Ultra.
From hobbyist TikTokers to professional videographers who believe less is more, the impeccable quality of an iPhone camera alone can take you very far as a content creator. IPhone enthusiasts are excited to see the enhanced camera quality with every release. While the camera quality remains consistently top-of-the-line, some may find the built-in microphone lacking, but of course, there's a fix for that—an external microphone.
Why Use an External USB Microphone With an iPhone?
An external microphone, such as a Yeti USB microphone (formerly Blue Yeti mic), enhances the sound quality of your iPhone. The great thing about using a USB microphone is the setup is relatively simple. Also, USB microphones are generally multi-purpose and can be utilized for recording, live streaming, zoom calls, podcasting, and more.
If you're looking to grab a Yeti USB mic or have one you'd like to take full advantage of, keep reading to learn more about using it with your iPhone.
What You Need
- iPhone
- Yeti Microphone
- Lightning to USB Camera Adapter or
- Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter
P.S. There are an array of Yeti microphones to choose from, including the Yeti GX if you're in the market for a dynamic mic with RGB lights or the Yeti Nano if you want everything that creators love about the original Yeti is a compact size. For this tutorial, we'll be leaning on the original Yeti microphone that content creators know and love.
How to Connect Yeti Microphone to iPhone
- First, connect your adapter to your iPhone in the lightning port (the same port that you use to charge your device). Though the "camera adapter" may be in the name, this iPhone accessory is the secret to connecting your Yeti USB microphone to your phone.
- Next, grab the USB power cable for your Yeti microphone and plug the USB portion directly into the iPhone camera adapter.
- Note: Yeti microphones are powered by USB, meaning the power source is whatever device the USB cable is plugged into. If you have a device with exceptional battery life, the stand-alone Lightning to USB Camera Adapter will suffice. However, if you have concerns about battery life on your iPhone, opt for the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter as it has an additional port to connect your Lightning charging cord in addition to your USB microphone.
- Once everything is connected, the red LED light on your Yeti microphone should be on and steady. If your indicator light isn't on or is blinking, try tapping the mute button on the front of your mic and ensuring the power cord is fully plugged in.
- That's it! Your external mic will replace your iPhone's internal mic to give you crisp, pro-level sound quality. Now, you can record or livestream from your phone without sacrificing sound quality.
Pro-Tip: When connecting your Yeti microphone, you won't be able to hear a playback of your sound automatically. You can plug headphones directly into your microphone to listen to your sound as you record or disconnect the mic from your phone to play back your recording through your phone's speaker.
Whether live streaming on a mobile device or using your iPhone to record video content, you are only steps away from achieving crisp audio with your Yeti microphone. What enhancements are you currently making for your content? Perhaps creating a multi-camera stream setup?
