Has anybody tried this app Fire Field Recorder?

with pictures like this on that webpage I'm really starting to think a nice deskjob is in my future. *groan*
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HDSLR24FPS said:
Wow that's not what i had in mind. That is a stretch.... I was just thinking the iphone and app could MAYBE record descent sound with a good mic.....
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that wasn't directed at you..
just directed at the sad current/future state of our industry.
 
All I can say is that I come from the world of pro photography and the same mental blockade happens there, that if something isn't XYZ pro or how it's been done for ages then it's crap. Well that mentality is crap.

I have the app for my iphone 4 and will try it out soon. Just imagine the possibilities nowadays having uber small and near equally usable audio in the oddest or remote areas. There's more than one way to skin a ... well you know the saying. If people are going to be close minded with new ideas and effective tech that can do the job just fine, then a desk job may be the best thing.

Here's a basic rundown I saw on the app: http://photocinenews.com/2010/12/02/iphone-audio-recorder-as-zoom-alternative/

Sorry but 99% of the world can't tell a difference between 44.1 or 48 khz. No one plans to use it for a $200M movie. But there are some impressive tools available at our disposal, try 'em. Dinosaurs died off for a reason, lack of adaptability to environmental changes. The photo/video/film world is changing. Lots of industries are finding they can accomplish very good quality 'fill in the blank widgets or commercial work' with new ideas and new tools. The app just may be useful in some unique ways.
 
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Yea I guess I'm the dinosaur you speak of because if you're saying I'm closed minded to idiotic rigs like I pictured? Yea I'm fine with that label.
The funny part is I'm a guy that's been known to use his iPhone for playback on occasion. (not without a laptop ready to go right next to it in case of failure)

The sad part is you don't even realize the down side these types of cheap gear brings to the table.
I could write a laundry list of the negatives from quality issues to reliability issues to economical issues. No, not the purchase price but
what it's going to do to your living when a producer thinks he should be paying you peanuts because "everyone has the new iPhone recorder! and its awesome!
I heard it on youtube and it was uber small and near equal quality!"

There is a time and limit when you have to sit back and say this is ridiculous. Shooting a movie on an iPhone? come on. Are you really going to waste everyone's time and effort
and shoot on something like that, or would the intelligent thing be figure out a way to get a better piece of equipment? Just because you CAN do it, doesn't mean you should.
Just because you CAN record audio to an iPhone doesn't mean you should either. You're going to put your neck out on the line and possibly bone your sound/production for a $10 app?

Even IF (and that's a big if) the sound was "good enough" for your "unique" situations,
the mentality of "good enough" is whats making this industry go down hill in my opinion.

Sorry this might be the "you tube" era of expectations but I personally strive for a wee bit more.
 
photonashville said:
All I can say is that I come from the world of pro photography and the same mental blockade happens there, that if something isn't XYZ pro or how it's been done for ages then it's crap. Well that mentality is crap.
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If that's what was happening here, you'd see us all decrying it because it wasn't a DAT or even a Nagra. Look how much bandwidth is used here discussing recorders like the Dr-100 and the H4n (both introduced in 2009).

photonashville said:
I have the app for my iphone 4 and will try it out soon. Just imagine the possibilities nowadays having uber small and near equally usable audio in the oddest or remote areas.
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I'd be interested to hear actual samples from the app, please post them when you try it out. Trusting an iphone to function / hold up at all in any sort of extreme / remote circumstances strikes me as extremely optimistic.

photonashville said:
Here's a basic rundown I saw on the app: http://photocinenews.com/2010/12/02/iphone-audio-recorder-as-zoom-alternative/
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That's the exact same story linked above, but on a different website.

As for the sample rate, the video world uses 48kHz. It's not about hearing a difference, it's about what your delivery format is going to require.
 
Come on guys - good luck to everyone right? If someone manages to do a good job with an iPhone (which I doubt) then why shouldn't they go for that route? I believe in the quality of my work and equipment and if a producer thinks that it can be done with an iPhone then they should try that iPhone rig (and then ADR everything on another iPhone later...)
 
HDSLR24FPS said:
Wondering if anyone has tried this app. Is it any good? How is the sound quality.
http://www.digi1080p.com/hdslr-gear/audio/387-iphone-audio-recorder-as-zoom-backup.html
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You gotta be kidding. Although at least this is one of the few (maybe only) iPhone recording app that even allows record level control. As well as perhaps the only one that attempts any sort of conventional/usable record level indicator.

HOWEVER: note that the recording level control is cleverly placed on some distant secondary control screen so you cannot possibly actually SEE the record level indicator and operate the record level control at the tame time (or even within several seconds of each other). Nobody except the sellers could possibly consider this "professional". Yet another example of an iPhone app where flash trumps substance and usability. Alas, a chronic malady of most iPhone "apps".

As for sound quality. Does anybody believe that the recording path in an iPhone is any better than your average DSLR? the recording functionality in iPhone/IpodTouch was made for voice memos, etc. It was never designed for decent quality music/production dialog, etc. recording.

While it might be possible for a sober and sensible adult to design a usable professional-like recording application for iPhone/iTouch, no amount of software can improve the telephone-grade record circuit path you are stuck with. Sorry. No amount of whining and railing against the old farts will change the facts.
 
I've tried this app, just for fun. I bought it when I first got my iPhone a while back.

As an application it's just fine. It records the digital bits that the phone gives it. It's got a built in web server to easily transfer the BWAV files to a real computer.

If this application was running on a laptop connected to a real sound interface, it would be just fine.

The problem is that it runs on an iPhone. Consider for a minute that an entry level Sound Devices preamp, even without any digital technology whatsoever, has a costs that is approaching the entire phone. The weak spot in budget digital field recording is always the analog components, especially the preamps.

Everyone has different needs, but I would agree that the iPhone probably has sound quality roughly equivalent to a DSLR camera.

Personally I'm not planning on using my phone for anything on any productions, other than to call people.
 
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