Tiny Microphone Versus Pro Studio! 

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Mary playing drums is how I feel practicing anything

The slightly more canned sound on microphone B gave it away on vocals but everything else was basically identical.

Not sure which is which, and whether RU-vid messes with the audio as well, but A sounds "warmer" and B sounds "sharper" by just the tiniest amount... but both have great sound. listening thru headphones.

Hey that’s the tech from “an album in ten hours” that video that Andrew and Rob did!

Hey it's that engineer Andrew and Rob tortured for 10 hours on October 1st

I guessed right! The B track had more tin-can sibilance in it that, as one other commenter said, really stacked up with all the layered tracks and became more apparent. I couldn't hear it on any individual track except for your vocals, though. As you both said, impressive for what it is!

May be just me, but I think if you hadn't capped the vocals at 75hz. you wouldn't have been able to tell hardly ANY difference between the A & B track. There's a certain undertone in your voice that I think would have been picked up if the low end had been capped at 40-50 hz., especially in your lower register. Very nice demo in a controlled environment to show what these little gems are really capable of! I'm impressed.😁🎵🎶👍👍

On good headphones, that slight midrange hump in the shure builds up and starts to get very boxy sounding. Most noticeable on drums and vocals. Also, I can hear the room a lot better on the 414...which might be a negative in a cheap home studio! Still, great for a price. And it's stereo itself right? So you really only need one?

That little mic is impressive for shure!

aaaaaaaand now the song is stuck in my head. HELP

A sounded really good. B sounds bright and too harsh to my ears.

I didn't guess it. I was more impressive with your drum faces

I think the lesson of this video is that you can use the MV88+ in a studio environment IF you have a professional sound engineer. I think the lesson of this video is that you can use the MV88+ in a studio environment BUT you have to have a professional sound engineer. A wise man once said, everything before the "BUT" is meaningless (Fuck You Glenn!), so "you have to have a professional engineer." Loved the video. Mary, you are awesome! Also, this was the same studio RS and AH recorded their 10 hour album. The professional engineer guy seriously got much patience.

The most important part about those recordings were the talent and the engineer. If both of those are good, the gear hardly matters.

Can you guess which microphone set up is which? A or B? Comment below! x

Significant vocal compression on B verses A... I think adding the high pass filter was a mistake 8:53

On top of that the MV88+ is a Mid-Side Stereo mic so you get even more versatility with it (these tests were all in mono so you couldn't show that off). I use the MV88+ with my Teche 3D180VR camera (it supports USB audio devices directly). Mid/Side translates very well to Ambisonics -> spatial audio in a small package.

I can definitely tell the difference between the MV88 and C414 even on my phone speakers. The C414 is more open and the cumulative effect is more airy and less midrangy. The drums and the acoustic sound especially boxy on the MV88. It could work on a singular subject on a field recording, but when multitracked it begins falling apart.

Extremely talented and thanks. With your sound tech, I would have found a summary useful. Since people like ME are looking at this not to hear a studio session but to evaluate the MV88+, a graphic summary of Side-by-Side . . . and all the data points would be the best help. Highs Lows Price Weight Portability Connectivity . . . ETC. but thats where all the equipment GEEKs come in without any application like yours. They just fucking YAP stats. Now, MV88+ to the I-Phone 15 . . . that is the challenge now - plug a wire. EASY . . . Not Working, no record, no audio in REMOTE Beats Headphones. WTF.

A is the pro mic setup, the difference was mostly audible on the vocals. B is also a bit more boxy on the acoustic guitar, but nothing that can't be fixed. Pretty incredible.

It's a cool mic and app, sounds great, but a lot of the credit for the sound should go to the engineer and the studio. Knowing what setting to go for, having good acoustics in the room, even knowing where to place it has as much to do with getting a good sound as the mic itself. Nice vid!

I couldn't tell between the two for the most part, and even when I thought I could, I wasn't sure (ha!). What might be interesting is a straight mix of both, the Shure in one channel (left or right), and the pro in the other, and the inverse to give both ears a chance to hear the same thing. Ultimately, I think that the most significant factor that I believe make a difference isn't in the hardware, the mix, or any of the equipment... it's the talent, and in this case, the talent sumptuously oozes through to treat the ears. Well done.

dont forget, 60% of sound - is room, gear is less important, thats why u pick solid, direct mic, and go outside. No walls - no problems

Hello quick techncial question about the Shure MV88 Mic. Will it take over from the internal iPad mic without needing to run some shure app to do so? So say for example I want to run the mic directly into an app like "koala sampler" or "beatmaker pro" to capture my guitar, percussion etc as direct samples will this work?

Don't know too much about Pro's... But to my ears, B is apparently more enjoyable and more exciting than A. I would buy an album recorded with B, but not A.

Hi Mary, You're affiliated with Shure, right? I think it would be appropriate to mention it in the video or in the description. Anyway the tiny microphone seems great. Cheers.

lol I like the clearer sound of mic B by far the most. When I heard the first 2 recording comparisons, I thought to my self "well this isn't fair, the B set up is WAY clearer sounding" thinking that had to be the studio gear hahah

Gotta be A that are the studio mics, the B track has a little sharper, but harsher top end, and not as smooth lower end. However, if it wasn't A/B'ed and just the B version was played alone, I'm 100% sure nobody would be saying "it sounded like you used a cheap mic".

I honestly can’t tell the difference. So I ordered the Sure M88+ Thanks so much for turning us on to a great product and illustrating what it can do, Rob is awesome, I bet that was fun.

What strikes me about this is that the recording engineer really has very little experience with this little Shure mic. He's just pressing some options for recording based on a hunch and getting extremely good results. So what if you had months of experience with this thing? You would have to assume it would just get better. On the other hand if I had the equipment I would certainly use the pro gear! More reliable more consistent cleaner easier to adjust will last for decades etc etc. Also I would listen to Mary Spender recorded with a tin can attached to a string. A voice like that and she knows how to use it. Performance is way more important than the equipment used.

Might be the speakers and setup I'm listening on, but I could tell the difference. Wasn't as drastic as I thought it would be and to listen carefully but there definitely was a "flatter" response from the studio mic. Feel like you might need to do a small bit of filtering to level out the Shure. Sounded nice on the vocals and guitars though, which isn't a huge surprise considering who the thing is aimed at, and what that target market would be using it for, and for the price difference you can't really argue!

With your pretty voice Mary I bet if you played that song from Fleetwood Mac 'Dreams' it would sound awesome! 🌹

The Shure sounds noticeably thinner and noisier, but I think I'm only picking up on that because it's being directly compared to a much more expensive mic. When you factor in price and convenience, it sounds great.

If I could ever keep a cellphone from smashing the screen and thereby the camera lens, I'd probably have one of these by now. But... I love the lyrics "I see you in my wine glass every evening" with "I see you in the lovers I keep leaving." That's some heart-wrenching stuff, there.

Love this video. I'm kind of a 1 person band myself. Only difference is I use a computer drum program because I don't have an acoustic drum kit. I can play, but I live in an apartment flat and my neighbors wouldn't like it! Lol You're a woman of many talents! 👍 A sounded smooth, b was a bit harsher but could easily be fixed with an e.q. during mixing and mastering.

I know it’s quite a bit down the road but thank you for sharing Beautiful voice

Sexy singing. As good as anyone. A world of diff between that and the drums, but funny and brave too just trying it. I like the tech trying to find something to line up the bars with. Pleasurable video it will be nice to see what else you bring.

"It might have a little self noise." No kidding. Great tone though, and great for recording loud things and events.

brilliant! I just bought the MV88+ and am very happy to see this and realize that I can use it for so much!

Microphone B is a little tiny bit thinner, but not by much. At least that's what I'm hearing.

Can't really hear a difference, A little on the drums. Amazing song by the way and really beautiful vocals.

B sounds a little "thinner" than A. However, both have great sound. I think the Shure mic was better on the acoustic guitar and vocals. I thought the studio mics were better on electric, bass, and drums.

Really excellent and helpful vid. Thanks 🙏 😊

Can someone use this mic with something other than a smartphone? Or do you HAVE to use the Shure Apps to control it?

Both would pass. I think I preferred A. B just seemed a bit more sterile. A seemed to capture more of a room vibe.

So is the tiny mic tracking into garage band? Then that’s going into whatever program the engineers using?

Shure owes you money. Dang, this was one of the best reviews I have ever seen. So solid.

I've been thinking about buying that Shure mic since I found out about it, so I can record demo songs and ideas on my phone with the DAW app I bought, and this video just sold me on it.

To my ears, B is much worse than A. It's not nearly good as A. Subtle differences in audio quality are major differences actually.

Record with your phone .then with the device see how well it works. This video was a complete waist of time

This confirms my experience with the cheaper MV88, which has the same capsules: it's the most versatile and one of the best sounding stereo microphones you can get

Mary don't kick no hedgehogs. 🦔🦔🦔

Thanks for the info! I can’t wait to get my mv88+

They both sound good but I think A is the good mic? Not so sure but that would be my guess

Great video! I also got the same mic.. in fact everyone at Thomann’s Synth Reactor 2019 got one like it, donated by Shure. ;) Actually a good mic for most uses like you’ve shown. 😎

So do the recordings get saved into a file on the shure program or do you need another program?

Mary, I really love this Tuesday Talks, I couldn't really hear much a difference between your system and the studio's, most impressive. I think all the instruments you played, were played with so much feel. One of the best Tuesday Talks in a while. Thank you Mary...

I recently got a MV88+ VIDEO KIT, I'm still figuring out what settings to setup the microphone while recording a video. the thing is I don't really know about how to manage compression, mic gain, equalizer or stereo to mono stuff like that... having fun anyways

Add in a muted-trumpet with a countermelody

A little , but noticble , less warmth in the voice with the B ...

Wondering what mic stand he used for the shure mic

I continue to be impressed by inexpensive single or dual mic setups. Of course, it also falls to the mix engineer to hear how to balance everything, and a lot can be fixed in post, but the raw recordings these days are amazing!

I just bought this mic for nature/hiking videography, but I’m also a musician and this made me feel really good about my decision. Lol Great video!

I was going back and forth for the entire video. But my final guess was wrong. I thought the studio mic was the shure.

I love everything you do Mary. Love your constant positive smile. Your videos always cheer me up.

What is the model of the microphone

Hi Mary: again; informative and inspiring. Thank you. My perspective: It's all about loving music, loving writing/arranging/recording/producing, loving to share our experiences, loving to collaborate, and having FUN. One side of the coin is that It's nice to have the best equipment we can have. The other side of the coin is that we can LOVE all the aforementioned with even the tiniest and cheapest mic. Further, some of the greatest classics were recorded with subpar equipment! That's my point of view for what it's worth. I would love to collaborate with you on a creative musical work. I believe we could create something AWESOME considering what you and I could both bring to the table.

When you are in a studio with people who know how to EQ and you aren't using the mic in your phone it sounds good. Do you need a ribbon next to the sm57 on the guitar cab, of course not. But you can get pretty good ribbons, and large diaphram condensors (MXLs) as well as sm 57s and 58s for about $100. So when you are paying the guy at the desk. . .

I really enjoyed this video. Just bought the MV88. Hope it’s not that far off compared to the MV88+!

How much was small/cheap Mic. What's its name, where can I purchase. We're you recording onto you phone ? How do you mix if you are ?

I usually don't hear difference in sound when comparing audio in different way, but this was a HUGE difference, and the Shure microphone is hurting my ears.....its extremely bright and "crunchy ".....sound really bad.

Damn you’re talented

After this, the only application that I wouldn't use the Sure for would be vocals. But this mic is really awesome, and for the price damn!!

I'm not surprised that the MV88+ performed decent. Thanks to modern technology, condenser mics can be made in good quality for much less than those vintage beasts cost. There are plenty of medium/small-diaphragm condensers around that can be used for every instrument quite well. That said... I did immediately recognize that B was the MV88+. It frankly reminds me of _far cheaper_ mics, in particular the T-bone EM700. It surprised me that not more people caught it out.

Amazing performance for such an inexpensive microphone.

biggest question, will this mic work on a gopro? lol

Nice shoot-out! I'd like to know what you could do with the Stellar X2, which compares favorably to a Neumann U87.

Shure sounds a bit pinched in upper mids when pushed on vocals, this was pretty gentle vocals too so it might not be very good choice for hard rock style vocals. I still think it can be a great tool for portable recording vocal ideas and replace vocals with a different mic later, my voice sounds best with my AEA N22 mic out of the mics i have, Miktec CV4, Shure SM7b Etc.i think MV88 might be a good mic any day as the difference wasn't as big on the instruments as on the vocals. it cant fully replace a large diagram microphone but im thinking of buying the MV88 for my Ipad. My main plan is to find complementary acoustic guitars to the acoustic guitars i already have in the local Music store with the MV88. im tired of buying the wrong guitars as some guitars sounds great in the shop but not always great when you try to record them

I reckon A is Studio, B is Shure... but also I enjoy how much more content and in his element Rob is when recording with you compared to basically anything Rob Scallon throws his way 😂

soo expensive mic are just over priced?

A is expensive one but impressive man! To bad its only iTunes

Nice knowing that money is not what music, these days, are about! And thx for showing the 2 mikes side by side, so we know that you are not cheating! The bottomline is: THX for removing all the magic of microphones and the recording!

It’s fantastic to see technology like this come to a price level that’s attainable by the average person ❤️❤️❤️❤️ thank you for sharing

OK.. So I would like to add my thoughts too. From the very beginning I could hear the A sample being warmer and having more depth which made it feel like it touches you more. On the other hand, the B sample, sounds sharper and having less depth, almost feeling like being a little bit trapped in an enclosed metal space. Also in one particular sample (don't remember which one) it also sounded a bit harsh. But.. When all the tracks started coming together both samples started sounding more identical but retaining the above qualities that I mentioned. The one big difference to my previous observations were the voice sample which sounded almost identical, I honestly could hardly hear a difference, maybe none in a blind test. Which makes you think that this is natural because they will have probably tuned this microphone to pick up the human voice really well. Also I would like to add that the completed A sample of the song gave me a tingling sensation in my brain and I could feel my neurons firing up (in a good way). I did not feel the same with the B sample but it was very good overall. Especially considering the price of the mic!! Of course it had difficulty picking up the kick of the drums because it's not really designed for such a thing. The fact that it managed to handle it just goes to show how good it is for the price. Great episode overall, I really enjoyed being shown the workflow and the human emotions and interactions between the musician and the sound engineer. I listened to this through some Sony hands free headphones (small ones) and a cheap Dell laptop. Thank you so much for making this and for the effort that went into. Great song also, full of emotion, can definitely be a hit with the right promotion (maybe it already is, I don't know) Cheers!

Wow! Great Music! The MV88+ held up amazingly well in the studio. Fantastic Video, Thank You!

It's that "last 10 percent" that sets microphones apart, though...it's what makes an AKG C414 worth 1400.00, because you're not going to get it any other way... Sure, 99% of us can't really hear the difference, and no home studio recording will ever be able to take advantage of the last 10%, but if I'm in a professional studio, paying professional studio prices, it's that last 10% that I'm paying for...

A is smoother in the high-mids where B has a bit of a harshness. Of course EQ could probably compensate for that. It must be difficult to do a Blumlein with a single cardioid mic, or was one 414 unused?

I really wanna hear the whole song in this recording.

Thanks for posting. I’ve ordered an MV88 now. I was almost convinced and then your video sold it to me.

I hear the mic A as a more full and balanced. Could be that the mic B has some tiny unpleasant distortion?

Cool review

I guessed it right, but I wouldn't have bet my money on this choice.. ;D

There is more to a microphone than how it sounds. Sound quality I leave to each persons personal preference. My interest is whether the mic is omnidirectional or unidirectional? Your typical RU-vidr mics are omnis. Which pick up everything in the darn room. I prefer unidirectional that only picks up what it is pointed at. I would rather not hear the air conditioner running. Or echos bouncing off the walls.

I was watching this episode on my TV (through my Apple TV) - I spotted which was which as soon as you started singing. And I'm not sure the 414 was a great choice for your voice, but I wasn't recording you, (nor do I have a truly impressive mic locker so I might be speaking out the wrong orifice.) But on the bass and guitars - yeah, they were well matched. Then again considering we often mic guitar cabs with a $120 (CAN) SM57 - a $300 mic should be decent :-D

Great review and overall demo & evaluation on the microphone. It is pivotal in my decision-making. Great work! And very nice song and vocals! Love it

That's crazy the difference on the vocals was the only big difference i heard, i mean the drums ofc. i need to train my producing ears :/

This video has been huge. Its given me confidence in my investment in this affordable mic and so ready to start my home recording journey with any and all instruments

in fact many missconception about big versus small microphone, the small can be as good as the huge static condenser figure 8 microphone, wich are usualy made for recording of a big orchestra in mid/side stereo on audio tape (that's why they are crisper...) , people tend to use it on cardiod patern to record voice, but there was not design specialy for that, a simple dynamic or ribbon mic is usualy good enough for voice recording in monaural.

A sounds better.