Shure MoveMic review: Is it competitive in the next gen of wireless mics?

Trusted by musicians, video creators and audio professionals worldwide, Shure is a name synonymous with high-quality audio equipment. Recently, they launched a new wireless lavalier microphone system: the MoveMic. 

Promising portability without the need for cords, this product comes with two discreet clip-on mics capable of Bluetooth connection to mobile devices. But with other wireless options out there, such as the DJI Mic 2, how does it compare? This review dives into the specifics of the MoveMic, exploring its specifications, performance and more.

Specs and compatibility

With its lightweight, compact two-inch frame, the MoveMic is extremely discreet. It’s made to go inside of a subject’s clothing, leaving just the tiny clip to be seen by the viewer. When worn in a shirt pocket, the mic looks like a pen clip from a viewer’s perspective. It may be the smallest and most hideable Bluetooth mic on the market. This helps set it apart from the far bulkier DJI Mic 2.

With its IPX4 rating, the MoveMic can withstand light rain and water splashes. The microphone features a single button that controls power, Bluetooth pairing and recording/mute functions. When choosing settings in the MOTIV app, you can choose 16-bit/48 KHz or 44.1 KHz capture quality via Bluetooth in multiple formats. The microphones recharge through a copper contact system within the case, which is powered via a USB-C connection. 

Shure’s proprietary algorithm can send audio from two MoveMics directly to smartphones simultaneously. They can be purchased as a single mic or as a set of two, allowing for single-channel or dual-channel audio. If you don’t want to record via Bluetooth to your smartphone, the optional receiver can enhance connectivity options. With it, you can output audio to cameras or other devices.

MOTIV Apps

Sorry to disappoint, but the MoveMic is only capable of connecting straight to your phone wirelessly by using one of two iOS/Android apps offered by Shure: MOTIV Audio and MOTIV Video. Alternatively, you can connect the mics to the optional receiver. This lets you output the audio to your phone via the USB-C port. This can be useful if you already have a dedicated app that you want to use to record audio and video. However, it comes with the inconvenience of having a wired device attached to your phone. Luckily, the app isn’t too shabby. It offers a host of customization options that are otherwise unavailable via the receiver.

With the Motiv Audio app, you can lock settings, adjust gain levels, create a custom EQ and adjust compression. From there, you can save your settings as a custom preset. There are also speech, music and flat presets ready to go in the app.

Shure MoveMic captures 16-bit/48 KHz or 44.1 KHz quality in a few different formats of your choosing:

• AAC 96 Kbps
• AAC 128 Kbps
• AAC 256 Kbps
• FLAC
• WAV

Along with the MOTIV Audio app, there’s also the MOTIV Video app. MOTIV Video has all the same sound settings but with the addition of video capturing and direct streaming to Facebook, YouTube or custom platforms. In it, you can adjust frame rate, resolution and focal length; but your options pretty much stop there. It’s nowhere near as robust as others, such as the Blackmagic Camera app. This is a bummer. If you want to shoot video with a direct feed to your smartphone, it’s pretty much your only option.

Testing the Shure MoveMic

Shure’s MoveMic is a newcomer in the space of new-gen wireless lavaliers. It’s competing with the likes of the models from DJI and Hollyland. And it’s definitely neat, with its highlights being its unmatched discreteness and the control you can get via Shure’s apps. Other similar products are typically more distracting due to their size, along with their tendency to slap their logos where they’ll be visible.

The Shure MoveMic challenges this by opting out of the standard magnetic clip. Instead, it uses a traditional clip with a skinny, vertical design that allows the majority of the mic to be covered by the subject’s clothing. This makes it great for media, such as documentaries, where you don’t want the mic to be a distraction. Not only do we appreciate the thought put into the design, but we also like the MOTIV App and the options for custom EQs, filters and presets.

Pricing pitfalls

However, we can’t exactly fathom the MoveMic’s price point considering its quality, both in design and sound. One mic and charging case alone is $249, and it runs for $349 for two mics and a charging case and $499 for the whole kit with two mics, charging case and receiver. In comparison, full kits for the Hollyland Lark M2 and DJI Mic 2 are priced at $179 and $349, respectively. 

These two models have similar capabilities as the MoveMic, the main difference being that Shure’s can connect both mics directly to smartphones via Bluetooth. In contrast, the DJI and Hollyland models use plug-in receivers for smartphone connectivity. Though this is indeed a benefit of using the MoveMic, the drawback lies in the fact that you have to use the MOTIV app to actually record anything, making it less beneficial.

Also note that Shure’s MoveMic has a transmission distance of 100 feet, much shorter than the distances of the DJI Mic 2 and Hollyland Lark M2 (820 and 1,000 feet, respectively).

App drawbacks

We don’t personally have a problem with Shure’s apps — in fact, we actually like the MOTIV audio app. However, not everyone wants to use these apps to record their video and audio recordings, especially since we found the video app to be quite lacking in features. There are plenty of other apps, such as the Blackmagic App, that are better at capturing video.

There are workarounds, such as buying the receiver and outputting the audio to your phone. But by doing that, you miss out on the apps’ custom presets and other settings to mix your audio. Plus, the receiver is big and not exactly intuitive for connecting to your phone, and you lose a port on your phone (or in the iPhone’s case, the only port) that could be used for other equipment. Or, you could connect via Bluetooth and use the MOTIV Audio app to record sound only, syncing the audio with your footage in post-production.

But why do that when you can have direct audio in the app of your choosing, similar quality (if not better), and more with competing models at a similar or cheaper price?

Is it worth it?

If you’re looking to record simpler videos, then the MoveMic and MOTIV Video app could be sufficient. Also, to its credit, its use has benefits if you get the receiver and output the audio to a camera for video interviews. But from a mobile-focused filmmaker’s perspective, we have trouble seeing its usefulness when looking at other options out there. This is especially true if you already have a dedicated camera or a go-to audio app.

Shure MoveMic One one-person clip-on wireless microphone

$224.00 at Amazon $224.00 at B&H Video $249.00 at Best Buy

Shure MoveMic Two two-person clip-on wireless microphone

$314.00 at Amazon $314.00 at B&H Video $314.00 at Best Buy

Shure MoveMic Two receiver kit two-person clip-on system

$434.00 at Amazon $434.00 at B&H Video $449.00 at Best Buy

Tech specs