Summary
MoveMic Wireless Lavalier Microphone
YouTube creators can’t get away with crappy audio, and PAT PILCHER auditions a microphone that does a great job.
From $499
Shure has long been synonymous with microphones. Name a major band and the chances are good that they’ve used Shure mics. In addition to ear gear and styluses, Shure is branching out to the content creator crowd with its new wireless Lavalier mics, the MoveMic.
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The content creator market has experienced huge growth. In 2023 It was valued at a whopping US$13.8 billion and is expected to expand to US$34.16 billion by 2033. The numbers around content creation are huge. On YouTube, the largest platform, there are around 60 million creators. Big players like MrBeast or T-Series have over 230 billion views from 250 million subscribers. MrBeast, YouTube’s highest earner, collected $54 million last year. It’s pretty fair to say that Shure’s move into this space could well be a smart one.
So, here’s how to craft your own YouTube/TickTock videos. Slick content only goes so far. It also requires decent scripting and good camera work, but good sound is critical. If you craft a super polished YouTube clip that sounds like a bag of nails, no one will watch it to its end. Ironically, even though most of us have decent smartphone cameras, their mics are often less than ideal. Enter stage left: the MoveMic, a small, lightweight wireless Lavalier mic setup.
It comes in three different configurations. These include a single microphone and a charging case or two microphones and a charging case. There’s also the MoveMic Two Receiver Kit. It has two microphones, a charging case, the MoveMic receiver, USB cables, and a 3.5mm cable.
The MoveMic Receiver can also be bought separately, as not everyone will need it. The MoveMic setup can connect directly to a smartphone via Bluetooth, and audio is recorded via the ShurePlus MOTIV and ShurePlus MOTIV Video apps (iOS and Android).
The microphones are omnidirectional and designed to be unobtrusive, measuring just 45.9 x 22 x 14.9mm and weighing just 8.2g. They have a rounded head and a clip on their underside. The only control on the mics is a single button, which handles power on/off, Bluetooth pairing, and record/mute. The mics are IPX4 rated, which means they are fine for use in light to medium rain and can handle the odd splash.
A minor gotcha is that the mics need the Shure apps if connected to your phone/tablet via Bluetooth. You’ll need to buy the receiver for other uses (filming with an SLR or non-iOS/Android camera). That said, the apps are free, and not having to buy and lug around an added receiver is convenient. The receiver comes with a shoe mount, which makes it easy to attach to a camera. The actual mics are also super compact and light, weighing only 8.2g. When attached to a suit lapel or shirt, the mics are subtle and less bulky than similar competing products.
Considering a Bluetooth connection is being used, the audio supplied by the MoveMic proved to be not too bad. Budding content creators will find it a quantum leap over their phone’s built-in mic. In environments with a lot of RF, I discovered that the connection dropped several times during testing. They worked flawlessly when trying the mics out in a far less crowded RF environment (my home).
Another big bonus that deserves attention is their battery life. After ensuring they were fully charged in their charge case, I got the MoveMic to record for eight hours continuously. That’s not too shabby, meaning an entire day’s filming is, in theory, possible. Their charging case, which can supply two charges for 24 hours of use per mic, further helps.
For content creators, the sheer convenience of the MoveMic setup cannot be understated. Getting up and running is both quick and easy, and the lack of fiddly cables and added receivers makes them ideal for Vloggers wanting to simplify and streamline their setup.
One drawback of MoveMic is its price. A single MoveMic and charger cost around $499, making it a pricey way to level up your YouTube game.
Price aside, Shure’s MoveMic is a solid and simple option for anyone wanting a compact way to ensure their YouTubing efforts have good audio.
https://www.shure.com/en-ASIA/products/microphones/movemic-one