Shure MV5 Digital Condenser microphone for iOS and Mac

As someone keen on recording voiceovers and podcasts from an iPad, I needed a Lightning-enabled microphone that could handle such a task. While it’s true that Apple’s Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter allows iOS to interface with a variety of microphones that it wasn’t able to before, I like the idea of keeping my setup as minimal and as dongle-free as possible.

Enter the Shure MV5 Digital Condenser Microphone. This is a MFi-certified Lightning-enabled microphone that works with the iPad or iPhone using a single microUSB to Lightning cable. By switching out the Lightning cable for a traditional USB cable, you can use the same microphone with your Mac or PC.

Shure MV5

This microphone is a digital condenser that can be powered via Lightning or USB. It doesn’t require any special adapters or power supplies to work, just plug it in, launch an app, and start recording.

Since I planned on using this microphone for podcasting on the go using Ferrite, it had to meet a few of my requirements. Most importantly, I needed something that was small and easy to travel with. At only 5.5-inches tall when mounted to the included stand, the Shure MV5 easily meets my needs in that area.

Build quality-wise, the Shure MV5 is a mixed bag. It does feature an all aluminum stand, but the stand is so lightweight that the setup is top-heavy when the microphone is mounted on the stand. The thread mount screw hole on the stand is wide, allowing you to move the position of the microphone forward or backward to achieve different firing angles.

The microphone itself is almost all plastic, and features a red windscreen underneath its plastic grill. I’ve dropped the MV5 several times off my desk, thanks to how lightweight the stand is. Even with those drops, the plastic didn’t crack, chip, or dent in any way.
Shure offers the MV5 in two flavors — a black version with a red windscreen, and a more understated grey version with a black windscreen — both for $99. I personally opted for the black+red combo, as it lends the microphone its own unique personality.

Mounting the microphone

Although the Shure MV5 comes with an aluminum stand that allows the position of the microphone to be slightly adjusted, as mentioned, I find that the stand is too light, making it easy for the microphone to tip over if you’re not careful. The good news is that the thread mount found on the bottom of the MV5 is a standard 1/4″ camera tripod thread, allowing it to connect to a variety of stands, booms, etc.

Headphone monitoring

Headphone monitoring is super-important for recording, since it allows users to monitor their sound input and gauge whether they’re speaking to loud or too soft. Thankfully, the Shure MV5 features a 3.5mm headphone output to tap into, allowing me to use my Audio-Technica ATH-M50x cans for monitoring.
The microphone also features a headphone monitor volume adjustment that can help users to acquire just the right amount of volume in their headphones.

Mute switch

Mute switches seem to be hard to come by on microphones, which is one reason why the best-selling Blue Yeti has always been a favorite of mine. That microphone features an easy to access mute switch that makes it simple to suppress coughs and other inevitable background noise that you encounter when podcasting or doing vocals.

The Shure MV5 features a mute switch, although it’s not in the most ideal area. The mute switch for the MV5 is found on the back of the microphone, right below the DSP button that lets you change the microphone’s recording modes. To be fair, Shure seems to have opted for the best spot available, it’s just that real estate is hard to come by on a microphone this small.