Shure have announced their all-new MoveMic range. What’s new, what are they good for, and why might they be the right choice for you? In our Shure MoveMic review, we take a closer look at these systems to see what they’re capable of and what they’re good at.
The verdict
The MoveMic systems are great for portable recording, aimed at content creators, broadcasters, journalists, and videographers. Here are our pros and cons of the system:
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Discrete and portable form factor provides a low-profile on-camera | Low channel count makes operation simple but can only record two people at a time clearly |
| Immense battery life with 24 hours of recording from a single charge | Can’t record to cameras, computers, or third-party apps without receiver |
| Wireless app connectivity means you can record with or without a receiver and tweak your sounds with gain, limiting, compression, noise reduction, and EQ, as well as video monitoring | |
| IPX4 rating protects against rain, splashes, and accidental liquid spills |
Shure MoveMic review
First things first… what is it?
The Shure MoveMic system is a wireless lavalier system designed to connect directly to smartphones. Portable, low-key, and easy to conceal, this system is ideal for content creation and all kinds of other on-camera use – from broadcasting and journalism to independent filmmaking.
The phone connectivity is a new feature, offering a quick and easy setup with minimal equipment. There’s also an optional receiver available, which we’ll discuss the benefits of later, but you can also just use your smartphone as a receiver for a lighter and more portable system.
The MoveMic One offers a single channel of audio, whereas the MoveMic Two offers two channels. Which of these is right for you depends on your use case.
Mainly, the channel count can help you record multiple people at once, so if you tend to make content with a partner or conduct interviews, the MoveMic Two might be right for you!
Design
The MoveMic system is designed to be incredibly small, lightweight, and portable. Coming with a portable charge case and – in its smallest form – one single lavalier microphone, the MoveMic is indisputably great for outdoor and on-camera recording.
Even at its largest, the two lavalier mics can fit into the same charging case included with the single-channel version, and the receiver isn’t much bigger than the charging case, making everything extremely simple and compact to set up.
Of course, with such a small and subtle design, the MoveMic is great on-camera, easily hidden beneath clothing or clipped to the outside of your jacket or shirt if you don’t mind it being visible. For content creators, this is a pretty big benefit, meaning it can be used on everything from YouTube and TikTok videos to podcasts, journalism, independent filmmaking, or even conferencing.
Functionality and features
The MoveMic connects directly to mobile phones or tablets thanks to Shure’s MOTIV Audio or MOTIV Video app.
The MOTIV Audio app is tailored to just audio capture, while the video app will let you integrate your camera signal, making it great for compact broadcasting, live streaming, and video recording without sacrificing the customisation options and effects you can apply to your audio.
These apps let you adjust gain, EQ, compression, limiting, and other metering, as well as edit your audio and/or video.
The MoveMic also offers up to 24 hours of battery life, giving you plentiful recording time for all kinds of shows, as well as a portable charging case that can store multiple 24-hour charges. This is extremely useful for settings like broadcasting where you’ll be continuously recording for long periods of time.
Audio quality
Shure are an extremely experienced microphone company, and the MoveMic naturally benefits from this experience. Built with a custom acoustic design, the MoveMic has a signature sound of its own: full, clear and balanced.
As a digital wireless system, the MoveMic offers better sound quality than analogue frequency transmission. When paired with Shure’s proprietary wireless software and the effects available in the MOTIV app, this system delivers stable wireless frequency transmission and better dodges interference.
MoveMic Receiver
This is unconventional by the standards of a lot of other wireless systems, but the receiver in the MoveMic systems is actually an additional accessory. Some of the available systems have it included, and some of them don’t. So if you feel like you need it, be sure to find one that includes it!
The receiver in this system allows you to record to devices and apps other than your phone or Shure MOTIV system. Whether you prefer recording with a different third-party app, directly to your camera for fully synced footage, or a computer, the receiver offers a lot more flexibility in the devices you can use this system in.
So, who’s the receiver best for? Probably the more professional applications than anything else. For example, with broadcasting and interviews, it’s standard to record to the camera, and the longevity of doing so fits the format better than recording to a phone.
Anything with a longer format overall would likely benefit from the receiver.
Short-form content for creators on TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube Shorts, for example, will probably do fine without it. As for longer YouTube videos, if you’ve invested in a better camera or make longer videos, you might want the flexibility of the receiver to record to your camera or computer.
Is the Shure MoveMic for me?
The MoveMic is not like a lot of Shure’s other wireless systems in that it’s not really well-suited to live performance on stages. Live vocalists and audio engineers won’t see much benefit in its smartphone-based recording and other features, but they clearly aren’t the target audience here.
For content creators such as short-form video creators, livestreamers, and podcasters, the MoveMic is absolutely ideal. For broadcasting, interviews, conferences, and even things like TV or independent filmmaking, the MoveMic is also a pretty intriguing proposition, especially with the receiver.
FAQs
Where are Shure from?
Shure is an American company that originated in Chicago. They have since expanded globally, but they are an American company that still designs and manufactures their products in America.
What Shure microphone is most popular?
The SM58 is Shure’s most popular product by far. An instantly recognisable design that’s been used in studios and on stages the world over, this vocal microphone is a workhorse for live performance and recording. Its popularity is due to its bold, in-your-face sound and robust construction that’s extremely reliable.
Why are Shure so popular?
Shure are popular for a few reasons. Their long history of innovative microphone design means they know how to make microphones, headphones, and wireless systems that simply sound great. Their products are so wide-ranging that you’re almost guaranteed to find something that suits you. During World War 2, Shure became the primary supplier of microphones and headphones to Allied forces, adopting military specifications in their designs that mean their products are exceptionally reliable.
Final thoughts
For content creators looking for a wireless lavalier system to record without weighing them down, the MoveMic system sounds great, performs consistently, and is extremely lightweight and discrete. However, it’s not just good for content, but also great for broadcasting, interviews, livestreams, and even podcasts.
There are, of course, other ways of capturing audio for these applications, but if wireless is the way you want to go, the MoveMic is excellent value.
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