The splash-proof iXM microphone from Yellowtec is a combination of handheld microphone and audio recorder. The device was developed at the suggestion of public broadcasters who wanted a reliable and easy-to-use recording device for interviews.
A standard SD card, as used in DSLR cameras, is inserted at the bottom as a recording medium. It is operated with large buttons, which are also completely silent. Operation is almost self-explanatory. However, the device must first be switched on by pressing the REC and STOP buttons simultaneously. Depending on the size of the memory card, the boot process takes a few seconds – in my case around 24 seconds – but as the internal battery lasts for 18 hours, you can do this in advance. And if the battery is empty, the device automatically switches to the additional battery compartment with three standard AA batteries without interruption or cracking.
Beyerdynamic version.
When the boot process is complete, this is indicated by the flashing red LED. Then press the REC button and the recording starts. This is indicated by the permanently lit red LED. Press the REC button again to set a marker. In addition, a pre-roll time of up to 30 seconds can be set via the software so that the beginning of an interview cannot be missed.
The device has a 3.5 millimetre yellow line-in socket on the underside, which can also be used to record line signals – but only in mono. You should make sure that the level is set correctly via the software. On delivery, it was far too low for me, so that the sound from the headphone output of my ThinkPad was barely audible. But to check this, there is a 3.5 millimetre headphone socket marked in green right next to it, which can be used to listen to the sound during both recording and playback. Playback and volume are controlled using the buttons on the back of the device. A voice announcement tells you which file is being played. This is very practical and replaces the missing display. The markers can also be started using the control buttons.
The solid metal housing has an edge to prevent the microphone from rolling away so easily. The microphone capsule from Beyerdynamic is screwed on and is available in three characteristics – omnidirectional, cardioid and supercardioid, each with premium electret condenser capsules, which we received with our test set
received with our test set. There is also a slightly cheaper dynamic version of the two cardioids from Yellowtec.
And how does the microphone sound?
The integrated LEA levelling technology ensures distortion-free levelling and the suppression of interference signals. Even if you shout into the microphone and it already sounds distorted on the headphones, the recording itself is distortion-free because the LEA technology is bypassed in the monitoring path to avoid latency problems. The level control is rather slow. Technically, this is realised by two differently levelled preamplifiers, between whose signals the best levelled signal is always written to the memory card, depending on the level. This means that there is no pumping as with automatic levelling or compression from other devices and the volume can be subsequently adjusted in audio software. This creates a homogeneous sound image. Adjustments are only made in the event of extreme level fluctuations anyway. Even with the omnidirectional capsule and strong background noise from a trade fair, speech intelligibility is still very good.
Software
To make further settings, you must first install the software. There is user and admin software. After starting the user software, you should first click on the Help button. The help window will then open, in which you can find out what is possible and how you can connect the iXM Micro in the first place. To do this, you first have to find out which com port the microphone is connected to in the Windows Device Manager. Unfortunately, this is not particularly intuitive and should at least be mentioned in the briefing book supplied. After that, you can also fine-tune the LEA Engine via the software and save the settings in the nine different presets, which you can then call up with the user software.
To get a good comparison, my friend Jan Kalt set up two classics next to the iXM in the recording room of his Schraubfabrik recording studio in Musikpark Mannheim and recorded them. A Neumann U87 and a Shure SMB7. I also plugged in a DJI and a Hollyland Lark MAX wireless microphone. While the two wireless microphones are easy to understand but sound quite mid-range, just like the SMB7, which is at least a little more brilliant, the iXM sounds full and transparent. Not quite as brilliant as the U87, of course, but a little fuller in the bass – but that’s my subjective listening impression. If you want to see for yourself, you can watch the video on my postproduction-tutorials.net website.
Conclusion
The iXM from Yellowtec really is a very good microphone, especially for voice recordings, even in difficult environments. It is optimised to work intuitively in every situation, which is invaluable, especially for non-repeatable events and interviews. However, this also comes at a price. It costs 899 euros with a dynamic capsule and 1099 euros with a premium capsule. You should definitely order a microphone holder, as the microphone is really very thick and does not fit into a standard holder. You shouldn’t skimp on pop protection either, as the supercardioid is particularly sensitive to pop sounds. It is a pity that the microphone cannot be used as an audio interface via USB. Perhaps there will be a firmware update in the future. After all, you can already see the level change in the iXM User software. If you want something a little cheaper, the iXM Podcaster with dynamic cardioid capsule is an alternative for 639 euros. However, you will then have to do without the internal battery and the interchangeable microphone capsules. Otherwise, the functions are the same.
