[Hardware Hacking General] AdamOutler:
So I've been working out how to get studio quality audio on Android with a powered mic for a while now and I finally have it. I'm using XLR to Android with a few adapters, some custom, some purchased. I wanted to share some pictures of how this setup works.

You can check out the previous threadhere, where I showed a resistive method. Today, we're going to use a capacitive method. The hookups are basically the same, however, this method will lead to higher ouptut.

It all starts with a great mic. You will probly already have a mic to use if you're looking at this guide. I can recommend two if you are in the market. The Blue Yeti seems to be the best quality microphone I could find, This microphone can work on USB or XLR, which means, with a proper cable, this single mic will work on the desktop as well as an Android device. The other mic, pictured below is an Audio Technica ATR-6550 http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATR-6550-Condenser-Shotgun-Microphone/dp/B002GYPS3M . While these are both awesome mics, they serve very different purposes. The Blue Yeti is renowned for its high quality audio reproduction and the ATR-6550 is extremely directional which allows for very focused quality in a noisy environment. Both of these mics will see use from me in various conditions.

To build the Samsung mic to 1/4" adapter, you will need:

A sacrificial Samsung/Apple headphone set with built-in mic. As long as mic works on your device, this should work as well.

Ceramic Capcitor 0.10 uF with marking 104 (or similar small capcitor) Mouser.com part number: 81-RDER71E104K0K103B

A Female 1/4" inline audio jack Radio Shack Model Number 274-141

For XLR Mic:

An A3F XLR Jack to 1/4" Plug adapter/Transformer Radio Shack Model Number 274-016

A 1/4" plug-jack extension cable (make it yourself or source it from a local audio shop, Radio Shack has 25-footers, but 6-feet is more than enough for most circumstances)

For Dual XLR Mic like Yeti:

2 - A3F XLR Jack to 1/4" Plug adapter/Transformer Radio Shack Model Number 274-016

A 1/4" 2-female to 1-male Y adapter Radio Shack Model Number 42-2568

A 1/4" plug-jack extension cable (make it yourself or source it from a local audio shop, Radio Shack has 25-footers, but 2-feet is more than enough for me)

For non-XLR mics

you will just locate an appropriate connector to get mono output. For example if your microphone is a stereo mic with a 1/8" plug, you will need to get something like this

For 5V powered mics like Yeti

You can use a USB OTG adapter for many devices. For those devices which do not provide USB power, you can buy a USB OTG with power, or use this cool hack by redoano

Microphone power

Many modern mics accept 5V USB power. To allow flexibility of use between usb wall-power, desktop/laptop use and USB-OTG power from your targeted device, you can use a zip-tie to strap the USB-OTG adapter 6-8 inches from the end of the USB cable. This allows you to use the USB cable in normal mode, or apply the adapter at any time to power the mic from the device being used. This trick ensures that you never forget the stupid adapter, and the 6-8" placement from the end ensures the cable isn't bent too extraneously.

Creating the Samsung/Apple standard 4-pole adapter

This adapter will work on many other devices, however it's only a known standard on Samsung and Apple devices. I've included a pinout below, but you can check out this thread for more information.

microphone in action

Here you can find a video and a few images of the Blue Yeti which Google+ was nice enough to turn into an animated GIF for me.

[youtube]2uGj-xt4nb0[/youtube]

conclusion and results

Due to the range of DACs(Digital to Analog Converters) in various devices, your results will vary. I find that the Galaxy Camera's headphone port provides a bit more on the high-end than the low so post-processing to remove hiss and improve bass is required. The same result has been reproduced on all four of my microphones. The Galaxy S3/4 seems a bit more level but experiences the same high-pass effect which is also correctable in post-processing.

This is a great mod if you're looking to move the microphone closer to the source or you're looking to put some hardware to use. I also hope this encourages more people to make those Android videos I love, using their Android devices. Everyone has one, now get a mic and make some cool videos.