Shure’s MV7i USB mic might be your go-to audio interface for mobile recording

Shure MV7i, photo by press

$349 / £329, shure.com

Shure’s MV family of USB microphones continues to expand with the addition of the MV7i, sharing much of the technology of the MV7+ but adding a second input with plenty of gain to essentially turn the mic into a standalone audio interface.

The idea is that you can add a second microphone or source via the combination XLR and jack input with phantom power and use it as a single or dual channel interface down a single connection, removing the need for additional cabling. That potentially makes it the perfect mobile solution for podcast or other simpler audio tracking uses like a singer/guitarist. But how well does it work in practice?

READ MORE: IK Multimedia’s iRig Stream Mic Pro is a hassle-free solution for all recording artists

The mic is sturdy with a high-quality metal case and comes on a yoke mount with screws on either side to enable it to be angled or fixed securely. You don’t get a stand for it, but the mount has a thread that can be attached either to a desk or a boom stand, depending on how you plan to use it. A foam pop shield is included, as is a USB-C cable of reasonable length, which both powers the mic and carries audio signals.

No drivers are required but you will need to download the MOTIV Mix app for macOS, PC or iOS, as this is the way you control the different settings inside the mic. There are no on-body controls except for the colour LED touch strip, which can be tapped to mute or unmute the signal. On the rear of the body are the USB-C port, the combo XLR/jack input and a 3.5 mm headphone output for monitoring.

The first thing the MOTIV Mix app will ask you to do is set up the routing for recording, the way the mic outputs audio. The first option is Mixdown, where inputs 1 and 2 are summed as a mono stream, say for live streaming. Then there’s Multitrack, which separates inputs 1 and 2 as individual mono streams, and finally Stereo which keeps input 2 as stereo while sending input 1 to both left and right, perhaps for recording voiceover over stereo content.

A guitarist using the MV7i, photo by press

In terms of hardware, the mic has a directional, cardioid polar pattern and a dynamic transducer and a frequency response of 50 Hz to 16 kHz – not the widest range going, but sufficient for voice recording. Anyone wanting to capture every nuance of an acoustic guitar, for example, may want to connect a more sensitive mic to the other input – but we’ll get to that. The unit’s analogue-to-digital converter runs at up to 24-bit/48kHz and a slightly lower 16-bit/44.1kHz for iOS devices.

The onboard digital signal processing (DSP) powers a bunch of useful recording effects and tools that help you to capture respectable recordings in the kinds of less-than-perfect environments you may find yourself working in while on the move. All of these are configurable in the app. First up is Auto Level Mode with SmartGate, which monitors signal and auto-adjusts gain based on distance, volume and room dynamics. It can also prevent overlapping dialogue when two inputs are in use. It’s effective in real-world use, and though you will set levels manually in the app, the auto features help to mitigate variations in volume and potential movement during recording. The company’s Voice Isolation Technology helps the system separate out voices from other noise.

Denoiser is another process that can run in real-time, identifying and reducing persistent ambient noise like air conditioning, and a digital popper stopper can be activated in addition to the physical windshield. Then there are three types of variable digital reverb which tend towards sounding swampy so would need to be used sparingly, and an effects strip with tone, gain, EQ, compression and a limiter. All these are also available for the combo input channel and will be applied when a signal is detected from that input. There are broad presets for speech, singing or instruments, and global setups can be stored in the app too for easy switching between different uses.

SmartGate feature in the MOTIV Mix app, photo by MusicTech

This is a lot of processing inside such a small unit and, until now, would usually have required a larger housing — even compact audio interfaces with this much DSP don’t manage to also incorporate a full microphone. The MV7i can also supply 48v phantom power and +60dB of gain to its physical input and doesn’t get noticeably warm while doing so.

Monitoring is zero-latency with optional reverb applied both to the recording and foldback, and in tests, the recordings captured are excellent. The ability to add processing to the sound onboard – EQ, compression, limiting and a degree of gating – rather than in a DAW — cuts the chances of latency appearing. Plus, it means your sound is pre-processed by the time it hits the hard drive or is streamed online. Of course, you can omit these if you want to add effects post-recording, but there is an option to have a ‘comfort’ reverb in headphones, but not record it. Adding a second source via the combo input is simple, with the streams appearing to your DAW based on how you’ve set up the routing.

The MOTIV Mix app is capable of recording a high-quality stereo file from several inputs, including your computer (though at a fixed setting), which is fine for podcasting or recording live material, though for more flexible mixing, you’d capture separate streams in a DAW or similar package.

The MV7i connected to a phone with the MOTIV Mix app, photo by press

Shure suggests that this is a unique device, but it’s not dissimilar to IK’s iRig Stream Mic Pro (around £149) in some respects, which also has a high-quality USB-powered mic (with switchable polar pattern) and operates as a more limited audio interface than the MV7i. It lacks the DSP and internal effects as well as the powered combo input, so it’s more restricted, but it does have more on-body controls if that’s something you prefer.

The MV7i is a dependable and well-built mic that performs to a high standard and will suit streamers, podcasters and those needing to record a couple of sources without carrying lots of gear. The DSP features like auto gain and denoiser are genuinely useful, while the directionality of the mic means it excels at the task of voice pickup.

If your needs are more modest, the MV7+ at around £269 offers many of the same features just without the second input. The MV7i is arguably a little on the pricey side but there’s really nothing around that does what it does quite this well.