MV88+ Stereo USB Microphone

Dynamic mics. Even the shure mv88+ for your phone can give you insane quality for a fraction of the price while being portable. Watch a lot of Marshall McGee and behold how that dude friggin record everything with an iPod headphone speaker.

I ran into this issue when my students had to submit an audition. After some research I purchased a Shure MV 88+ Video kit. The microphone attaches directly to your phone via USB. You can use it to just record audio or both audio and video. https://preview.redd.it/ld7v36rh1jfg1.jpeg?width=3060&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6be93f9497c15fa4d2830f1c2275825185b12367

I travel a lot and record every day. I use a tiny little USB microphone, the Shure MV88+. It's very small and it's the only thing you need. You can get it with a stand included (indeed, I don't think you have much choice!) and it's perfect for this. [I've written an article about it over here](https://podnews.net/article/record-podcast-on-the-move-shure) - _Disclosure: I wrote this article, but it's got no display advertising on it, and no affiliate deals or anything_ I gather there's a newer version which has USB-C and also has Bluetooth in some form. I can't find a link to it though.

The iPhone mic is really pretty good; the problem is probably the room where you're recording (which will sound pretty much the same with any microphone.) Here's a recording I made with whatever iPhone I had 11 years ago (probably an iPhone 4): [https://soundcloud.com/piperbob/iphonerecording2](https://soundcloud.com/piperbob/iphonerecording2) For comparison, here's a recording I made a little later using a CAD M179 mic ($225) with an audio interface: [https://soundcloud.com/piperbob/m179-minstrelboy](https://soundcloud.com/piperbob/m179-minstrelboy) The Cad M179 is probably better than any iphone accessory microphone, and it's definitely better than any microphone on any stand alone recording device. To me, the differences between that old iPhone and the Cad M179 and pretty slight. Unless you're trying to produce commercial video it's probably not worth paying for. Since then I've bought a lot of audio gear, including some really nice microphones, and it really doesn't make that much difference. Try this though: get the Voice Record Pro app (it's free) and make a recording with it. It's audio only, but we're trying to troubleshoot your problem. If a recording made with Voice Record Pro sounds good while your other recordings do not (same location, etc.), then you know there's some software setting you need to adjust. If you are convinced you need an accessory microphone, then the Shure MV88+ is a great option.

If you have an iPhone with a lightning connector then the Shure mv88 is a great mic. Combined with the voice record pro app you can make great recordings. But it’s not wireless. To get good wireless recordings you’ll need a professional wireless system plugged into an audio interface.

Yeah. It’s flat through the vocal range with just a little boost at the top end. You need a good sounding room though.

I should add you'll need a 3.5mm dongle adapter for your phone. Being omni, it should capture the environmental sounds you want as well. However if you want stereo, there's a good option that's a lot pricier but still under $300 in the US, the Shure MV88+. I use the earlier Lightning version with an iPhone 14 Pro and it works well, plus the MOTIV app gives lots of preset options for various scenarios - importantly including mono for when it's just a piece to camera. I hate it when presenters use a stereo mic and the voice is moving all over the stereo field, especially jumping from ear to ear across edits.