Shure MOTIV MV51 review

A cardioid condenser from the microphone heavyweight

  • £159
  • $199
Reviews
By
( )
last updated

MusicRadar Verdict

Another excellent performer from Shure.

Pros

  • +

    Great for vocals.

Cons

  • -

    Very few.

MusicRadar's got your back Our team of expert musicians and producers spends hours testing products to help you choose the best music-making gear for you. Find out more about how we test.

The MV51 is a large capsule (25mm) cardioid condenser mic with audio interfacing housed in a hefty metal grille-fronted case.

The pivoting kickstand leg allows desktop use, and removing the leg's rubber end also allows stand mounting.

The mic has inbuilt AD conversion and stereo headphone output (16 or 24-bit, 44.1 or 48kHz) and includes two connectors: a mini jack for the headphones, and a micro-B USB for interfacing (both USB/Lightning cables are included).

The MV51 uses your device's integrated audio drivers (Windows 7 or 8, OS X 10.7 or later) and also supports direct connection to iOS devices (version 7 or later) and Android devices (must support USB 2.0 and Micro-B connectivity). iOS users can use Shure's free MOTIV app (requires iOS 8), which includes basic processing (EQ, limiter and compressor) and recording (MOTIV works as a recorder with your inbuilt iOS mic).

The mic front panel incorporates touch- sensitive switches for mic mute, mic gain (switchable to headphone gain) and five DSP presets (Speech, Singing, Acoustic, Loud and Flat).

Sonically, it has a nice proximity up close, making it suitable for vocals and voiceovers. The onboard headphones also provide zero latency monitoring, blending the mic input and interface output for easy overdubbing.

Jon Musgrave
Jon Musgrave

Jon is a London based platinum award winning mixer, producer, composer and club remixer with a diverse CV that spans dance, pop, rock and music for media. He’s also a long term contributor to MusicRadar's music technology tutorials and reviews. Whether working alone or collaborating he usually handles final mixdowns, so you’ll also find MusicRadar peppered with his handy mixing tips.