Although Song Sleuth was designed to work well with iOS devices' built-in microphones, some users may want to use an external microphone. Starting in version 1.0.5, Song Sleuth will record audio from iOS compatible microphones connected through the headphone jack or lightning port. Note that if you plug a multi-channel audio device into the lightning port, Song Sleuth will only read audio from the first channel.

To get the most out of using an external microphone, look for mics with highly directional pickup patterns, like parabolic or shotgun microphones.