Overall Verdict
If you’re looking for an external microphone to improve the sound quality of your videos then the Pixel video microphone might just be the one for you! Overall, the Pixel Universal Video Microphone is a great accessory that is well made and performs well especially outdoors. It has plenty of accessories including a nice carry case and it comes with everything you need to get started along with shockproof mounts with shoe clips fitting onto cameras and tripods etc.
Overview
Retailing at £40 the Pixel isn’t going to break the bank but does come with all necessary equipment. The microphone itself is made of metal, feels incredibly well made and remains reasonable small in size. It operates as a super-cardioid unit with a decent range according to specifications shown below however fancy diagrams cannot replace proof found by testing it directly.
Set Up
Using the microphone is simply plugging it into your device correctly once you have everything connected properly (hint: the end featuring 3 black lines goes into your phone). I tested this setup with my iPhone X and worked smoothly regardless of what app was used to record audio or video while doing other reviews. As well as recording a couple of YouTube reviews, specific performance tests were conducted.
Music Test
I decided to play guitar songs and sing live during recordings compared directly against the built-in microphone on my iPhone X using an adapter plugged into it correctly first. Both clips recorded generally ended up being pretty similar in tone except that this clip had less room boom overall plus more low end presence which made the sound better.
Background Noise Test
This time I set my iPad up directly inside the hall behind my main camera setup and played music from it with the door closed shut tightly. Then recording was done on video using just iPhone, the Pixel standalone unit plus both versions of Pixel equipped with windscreens attached to test how well they blocked out specific background noise levels.
Outside Test
Fully outdoors this device showed significant performance changes depending on weather conditions encountered over two separate days. On windier day testing used audio recorded via the microphone with foam windscreen fitted which resulted in clearer sound compared to iPhone mic capture under those windy conditions alone. During subsequent testing done when there was less wind, I found that fluffy windscreens dramatically improved voice quality significantly while even standard foam screens also made a positive difference overall.
