Many parabola mics use lavs or other small omnis in them. They can distort sound a fair bit, and change the frequencies, depending on the geometry and size. But they can have pretty high gain too. Connecting the audio cable allows the audio to be recorded via the camera, and monitored accordingly. Another feature we love is the line of bright input LEDs along the bottom of the unit. This may sound like a minor thing, but it's so much easier to monitor levels with this eye-catching array of colourful lights than it is trying to make out what's going on in a typically cramped screen, especially from a distance.

Olympus LS-P4 - Sound On Sound

Moreover, the LS-P4 includes a built-in speaker, allowing users to listen to their recordings without the need for external devices. The device is compact and portable, making it convenient to carry and use on the go.I switched in the low pass filter on the LS-P4, turned the recording mode to manual, turned recording sensitivity up to maximum, level 30, and did my walk at dawn. Some remote control features are included courtesy of Bluetooth connectivity, with users able to remotely start and stop recording, as well as adjust levels, change filter settings or microphone directionality via a free iOS and Android-compatible smartphone app. When using 16-bit recording modes, it is also possible to use the Bluetooth connection to wirelessly monitor the audio signal at distances of up to 10m. Built-in memory for recording is doubled from 8 GB to 16 GB, and the microSD-based external memory capacity explodes from 32 GB to 2 TB (!). Allowing for a frequency spectrum of a full 20Hz-20kHz, the built-in TRESMIC 3 microphone system ensures a rich stereophonic sound capture – irrespective of the environment the LS-P4 is used in.

Olympus LS-P4 user manual (English - 136 pages) Olympus LS-P4 user manual (English - 136 pages)

Voice balancer (makes smaller voices louder and ensures that louder voices stay below a given level) Vloggers or videographers can attach the LS-P1 to their camera hot shoes via the included adapter. A screw thread adapter facilitates connection to the rear of the unit; the other end slides into the hot shoe and is tightened via a screw clamp. The LS-P1 has 90º directional microphones and a Zoom mode offers targeted focus on the desired sound being recorded. (The feature is enabled via the menu system using a graphic not unlike the angle of view diagram familiar to photographers. If recording a static subject speaking, you’d favour a setting of +6; to capture as much ambient noise as possible, you’d go for -3.) The 3-microphone configuration on the nose of the device has been improved, upgrading its built-in recording quality. You can find lots of videos on youtube about people reviewing mics. Look for things like "on-location mic" or "boom mic" or similar to find mics meant to record at a distance.

Key features

Very few mics are good for long-distance recording. The ME66/67 does pretty well because of the high sensitivity and good off-axis rejection. They do not amplify the sound, but they are very sensitive to it. Parabolic are the true long-range mics. In any case, I think both those choices are off the table for Phil given budget and ergonomics. So based on available information, I pulled together my own high-level comparison — I’ve got an LS-P4, and wanted to know if the new gadget would be worth the upgrade for me. The elephant in the room is Apple's lightning connector. European regulators are putting pressure on Apple to ditch its Lightning connector in favour of a universal standard such as USB-C. If they are successful, then the MV88 may be forced into early obsolescence. You must have read my mind, because immediately after seeing the recommendation from marcsantacurz about the H4n and H5, I went online and looked at their features and prices. I was immediately wondering about what the H4n Pro had that the previous version did not, and the web descriptions I found were not terribly helpful in answering that question. The information you provided about the pre-amp differences is very important for me to know. I can report that the Rode mic (mono) actually provides a signal to both channels on the Olympus LS-P4. There is no need for an adapter, nor to duplicate channels in Audacity.