Shure MV88+ Video Kit – Smartphone Microphone
American audio products corporation Shure have announced their new smartphone filmmaking mic, the Shure MV88+ Video Kit.
They are now available to purchase, but the cost is in the affordable, low-to-mid-range microphone category: $249.00 or £194.
The Pitch: “The MV88+ Video Kit is your mobile professional recording rig. Package includes Manfrotto PIXI Tripod, phone clamp & shoe‐mount mic clip, USB‐C & lightning cables, making it ready for audio and/or video capture right out of the box. The free ShurePlus MOTIV audio & video Apps enable recording control, and the ability to save and share your content in multiple formats.”
Looks like the mic is being aimed at vloggers and the like. Although I’m not sure what audio she is capturing in the photo above – the wind?
The Shure MV88+ is an update on the MV88 which was designed only for iPhone. The Verge calls it a “digital condenser mic” but as far as I’m aware there are no such things as “digital mics”. A microphone is actually a transducer that converts sound into an electrical signal, and they work now as they always have. The difference today is we have digital audio recorders. And in the MV88+ set up, your phone is the device that acts as the digital recorder.
(Edit: there are indeed such things as digital microphones. However, I’m still not sure the MV88+ is one…)
The MV88+ Video Kit allows you to connect the mic directly to both iOS and select Android devices with the included cables. The device is compatible with the free ShurePlus MOTIV audio and video recording apps.
The mic has a built-In headphone output for real-time monitoring. The included smartphone mount allows you to attach your phone to other tripods.
In the video below, Liron Segev talks to a Shure rep and they take the MV88+ through a test and show how it works with the Shure app. There’s also some test audio samples.
“The MV88+ Video Kit provides multiple configurations straight out of the box,” says Matt Engstrom, Senior Category Director, Global Product Management at Shure. “You shouldn’t have to buy half a dozen products to film a high-quality piece of video content one day, and then an audio interview or field recording the next. With the MV88+, you don’t have to. We listened to you and worked to develop a superior microphone with superior accessories. This package gives you everything you’ll need to film in your studio, on-the-go, at home—or wherever life takes you.”
Looks like a great mic for Mojo and vlogging, and perhaps other filmmaking jobs.
The MV88 and MV88+ both seem to be similar ideas to the RØDE VideoMic Me. But this is a quality upgrade in terms of sound and, in combo with the Shure apps, is a more versatile microphone. Of course, it’s over 4 times the price and bigger. I have a RØDE VideoMic Me and slips easily into a small pocket in my jacket. The audio quality is only passable though (but still more directional than your smartphone inbuilt mic).
Whereas the RØDE can clip directly to the headphone socket of your smartphone phone, the MV88+ needs a clamp. You may want this anyway, but it’s going to add some bulk…
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