Getting started is as simple as plug and play, but you’ll need software to delve into any settings. I’m not a big fan of Motif Mix program Recommended on the box. Before I could download it, Shure asked for my full name, city, state, zip code, and email address to get software updates, which seemed unnecessary.
The program gives you the option to switch to manual gain, adjust the tone slider from dark to bright, with natural in the middle, turn the noise remover and blast reducer on or off, as well as adjust the high-pass filter for background noise. There are also screen and mute settings if you choose to record with Motiv Mix. There’s nothing new here, but there doesn’t seem to be any way to access these settings otherwise. I wish there were only knobs on the microphone.
can you hear me?
As far as I can tell, the settings you change will remain constant even if the program is not open, so feel free to make adjustments, then close it and go back to what you were doing. I did some comparison tests with different settings while recording myself, and after listening again, I generally felt that the default settings worked well enough. There’s nothing here that I think is out of the ordinary or goofy in any way. The explosive reducer works well enough that it doesn’t need a pop filter for my Ps. I didn’t notice a particularly strong change from disabling the noise canceler, though this is probably due to the back rejection of the microphone, which helps suppress keyboard noise.
The automatic level made me climax a little if I suddenly screamed after whispering, but it adjusted quickly enough, and brought me up just as quickly when I spoke softly. It’s nice not to worry too much about levels, since there’s no interface for quick checking, and the MV6 lacks any built-in controls or feedback.
People who listened to recordings or talked to me on Discord noticed that my voice sounded clear and crisp, which is a marked improvement over typical gaming headsets. I think you can easily use this microphone for streaming or podcasting occasionally, and you won’t receive any complaints. I don’t feel like I’m missing anything in terms of sound if I use this instead of my own Audio Technica AT2035at least when it comes to normal speech quality. Professional audio engineers might feel differently, but if you’re not examining waveforms or recording audiobooks, you probably shouldn’t be.
Photo: Brad Burke