Shure MOTIV MV88 Review
Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
- For Mobile Interviews & More
- 48 kHz/24-Bit for High-Quality Audio
- 90° Hinge for Audio Flexibility
- M/S for Natural Stereo Field
- 5 DSP Settings, Software Selectable
- Cardioid for Focused Pickup
- Shure APPs for Editing & Sharing Content
- Bidirectional for 2-Way Interviews
- Stereo or Mono Selectivity
- Clips onto iOS Devices
Introduction
In this article, we delve into a detailed analysis of 93,628 user reviews from various languages worldwide to examine the Shure MOTIV MV88. This analysis is performed by the RR artificial intelligence and updated daily with newly submitted reviews. The RR AI utilizes a complex algorithm to first scrutinize user reviews for credibility, filtering out unreliable ones. It then proceeds to dissect and evaluate the valuable insights within these reviews, providing users with ratings regarding the features of this product. Based on these assessments, users can make informed decisions about whether this product is suitable for them or not.
Ratings Based on Features
These results are a summary of user reviews of the Shure MOTIV MV88. For example, 74% of 49,546 users who have commented on the Value for money of the Shure MOTIV MV88 have given positive feedback.
Highlighted Customer Reviews
Showing 1 to 20 of 73 Reviews
Perhaps a stand-alone recorder is better...
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed by Dave on B&H Photo Video
I wanted to see if I could improve the audio quality on the videos I do of street musicians, and was trying to avoid carrying a second device for better quality audio than my iphone 6s can provide. If you want to just record audio, and can setup the mic/iphone correctly and leave it in place while recording, this item performs well. The design of the mic however, with a unsecure connection via the lightening plug, can become disconnected easily, which distupts the recording and resets the device. You need to unplug the mic, and reset it to resume recording. I made a workaround to firm the connection, by using rubber bands over the top of the mic to the bottom of my iphone, and this worked fairly well. You had to choose what part of your screen to obscure but they helped with the disconnect problem. The mic is pretty large to rely only on the non-locking lightening connector to secure it. Ideally, this would record directly with any camera app, but all of the camera apps I have either did not recognize the mic as a source, (iphone camera, Camera+, and ProCam), or recognized the mic, but crashed often when in use, (FILMiC Pro). The lightening connection comes into play when recording video, and rubber bands across the screen to secure the mic make the video apps unusable.... forget about moving the camera with this mic unless you want to further jury-rig something to hold the mic better or buy a cage of some sort. Nevertheless, I did use the mic to record some things, and had to go through a roundabout transfer with my macbook pro photos software, whereas with a standalone recorder, it's much simpler to transfer the files via a card. My takeaway? A phone is a phone, and asking it to perform one semi-professional function is enough... (record video or record audio).... It's too much to expect a phone to do both at the same time, and still maintain control and make changes during a recording... which of course is usually called for. All of the video apps I tried didn't work well with the mic, and file management is simpler with a card based recorder. I'll continue using the iphone for video, but will invest in a second set of travel pants with a spare pocket for a separate audio recorder, probably something with a stereo capsule and also a pair of xlr mic/line inputs for flexibility. I'd rather spend a little time matching the files later, than a lot of time trying to mess with things at the moment I'm trying to record. ----- I wanted to see if I could improve the audio quality on my videos of street musicians, and was trying to avoid carrying a second device for better quality audio than my iphone 6s can provide. If you want to just record audio, and can setup the mic/iphone correctly and leave it in place while recording, this item performs well. The design of the mic however, with a unsecure connection via the lightening plug, can become disconnected easily, which distupts the recording and resets the device. You need to unplug the mic, and reset it to resume recording. I made a workaround to firm the connection, by using rubber bands over the top of the mic to the bottom of my iphone, that worked fairly well. The screen was obscured but they helped with the disconnect problem. The mic is pretty large to rely only on the non-locking lightening connector to secure it. Ideally, this would record directly with any camera app, but all of the apps did not recognize the mic as a source, (iphone camera, Camera+, ProCam), or recognized the mic, but crashed often when in use, (FILMiC Pro). The rubber bands across the screen to secure the mic make the video apps unusable... forget about moving the camera with this mic unless you want to further jury-rig something to hold the mic better or buy a cage of some sort. Nevertheless, I did use the mic to record and had to go through a roundabout transfer with my macbook pro photos software, whereas with a standalone recorder, it's much simpler to transfer the files via a card. My takeaway? A phone is a phone, and asking it to perform one semi-professional function is enough... (record video or record audio).... It's too much to expect a phone to do both and still maintain control and make changes during a recording. I'll continue using the iphone for video, but will invest in a second set of travel pants with a spare pocket for a separate audio recorder, probably something with a stereo capsule and also a pair of xlr mic/line inputs for flexibility. I'd rather spend a little time matching the files later, than a lot of time trying to mess with things at the moment I'm trying to record. ... More
Takes a Bit of Experimentation, but in the end it's good
Shure Motiv MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by FG on Guitar Center
At first, I was ready to put this back in the box and return it. It takes a bit of work and patience to understand how to get the best qulaity possible. In the end, I was happy with it and comparing it A/B to recordings with the built-in iPhone mic it was night and day. A couple of watch-outs to note which may frustrate you if you're like me and want it to work instantly out of the box: 1) the Shure app that comes with it does not recognize bluetooth headphones for realtime monitoring. You must plug-in regular phones into the iPhone jack to get that feature. It will record either way. 2) UNCHECK the Wind Reduction option in the app - this will cause some terrible side effects (like the bass warbling in and out). I thought the mic was broken until I shut this off. It may be good for vocal recording, but recording guitar this simply made it awful. After unchecking this it performed as expected. 3) There is an odd design flaw where the unit will block / obstruct the headphone jack if plugged in a certain way. This is a problem as this is the ONLY way that you can angle the mic at 90-degrees upwards toward the face of the phone. in other words, if you want to angle it up (vs. toward the back of the phone) and see what you're doing you can't plug in headphones at the same time. I highly recommend experimenting with the different settings for a bit in the app - this programs the mic so the things you choose will carry over to the mic's use in other apps (ie. the native Camera recording or Memos app in iOS). Overall a good mic, solid value and sound if you use your iPhone for self-recordings for social, YouTube,etc. ... More
Sounds Surprisingly Good
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed by UnderCurrents on B&H Photo Video
We've avoided iOS recording because it has has seemed sketchy and not up to our broadcast standards. The MOTIV MV88 though sounds pretty darn good, it's key benefit being that it is a take everywhere device. The MS record settings are a real plus and the app is good, though switching between screens (to get quickly to RECORD) requires fussing with a tiny menu. This can be a bit tricky out in the field with other things going on. We may switch to Twisted Wave as our recording app as it is perfect for our needs. The physical design is impressive, made with quality materials, though one must be careful not to torque the Lightning port by bumping the extend mic profile. So far, this hasn't been a big deal. Downloading through a normal iTunes sync seems impossible, always jamming iTunes. So instead, we'll be using DropBox, which offers a much more professional environment for offloading, syncing and sharing big audio files. The MOTIV app offers this option. One request for a future version would be the choice to record 24/44.1 (not just 48). Bottom line: it won't replace the Nagra or Sound Devices, but will always be in the backpack every day for spontaneous situations and/or broadcast-quality backup. ... More
Great mic (with room for improvement)
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Having owned a few iOS connected mics, this one is definitely the best sounding. It's versatile and has the unique feature of retaining it's settings within the hardware when using it on another app (in my case, video apps.) As a first generation device, I personally think it could borrow two features from the competition. For example: 1. An external gain knob or slider. When recording video, having to switch back to the Shure Motiv app will usually pause a video app. Sometimes you just need to make slight adjustments on the fly due to loud sources easily and quickly. 2. A power inlet. Some other iOS mics have a power pass through to charge the iOS device. With batteries getting better in each subsequent device, it's not a totally necessary feature. However, it always makes longer video recordings a bit of a guessing game whether the device will make it. That said, the sound quality itself makes for a good trade off. Normally I use an Audio Technical AT2022 stereo mic connected to a Tascam iXJ2 for my needs, but that can cumbersome, however the sound quality is excellent. Something small, directional, multi patterned, and ingenious was needed as well. I found it in the MV88. It's worth it. ... More
Best iOS mic
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed by Riley on B&H Photo Video
I think this is the best mic to use for your iOS device. I have used it so far to record myself singing and to record sets. Great quality and the build quality of the mic is great. If you use the app you can control the stereo width of the mic. Then you can use any recording app. It saves the settings in the mic! Buy it if you have the cash.
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Shure Motiv MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by derek i. on Guitar Center
I fell in love with this incredible microphone immediately as I removed it from its protective case for the first time in the mid-2010s. Shure is well-known for quality, versatility, and ease of use. My MV88 captured hours of musical experiments, events, improvs, innumerable original songs that i wrote and performed, ultimately tracking it in a semi-elaborate (for me) fashion, utilizing my mainstay DAW: Apple iPhone's ever-improving mobile iteration of GarageBand. Bottom line: if you are a dedicated songwriter, an overwhelming majority of you (us) are multi-instrumentalists. if you are like myself, it is hardly uncommon for us, after developing a 'plan' of sorts or just winging it - to dive soulfirst and free of inhibitions - into and onto our instruments, guided by our hearts, our MV88's and choice DAW's now presenting us with everything we require to create a great-sounding documents of our original music. to share with the world or to store our cretions in a vault â la Prince Rogers Nelson (RIP) - these decisions are ours to make - always. The same applies to our choices in equipment. Shure's MV88. Get yours STAT! ... More
Works better with an iPhone 5 or 6 than iPhone 7 plus
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed by Dolores on B&H Photo Video
The quality of the audio that this mic provides is excellent. The only drawback is that IF you are using an iPhone 7 plus phone, there is no way to monitor the audio input via headphones because the mic is in the same Thunderbolt input where you would put your headphones. Also, the adapters that allow you to charge your iPhone and connect a 1/8 headset cord do not work. I know, I brought several different models. Yes you can see the small bars as the audio is modulating, but for professional use, you need to HEAR it while you are recording it. I also liked that it works outside of the settings in the downloadable software, though without all the additional bells and whistles. ... More
Sound is satisfactory, but the hardware and software is poor
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed by jim on B&H Photo Video
I'm disappointed with this product as it is not the quality I expect from Sure. The sound from this mic is satisfactory. First and worst is that the hinge that allows the mic to move is very loose and will cause extreme handling noise as it wobbles. Second, with a wind screen it is difficult to tell which way the mic capsule is rotated. There should be a mark on the back of the capsule and or some indicator light to show which way the side capsule is pointing. Third, there doesn't seem to be a way to simply do a MS recording so that the decoding can be done after the fact. The software always wants to revert to some other mode (mono, cadriod etc) Forth, I'd like to see a power passthrough. The onboard EQ is a nice feature, but not very useful in most cases. It is difficult to make good choices in the field and even with the big iPhone the UI is too small. A simple high/low boost/cut would have sufficed with the graphic EQ an advanced option. This along with the compression and limiting clutter up the user interface. ... More
Decent audio, challenges for using with Facebook Live
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed on B&H Photo Video
Still experimenting. Bought it for use on iPhone to conduct Facebook Live session. At the beginning, had problems because when I launched a Facebook Live session it would resent mic gain levels to 0. Struggled with this and called Shure. They didn't have any answers. I then when through a process of updating a bunch of different apps on my iPhone and that seemed to resolve the issue. Definite disadvantage to not being able to listen to audio through a 1/8 jack or any other way, particularly for doing something like Facebook Live. Ended up doing a number of tests and then just held my breath (and had someone checking while live). In the end, the Facebook Live video sounded good. You can go between Facebook Live and the app, but that is not ideal particularly if you don't have the iPhone on a tripod. ... More
good 24 bit mic
Shure Motiv MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by ukulele Jim on Guitar Center
The mic is very good at singing-guitar combo. The voice comes out clear and balances both guitar and voice. The onlydrawback is the software when using an iPhone, you have to use a pull down menu. You can adjust the mic for compression and if you spend the time you get a nice sound.
great little tool for off-the-cuff recording
Shure MOTIV MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by Michael G. on Reverb
I did a side-by-side playing acoustic guitar (same song, phone in same place) and can say this mic is a huge improvement over the phone's internal mic. It picked up a fuller tonal range, and the accompanying free app makes it pretty easy to use. I then tried it with drums (using the "loud" setting, roughly 10 feet from the kit, pointed right at it) and it even picked it up in stereo a bit. This isn't to say you'll get studio-level tracks - for drums, it reduced distortion, but still had some lo-fi quality... with a little fiddling in Audition using Tube-modeled compression, I was able to get a decent drum demo track. With acoustic guitar, this mic will pick up all room sounds, so you have to watch that. These sound like complaints, but they aren't - for what this tool is, it does a damn good job, and any demo video on youtube is pretty spot on. Highly recommended! ... More
Not Good For Actor Self Tapes
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed by Jeffrey on B&H Photo Video
Like many performers/actors I'm trying to better my self tape auditions shot in iPhone 13. This is a probably a great mic if you're sitting 18 inches or closer to the mic. So if you're handholding your iPhone and vlogging or just recording voice it's probably suitable. But with a home self tape set up the mic (attached to the phone) is too far from the subject & actually is comparable or worse sound at that distance than the phone's built in mic. And there's no option to get the mic closer because it's a direct hook into the lightening port. Better to find a mic that uses a cable and can be set close to performer with use of a cable and small tripod or what have you. Reviews are odd bc it may work great for a different application. But for what I bought it for it's useless so I gave it 1 star. ... More
Excellent tool
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed by G_Whyz on B&H Photo Video
It is used on an iPad to record committee meetings for a municipal government. The transcription software is Express Dictate. The room is large and the native microphone was very linear in reception. This plug and play tool increased the directional and spatial quality of meeting recordings for the transcriptionist significantly.
Great mic, not for what I need
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed by Raquel on B&H Photo Video
I sing under a bridge and my iPhone mic pics up all the echoes abs reverbs that bounce around after I let out a big sound. I wanted something that would capture those echoes and make them more pronounced in my recordings. This mic is great and comes with an app and you can specify how you want the mic to pick up sound. I tried having it pointed straight at my and got really great sound, however, it didn't pick up the echoes because of its direction. If I rotated the mic the other way then the sound was further away. I ended up returning it and sticking with my iPhone mic because it actually works better. I don't like that the mic has to plug in the bottom. I guess one could always turn your phone 360... but sometimes apps won't allow you to do that. I think it's a great mic depending on what you're doing. TikTok: raquelreigns if you wanna check out my videos and natural iPhone sound. ... More
Best choice for recording with iOS devices.
Shure Motiv MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by Jeremiah on Guitar Center
I was recording orchestral rehearsals with my iPhone and the quality was OK but not great. I bought this microphone and now the quality of my recordings is superb. There's much more detail and clarity in the recordings than what I had with the built-in microphone that comes with the iPhone. I highly recommend this to anyone who needs to make detailed recordings.
Great value for the money
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed by David on B&H Photo Video
I bought this microphone to record myself and my daughter playing the piano. It is quite easy to use - it plugs directly into an iPhone or iPad - and makes recordings of surprisingly good fidelity, especially impressive since the piano is notoriously difficult instrument to record well. Does it produce recordings of professional quality? No. There is a reason studios use mics, mixers, and preamps costing thousands of dollars. But if you are looking for the most convenient way of making a good recording of live music you are not going to do better than this small stereo microphone + the phone you are already carrying around in your pocket. ... More
Motive MV88
Shure Motiv MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by DP24 on Guitar Center
I use this for recording my son in theater as well as recording commercials for my live high school football radio show. We are trying it soon for our podcast as well. I have found the mic to perfect for interviewing coaches and players. I have recorded my commercials on my qupac as well as the MV88 an used it for every one over the total digital board. I could email the file to myself and cut the audio so fast. I would say this is one of the most innovative products on the market.
Not a game changer but much better than built-in mics.
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed by Judson on B&H Photo Video
I use this exclusively with an iPad for Zoom and FaceTime. For image size, I only use the horizontal Orientation. The microphone only seems to adjust in one plane so, left/right is the only adjustment possible when using the horizontal orientation. Since I also play the guitar and sing for these online chats, it is difficult to tilt the microphone up toward the mouth and away from the guitar. The stereo adjustment in the horizontal orientation will be up/down and not left/right. Much better than the built-in mic in all aspects. App very helpful and effective.
Works good!
Shure MOTIV MV88 Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone for iOS
Reviewed by Jimmy on B&H Photo Video
If you are looking to improve sound quality wether you are streaming your church service or recording it. My only complaint is that you have to take your phone case off in order to use it. However, I was able to find a lightinging extension cable online (Cellularize) and a hot shoe mic mount (Boya) and now I can mount it on top of my iPhone. While the MV88 was not meant to mount this way it works fine. No more taking off my iPhone case, just mount and plug in. Now it works like the MV-88plus.
Good for some things
Shure MOTIV MV88 iOS Digital Stereo Condenser Microphone
Reviewed by Alan B. on Reverb
The mic sounds great! Comparable to the zoom stereo mic on the H4. My single complaint is that it MUST be directly attached to the iPad. I tried extensions, I tried adapters, I tried everything. The only way the iPad recognizes it is if it is plugged directly into the lightning port. Any cable between it and the iPad makes it non-functional, therefore, not appropriate for my use case. What I wanted to do was shoot video with the iPad at a distance, but have a decent stereo mic closer to my acoustic duet. I guess I'll keep looking for a solution. ... More
