Home > Consumer Reviews > Griffin iTalk Pro - Microphone

This product - used for the first time today - worked perfectly. I needed to record a meeting and certainly preferred the option of that recording then becoming a digital file (visible to and stored in ITunes). Once attached to the IPod, it was a couple of clicks to simply begin recording. The two pieces of equipment 'recognized' one another without a hitch. I recorded a 40-minute meeting, came home, connected my IPod to my computer and - snap - the recorded 'memo' immediately downloaded from the IPod to ITunes. The sound quality is fine (I didn't use an additional microphone) and I especially like having a permanant copy of this meeting in a digital format. I should note this was an interview in a quiet room where the IPod was placed between two people on a desk. No ambient noises to be concerned about, no long distances to cover. Will it work under those conditions? I don't know. But it did what I needed it to do. Very handy. FYI, I recorded in 'high' quality and the file size was about 400 MB. My experience has been that Griffin delivers quality products that integrate well with Apple products. No muss, no fuss.

If I could prepare this review in the same amount of time it took me to figure out how to operate Griffin's new iTalk Pro iPod microphone, you would already be finished reading. Here's how to use the microphone:

* Remove cute little black gizmo from its package, pry off plastic cover for iTalk Pro's iPod generic 30-pin connector, insert iTalk Pro into your latest-model (5th generation) iPod with video or (2nd generation) iPod nano, wait a couple of seconds, press iTalk button in the center of iTalk Pro, and start speaking.
* Press iTalk button again when you are finished recording.
* There is no step three. Where did I hear that previously?

A dated iPod voice memo is created in WAV format, that can be copied to your computer via the USB cable provided with your iPod. This file is very large, approximately 10MB per minute. Its name will be something like "20070119 094404.wav." The WAV file can play on your iPod or computer, and iTunes can convert it to much smaller compressed MP3 or AAC formats. Let me know if you need help with that conversion method.

Is iTalk Pro worth its $[...] US price tag? Yes, if you'll use the recorder. No, if it's merely a gimmick sitting under piles of junk within your messy laptop carrying case.

How good is voice quality? Griffin claims "Stereo microphone for CD-quality recording on iPod." Two tiny microphones produce stereo, but don't expect to achieve surround sound spectrum, Smarty Pants. Voices sound as good as on nothing-special talking CDs, but not as good as on music CDs. Clarity is fine, with a bit too much treble, as you would expect using such small mics. Griffin explains how to use the built-in 3.5mm stereo input jack for external microphones, when desired.

If you are a heavy breather or a very loud talker, or spit your words out, iTalk Pro will respond by recording your unspoken sounds, whatever they happen to be. Practice ahead of time, and you'll determine the best angle and distance for optimum vocal capture. iTalk Pro works best within close proximity to your audio source, so again do some tests before you attempt to record your niece's third grade speech from the rear of her school auditorium.

Specifications are:

16-bit stereo audio at 44.1 kHz
8-bit mono at 22 kHz

and you choose one of the above using the device attached to your iPod, as well as its recording level. Most of the time, iTalk Pro's default settings are all you need.

MyMac.com accepts Griffin's marketing pitch:
"iTalk Pro is perfect for capturing how the world around you really sounds. Whether you're taking lecture notes, conducting an interview, or just want to bring the sounds of the great outdoors indoors, your only limitations are your iPod's capacity, and your own imagination."

We will be using iTalk Pro when appropriate for live recordings for our weekly MyMac.com Podcast. Don't expect Nemo's Book Bytes Live! interviews or Robert's Speedy Reviews to sound as good as when we are using Samson's mighty CO3U professional studio microphone, but for convenience and portability, you'll be pleased with Griffin's iTalk Pro.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 for convenience, and 3.5 for audio quality, giving a total score of 4 out of 5.

I did a lot of research while considering a microphone for my 80GB ipod classic. The iTalk Pro seemed to have the best reviews (for a reasonably priced mic). I was not disappointed. I tested it in different environments and got good, clear, understandable speech recordings.

With the iPod Classic and 3rd gen Nano, you can not use the button on the iTalk to start recording... instead, a new menu appears on the ipod and you start the recording from there. In my opinion, this did not affect the use at all. I don't know how it shows up on other ipod models, but on mine it allows you to choose low or high quality and the ipod determines the gain settings which seemed fine. I did not notice much of a difference between low and high quality versions of similar recordings. With low quality you can expect to fit about 6 hours per GB; with high quality, less than 2 hours/GB. For any audiophiles out there, the recordings will transfer to iTunes in WAV format with a bit rate of 352 kbps.

I would recommend dimming your ipod screen to save power. I only got about 1 1/2 hours before the battery died (with 50% screen brightness). The screen stays on during recording showing the elapsed time. I wish there was an option to turn it off. I will try another long recording with the screen brightness set to 0% to see how much longer it lasts. In my experience the screens on electronic devices are the biggest drain on battery life.

I like the compact size and the fact that it is all one piece. There is also a small plastic cover to protect the dock connector when not in use. Some of the other mics I looked at seemed ungainly to me with their multiple pieces and larger sizes.

Some of the negative reviews I have read regarding this device, complain about the lack of quality recording... not enough bass, sounds tinny, music doesn't record well etc. What do you expect for 30 bucks!!?? It IS called the i"TALK" after all! It is designed for recording voice and does that exceptionally well.

I bought this to record meetings of 25 people. Plug it in, simple, easy to work. Picks up the whole room. But it always picks up the sound of the drive writing and when the auto gain boosts on lower voices that clicking overwhelms the signal. I thought it would be great once I plugged a mic & amp into it, but I could never get the mic input to work. After plugging it in a few times, the whole device fell apart, literally (and I was not at all rough with it). I bought the Belkin, 2x the cost but works like a charm - even better than plugging the mic & amp directly into my Powerbook (the Belkin seems to add a little boost & is less noisy). The Belkin can also charge as you record, which the Griffin can't. Seems an iPod can't record much more than 75 minutes before it runs out of power, so the ability to charge while recording can be crucial.

This a very easy to use recorder for your ipod (I used it on a 5th generation one with video). You basically just plug it into the bottom of your ipod and follow the easy instructions on the screen.
There are two quality modes (high and low). I generally use low because it seems fine for my purposes (I bought this recorder to record some meetings for school) and because the high mode takes up a lot of memory.

A 1 hour meeting on low took up about 162 MB while an 1 hour on high took 500MB+.
Also I think the battery drains more quickly in the high quality setting. (but less than a quarter was drained in the low quality setting).

In terms of sound quality, the recorder is very good. You can make out speech and surrounding sounds very well. All sound files are saved as .WAV and titled by the date and time you recorded.

My only complaint is that the unit records at a relatively low volume compared to itunes songs. As a result you have to turn the volume up considerably on your computer or ipod to compensate.

I have not tried recording music so I don't know how good the quality is for that.