Since the beginning of the evolution of podcasting and streaming, one brand of microphone has been at the top of peoples’ list of “the mic that you have to get,” and that’s Shure. The Shure SM7B was considered the standard of high-end microphones for content creators despite the hefty price point. You’d see their mics on top podcasts and zero-view streams alike, but some people, such as myself, have told creators to hold off on getting that microphone because, while high quality, it was something you could grow into later as revenue and commitment to creating made it more reasonable.
Well Shure has decided to bridge the gap between beginner and expert with a new mic of their own, the Shure MV6 Gaming Microphone, a microphone with the high quality you expect with a price tag that will be a surprise.
In the box, you’ll find the Shure MV6 Gaming Microphone, a 1m USB-C to USB-C cable (which, to me, is about a half-metre too short) and a 12cm desktop stand. Looking at the build quality, you get the same sturdy build on the mic with a solid metal body, but instead of a mesh-style grating to protect the capsule, you have more of a cage in Shure’s bright green. The cage should protect the capsule easily enough, but I miss the security of the full mesh grating.
Beyond that, the foam windscreen comes off quite easily with less resistance. On the back, you have your USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack for zero-latency monitoring. On the top is a capacitive mute button that is well-placed and quite responsive. Built into the body is a fin into which the mic mount is screwed.
“I went in with high hopes for the Shure MV6 Gaming Microphone’s sound quality, and I wasn’t disappointed.”
The desktop stand on the Shure MV6 is nice and heavy with a wide base, but I find that the rubber footing along the edge of the bottom of the base doesn’t have the grip that some other stands have. I’m not saying it will slide around with a bump of the table, but it will if you bump the mic itself. It also doesn’t stand as tall as I would like it to, ultimately. If this is something you are going to use on a desk, it’s going to be closer to your fingers on the keyboard than your mouth in most situations, and that will be harder to clean up with VSTs.
Despite a few design annoyances, I went in with high hopes for the Shure MV6 Gaming Microphone’s sound quality, and I wasn’t disappointed. You are not going to get the same sound profile that you get out of Shure’s SM7B or even their MV7, but that’s not a bad thing. A more neutral profile (still a little low-end-forward) gives you more room to shape your vocals how you see fit. I’d argue that the Shure MV6 is good enough to use out of the box for the beginner and, if and when the beginner evolves as a creator, that they are free to make the changes that they want to level up their vocals.
While I always recommend getting your microphone off of your desk and close to your mouth, especially with dynamic mics such as this, the Shure MV6 Gaming Microphone was surprisingly good at making you sound good, even at a distance. It’s perhaps the best-sounding mic I have tested from the desktop. I tested it on OBS Studio and thought that I had left noise reduction filters on when the MV6 was on the desk in front of me.
There was no ambient sound at all on the microphone, thanks to the mic’s on-board voice isolation technology. It wasn’t until I moved it somewhere more realistic for a gaming stream, about 20 inches away and off to the side, that I started to get room noise as the MV6’s Auto Leveller began to raise the gain. Even then, the ambience wasn’t too much and could have been covered by music/game audio while my voice never sounded weak.
When you are ready to start customizing your Shure MV6 (if you ever need to), you have access to Shure’s Motiv Mix software. This is their mixing solution which also gives you full access to the MV6’s on-board DSPs, including proprietary real-time de-noiser and popper stopper. All of this can be toggled on and off, as well as the auto levels in favour of normal gain controls and, in place of a proper EQ, is their “Tone” settings, letting you set your tone between dark (bass-forward), neutral (the out of the box default) and bright (more focused on higher frequency) with many steps in between each option.
“I’d argue that the Shure MV6 is good enough to use out of the box for the beginner and, if and when the beginner evolves as a creator, that they are free to make the changes that they want to level up their vocals.”
The Motiv Mix application is capable of doing a sound check, letting you hear the mix of your camera and recording your audio, but it still feels like it has a way to go before catching up to other apps like Wave Link, BEACN App and Unify.
With all of these features, the build quality, and simply being the iconic Shure brand, I assumed the Shure MV6 Gaming Microphone would come in North of $200, but it is, in fact, $149 USD for this microphone. This price tag, for all you are getting and just the overall quality of the microphone, is a rock-bottom price and, in my opinion, makes the Shure MV6 Gaming Microphone the ideal starter microphone for any kind of creator. Shure has made the MV6 simple and affordable, and it’s the first time that I can confidently recommend a Shure microphone to a beginner without asking them to spend more than they should.
- EASY SETUP – Plug-and-play with USB-C for laptops and computers. Start streaming or recording instantly without hassle.
- AUTO LEVEL MODE – Real-time gain adjustment ensures consistent sound quality, whether gaming intensely or chatting quietly on stream. Perfect audio levels guaranteed.
