External Mic and Hold to Speak - iOS Only

The setup described in this article is for an external mic 1:1 shoot with an iOS subject. For information on using AirPods and Professional Audio click here.

Communicating with the Subject Using Hold to Speak

Hold to Speak is necessary because when an External Mic is plugged in, the iOS device (iPhone/iPad) registers the mic as headphones and loses the ability to output audio through the built-in speaker. 

When you start recording, the External Mic gets engaged, thus muting the iPhone speaker and preventing the Subject from hearing the Director speak to them during recording. The Hold to Speak feature allows the Subject to hear the Director, and for the Director to communicate with the Subject during the recording.

Once you have started a recording with the External Mic,  you will need to utilize the Hold to Speak method. Think of “Hold to Speak” like a walkie talkie; hold down the button while talking and release the button to stop talking.

When you click the Hold to Speak button to activate the iPhone speaker and deactivate the External Mic, it will turn green and show "Speaking" so now you can speak directly to the Subject.

When you release the "Speaking" icon, it will revert back to show Hold to Speak, deactivating the speaker and reactivating the External Mic; you can no longer speak to the Subject. 

To resume capturing the Subject’s audio through the External Microphone, you MUST release the green "Speaking". Once you see the Hold to Speak button again the phone’s speaker is deactivated and recording will resume as intended. 

When to Use Hold to Speak

You will only need to use Hold to Speak if:

• You're using an External Mic with an iOS device
• You need to speak to the Subject during recording to provide feedback or ask a question. 

This feature is often used to facilitate Q&A interviews, question-based testimonials, and to create more of a conversational feel for your shoot. 

You do not need to use Hold to Speak if:

• You're not using an External Mic with an iOS device
• You use the lightning-native Shure MV88* with an iOS device 
• Your Subject wears wired headphones with integrated mic connected to their iOS device
• You're filming on a computer or Android device (with or without external mics)
• You’re filming multiple subjects (regardless of device or mic setup

*The Shure MV88 has been discontinued. You may be able to still find this microphone for sale elsewhere but the manufacturer has stopped producing and selling the microphone. At this time, we are not aware of any other lightning-native microphones that will allow you to bypass the Hold to Speak feature

.