Boom Mic
Turn your iPhone and a Bluetooth speaker into a live announcement system — amplify your voice in near-real time for small rooms, classrooms, and rehearsals, with an optional recording of the session.
Boom Mic
Boom Mic is RecordLog's live-announcement mode. Connect a Bluetooth speaker, open Boom Mic, and your voice comes out of the speaker almost immediately — a quick PA system for a classroom, a small meeting room, a rehearsal, or an announcement. The mic stays near you; the room hears you louder.
It's a full feature with its own screen (Recorder tab → Boom Mic) and exactly one way in. It can never run at the same time as a normal recording: you're either in a normal recording or a Boom Mic session.
What it is — and isn't
- It IS a live pass-through: mic → (no effects) → Bluetooth speaker, in near-real time.
- It IS NOT a professional concert PA, a zero-delay stage system, or a replacement for wired mic systems. The app says so itself — small rooms, classrooms, and rehearsals are its honest range.
- It IS NOT a music speaker. It amplifies the live microphone, not your music library.
How to use it — step by step
- Connect a Bluetooth speaker (the normal music-listening type, called A2DP). This is required — Boom Mic checks the speaker before any sound comes out, and nothing plays until it's confirmed.
- Open Boom Mic from the Recorder tab. The screen shows honest, current readouts of which mic and which speaker are in use.
- Set the Speaker Volume (starts at 50%). Every change is remembered.
- (Optional) Turn on Also Record — a per-session switch that is never saved. When on, the session records everything the mic delivers (a two-channel mic records two channels) while the live speaker keeps playing. Stopping — or the speaker disconnecting — finishes a normal Library entry, just like stopping a regular recording.
- Tap Start. Speak into the mic; the room hears you amplified.
- Tap Stop when done — or stop from the Lock Screen, Control Center, or the speaker itself (Stop or Pause on the speaker both end the session; Boom Mic has no pause).
Also Record needs the same responsibility confirmation as a normal recording (because it's making a recording). Live-only Boom Mic — no recording — needs no confirmation. Microphone permission is needed either way (the same permission normal recording uses, with the same path to Settings if denied).
When Boom Mic says no — and why
Boom Mic is strict about which mic and speaker it uses, because the wrong combination would embarrass you in front of a room. Every refusal explains itself:
| Situation | What you see | Why in plain English |
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth headset mic as the mic | "A Bluetooth headset microphone can't be used with Boom Mic — it lowers audio quality too much. Use the built-in mic or an external mic instead." | Phone-call mic quality would sound bad over the room speaker |
| AirPlay / HomePod as the speaker | "AirPlay and HomePod add too much delay for Boom Mic. Connect a Bluetooth speaker instead." | Too much delay |
| Phone's own speaker as the speaker | "Boom Mic needs a separate Bluetooth speaker — using the phone's own speaker would cause feedback." | Instant screech (the mic hears the speaker hearing the mic…) |
| Wired or USB speaker | "Boom Mic works with a Bluetooth speaker only in this version." | Version 1 scope |
| No Bluetooth speaker connected | "Connect a Bluetooth speaker to start Boom Mic." | A confirmed speaker is required |
| Speaker disconnects mid-session | "Boom Mic stopped because the Bluetooth speaker disconnected." — the sound fades out gently (never a hard cut). With Also Record on, the recording is saved safely | An honest ending, not a silent failure |
Brief hiccups on the same confirmed speaker (a short call, a re-connection) never end the session — it resumes when the interruption clears.
Honest limits — printed on every session
- Bluetooth delay is real. "Bluetooth adds a short delay — about a tenth to a third of a second. Your audience won't notice it, but you'll hear your own voice slightly late." Fine for speaking; distracting if you're trying to sing or monitor yourself closely.
- Feedback is physics. "Keep the speaker away from and facing away from the phone. Start at a low volume and raise it slowly." The app guides placement and volume, but no app can repeal the screech when a mic hears its own speaker — that's physics.
- Small rooms only. "Boom Mic isn't a professional sound system or a replacement for a wired microphone. It's built for small rooms, classrooms, and rehearsals."
Noise Reduction is always off during Boom Mic
Boom Mic never applies Noise Reduction — not to the live speaker sound, and not to anything recorded with Also Record, no matter what your saved Noise Reduction setting is. If your setting is on, the screen says plainly: "Noise Reduction is off for this Boom Mic session, including anything you record. Your Noise Reduction setting elsewhere is unchanged." Your saved setting is never read or changed by the session, and recordings made this way are marked as Noise-Reduction-off. (The low-delay Bluetooth path has no room for the cleanup step — that's the design, not a bug.)
Payment and privacy
- Starting Boom Mic is a new-content action, just like starting a recording: it works in the trial, and after the trial it needs the one-time unlock.
- Everything here stays on your phone. Boom Mic sends audio nowhere; the only "output" is the Bluetooth speaker in the room.
- The real-speaker hardware check (measured delay and quality on physical speakers) is still being finished before release. The app shows the honest-limits text now and won't claim real-world validation it doesn't have yet.
Questions
Can I record while doing Boom Mic? Yes — turn on Also Record for that session (it resets every time). The recording captures every live mic channel, and the room hears an equal mix of all channels. Stopping or a disconnect saves a normal Library entry.
Why does my voice sound late to me? Bluetooth delay — about 0.1 to 0.3 seconds. Your audience hears it on time; you hear yourself slightly delayed. Singing and tight self-monitoring are outside what Boom Mic is for.
The speaker is screeching. What do I do? Move the speaker farther from the phone and point it away from the phone, then lower the volume. The app gives placement guidance but can't defeat physics.
Can I use wired earbuds as the speaker? No — version 1 is Bluetooth-speaker only. Any other speaker is refused with an explanation rather than quietly used.
Can I use Boom Mic with a Bluetooth headset mic? No — refused at the door. Use the built-in mic or a wired/outside mic.
What happens if I lock the phone? The session keeps running. The Lock Screen shows Boom Mic with Stop and Pause buttons; pressing either ends the session (there is no pause), and the Lock Screen card disappears.
Does Noise Reduction really not apply? Correct — it's off for Boom Mic, including anything recorded. The screen tells you when your saved setting is on, and your setting itself is never changed.