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Rode SmartLav+ Review and Test | Best microphone for iPhone?

Today, I’m going to review and test the RØDE SmartLav+ and see how this lavalier microphone performs, as a microphone for your iPhone. Stay tuned.

Microphone Review: Rode Smart Lav+
http://amzn.to/2n0i0Lu

Grab your FREE Facebook Live Cheat sheets: http://saranguyenonline.com/special/facebook-live-cheat_sheets/

———Equipment Used To Shoot This Video ——-

Joby GorillaPod Mobile Rig
https://amzn.to/2lIZZSy

Camera – Canon 80D
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Lens – Canon 18-55 Lens
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Microphone Rode Smart Lav+
http://amzn.to/2n0i0Lu

Microphone Boya By-M1
http://amzn.to/2nbU6zX

Microphone adaptor – Rode SC3 3.5mm TRRS to TRS Adaptor
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Rode extension cable: http://amzn.to/2lPjStl

Lighting – Halo Prismatic Ring light
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Tripod – Manfrotto Compact Advance
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DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. I only recommend products that I personally use and love. Thank you for the support!

Rode SmartLav+ Review and Test [Video Transcript]

Today, I’m going to review and test the RØDE SmartLav+ and see how this lavalier microphone performs, as a microphone for your iPhone. Stay tuned.

Hi, I’m Sara Nguyen and on this channel, I make tech and social media easier for awesome entrepreneurs like yourself. If you’re new here consider subscribing for all of the latest product reviews, tips, and tutorials.

And at any time during this video check out the description for links to all of the resources mentioned in this video.

The SmartLav+ is a lavalier microphone made by RØDE, an Australian owned and operated company based in my hometown in Sydney, Australia.

Inside the box you get the lavalier microphone, the lav clip to attach the microphone to your top, and a pop filter to minimise wind or harsh sounds. The microphone is about 1.18 metres long, so enough to attach it to your phone and to hold it at an arm’s length distance.

You can also purchase an extension cable for the lavalier microphone, which is what I do to get more distance.

The SmartLav+ plugs straight into the headphone jack of your phone. If you have a phone with a lightning connector, you need to use the dongle attachment. You can record audio using the SmartLav+ using the native audio and video apps on your phone. The SmartLav+ also works with third-party apps such as Filmic Pro or Movie Pro + as well.

I love the RØDE Smartlav+ because it gives me quality audio without having to fuss around with any settings. When you’re recording a video, whether it’s YouTube videos or Facebook live streams or Instagram stories, you want to ensure that you have the best quality audio possible.

There’s a common saying that people can forgive a bad video, but if the audio is bad, they’ll just tune out. And you know what I’m talking about. Those videos where the audio is really hard to hear, it’s just not worth your time. So, let’s have a look at how the RØDE SmartLav+ performs on my iPhone 8 Plus.

So here’s what it sounds like using the inbuilt microphone of my iPhone 8 Plus. I’m about a metre away from the phone.

And here’s what it sounds like using the RØDE SmartLav+ plugged into my iPhone 8 Plus. I’ve got the microphone attached on my top here, and I’m indoors in a relatively quiet room. Now I’m going to be quiet so you can listen to the ambient noise.

So here’s what it sounds like using the inbuilt microphone of my iPhone 8 Plus outdoors with dog’s barking, and some traffic behind us as well.

So here’s what it sounds like using the RØDE SmartLav+ plugged into my iPhone 8 Plus outdoors. I had the microphone clipped on my top here, plugged directly into the phone. How much wood could a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

And now I’m going to be quiet so you can listen to the ambient noise.

So here’s what it sounds like on my Canon 80D DSLR camera using the inbuilt microphone of the camera.

And here’s what it sounds like using the RØDE SmartLav+ plugged into my Canon 80D.

Overall, I found out that the RØDE SmartLav+ delivers on its promise to give you great quality sound and improves on the sound from your phone’s microphone and it also minimises wind and ambient noise as well. It’s extremely easy to use. It really is plug and play so you don’t need to fiddle with any of the settings to make it work and deliver exceptional sound. An extremely versatile microphone that you can use with your phone and with your DSLR camera.

So, there you have it, my test and review of the RØDE SmartLav+, arguably one of the best lavalier microphones that you can use with your smartphone or with your DSLR camera.

If you found this video useful, give me a thumbs up and don’t forget to subscribe to my channel.

And if you’re looking for more ways to grow your business using Facebook Live, having a great microphone like the RODE SmartLav+ is just one part of the equation. You also need to figure out what to say, what other equipment you need, and how to bring it all together.

So, I’ve put together a Facebook Live Cheat Sheet. It’s a super simple guide to get you up and streaming on Facebook Live, even if you’ve never hit record before. To get your hands on it, simply click on the link in the description below and thanks for watching.

Grab your FREE Facebook Live Cheat sheets: http://saranguyenonline.com/special/facebook-live-cheat_sheets/

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Sara Nguyen
Sara Nguyen
AI Educator and Content Creator | Wine Lover | Matcha Addict |:D Helping small businesses grow using AI design and tech with ease
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About Sara
I'm an over caffeinated matcha lover, coffee addict, introvert and bookworm who loves learning technology.

If you’re a thoughtful creator or small business owner who wants to use AI to share your message, build trust, and invite the right clients in, I’m here to help you do it with ease, honesty and heart.

Learn more about me

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Professional on the outside (mostly)….Dance party Professional on the outside (mostly)….Dance party on the inside 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻
😂
All the things that happen off camera 🤣.
She's faster than she looks. 🐉 Sound on. Take it She's faster than she looks. 🐉
Sound on. Take it all in.
Comment DRAGON RIDER if you want the prompts I used to make this.
#dragonpovs 
Made in Adobe Firefly
#adobefireflyambassadors
How to make a YouTube thumbnail using the AI assis How to make a YouTube thumbnail using the AI assistant in Adobe Express: 
🖼️ Open the AI Assistant from the Adobe Express homepage and ask for a YouTube thumbnail
📸 Give it three things: a photo of you, a few words for the text, and what the video is actually about 
💬 The context is what stops you getting a generic design 
✨ Pick one of the starting options, or keep prompting until one is close 
✏️ Tweak the text right there, remove anything you don't want, and download it 
🎨 Or open it in the editor and describe the change: a different outfit colour, an extra element, and it styles them to match the design 
🧩 Everything is on layers, so it stays easy to edit 
🔍 If you'd rather search for elements yourself, turn the AI Assistant off and use the regular Adobe Express tools
Thanks to Adobe Express for sponsoring this video. 
#ad #adobeexpressambassadors #HowToAdobeExpress
🔗 Try Adobe Express AI Assistant: adobe.ly/ExpressSeptember26
Want better audio on your phone videos without buy Want better audio on your phone videos without buying a fancy microphone? 
I show you how to get crispy audio in Adobe Premiere Mobile, on iPhone and now on Android, with one switch called Enhance Audio.
This video is sponsored by Adobe. @adobelive
#Ad 
#AdobePremiereAmbassadors 
#MadeWithPremiereMobile
Here's what happens: I upload my video into the Adobe Premiere Mobile app, tap the clip, open Audio, select Enhance Audio and turn on Enhance. Then you hear the before and after, so you can decide for yourself.
📱 Download Adobe Premiere mobile: adobe.ly/PrM
✅ How to open the audio tools in Adobe Premiere mobile 
✅ Where to find Enhance Audio and turn it on 
✅ What your audio sounds like before and after
This is for anyone filming on their phone who wants to sound clear without extra gear: coaches, small business owners and creators who would rather talk to camera than learn audio software.
Comment. "Download" and I'll send you the links to download
How to make a dragon POV video with AI in Adobe Fi How to make a dragon POV video with AI in Adobe Firefly: one dragon image, Generate video with Kling 3.0 Omni, multi-shot on. 
Comment "dragon rider" for the full prompts
Thanks to @AdobeFirefly for sponsoring this video. 
#AdobeFireflyAmbassadors #Ad #HowToAdobeFirefly
Here's how I do it: 
🐉 I uploaded a dragon I liked and asked Firefly for an image seen through the rider's eyes 
🎬 In Generate video, that picture became the first frame 
⚙️ I chose Kling 3.0 Omni, turned on multi-shot and set it to 15 seconds 
✍️ I wrote what happens in each shot and hit generate 
🔁 For a longer flight I ran it a second time, starting from the last frame of the first, with new shots (that is why there are six shots below)
▶️ Try Adobe Firefly at https://firefly.adobe.com
Stop searching stock libraries for royalty-free mu Stop searching stock libraries for royalty-free music and sound effects. In Adobe Firefly I drop in my video, and it writes a custom soundtrack that matches the story, plus any sound effect I can describe. Everything it makes is safe for commercial use.
Thanks to Adobe Firefly for sponsoring this video. #AdobeFireflyAmbassadors #Ad #FireflyAIStudio
Finding music for a video is the job most of us leave until last, when we are tired and just want it done. So we scroll a library for twenty minutes, settle for something close enough, and hope the licence covers us. Here the track gets written to fit the video instead, and the licence question is already answered.
What happens in this one: 
🎬 I drop my dragon video straight into Adobe Firefly 
✍️ Adobe Firefly writes the music prompt for me, and I pick the vibe, style and details 
🎵 It watches the video and gives me four tracks matched to the story to choose from
 🐉 Sound effects come from the same place: I typed "gentle dragon huff" and hit generate 
✅ Everything is custom made and safe for commercial use
▶️ Try Adobe Firefly now at firefly.adobe.com
@adobelive
How to add captions to a video in Adobe Express, a How to add captions to a video in Adobe Express, and then actually style them: your font, your size, your colours, so the captions look like your video instead of a default. Auto captions in about a minute, no second app.
Thanks to Adobe Express for sponsoring this video. #ad #adobeexpressambassadors #HowToAdobeExpress
Most caption tools give you one look and that is the end of the conversation. You get whatever the app hands you, and every video you post ends up wearing someone else's font. The generated style is a great starting point, it gets you most of the way in one tap, but it is a starting point and not the finish. Changing the font, the size and the colours takes seconds, and it is the difference between captions that sit on your video and captions that belong to it.
How to add captions to your video:
🎬 Upload your video, then hit the CC icon at the top of the timeline 
🌐 Pick your language and tap Generate, and it transcribes the whole thing 
✨ Grab a caption style, one tap gets you most of the way there 
🎨 Then make it yours: swap the font, size it how you want, colours to match your brand 
✏️ If a word came out wrong, fix the text and it updates on the video straight away
No second app, no extra subscription, and it is free to try.
▶️ Try Adobe Express for your video captions here: 
https://adobe.ly/ExpressAugust26
The Adobe Digital Academy is an online learning pl The Adobe Digital Academy is an online learning platform for AI, design and marketing skills, and you can start with zero experience. Here is what is inside it, where to find the courses, and what you actually walk away with.
Thanks to Adobe for sponsoring this video. #ad #AdobeAmbassadors #AdobeDigitalAcademy
Most people I talk to want to learn this stuff and have no idea where to begin. The courses are hands-on, they are built for people starting from nothing, and they sit on platforms you already have an account on. You pick one, you go at your own pace, and at the end there is something you can show for it.
What is in this one: 
🎓 What the Adobe Digital Academy is, and where the courses live: Coursera, LinkedIn Learning and YouTube 
🧠 The Create and Enhance Visuals With AI series, six courses start to finish 
✏️ It opens with AI foundations, so no experience genuinely is fine 
🔥 Prompting for generative AI, then AI-Powered Exploration With Adobe Firefly Boards 
📄 You finish with a shareable certificate that goes onto your LinkedIn profile
▶️ Start here to learn with the Adobe Digital Academy: https://adobe.ly/DABTS
Every messy idea I have for my business now goes o Every messy idea I have for my business now goes onto one Adobe Firefly board: random notes, dragon images, colour palettes. 
Here is how that pile turns into a logo, a banner, a storyboard and a finished video, without ever leaving the board.
Thanks to Adobe Firefly for sponsoring this video. #AdobeFireflyAmbassadors #Ad #FireflyBoards
Most advice about starting a brand assumes you are staring at a blank page. Running a business is the opposite problem. You have far too many ideas, all of them half formed, scattered across your notes app and your camera roll, and none of them finished. A board is where they all land in one place and start turning into something.
What happens in this one: 
🐉 Everything goes on the board, notes, reference images, colour palettes 
🎨 Presets shape the mess, and the dragon images become logo options
🖼️ The logo becomes a banner, finished off in Adobe Express 
🎬 The shots get generated as images and laid out into a storyboard 
▶️ Those same images become actual video clips, right there on the board
🩷 Try Adobe Firefly Boards now at firefly.adobe.com/boards
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