Gear Review of the RODE Me-L Mic For Smartphones ... Is it Worth It...

Hi Friends!

For those who missed my Tech Haul video last week, I promised that I'd be doing some gear review videos with some of the new pieces I got!

A lot of video creators use their smart phones to create some or all of their content. Getting clear and crisp audio is one of the best ways to make your videos really stand out and keep the viewer engaged. Even though I recently upgraded my camera to the Canon EOS M50, I anticipate I will still want to use my iPhone in various circumstances - especially when traveling.

I currently have a mic that I love that plugs into my smartphone, but it's kind of bulky and has a cord - so you need two hands or two tripods to use it when traveling. That's why I was so drawn to this Rode ME-L Mic becuase it plugs right into your phone and so you can just plug and play right away.

The "L" stands for lightening, and so if you are not using an iPhone, then just get the regular Rode ME mic with a headphone jack.

Audio Tests

In this video I do a series of different audio tests so you can see the different and decide for yourself if you think the mic would be a good fit for your needs. I do the following audio tests in this video:

With and without the mic in a small room that has good acoustics already.
With and without the mic in a larger, more echo-ey room.
With and without the wind cover in that larger room.
With and without the wind cover outdoors during a massive windstorm!

Pros and Cons of the Mic

After testing out this mic in a variety of different settings - here's what I see as the pros and cons.

Pros:

Super lightweight and easy for travel.
Plugs right into your phone and works right away so you don't have to fiddle with settings.
Completely handheld and so you don't need to hold your mic with your other hand or get a second tripod/mic stand for it.
Does a good job of picking up your voice and eliminating background noise.
The wind cover does an insanely good job of blocking noise and wind when filming outdoors.

Cons:

Pretty basic and primitive mic. There are no settings for adjusting the gain or volume - and so you don't have a lot of options to control the audio based on the setting you are in.
Makes a big difference in louder, outdoor settings - but makes a less noticeable difference indoors.

My Conclusions

So after all this testing and listing out the pros and cons... the real question is whether or not this mic is worth the $80. To that, I would say it really depends on how you plan to use it.

In the smaller room with good acoustics, I could hardly hear a difference. In the larger room, we start to have a clearer, crisper sound - but it still isn't going to blow your socks off. The real game changer was when we headed outdoors in a loud/windy environment. Holy Guacamole, what a difference! 🥑

If you are planning to mainly film indoors in a setting that doesn't have much background noise, it may not be the best mic for you. If however you are planning to film outdoors, or in a louder setting like a restaurant or conference - then this could be a great addition to your content making tool kit. I would just highly recommend you also get the wind cover if you purchase the mic because it made such a massive difference in the audio tests!

If you guys have any questions on the mic, or my experience with it - then shoot them below and I'd be happy to help!

XO, Lea