Skip to main content

Turn your iPhone or iPad into a field recorder with this Lightning microphone from Blue

While Blue Microphones made its name creating high-end studio microphones, its expanding line of iOS-compatible mics that go anywhere you do are rapidly positioning the company as a premiere name in the burgeoning world of mobile recording. Today Blue unveiled an update to its adorably named stereo microphone, the Mikey Digital, adding Lightning connection.

At $100, the Mikey Digital with Lightning is one of the most affordable mics Blue makes. Inside the headstock are dual Blue condenser capsules, which allow for a much more sensitive exposure of detail than your common stage mic. Simply plug the mic into your iPhone or iPad’s Lightning input to allow easy recording to any number of available digital recording apps.

Recommended Videos

The Mikey is positioned to make field recording nearly fool-proof, offering Blue’s Auto Level Sensing technology, which is a custom limiter for protecting your recordings from running into the red and distorting. The system can be set to fluctuate automatically with the subject’s volume levels, or allow the user to adjust gain manually. The Mikey also has an easily visible red LED to let you know when the levels are too hot to handle.

Additional features for the Mikey Digital include a USB pass-through connection so you can charge your device while the mic is in place, a 230 degree rotating head for easy positioning, and a 3.5mm input to send direct signal to your iPhone or iPad from sources like guitar pickups, or DJ rigs. The system records at 44.1kHz/16 bit CD quality resolution.

Perhaps the best part about the new Mikey Digital with Lightning connection (for the price savvy among us) is the price drop on the old 30-pin Mikey Digital. At the time of this post, the mic can be picked up for a bargain-basement $45 at Amazon. For those with an older iPhone or iPad, that’s some serious savings for your recording pleasure. And while we don’t have confirmation from Blue about compatibility, those with newer iOS devices who have a 30-pin-to-Lightning adaptor lying around may be getting some ideas as well.

While we haven’t tried out the Mikey Digital for ourselves, we’ve had pretty good look with other Blue products, such as its Spark Digital microphone, so we expect the Mikey to offer good value for the money. The Lightning-connected Mikey Digital is available now at Amazon, and Sweetwater Sound, and will be coming to other retailers soon. If you want to hear some recordings made with the Mikey for yourself, check out the video below.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
How to download music from SoundCloud on desktop and mobile
Soundcloud Interface on a Macbook.

If you're a die-hard music fan, you probably keep a curated library of playlists packed with your favorite artists and albums on Spotify, Apple Music, or whatever your favorite music streaming app is. But how do you discover the best indie artists today? Some music-streaming platforms are better than others at celebrating the ‘unsung gem’ acts, but one of the most reliable forums for new, off-the-grid tunes is SoundCloud.

Founded in 2007, SoundCloud has always prioritized music that’s a bit under the radar. With over 320 million tracks in its library, the platform will even let you download a majority of its songs and albums.

Read more
The best kids headphones of 2025: for fun, safety, and sound
Two kids using the Puro Sound PuroQuiet Plus to watch something on a tablet.

Kid-friendly consumer tech is all the rage these days, so it’s no surprise that there’s an entire market of headphones designed exclusively for young ones. But when we think “kid-friendly,” sometimes we imagine products that are built to be a bit more throwaway than their adult counterparts. That’s not the case with the products on our list of the best headphones for kids, though.

We want our child-tailored headphones to include parental-controlled volume limiters, to ensure our children aren’t harming their eardrums. Pretty much every entry on our list checks this vital box, but we also wanted to point you and yours toward products that offer exceptional noise-canceling, built-in mics for phone and video calls, and long-lasting batteries for schooldays or a long flight.

Read more
How to master your equalizer settings for the perfect sound
An equalizer from eqMac.

While most people will simply flip on the radio or load up Spotify to listen to music, audiophiles like to dig a bit deeper and customize their experience. This often comes in the form of adjustments to the equalizer, which offers the freedom to tweak every aspect of the sound booming out of headphones or speakers. Even some streaming services now have built-in EQs, giving you more ways than ever to play with your music and find something that best fits your ears.

Tinkering with the equalizer can be daunting to newcomers, as there are tons of cryptic settings you can manipulate. And if you mess with the wrong one, your sound quality might take a nasty hit. Thankfully, learning the basics isn't too difficult.

Read more