Shure MoveMic 88+ Review

Introduction

The Shure MoveMic 88+ is a completely different take on the world of a field mic – that is, one that can be used out in the field by content creators and video professionals for a range of tasks.

Usually, these take the form of lavalier microphones, attaching to the wearer’s chest, such as the DJI Mic 2, the Hollyland Lark M2, and even Shure’s own MoveMic Two, and connecting to a receiver.

The MoveMic 88+ instead works a little differently, coming as its own dinky standalone choice that you can shout into, connecting wirelessly Bluetooth directly to your phone, or to a receiver that’s sold separately, with the option of four different polar patterns that make it a seriously versatile choice for content creators, filmmakers and more besides.

Against those key rivals though, this option from Shure can be quite costly, sitting at £289 / $299 for the mic on its own, while adding the receiver in for an entire kit bumps the price up to £439 / $449.

Given the reputation that precedes Shure with desktop mics such as the MV7i and SM7B, it’s fair to say I had high hopes for the MoveMic 88+.

Design

• Small, but incredibly sturdy
• Solid interface
• Lots of useful accessories

The MoveMic 88+ is one of the smallest microphones I’ve laid my hands and eyes on at just 101.6mm long and only 25.4mm in diameter. If you wanted a device that personifies ‘portable’, then here you are. It’s entirely made of metal, and comes with the high-quality finish I’d expect from Shure.

It takes the form of a small, narrow cylinder with minimal buttons on the side, and a large spherical pop filter on top. The only button on the side is an ambiguous one for power, but it also controls pairing modes and muting or unmuting the microphone. Otherwise, it also has L and R lettering to denote which side of the mic is left and right, for any of the directional-focused polar patterns you’re using.

The bottom of the MoveMic 88+ is a little more feature-rich, with a USB-C port for charging and connectivity to phones and other devices, a 3.5mm audio jack for further options, and two status LEDs that, depending on colour, give information on pairing mode, power, and status of connection.

It can be a little difficult to decipher the meaning of these lights at first, but the long and short of it is that when they flash blue and red, the mic is in its pairing state, and if it’s solidly blue, then you’ve established a connection with a host device, such as a phone or the separate receiver.

The mic comes packed with a couple of accessories, such as USB-C and coiled 3.5mm cables for connectivity and charging, as well as clips for attaching to a tripod or cold-shoe mount on a camera or rig for hands-free use as it were. This also comes neatly packed in a neoprene pouch that bundles up to nothing, and is easily stowable in a bag of kit.

The receiver, while a separate product, is still worth a mention. This is arguably similar in size to other receivers that ship with mics from DJI and Rode, and takes the form of a small cubioid shape, complete with tiny screen for displaying levels, pairing options and more.

It also has two small buttons for navigation, and a USB-C and two 3.5mm jacks for connectivity on the side. The receiver can attach via a cold-shoe mount on the bottom to a camera, for instance.

Features

• Clever polar pattern options
• Simple app control
• Receiver offers lots more control

The MoveMic 88+ itself can connect in a number of ways, which contributes to its fantastic versatility.

The easiest of these is with Bluetooth, where it can be paired directly to your phone and work with either the Motiv Mix or Motiv Video apps for Android and iOS, depending on your application. Pairing is easy, and it means you can be up and running without any need for a receiver if you want pro-grade audio in a matter of minutes.

You can also connect the mic directly to the device you wish to use it with over USB-C if you prefer a more standard connection. Wireless range is up to 100 feet which, while good, isn’t as strong as other mics in its class – the likes of the DJI Mic 2 offer over 800ft of range.

App control is easy enough, and with the mic paired to a phone, you can change everything from polar pattern to noise reduction settings, which are specific to this edition of the MoveMic. In addition, you can also fiddle with EQ settings to get your voice as you wish, and enable things such as a high-pass filter. With the Video app, you can also live stream direct to the likes of YouTube and Facebook.

The MoveMic 88+ features four polar patterns, depending on what type of content you’re using it for. The default cardioid mode picks up voice from the front, making it suitable for voiceover work or instrumental needs. You also get a bi-directional polar pattern that’s ideal for interview work, as well as a raw mid-side pattern that picks up audio in virtually all directions for field recordists and stereo for capturing even more ambient noise.

The true versatility of this Shure mic becomes apparent when paired with a receiver, opening it up to be used with everything from cameras to laptops. With the receiver, you can control everything from the way the audio is mixed to monitoring levels, as well as choose polar patterns and such. Pairing the mic to the receiver is easy, too.

As for endurance, Shure rates the MoveMic 88+ to last for up to eight hours on a charge, giving you decent runtime before you’ll need it charge it again.

Audio Quality

• Rich, full-bodied audio
• Excellent pickup with four polar patterns
• Plosive handling could be a little better

As a Shure product, it’s fair to say that the MoveMic 88+ has a quite high bar to clear with regards to its audio quality. We’ve also seen some fantastic performances in the past from the likes of DJI and Rode, so with that price tag in mind, this Shure choice must be top-drawer.

And top-drawer it is. Whether I had it connected to my Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra with the Motiv Mix app, or to my Canon M50 with the receiver mounted on the camera’s cold shoe mount; the MoveMic 88+ provided some sublime, rich audio that’s ideal for voiceover work in its cardioid pattern whether I was indoors, or outdoors dealing with the elements.

In its cardioid pattern, the noise rejection is fantastic, and did a good job of dealing with any inadvertent wind noise.

Testing it with two people across from each other worked pretty well too, with solid pickup of both voices, making this a handy mic to use in an interview scenario. Field recordists should also be happy with the raw-mid side polar pattern that did a handy job of picking up passing cars and ambient chat from passers-by on a recent walk I took.

The only thing that arguably wasn’t as top-notch as with the desktop-class Shure mics I’ve tested was its handling of plosives. Getting a little too close to the capsule did lead to the typical unwanted ‘thud’ noise with P or B sounds, but you can of course fiddle with this in editing software such as Adobe Audition or Audacity if needed.

Should you buy it?

FAQs