Using an External Microphone with Your iPod Touch

With the 3.0 software update, the iPod Touch got the voice memos program. That's all well and good, but the iPod Touch still doesn't have a microphone built in, which means that you've got to use an external mic to use the voice memos application or any of the third party apps that support mic use. Here's a look at how to choose and use an external microphone with your iPod Touch or an iPhone. Remember, the recording functionality will only work with the second generation iPod Touch, so check which model you have before trying to buy a microphone for it.

1. Finding an Apple Mic - Apple released two sets of earphones with recording functionality when they announced that the feature was being added to the current iPod Touch. The In-Ear headphones will serve you better as headphones, as they're kind of the premium product in this case. The Apple Earphones will also provide the ability to record onto an iPod Touch, or for that matter a few other iPod models including the iPhone. The mic is located on a control on the right earphone cord.

2. Third Party Microphones - If you were hoping to find a third party microphone that works to record on the iPod Touch, I've got good news and bad news for you. The good news is that many headphones with a third ring (look at where it plugs into the iPod) are capable of recording audio. The bad news is that they may not be designed for it, and they may not sound too great.

But relax! Companies like Brando offer low-cost microphones for the iPod Touch and iPhone, so do a little research to find a mic that suits your needs. Don't pay much if you're just looking to make voice memos, but some of the higher-cost mics can pick up sound from across the room, if that's what you want to do.

3. Using The Microphone - Once you've bought the microphone, you simply need to plug it into the iPod Touch's headphone jack to get it to function as a microphone. Seriously, that's it. Now open up Voice Memos or one of the iPod Touch's other apps, such as iTalk, and you'll be recording audio in no time. Obviously, you'll have to re-connect your headphones to listen to music or to listen back to the recorded sound.