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The second the Shure MV7i was shown off at this year’s CES event, it piqued my interest. Rather than just churning out another USB mic, the brand I I used throughout almost my entire education as a music graduate has instead created a high-end microphone and interface package that goes the extra mile. Better yet, unlike the rest of the gaming tech I had my eye on at the event, the MV7i was available as soon as it was shown off to the public.
Shure isn’t the first on record to pop an audio interface into a USB microphone. But the idea of the quality of the Shure MV7+ mic paired with a sound system, and even a mixer too, set off music tech nerd alarm bells in my head. Not only did this provide me with an excuse to do away with my Focusrite Scarlet 2i2 and save on some precious desk space, but its existence means those who haven’t yet invested in a separate interface of their own can make their audio-streaming lives more streamlined, less cluttered and possible more affordable.
The combined effort results in one of the best streaming microphones for streaming and gaming, which sounds just as good as it is to use. At $349 / £329, its price might be a bit steep for those purely in the market for a new mic, especially as it lacks any accompanying desktop stand, and requires the purchase of a separate compatible boom arm from the get-go. But, at that price, you’re not only getting one of the best-sounding USB mics I’ve had the pleasure of talking into but also one of the easiest-to-use mixers. The setup negates the need to start researching interfaces and making your audio setup less complicated than it needs to be, and I’m totally here for it
Key Specs
|
Polar Pattern |
Unidirectional (Cardioid) |
|
Inputs |
XLR and 1/4″ Tip Sleeve (TS), ¼” Tip Ring Sleeve (TRS) |
|
Mic form factor |
Handheld |
|
Phantom Power |
Yes (+48 V DC) |
|
Frequency Range |
50 Hz to 16,000 Hz |
|
Dimensions |
164 mm H x 207 mm L x 90 mm D |
|
Weight |
1.04 kg |
|
Compatibility |
Windows, Mac OS, Android, iOS |
|
Price |
$349 / £329 |
Design & Features
The Shure MV7i utilizes that almost-capsule form factor you’ll be more than familiar with if you’ve spent any time with any of the brand’s mics with the ‘MV7’ suffix. At a glance, it’s almost entirely identical to the MV7+, but instead features a dark-gray-almost-black colorway for its main body. The only real pop of color you’ll find with the mic is relegated to its 36-bit color-adjustable LED touch panel. This fits at the front of the mic and can be used to identify peaking or mute your audio altogether – or customized to give it a bit of that ‘gamer’ edge.
From the offset, this is a high-quality microphone, even before you get into the audio side of things. It feels robust in your hand and is made from a high-quality metal. The foam covering of the grill does feel a bit on the cheap side and was a bit misshapen when I first took it out of the box, but it gets the job done. Speaking of unboxing, the package features the MV7i, its all-black yoke for attaching to a podcast arm, and a USB-C cable to power your brand-new mic.
Sadly, there’s no accompanying desktop stand, like with the Razer Seiren V3 Chroma, but the mic relies on the mobility of a boom arm to be of any use to you in the first place. For the sake of this review, I was graciously provided with the Shure SH Broadcast1 Podcast Boom microphone stand so I could set it up. Coming from a music background, I’m drowning in music mic stands, but not any that were compatible with the MV7i. I’ll touch more on this later, but this is worth acknowledging as you will have to invest in a compatible boom arm if you’re looking to pick up this particular mic.
The key difference you’ll find with the design of the MV7i, other than its reference to its “2-channel audio interface” along the side of its body in plain off-white text, is found at its base. Instead of just a singular USB-C and headphone jack port, they’re paired with an XLR port, which is the real meat and bones of what makes this mic so special. This is where you can plug in any condenser microphones – like my Rode NT1A – that you may have lying around, and record two channels of audio at once.
Recording a condenser microphone at all involves not just the use of an external PA system, but also the use of phantom power to give it the appropriate kind of juice it needs to power up all that intricate circuity. The MV7i, on the other hand, streamlines the setup process and uses its built-in 48 V Phantom Power to support a condenser mic (or a dynamic mic) duo set-up. This included XLR port isn’t just handy for recording two mics, but it also means any budding musicians have a way to record vocals and an instrument at the same time. This will be less of a benefit to those specifically looking at utilizing the MV7i for streaming or chatting to friends via Discord. But, if live music is part of your streaming process in some shape or form, it’s worth taking on board.
Of course, it’s not just this convenience of the XLR port that the MV7i has in spades. The microphone has a long list of features, including the customizable LED touch panel I mentioned earlier. This panel is a bit over-sensitive, and I did find myself accidentally muting the mic repeatedly by simply brushing past it during a recording for a fortnightly podcast I do in my spare time. However, the bright green light will change to a pulsating red to alert you of your clumsiness (as it did for me.) The mic is also decked out with real-time audio monitoring, audio level adjusting with SmartGate, and customizable audio mixing and monitoring through Shure’s MOTIV Mix software.
Performance
Shure’s long history of producing microphones is pretty well-known at this point, especially if you have any experience in the music world. The Shure SM58 is a performance staple, and just about everyone with a history in singing (myself included) will either own one or have used one regularly throughout their career. That’s why it was an absolute treat to see how the MV7i took that high-end audio excellence I remember and transposed it into a device fit for streaming, podcast recording, and any other form of audio recording you can imagine.
The MV7i did not disappoint in this case, and even without a treated audio space, my speaking sounded rich, warm, and quality enough to rival that of my trusty Rode NT1A condenser mic – a mic that’s more suited to capturing the nuances of my Scottish doric twang.
My biggest concern with the MV7i was any peaking or distortion, especially as someone with a very loud speaking voice. This has been a common occurrence when it comes to other microphones I’ve tested, or even just used in a music studio environment. Yet, even without auto-leveling gain and Smart Gate toggled on (a preset Shure designed to dynamically adjust the mic’s audio) there were no disturbances throughout even multiple hour-long stretches of recording.
Where the Shure MV7i shines even brighter is through its MOTIV Mix software. While other audio brands have often middling and confusing to use free software, MOTIV Mix takes inspiration from DAWs (digital audio workstations) actually used in professional audio recording environments, and the end result is one of the most streamlined and easy-to-use mixers I’ve come across. Through it, you can add audio channels just as you would in any DAW, adjust your mics gain, and juggle through various different add-ons and settings.
Most notably, MOTIV Mix gives you access to a whole range of audio customizability, to various different degrees of tone, reverb, a real-time denosizer to get rid of unwanted background sounds, a popper stopper (a built-in pop shield) and even singing and instrument modes. Ensuring MOTIV Mix is downloaded on your PC, Mac or your smartphone is a must if you’re going to actually make use of the two-channel audio recording, as it’s also here when you can ensure your Phantom Power is running – or let you switch to a ¼ input instead if you’ve got an electric guitar or other instrument connected.
With my Rode NT1A easily inserted into the back of the mic, all it took was clicking and dragging the MV7i audio source into the mixer, and setting it up as two channels. For a nice flashy touch, the LED panel on the mic changes to a duo blue and green colorway, so let you know two mics are being recorded. This doesn’t get rid of the mute function either – but instead transforms it into two touch panels, so you can mute each of your mics individually.
Typically, I record all my audio alone, as any gaming podcast I’ve been a part of has had me chatting with those miles away from the bonnie shores of Scotland. With that in mind, I had to rope my partner into testing out my Shure-to-Rode mic daisy chain setup, but the end result was just as I imagined. With my limited space, my second mic wasn’t as far away as it should be, so both it and the MV7i were dealing with some over-spill (which you’ll hear in the recording sample) but it has opened up the ability to record, and monitor, two mics, without the need to rely on my audio interface previously taking up that valuable desk space.
Shure SH-Broadcast1 Boom Arm
I was provided with the Shure SH-Broadcast1 Boom Arm for this review, which was vital in getting the mic set up to begin with. The absence of a stand of any shape or form could be a deal-breaker for those wanting to keep costs at a minimum, especially as the Shure Broadcast Boom Arm comes in at $99.99 / £105. Without having to invest in an additional sound system, you are saving more than that, especially if you were looking at picking up one to record two channels of audio, but it’s still not ideal.
The Shure SH-Broadcast1 Arm was still an impressive bit of kit, and its mobility is what has truly made the MV7i an indispensable part of my PC setup. The podcast arm can be clamped around any desk up to 2.17 inches (55mm) thick and features a full 360 degrees of rotation and an extension of up to 32.25 inches. It’s made from black powder-coated aluminum and sports a tension spring to help keep it quiet when adjusted.
I’m backed into a tight corner in my office, so it has now become one of the biggest fixtures of my desk. But despite its large size, it never crumbled under its own weight through my weeks of testing, nor did it even budge unless I wanted it to. Better yet, never in my hours of recording did the swinging, or adjustment of the boom arm, ever get picked up by the mic itself. Typically, you don’t want to be moving around your mic when recording audio anyway, but even with my tendency to fidget with stands, it never made a peep.
Pairing the MV7i with the SH-Broadcast1 isn’t vital – and if you happen to own a podcast arm that’s already compatible with the yoke of the MV7i then you’re golden. But the build quality of the SH-Broadcast1 was just as reliable as the mic itself, and it made the setup process a lot more manageable. You will need a desk, and a setup that can facilitate such a large accessory, and even weeks later, I’m still trying to find the best placement for it with my limited space.
Should you buy the Shure MV7i?
If you’re in the market to level up your setup with the best gear for streaming then the Shure MV7i would be a valuable asset. Its existence as a three-in-one package (microphone, audio interface, and mixer) means you don’t have to use up any extra room on your desk. Audio interfaces don’t necessarily have to take up too much space (especially if you own the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 like I do), but when you take their need for their own cables into consideration, things can start to get messy and cluttered fast.
Negating the need for a separate sound system not only saves you space amongst your other gaming PC accessories but can save you some cash too. The Focusrite Scarlett 2i2, just like the MV7i, lets you record two channels of audio, but has an MSRP of $199.99. You can pick up older models to save some cash, or even grab one second-hand, but typically the more ports, and channels of audio it allows you to record, the more you can be expected to pay. At $349 / £329, sure you’re not getting a ton of on-board controls on the MV7i mic, but you are getting the benefits of an audio interface, along with the microphone itself.
The hindrance of the Shure MV7i is naturally its lack of any stand. For over $300, I’d like to have seen at least a compact desk stand with a compatible-sized yoke included. Using a podcast arm like the one provided to me for this review will still be the best method when it comes to using the MV7i, but can mean at least an extra $100 / £100 provided added into the mix.
The MV7i may also not be the best fit if you’re never going to have the opportunity to record two channels of audio to begin with. If you stream alone, don’t plan on recording vocals and an instrument together any time soon, or simply don’t even own a condenser mic to begin with, you could still get the benefits of Shure’s high-quality audio with an older model like the Shure MV7+ or even the Shure MV7 instead. That being said, the MV7i brings together the highest level of convenience, and some of the best-sounding audio I’ve heard from a microphone. So long as you can actually justify the benefit of that XLR compatibility – whether that’s in streaming with a friend, recording a podcast at home, or even creating a music setup, I can’t sing the Shure MV7i’s praises enough.
How I tested the Shure MV7i microphone
I spent over two weeks with the Shure MV7i and the Shure Broadcast Boom Arm. During that time, I used it to record multiple episodes of a non-work-related podcast. During these episodes, I spent hours putting the MV7i through its paces, using the MOTIV Mix software to keep an eye on my audio levels and play around with settings. During my testing time, I also used it to chat with friends via Discord, as well as talk to family through audio calls. For more information on how we test streaming microphones, check out the full GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.
Check out our guides to the best capture cards, the best webcams, and the best ring lights for streaming if you want to create the ultimate game streaming setup.
