it comes to iOS-related accessories.
Charge and record at the same time
Another unique feature of the Lark C1 is that the company has borrowed the idea of a charging case from wireless earbuds. While wireless lavalier microphones aren’t new, Lark has adopted a rather interesting design choice by putting the microphones into a carrying case that charges the microphones at the same time.
This means that not only do you have a more convenient way of carrying the microphones around, but you can rest assured that it will always be charged whenever you need it so you don’t suddenly find yourself with a pair of dead microphones.
Speaking of battery, the C1 is rated for up to 32 hours of recording time, so unless you’re somewhere that doesn’t have a charging outlet, 32 hours is more than sufficient for the majority of situations you might find yourself in.
The built-in receiver, which connects to the Lightning or USB-C port on your phone, also supports pass-through charging. This means that even though it takes up the charging port on your phone, you can plug your charger to the receiver and charge your phone and record audio at the same time.
High-quality audio capture
Now, obviously audio quality is important and critical when it comes to microphones. What good is a fancily-designed microphone if the audio it captures is terrible, right? With the Lark C1, the company claims that it features a sample rate and bit depth of 48 kHz and 16 bits, and can capture audio frequencies from as low as 20Hz and up to 20kHz.
It also boasts noise cancellation features which in the case of microphones means that it can help remove sound from the background while focusing on the subject, thanks to the use of the company’s advanced audio processing algorithms.
This is particularly useful when out in the field because you might not have access to a location that has been acoustically treated. Or maybe you’re doing a recording in a public space like a cafe, or while you’re walking down the road and there might be cars and buses driving by.
There is also a button built into the microphones itself which allows users to turn on or off noise cancellation, and there are more options in the accompanying app that allows users to choose the strength of noise cancellation.
The C1 also has a pretty decent range when it comes to wireless connectivity and can continue to capture audio even at distances of up to 650 feet (200 meters). This gives users more flexibility in the way they capture audio and record video.
Pricing and availability
If the Lark C1 sounds like a pair of wireless lavalier microphones that you think you could use, like we mentioned earlier, it is priced pretty reasonably. The whole set, which includes the charging/carrying case and two sets of microphones and the receiver is priced at just $179.
This is a pretty good deal considering that you’re essentially getting two microphones, which is perfect if you plan to use it to conduct interviews and you need to hook up more than one person at a time with a microphone. It is also useful if you just want a backup. If this sounds like a good deal, then head on over to Amazon to get your hands on it.
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