Røde iXY Review

Although many iOS hardware devices are aimed at the consumer market, we occasionally get gear in that’s aimed at pro users. With this in mind, we’ll start by stating that the iXY stereo mic from Røde supports recording at 24-bit/96kHZ. At present you’ll need either the free Røde Rec LE or Røde Rec app to record.

Manufacturer Røde
Price iXY £169. Røde Rec £3.99 (Apple App Store)
Contact Source Distribution
020 8962 5080
Web www.ixymic.com

The unit’s build oozes quality. It comes with a transparent-sounding windshield and key ring carry case. It’s not too heavy, either, so you can realistically hang the case off your keys.  Only newer-generation iPhone, iPod Touch and iPads are supported, so check before you buy.

In our experience the mic was perfectly secure in the docking port of our iPad, but an iClamp from Røde is due out at the end of March, so that could be worth a look.
The Røde Rec LE app is perfectly functional for standard stereo recording and your efforts can be exported to email, iTunes or SoundCloud. Røde Rec adds more playback/editing functionality, deeper SoundCloud integration and a variety of processing tools to enhance your recordings. As it’s only these two that support iXY’s higher recording quality, we’d consider the mic to be useful as just a hand-held recorder at this stage.

We tested the unit by recording a vocal and acoustic guitar performance, percussion sampling and general speech capture. The fidelity of the iXY is impressive – no grainy frequencies and good high-end detail. Stereo is also nice and wide while retaining good positional information. Our ambient and conversation recordings did reveal noise floor hiss, though, so low-level recordings aren’t quite as pro as we’d like. For transcribing and reference, though, it’s perfectly adequate.

Verdict

With fine detail and stereo information, this mic is great for capturing audio sources ranging in volume from mid to high.

8/10