The world of the digital creator is as fast-paced as the technology that drives it. Even faster, at times. We are seeing hardware and software companies striving to keep up with the needs of the modern compact filmmaker, to get the most out of their potential and creativity. Let’s face it—the innovations with built-in cameras in smartphones these days really make them more like compact video cameras, with a phone option included free of charge.
As video quality improves, the devices’ audio limitations become more evident. Shure has stepped it up a notch and removed those woes with one simple microphone that only requires two actions. Plug in and record. This is the Shure MV88 USB-C Stereo Microphone, and it is an absolute game-changer in the world of mobile video recording.
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If you’re sick of lifeless, tinny audio in your videos that captures more ambient noise and reverb than it does your subject, you are going to love the MV88 USB-C from Shure. Best of all, you don’t need a bag of cables or to be an audio engineer to get good results. This has to be the simplest external microphone setup for a smartphone that I’ve come across, that still offers the functional features you need to achieve great audio in a range of settings.
Let’s start with the installation process. First, you need to insert the MV88 USB-C into the USB-C port at the base of your phone. That’s it. You’re ready to go. It will snugly fit into position with the base sitting just out from the phone’s chassis. This allows for phone cases or protective sleeves to be left on up to a certain thickness. If you have a bulkier case, you’ll need to use a USB-C extender or take it out of the case. Either way, you’re all set, and you’ll have improved audio with your video right away.
It gets even better. You now have an adjustable stereo microphone attached to your phone, and as we know, stereo recording requires directionality with two microphones. With a capsule facing out of each side of the microphone casing, you can set up the direction with the casing and rotate it 90 degrees both horizontally and vertically. That means, by inserting the device one way or the other into your phone’s USB-C port, you have the option to record in any direction in a 360-degree field. This allows you to record a subject in front of the camera, or yourself from behind the camera and still get incredible audio quality from either position. Yet, the MV88 USB-C goes even further, because it isn’t a single directional capsule; it’s a stereo pair, so both front and rear can be captured on separate audio tracks, making the interview process even easier than ever before.
So far, everything we have mentioned is all just on the surface. It’s what can be achieved just by connecting and adjusting the angle of the microphone. However, Shure has gone well beyond this in what the MV88 USB-C can offer with the implementation of digital controls for your microphone, allowing you to adjust polarity options to suit the scene.
The obvious use is for stereo field recording, be it out in the natural environment or for live music recording. Here, you’re able to adjust the depth of the stereo field to suit your recording position. This has a huge range of benefits for musicians wanting to record live video with incredible sound. Especially for ensembles or drum kits, where some spacing between the left and right field really brings a recording to life.
There’s also a mono cardioid option, where the microphone is used as an end-fire recorder, picking up directly in front of the end grill, allowing for more directional audio capture. This is ideal for recording speeches, one-sided interviews, or video presentations. Just about every YouTube creator will make use of this function as it allows them to angle the camera where they want, then point the microphone directly at their position for the best vocal recording.
When two people are speaking, the MV88 USB-C allows for a mono bi-directional capture, with both sides of the capsule recording separate audio tracks. This is the perfect setup for an interview process when one person is behind the camera, yet still requires quality audio capture. Adjusting the left and right balance afterwards allows for the levels on either side to be evened out, as one source is likely to be closer to the capsule than the other.
A final option of raw mid-side recording is one that will appeal to advanced users. This uses the side capsule to combine left and right into one audio channel, then it uses the end capsule to record the front signal into the other audio channel, resulting in an immersive sound that excels in live music recording.
These capabilities are enhanced by a range of additional features that help shape and clean up your audio recordings. A multi-stage high-pass filter is included, along with several compression presets for easily squeezing your audio. Probably the best feature for those recording YouTube videos is the real-time ‘de-noiser’ that takes out unwanted background noise at the press of a button. Even more features—including simplified presets for various instruments and vocal recordings—can be accessed in Shure’s MOTIV Audio and MOTIV Video apps.
The MV88 USB-C can be as simple or as complex as you like with your mobile audio recordings. Either way, the results are amazing. Incredible audio quality, with a big bottom end, intricate high frequencies and a mid-range that sounds like it’s been recorded with a much larger microphone and a preamp. All of this comes from one compact device, which slides onto the end of your smartphone.
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