Sound Execution

I have been recording podcasts for 15 years. We started with a cheap boom mic from Wal-Mart and over the years have gone through a plethora of different headset mics. We are not professional by any stretch of the imagination. So when Movo reached out about reviewing the UM700 USB mic, it was the first time I had ever used a more professional piece of equipment to record my audio. Anyone who has ever recorded a podcast knows that audio mixing is the biggest pain of the process, so getting a new mic setup and recording was no small task. That is why it took months of tweaking and playing with the options to finally get this review out the door.

The first thing I want to address is that the MOVO UM700 is marketed as the cheaper alternative to the Blue Yeti. Coming in at just $100 this mic is designed to offer the same build and quality at a lower price point. The more time I spent with the device the more I realized that they had pretty much nailed it. The construction is sturdy and the sound quality is impressive. Making this an easy recommendation to people wanting to record podcasts or even instrument audio without breaking the bank. I tested the device with vocals and guitar riffs to see how it holds up, and needless to say I was impressed.

MSRP: $99.99
Price I’d Pay: $99.99

The build quality of the UM700 is very nice. The mic itself is very lightweight and comes with a weighted stand with an anti-slip bottom that keeps it from moving around on my desk. The knobs on each side can be used to adjust the pitch of the angle. It feels hefty when in place and allows me to position it to catch the best audio. It has a puff guard slip cover that sits over the mic and of course a screw hole for mounting to a boom arm if you want to go that route. On a purely design level this is one nice piece of hardware.

Once I got the mic out and set it up, I noticed that the box it comes in lacks detailed explanations of some of its features. There is a quick start guide, but it really only gives general information. So I did a bunch of research and testing on what it was capable of. There is not a ton of information out there though. The front of the mic has pretty self-explanatory features such as the volume, mute button, and indicator light. The back of the mic is where things get more complex. There is a gain button, which is pretty easy to interpret, but the knob with various settings took some time to get acquainted with.

Most people using these mics know what they mean, but again for someone new coming in, it would have been nice to have a quick description of each one in the manual. The switch is used to change the directional audio the microphone picks up. There are four types for this mic including cardiod, stereo, omni-directional, and bi-directional.

That may sound intimidating, but it is actually quite easy to understand once I knew what each setting meant. For example cardiod is designed to pick up audio the strongest from the way it is facing. So it kind of funnels the audio from the main direction and sounds get less intense from the sides and behind. This is good to know when deciding what type of recording I wanted to capture. For example a podcast is best set to cardiod so it is only grabbing sound in the direction I am facing the mic.

One thing to note for audiophiles is that this is a USB microphone, which means it will have a slight delay when listening to the device in a pair of headphones. So if you are like me and like to hear yourself through something like sidetone audio, it will sound like an echo. I did download Voicemeter Banana to try and alleviate some of that, but that adds extra processing to the system and can cause issues. For those wanting to hear themselves when recording voice audio, these mics are not best suited for that without extra software.

The mic also has a headphone jack on the bottom which can be used to listen to other sounds or voices when recording. This is nice as I didn’t have to switch audio inputs on my recording software. I could use the MOVO drivers for everything.

At the end of the day the MOVO UM700 is a quality microphone that definitely stacks up nicely to its competition. The sound quality was amazing and I really enjoyed using it for recording my guitar tracks and standalone audio. I still have issues with delay in USB mics though and will always prefer a direct connection to eliminate post-processing on audio. Dealing with podcasts and audio mixing for over a decade has taught me that audio is sometimes more fickle than video when it comes to recording. There are just so many factors and it should not be this hard to make it work in 2021. That is not the microphone’s fault though, just getting to this review reminded me of why I hate dealing with audio software and recording.

Review sample of hardware provided by publisher.

Good
  • Solid build quality
  • Sound quality
  • Lots of options for sound direction
Bad
  • USB mic delay
  • Lack of instructions in the box
8
Great
Written by
Ken is the Editor-in-Chief of this hole in the wall and he loves to troll for the fun of it. He also enjoys long walks through Arkham Asylum and the cool air of Shadow Moses Island. His turn-ons include Mortal Kombat, Metal Gear Solid and StarCraft.