For you farm podcasters who want to turn your iPhone (or or other smartphone) into a work tool, here are a couple of products that can help. I conduct many interviews posted here using my iPhone and the Voice Memo app. The microphone on the iPhone is excellent. But, it does pick up a lot of room noise and you may not want that. It would also be nice to record from a mult box or other audio source too. So I’ve been looking for and testing some options. Here’s the newest ones. These are from VeriCorder Technology.

First up is the VeriCorder Mini Mic. This thing is small and in my test it provides a slightly better audio interview recording by picking up less room noise. I’ve included short test examples below from a test I did this morning at Coffee Zone.

Compact mobile microphones are designed to transform the latest smart phones and MP3 players into a portable sound recorder. Provides improved sound quality and range. Will work with any smart phone MP3 player having a 3.5 mm, four-pin jack, such as the iPhone, iPod Touch 2G, iPod 5G, Blackberry or Nokia. Ideal for recording interviews, lectures, voice memos and more.

Use with 1stVideo or VC Audio Pro recording and editing software for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad to create sophisticated audio & video projects. For use in moderate volume environments because of it’s high sensitivity levels. It is not recommended for recording loud music.This mic will also turn your iPod touch into a Skype™ phone. It’s as easy as 1 – 2 – 3. Insert Mic, make call and when call connects press speaker.

Next, I tested the VeriCorder Technology XLR Adapter Cable. This allows me to plug in the much sought after Golden ZimmComm Microphone! Of the three test examples you can hear below this is by far the best quality. The audio level was lower than the other test options that included using the built in microphone. However, that’s a simple fix since I edit all audio anyway.

Connect a professional XLR microphone to the headset jack of the iPhone or smart phone. Provides separate headphone output for monitoring the playback levels of the recording. Use with 1st Video, ShowCase or VC Audio Pro editing software Apps for iPhone.

The XLR Adapter includes a preamplifier circuit with 6.1dB gain that allows a low-impedance dynamic microphone to be used as a high quality audio source for recording on the iPhone. The preamplifier also includes RF noise suppression circuitry to enhance the quality of the recordings. The preamp is also compatible with self-powered condenser and wireless microphones. Note: This is NOT an official “Works With iPhone accessory” (iPhone and microphone not included).

My work flow for this is to record on the iPhone using the Voice Memo app, sync to iTunes and use iTunes to convert to an .MP3, then import to Adobe Soundbooth to edit. So here are a couple of test examples. See what you think.