While Shure is still best known for classic microphones like the SM58, they have definitely embraced the contemporary content creation scene with products like their Bluetooth lapel mic and MV7 podcast mic. Take their newest release, the Shure MoveMic 88+, which gives smartphone content creators a convenient way to accompany their smartphone videos with high-quality sound.
A wireless field microphone, the device pairs directly with smartphones (iOS and Android), with no need to use a separate receiver. Whether you make movies on your iPhone, create vlogs for YouTube, or do short form content for TikTok, this thing makes adding high-quality audio to your videos a much easier affair.
The Shure MoveMic 88+ is a compact wireless mic that measures just 3.5 x 1.1 inches (length x diameter), making it small enough to slip in a pocket or pouch, so you can take it everywhere with you. It has a decent-sized grip for handheld use, although it also includes a cold shoe clip and a 5/8-inch mic clip for integrating with other accessories, such as monopods and mic stands. The mic has a frequency response of 40 Hz to 18 kHz, a maximum SPL of 122.4 dB, and a built-in 3.5mm slot for plugging in headphones, so you can monitor the audio it’s picking up.
The mic offers four selectable polar patterns, so you can have it pick up sound in different ways, depending on what you need for each shoot. You can opt for an omnidirectional polar pattern to record sound from every direction, with the option to adjust the pickup angle from 60 to 135 degrees, as well as a cardioid pattern that only picks up sound from one direction. You can also opt for bi-directional, which is a good pattern one-on-one interviews, as well as the less common raw mid-side if you find a specific use for it. Suffice to say, having these options on tap makes this microphone a lot more versatile.
The Shure MoveMic 88+ pairs directly with smartphones, although it does require you to launch either the MOTIV Video or MOTIV Audio app. From either app, you can make on-the-fly adjustments to the microphone’s performance, with options to change polar patterns, gain, compression, EQ, high-pass filter, and L/R channels. It also offers noise reduction settings and intelligent digital signal processing if you want to fiddle with even more settings. For those who prefer messing with as little settings as possible, you can just choose one of the five presets, namely speech, singing, flat, acoustic, and loud.
According to the outfit, the microphone has a 100-foot range, so you can maintain a good distance from the phone without losing connectivity. The onboard battery, by the way, is rated for eight hours of operation, so you can record a whole lot of footage before needing to plug this into a power source. In case you want to use the mic with dedicated cameras and other devices, the outfit also offers a transmitter that can work for non-phone devices.
The Shure MoveMic 88+ is available now, priced at $299.
