Here’s a quick post about using my iPhone as a quick and dirty recording device. I happen to have an iPhone 5, but I’m sure this would work on any newer smartphone using a comparable app.

I was editing a Kickstarter video for some friends and needed to record some quick temp VO. In the past I used an older model USB microphone, but the last time I used it, it sounded so low resolution. What’s another quick and easy option?

I poked around on my iPhone and discovered the Voice Memo App, which came as part of the iOS.

VoiceMemosApp

I pressed the big red button, read the voiceover into the phone and then pressed the red button again to stop recording. The recorded VO appeared in a window, automatically named “New Recording.” I clicked on the name and renamed the file.

VoiceMemoREcord

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s even an editing feature where you can trim pauses and false starts from the heads and tails of the file.

VoiceMemoEdit

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I finished trimming and naming the file, I just emailed it to myself.

Email VO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And when it landed in my inbox on my computer, I copied it onto my media drive into a folder called Scratch Tracks. Then in Adobe Premiere, I used the Media Browser to import the audio file into my project. And then I edited it right into my sequence.

Import VO

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was thinking of buying a new microphone for recording temp VO in the edit room, but this worked so well, I think I’ll just keep using the iPhone. And I think the USB microphone is going to electronics recycling.

What other ways are you using your iPhone in video post production? I’d love to hear your ideas. Happy Editing!