1. How does Instamic work?
You can see Instamic as three products in one
a) Ultra-Portable Field Recorder
• 48kHz 32-bit Float (Pro Plus) and 48/96 kH24-bit uncompressed PCM recording (Pro and Pro Plus)
• Mono, Dual-Mono, Stereo*, M/S* ( *Instamic Pro Stereo and Pro Plus Stereo)
• Remote control 10 units with 1 mobile device
• Monitor and save the audio take directly to your phone
• 16Gb (Pro Plus), 8Gb (Pro) internal storage
• External Timecode Support (Tentacle Sync E), Internal Time Reference from the mobile device
b) Wireless Microphone for your Mobile Device (Custom streaming protocol - 48kHz)
• In-app video and audio recording with your mobile device
c) Highly Compatible Bluetooth Microphone (Hands-Free Profile - 16kHz)
• Live stream to your phone (Facebook Live, Instagram Live, Zoom, etc.)
• Compatible with 3rd party apps (ProCamera, Filmic Pro, MoviePro)
• Compatible with Text-to-Speech Apps
More features
• Multiple mounts (velcro, suction tape, magnetic - included)
• Waterproof
• Windshield (optional)
• Covers in 10 different colors (optional)
• Action Camera Mount (optional)
• Handheld Adapter (optional)
2. How do I record with Instamic?
There are two ways.
STANDALONE MODE
Start recording using the button on the device (the Instamic logo) when Instamic is on.
MOBILE APP
Remote control Instamic through your Android or iOS mobile phone.
Each take will be saved to the Instamic's internal memory.
In Wireless Microphone mode (b mode), the audio or video takes will be saved directly to your mobile device.
3. How can I monitor the input signal?
Instamic has 3 LEDs onboard that work as a VU Meter.
When you are controlling Instamic using your mobile device, you can monitor the sound level through a digital VU meter (while recording) and listen to the audio in real-time with your headphones (pre-recording).
When Instamic is in Wireless Mode, you can monitor the audio in real-time while recording on your mobile device.
4. What is the maximum recording time?
The maximum recording time depends on the recording format you choose:
Instamic Pro Plus (16 Gb)
32-bit Float Mono 48 kHz - 22 hrs
24-bit Mono - 29 hrs
24-bit Dual-Mono, Stereo, M/S - 14 hrs
Instamic Pro (8 Gb)
24-bit Mono - 14 hrs
24-bit Dual-Mono, Stereo, M/S - 7 hrs
5. How long does the battery last?
Duration can vary depending on charging time, temperature, and storage conditions.
Instamic Pro Plus - 3.5 hours continuous recording
Instamic Pro - 3 hours continuous recording
6. How do I charge my Instamic?
Plug your Instamic into any USB port on your computer or USB Charger. A full charge takes 1.15 hr.
7. Does Instamic have built-in memory?
Instamic Pro Plus - 16 Gb
Instamic Pro - 8 Gb
8. How do I use the quick release clip?
Instamic comes with 3 quick-release clips that give you the versatility to bring it almost anywhere you want.
With each Instamic Pro you will get 3 different mounting options: Magnet, Velcro and Tape.
The Pro Plus version comes with a Magnet, Velcro and Suction Tape.
9. What are the main functions of the mobile app?
Once you pair Instamic with your mobile device, you can Remote Control up to 10 Instamic together, monitor the audio in real-time (one-to-one connection pre-recording), set up Instamic as needed (Rec Mode, Sampling Rate, Auto-gain, Rename Instamic, Turn it off) and audio-video recording on the mobile device.
10. How do I transfer the audio files to my computer
Connect it to your computer using the USB cable provided. A USB OTG cable will be needed to connect it to your Android device and an original Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter to connect it to your iOS device. Instamic will mount as an external drive on your computer or mobile device. You can now easily transfer your recordings.
11. Can Instamic save the audio take directly to the phone?
Yes. When Instamic is configured in Audio Recorder mode, enable the "Save Monitoring Session" on Settings, and you can monitor in real-time the audio from Instamic and have the Monitoring session saved to your mobile device's memory as shown here.
When Instamic is in Wireless Microphone mode, you can choose the audio-only recording or video recording to save the audio or video file directly to your mobile device (48kHz) while monitoring in real-time.
12. Does Instamic work with the native camera application on iOS and Android?
The native iOS and Android Camera app don't support any Bluetooth Profile / Microphone.
Luckily there are more advanced applications like FilmicPro (iOS Android) or MoviePro (iOS) that do support the Bluetooth Profile (HFP) and consequently Instamic :-). Using these apps, the Instamic's audio is automatically embedded in the video.
To record video with the best quality out of Instamic we highly recommend using our in-app video and audio feature that delivers audio at 48kHz while monitoring too.
13. Can I live stream on Facebook or Instagram?
Instamic works natively with Facebook Live and Instagram Live for iOS and Android. Procedures here.
14. Can I connect Instamic to my Insta360 camera?
Yes you can. Many Insta360 cameras officially support the Apple Airpods that use the Hands-Free Bluetooth Profile.
Instamic implements the Hands-Free Profile too and that makes the connection with the Insta360 cameras possible.
We still recommend asking Insta360 Customer Support which of their cameras supports the HFP.
Here is how it works.
- Configure your Instamic as a Bluetooth Microphone on the Instamic Remote Home Page
- Connect Instamic to the Insta360 directly from the camera menu
- Enable Streaming from our app or press the Instamic button on the unit to start streaming to the Insta360 camera
- You can now start recording on the Insta360 camera
15. It is possible to connect Instamic to a GoPro?
Unfortunately, GoPro closed the Developer Program we were part of and we are not able to connect to any GoPro. There is an interesting application called Myk for GoPro (Myk for GoPro) that syncs GoPro footage with external microphones.
The other option is to use an Insta360 Camera or Garmin Virb+ 30 that receives Instamic's audio stream wirelessly via the Hands-Free Profile.
16. It is possible to use Instamic as a radio microphone connected to a mixing console or Bluetooth speaker?
Instamic has been designed as a self-contained audio recorder that works also as an external Bluetooth microphone for mobile phones (Facebook Live Streaming, Filmic Pro external microphone, etc.). There is no Bluetooth receiver or Bluetooth Speaker in the market that supports Instamic's Bluetooth Streaming Protocol, yet. You can use Instamic Remote on your iOS or Android mobile device as a receiver and analog output :)
17. Instamic Pro is waterproof. What is the maximum depth?
You can take Instamic up to 3.2 ft (1m) for 30 minutes max, according to IP67.
Instamic has been designed as a self-contained audio recorder that works also as an external Bluetooth microphone for mobile phones (Facebook Live Streaming, Filmic Pro external microphone, etc.). There is no Bluetooth receiver or Bluetooth Speaker in the market that supports Instamic's Bluetooth Streaming Protocol, yet. You can use Instamic Remote on your iOS or Android mobile device as a receiver and analog output :)
18. How do I update my Instamic's firmware?
You will find the procedure and other important resources here. The Firmware Upgrade application is available on Windows and macOS.
19 What's the difference between Instamic and the Rode Wireless Go?
I would consider them two different products.
The Rode is a transmitter-receiver system, Instamic is a self-contained waterproof audio recorder that can also be used as a Bluetooth microphone with your mobile device on Filmic Pro for example.
I have seen customers using Instamic in parallel with the Rode and I can understand the reason why. Here are some that come out of my mind:
- Instamic is interference-free because it is fully digital. It seems from our users that the Rode can be affected by that.
- Instamic records to its internal memory and it is device-independent. If the subject moves too far, a transmitter-receiver system can suffer from drop-outs.
- Instamic is self-contained (no cables), and it allows you to mic your subject in seconds.
- You can control up to 10 units with one phone. Rode is a one-to-one connection.
- Instamic can stream audio directly to your phone or video app on iOS/Android without receivers/cables.
- Instamic supports the Timecode.
I have designed Instamic to get where other devices cannot get and I see it as the secret weapon that you have in your bag. It doesn't want to substitute traditional setups, even if it can most of the time.
I hope it helps.
Regards,
Michele - Instamic CEO and videographer.