Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Update 16Oct2021 - iPhone Xs Max in 2018 finally introduced stereo mics. The MV88 is still superior in frequency response and doesn't require the always-on compression in the iPhone. I modified a 2021 Spigen Ultra Hybrid case with an X-acto knife to clear the MV88 (see photo). It was possible to leave intact the top edge over the Lightning connector--unlike some cases with an open area there to I’ve used the MV88 for live music performance video recording in stereo, with a handheld iPhone 6s Plus since Dec2015. As of 04Jul2017 there is no competition for this application. As a musician and software engineer coding audio signal processing, I’ve found the sound quality to be excellent. Amazing lows and clear, extended natural highs vs. mics like the Zoom iQ7 and the old Tascam iM2. Amazon apparently doesn’t allow external links, but google “youtube electric eye lucky strike” should yield two videos of the same performance, with audio from the Zoom iQ7 vs. the MV88. There are other great stereo mics from Shure and Rode, but they're significantly bulkier and heavier—impractical for handheld video. And there is no contest vs the mono, overload prone built-in iPhone mics—optimized for noise cancellation and monaural voice, rather than stereo live music. You may burst out laughing hearing recordings with the MV88 for the first time. Commenters saying there is little or no difference—maybe are listening on the iPhone speaker? Headphones, external speakers, are the real test. The MOTIV app is easy to use. Documentation is a joy—clear and detailed, often answering not just how, but why. Its Band preset works amazingly well for rock concerts—just a touch of compression and limiting, to the point i’ve never heard distortion on live performances, other than traceable to overloaded mixer/monitor/amps in the original performance. Even on video of Motley Crue’s Final Tour 31Dec2015, the explosions weren’t distorted (google youtube motley crue antera77, at 27:42) The highly elegant pivot and twist system for the stereo mics gives correctly oriented stereo audio for landscape mode (“horizontal”) video. Mics like the Rode iXYL and the apparently abandoned Blue Mikey Digital Lightning (Blue’s website as of 04Jul2017 touts iOS 7 compatibility—a version introduced Sep2013) require portrait mode for this—rendering them essentially useless for landscape mode video. The jewel-like, all metal construction screams quality, vs. plasticy, deformed Mickey Mouse ears looking mics like the Zoom iQ7. Suggested improvements, 0-10 scale, 10 being highest priority/cost: 10/10: Recording level indication on the mic - add two or three green LED level meters to the single MV88 “Communication Established” LED. My biggest disappointments have involved not knowing audio levels while recording video. Excellent workaround has been an iOS video app like Filmic Pro with on-screen audio level meters. Apple’s default Camera app has none—suggestion to Apple: Make audio level meters a Preferences-selectable option! Much less elegant workaround: carry earbuds or headphones to the live show to monitor the audio. Earbuds are hard to hear in a live music setting, and more bulk and kit to lose and fuss with—especially with iPhone 7 and newer needing an adapter for headphones. The $100 Zoom iQ7 Lightning mic has three LED level meters, so they’re likely cost-effective. 4/10: “Turn Airplane Mode On When MV88 detected” option in the Shure MOTIV app I’ve come home to interference-riddled audio several times, because I forgot to turn Airplane Mode on. No reliable way to tell if interference is occurring while taking video, even with an audio level meter-equipped video app like Filmic Pro. You wouldn’t want Airplane Mode automatic: * not clear that iOS would allow this * some would like to do live streaming, and/or to take calls while recording even if it interrupts the video app 3/10: Improve software system reliability in establishing MV88 communication I don’t know if this is practical. But I’ve had big disappointments from not paying attention to the MV88 green LED. Not noticing the serial data connection wasn’t established meant the horrible, built in mono iPhone mic took over, or worse, no audio. Even using an audio level meter equipped app like Filmic Pro, sometimes I haven’t noticed if the on-screen audio meters were showing stereo vs. mono, or no audio. Apparently it’s fairly common even with the MV88 plugged into the Lightning connector, that a serial data connection is not established. Understandable given several systems have to interact perfectly: * mechanical Lightning connection * three software systems—iOS, video app, Shure MOTIV app The ideal live music recorder would be a dedicated video camera and permanently attached stereo mic and integrated software. It may be that Shure has already maximized communication reliability, given the constraints of integrating with the iPhone hardware and software. 1/10: Add RFID—MV88 is so tiny, it’s easy to lose! A passive 916MHz RFID tag would add an insignificant $0.15 (in volume as of 2006) to the $150 cost. You’ve got the radio hardware to sent out RFID signals right there on the iPhone. Most practical would be just a response—tells you the MV88 is in the room somewhere at least, vs. lost at the gig. GPS chips and a beeper in the MV88 would be nice, but almost certainly not cost effective. Source: wikipedia RFID. —— I’d like to address the remainder of this review to errors in the review “Not $150 worth of mic, just ok. By Amazon Customer #99 on March 7, 2017”, as these are common misunderstandings that could dissuade many from making an excellent choice in the MV88: “Bottom line: It's good but, frustratingly, not $150 good…Zoom makes one…at least as good for…less.” I disagree completely. Superior performance, build quality and features are well worth $150 vs competition like the $100 Zoom iQ7. This is generally echoed by the majority of other reviews here. “ “It's fine for speech and podcasts and YouTube videos, but not really good enough for a musician. It is noticeably noisy (hissy)…” For conversations, and live music performances at least, avoiding distortion and overload, is far more important than background hiss—a comparative non-issue. As a musician and audio engineer, I’ve found the MV88 audio excellent—extended bass and highs, and if there’s any distortion, it’s been from overdriven mixers/monitors/amps in the original performance. On quiet passages, audience noise has been more an issue than background hiss. From Shure: “The MV88 was designed primarily to record loud sounds, like a rock concert, or medium sounds, such as conversation. As the sounds gets softer and/or the MV88 is placed farther away from the sound source, at some point the self-noise (hiss level) of the MV88 might become noticeable or objectionable…The MV88 does not have an exceptionally low noise floor like a Shure KSM44A (4 dB SPL-A), however the KSM44A is nearly seven times the price. If the requirement is to record very soft bird sounds in a forest, or the barely audible whispers of wind in the trees, the MV88 may not be appropriate.” (google Shure Customer Help MV88 recording soft sounds) Further, the biggest source of background hiss is presets with Compression on, rather than quiescent mic capsule noise. Turning it off or using Flat preset in the MOTIV app will help. Just be careful to set recording levels low enough to prevent overload. “…even when the phone is in airplane mode.” Airplane mode being off, and microphone signal-to-noise performance are two different noise sources. Airplane mode turns off the iPhone cellular/Bluetooth/wifi radio frequency transmit and receive, which can cause static and other intermittent noise at audio frequencies. This has nothing to do with steady background hiss from the MV88 ADC and mic capsules’ combined signal to noise ratio. “ It has weak midrange and bass response…“ Compared to what? I’ve found the MV88 to have excellent bass response vs other Lightning connector mics like the iQ7. Shure’s User Guide lists response as 20-20kHz. Its frequency response graph shows a gentle rolloff below 300Hz but no dip in the midrange: (From Shure MV88 User Guide - Specifications) You may be comparing the MV88 to a mic with artificially boosted midrange and bass. “… although it's tweakable in the MOTIV app up to a point.” Indeed it is, with the MOTIV 5-band graphic EQ: (From Shure MV88 User Guide - The ShurePlus MOTIV App - Mic setup) “It is heavy and cumbersome unless you hold the phone…on a tripod.” Maybe if you’re a leprechaun. The MV88 mass is 40.5g vs. your favored Zoom iQ7 at 30.5g. Using the MV88 handheld for shooting live music performances with my 192g iPhone 6s Plus and approx 24g Incase Halo Snap case increases the mass as a unit by about 20%. Or the mass vs. using the iQ7 by about 4.1%. (192+24+41)/(192+24). (192+24+41)/(192+24+31) Claiming a 4% increase in mass would push an iPhone-plus-mic into tripod territory is baffling. “It won't work with many cases…” It fits Apple, and some Incase cases. Making sure your case provides clearance around the Lightning connector is a reasonable tradeoff to get the excellent MV88 features. Shure also addresses this: (google Shure Customer Help MV88 use with a phone case) “Alesis and Rode make better ones.” As of Jul2017: * The RODE iXY-L orients its stereo mics incorrectly for landscape mode video. This can outweigh possibly better sound * Alesis lists no mics on its website “It’s an improvement over built in DAC/mic but not a huge improvement.” DAC (digital to analog conversion) is irrelevant to an analog audio source like a microphone. You might be thinking of analog to digital conversion (ADC). “An iPhone really needs a full outboard DAC to record decently. This seems to share…” You seem to be suggesting the MV88 relies on an iPhone internal digital to analog converter (DAC). If so, this is false. Again, digital to analog conversion—outboard or otherwise—is irrelevant to an analog audio source like a microphone. You might be thinking of analog to digital conversion (ADC). This is necessarily done by the MV88, since the iPhone Lightning connector has no analog data signals. It only has pins for a serial digital data stream. That is, the MV88 indeed has an ADC “outboard” from the iPhone. (Wikipedia Lightning Connector)