The ShurePlus MOTIV app provides instant recording for your Android device. Adjust your microphone settings and record uncompressed audio. Then share your files via text, email, Google Drive™, and more.
The LED on the MOTIV device illuminates when the connection is made.
Android requests permission to use the external device each time. Check "Use by default for this USB Device".
This will prevent phone calls or notifications from interrupting your recording.
Select a preset mode or manually adjust microphone gain. See the "Advanced Mic Settings" topic for information on advanced features.
Tip: Gain adjustments can be made while recording, but to avoid audible artifacts, test settings prior to pressing record.
The MV88+ features two capsules: one capsule has a cardioid pattern and picks up sound directly in front of the microphone. The other is bidirectional and captures sound from the left and right sides.
Microphone Cartridge
Rotate the microphone barrel in the mic clip to ensure that your stereo recordings are accurate. Point the front of the microphone toward the sound source. For landscape (horizontal) recording, position the L and R indicators to the right and left. For portrait (vertical) recording, simply rotate the microphone barrel in the mic clip.
Note: The app has a Left-Right Channel Swap to flip the audio channels.
iOS | Android/Mac/PC |
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Green: Mic active, audio flowing | Green: Power is on |
Amber: Error | |
Flash Amber: Firmware is updating | |
Red: Microphone is muted | |
Flash Red: Audio is clipping |
The following suggestions are for typical use cases. Keep in mind that there are many effective ways to record a source. Experiment to find what works best for you. The MV88+ fits into a standard A25D mic clip. So, you can place it anywhere that you can put a mic stand.
Tip: For correct stereo orientation, ensure that the Shure name is clearly visible on the top of the microphone. If the name is not visible, adjust the microphone accordingly.
Position your recording device so you can monitor the recording. Aim the front of the microphone toward the source, with left and right sides of the microphone barrel facing the appropriate directions.
Attach the mic clip directly onto the Manfrotto mic stand. Select the MONO BIDIRECTIONAL polar pattern in the MOTIV app. Point one side of the microphone barrel toward the subject and the other toward the interviewer.
Aim the front of the microphone toward the source. Ensure that the left and right sides of the microphone barrel are facing the appropriate sides.
Aim the microphone toward yourself and select Left - Right Swap.
Tip: If you begin shooting in portrait mode, video will remain in portrait mode even if device orientation is turned to landscape.
The legs collapse to create a portable hand-held stand.
Use the MOTIV app to change microphone settings and to record, edit, and share audio. The device stores the most recently used settings for quick setup each time you record.
Tip: Turn on Airplane Mode and Do Not Disturb to prevent interruptions to the recording caused by phone calls, text messages, or alerts.
Tap Device on the navigation bar to access microphone settings
① Notifications The top row displays which device is connected. A red flashing dot next to the name let you know whether recording is active. The charms show which advanced features are on. Tap the headphone icon to access direct monitoring control. Tap the lock to lock or unlock the settings.
Note: Lock the settings to prevent accidental changes to settings when handling your device during recording. When mic settings are Locked, the setting screen is grayed out.
② Input Meter Displays the strength of the input signal and whether that signal is mono or stereo. The loudest peaks should reach within the target range (indicated by the shaded region between -12 and -3 dB).
③ Microphone Gain Adjust the mic gain slider to set the volume of the sound source.
④ Custom Presets Tap the caret to quickly access your saved presets. Or tap the Save button to save current settings. See Custom Presets for more information.
⑤ Preset Modes Set stereo width, equalization, and compression for specific applications. See "Preset Modes" for more information.
⑥ Polar Pattern Selection Swipe to choose your pick-up pattern. Use the handles to adjust the width of the stereo image.
Tip: Consider the location of the microphone and the size of the sound source when adjusting the width. For example, a large orchestra or ensemble recording benefits from a wide stereo image, which increases separation between instruments. Speech benefits from a narrow width, which improves clarity and rejects ambient (room) sound.
⑦ Stereo Width Handles Use the dots to quickly set stereo width.
⑧ Advanced Features Fine tune your audio recording with limiter and compressor controls, high pass filter, left-right swap, and equalization settings.
Five selectable modes optimize settings for gain, stereo width, equalization, and compression. Set the microphone level and try the modes to find which sounds best. Preset modes can affect the strength of the input signal, so adjust the microphone level as needed after changing presets.
Mode | Application | Characteristics |
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speech | Narrow stereo width to reject background noise, equalization that emphasizes clarity and fullness, and gentle compression. |
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solo or group vocal performances | Medium stereo width with subtle equalization to add richness and clarity for a natural sound. |
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any | An unprocessed signal (no equalization or compression settings used). Adds flexibility when processing the audio after recording. |
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acoustic instruments and quiet music | Medium stereo width with transparent compression to smooth out volume spikes and bring out quiet passages. The equalizer setting emphasizes detail and an overall natural sound. |
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live performance and louder sources | Wide stereo to increase separation between sources. Equalization further improves definition by reducing frequencies that can make the instrumentation sound crowded. |
Create and save custom presets to quickly access frequently used mic settings.
To access saved presets:
Tip: You can save a custom preset at any point by tapping Save.
The following demonstrates microphone capsule pick-up patterns. When operating in a mono mode, stereo width is not adjustable.
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Stereo |
Front = On Sides = On |
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Mono Cardioid |
Front = On Sides = Off |
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Mono Bidirectional |
Front = Off Sides = On |
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Raw Mid-Side |
Front = On Sides = On See "Raw Mid-Side Output" for more information. |
For increased post-processing flexibility, use the Raw Mid-Side setting. This records signal a 2-channel signal with a stereo image that can be adjusted even after the tracks have been recorded:
Left: Cardioid (front)
Right: Bidirectional (sides)
Use the Raw Mid-Side setting with audio recording applications that have a mid-side stereo matrix decoder. Or use the manual decoding instructions to adjust the stereo image of the recorded tracks.
If your digital audio workstation software (DAW) has no mid-side decoder, use these steps to adjust and manipulate the stereo image:
Advanced tip: Using compression with a fast attack setting on the grouped tracks keeps transients (the first part of a sound, such as when a drum stick strikes a cymbal) toward the center of the stereo image and allows them to expand within the stereo field as the sound decays.
Manual Decoding of Raw Mid-Side Audio
There are two ways to access the Direct Monitoring slider when you want to adjust your monitor source. Tap the input meter to view the mic gain and monitoring blend sliders. Or you can view the slider by tapping the headphone icon in the device settings tab.
Use the direct monitoring slider to determine how much of each input you hear. For best results, start monitoring at the midpoint and adjust.
As one source increases, the other source decreases.
After you have selected the preset mode for your application, fine tune the sound of your recording with limiter, compressor, and equalizer controls. Your settings will be retained in the microphone when using other audio and video recording applications.
Toggle the limiter on to set an input threshold and prevent distortion from volume peaks in your recordings.
Choose no compression, or select light or heavy compression to control volume when your sound source is dynamic. The compressor will narrow the dynamic range, which means that quiet signals are boosted and loud signals are lowered.
Choose no HPF for the most natural sound. Or select 75 Hz or 150 Hz to reduce wind noise, room noise, or proximity effect.
75 Hz Low frequency cutoff Provides a 6 dB-per-octave cutoff at 75 Hz. Helps eliminate floor rumble and low-frequency room noise from heating and air conditioning systems. This setting may also be used to compensate for proximity effect or to reduce low frequencies that make an instrument sound dull or muddy.
150 Hz Low frequency rolloff Provides a 6 dB-per-octave rolloff filter at 150 Hz. Use this to compensate for proximity effect or to reduce low frequencies that could make an instrument sound dull or muddy.
For stereo recordings, use Left - Right Swap to flip the left and right audio channels to match the stereo image to the video. For example, when using video to record yourself.
Tip: Use the L and R indicators on the microphone barrel. This way you can set Left - Right Swap before you start to record.
Change the preset modes to hear the DSP changes, and then use the equalizer to boost or cut bands of frequencies to improve sound clarity.
Note: Equalization within presets will not be displayed. However, the equalizer graphic in the advanced settings status bar displays the user-selected equalization.
Tap to access the MOTIV equalizer. Equalization changes are displayed in the equalizer image.
EQ persists between preset mode changes.
Demo mode allows you to test out all devices in the MOTIV series.
Note: Settings in demo mode are for demonstration and are not saved within the app. Demo mode is only available when there is no microphone plugged in to the device.
Tap Record on the navigation bar to access the record button and timeline.
Record Settings
① Connected Device Status Status displays the connectedMOTIV device. Red flashing dot indicates that recording is in progress.
② Settings Status Displays the icons for advanced settings that are currently enabled.
③ Microphone Gain Adjust the volume of the sound source. Keep levels in the target range (indicated by the shaded region on the input meter).
④ Timeline Display Displays the waveform of the sound while recording.
⑤ Record Time Remaining
⑥ Bit Depth and Sample Rate Use the drop-down menu to select your bit depth and sample rate. See "Bit Depth and Sample Rate" for more information.
⑦ Track Information Displays the name, file format, and size of the recording in progress.
⑧ Record Control Bar The Marker button, Record/Pause button, and the Done check mark button.
Note: The maximum file size for a recording is 2GB, approximately 2 hours of record time. This limitation maximizes app performance. Continuous recording for more than 2 hours will generate a second file.
The MOTIV app records uncompressed audio files to provide the highest quality recording. However, you might find it more useful to record in a compressed file format. Compressed files take up less storage space allowing you more space on your device to record. It's also easier to share compressed files by message or email because compressed files use less data. Consider using a compressed format for recording demos or initial ideas because in this case it is more important to capture the idea than have the highest possible fidelity recording.
If you are unsure about which format to choose, start with the highest quality setting. You can always compress files later from your library if you find that you require smaller files sizes. See the Supported Audio Formats section to learn about the file formats that are available to you.
Remember: You can convert compressed audio to an uncompressed format, uncompressed audio to a compressed format and one type of compressed format to another. However, only WAV files can be edited. If you need to edit a file, convert the file to a WAV file first.
Find the Bit Depth and Sample Rate settings in the drop-down menu on the right side of the record window. Select a lower sample rate when it is useful to have a smaller file, for example, when recording speech or a podcast for download. Select a higher sample rate for music and dynamic recordings.
If no alternate is selected, MOTIV will record audio at 24/48 kHz. However, the following bit depths and sample rates are supported.
Bit Depth | Sampling Rate |
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24 | 48 kHz |
24 | 44.1 kHz |
16 | 48 kHz |
16 | 44.1 kHz |
When you plug a MOTIV device into your Android device, a message prompts you to enable Airplane Mode and Do Not Disturb mode. Enable these modes to avoid interference from phone calls, messages, and notifications which add static to recordings. Android devices can't make calls and record USB audio at the same time. When you receive a phone call, recording stops.
Select the Dark screen option to change the app display from light gray to very dark gray. The darker display is ideal for discreet recording in low-light situations. A darker screen also conserves battery life.
You can access the theme appearance setting by going to
Select the Keep Awake While Recording option so you can continuously monitor gain levels during longer recording sessions without the screen going dark.
You can access the Keep Screen Awake option by going to
.Note: Disabling sleep mode will affect battery time while recording.
If you are using the Shure MOTIV app to record video, set your screen orientation to either landscape or portrait before pressing record.
When you've tested your audio and have found the levels that you like, turn on Lock mode to prevent accidental adjustment, and ensure that your audio quality remains consistent.
Record in mono to increase your available record time or when recording a single source, like vocals, that would benefit from less ambient noise. Select the Mono Cardioid or Mono Bidirectional polar pattern and audio from all capsules are summed to a single channel. The input meter will indicate mono recording by displaying the top half of the waveform. MOTIV supports third-party microphones with mono recording.
Rotate the MV88+ barrel in the mic clip to accommodate portrait or landscape recording. L and R are labeled to show stereo orientation of the microphone. The stereo image is accurate if the Shure logo is facing upward.
To make sure that your recordings sound great, plug headphones directly into the headphone output on your MOTIV device.
To ensure that you capture the entire sound source, start your recording before the performance starts and edit the recording later to trim any silence.
Note: If your microphone accidentally becomes disconnected during recording, MOTIV will automatically stop the recording. The save file dialog will appear, prompting you to name and save your audio.
Keep the MOTIV device connected to your mobile device when updating to ensure that there are no update issues.
You will be prompted to back up your recordings. We recommend that you periodically back up your MOTIV files to another computer or device. This allows you the freedom to edit or delete files in the app and remain confident that you'll always have a backup stored somewhere else. Additionally, you will regain space on your device so you can confidently record long recording sessions without worrying about not having enough space.
You can schedule the frequency of backup reminders by going to
MOTIV microphones do not require special drivers and are compatible with most Mac or PCs. The MV88+ settings (except for mic gain) cannot be adjusted via computer, however, the microphone does retain its last settings as configured by the MOTIV app.
Note: USB-A cable is not included.
① Library Search/Sort/Select
② Sort Order Tap the caret to display the tracks in order or reverse order.
③ Track List Displays your list of recorded tracks.
④ Recently Deleted Your recently deleted files will be stored here for 30 days. See the Recently Deleted files topic to learn how to recover files.
⑤ Audio Player Bar
Note: iOS users have the ability to search for files in the MOTIV Library by using the Spotlight feature.
Double-tap the track name in the audio player to access the Playback window.
① Track Information Displays the name of the currently playing track, including file format, bit depth, sample rate, and stereo or mono.
② Track Artwork Keep the MOTIV artwork. Or customize your artwork with images from the photos in your device. See "Customize Track Artwork".
③ File Information Displays the record date and time, and the microphone that was used.
④ Playback Timeline See where you are in the track as it progresses. The time elapsed and time remaining are displayed below the timeline.
⑤ Playback Controls Edit, Rewind, Play/Pause, Fast-Forward, and Loop your track.
Playback in horizontal view
Shure MOTIV allows you to convert, share, or delete multiple files at a time. Only WAV files can be converted.
Access your MOTIV audio files from inside the Files app. The MOTIV app will create a MOTIV folder inside Files, including a recently deleted folder inside the MOTIV folder. Here you can copy your files to other folders or share to other apps on your device if those apps support file sharing. When you copy or move your files outside the MOTIV storage, you can ensure that those files will not be deleted if the MOTIV app gets uninstalled.
Note: Any changes made to MOTIV recordings in the Files app will be reflected in the MOTIV app. This means that if you change a file name or delete a track in Files, you will see those changes or deletions in the MOTIV app library. MOTIV and the MOTIV folder in Files remain consistent. If you move a track in FIles to another location, that track will no longer show up in the MOTIV library. Also, if you were to add a file to the MOTIV folder in Files, that would show up in the MOTIV app library.
Files that you no longer need can be deleted and will disappear from your library. However, you might find that you have mistakenly deleted a file that you want to keep. In this case, the Recently Deleted folder is a temporary safety net that will store files for 30 days before permanently deleting them.
Tap Edit to access editing controls for each track.
The MOTIV Editor allows you to polish your recordings before sharing them with friends or online.
There are two edit mode options:
There are three ways to move around the timeline.
Press Play to begin playback from that selected point.
Pinch two fingers together to zoom out. Pinch apart to zoom in.
Use Landscape mode in the Editor to view more of the waveform.
Create a loop to isolate and repeat a selection of audio.
Markers are audio bookmarks that allow you to return to specific points in your recording. They do not affect playback start and stop points but are useful for reference. When used in Split mode, the marker placement determines the split point for the file. Markers are identified by hour, minute, second, and millisecond (00:00:00:00), however they cannot be placed closer than one second apart from one another.
Adding a marker: Tap the Marker button to insert a marker at the playhead location.
The marker list opens with Start and End markers for your audio track.
Playback from a specific point: Tap any marker to begin playback from that marker point.
Adding a marker: Press the plus sign to insert a marker at the playhead location.
Moving a marker: Press and drag an existing marker to a new location on the timeline.
Using the marker list: Tap the marker in the list to move the playhead to that location.
Renaming markers: Press and hold the marker label in the list.
Deleting markers: Swipe left on the marker in the list to reveal the delete option.
① Timeline Display See your entire timeline. Zoom in for precise editing.
② Trim / Split Select Select your edit mode.
③ Marker List All recordings begin with Start and End markers. See "Markers" for more information.
④ Add Markers Click to add a marker at the playhead position.
Trim mode is used to trim the extra space from the Start and End of your audio track.
Tip: To undo the last action on your iOS device, just shake the device. You will receive a pop-up asking you to Undo the last action or Cancel.
① Timeline Display See your entire timeline. Zoom in for precise editing.
② Trim / Split Select Select your edit mode.
③ Playback Controls Loop, Rewind, Play/Pause, or Add Bookmarks to your track.
④ Marker List Item Displays name and position in hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds.
Use Split Mode when you have a long audio file that you'd like to divide into smaller audio files. Create new edited files while keeping your original file intact.
Note: Double tap on the timeline to zoom in to a location. The closest possible zoom length is two seconds. After you reach the closest zoom, the double-tap will zoom out.
Enhance is a quick way to make recordings sound better and more suitable for sharing. By selecting one of the three levels, low, medium, or high), you can automatically adjust the loudness, compression and other qualities of your recording.
Low | Best suited for speech recordings |
Medium | Best suited for quiet musical content |
High | Best suited for loud or amplified musical content |
To preview the changes made by the enhance feature, select the part of your audio file where you would like the preview to start. Once your file is processed, enhance can adjust settings.
Note: Every time the file is changed, you will need to apply Enhance again to process the changed file.
By selecting one of the three Enhance levels (low, medium, high), a series of processing algorithms are applied to your file. The amount of processing depends on the level that you have selected. Loudness, compression, soft and hard limiting are applied to all levels. Automatic equalization is applied to the medium and heavy Enhance levels. Preview the levels and select the one that sounds best. Save the file with a new name or preserve the original track and create a new enhanced file with a new name.
Tip: Start by applying enhance to a single track. It will be faster to process each file individually. Also, different tracks will have different levels and tones. By processing one file at a time, you can be sure that enhance is getting the best sound out of each track.
Convert your audio into a video file that can be easily shared to social media from your iOS device Camera Roll.
Note: The first time you save to Camera Roll you will be asked to grant permission for file sharing between apps. If you accidentally dismiss permissions, you can always change access in the iOS device settings. Granting permission creates a MOTIV folder inside the Camera Roll.
You have the option to add an image to your recording.
Save your MOTIV files to Dropbox to store backup copies, free up space on your iOS device, or share to social media.
Note: You may need to grant access between MOTIV and Dropbox. Selecting "Allow" creates a MOTIV folder inside Dropbox and links the apps.
Note: Large files may take longer to upload.
Now that your file is uploaded to Dropbox, you can store backup copies of your recordings or share them on social media.
MOTIV supports the ability to AirDrop WAV files to selected contacts.
Use iTunes to easily transfer audio files between your desktop computer and iOS device.
Note: The most current version of iTunes is recommended.
Note: Large files may take longer to upload.
Now that your files are downloaded to your computer you can add them to the iTunes library or import them into any audio editing program.
Note: Use the add file button to upload audio from your computer to the MOTIV app.
Issue | Solution |
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MOTIV device is plugged in, but the device does not illuminate and is not recognized by the app. | Ensure that the cables are connected in correct order; MOTIV device to Micro-B USB cable to On-The-Go (OTG) cable to Android device. |
Microphone is plugged in, but the volume meter does not register a signal. | Unplug and re-seat the microphone when the name of the microphone is not visible in the status bar. |
Microphone has been reseated, but the volume meter still does not register a signal. | If the lights on the MOTIV device are still off, your phone may not provide enough power. Check device settings to enable USB power. And ensure that the connecting cable is an On-The-Go (OTG) cable. |
Audio sounds bad or distant. | To ensure that you are receiving audio from the microphone and not a built-in mic, unplug and reseat the microphone. The top left corner of the screen will identify the Shure MOTIV microphone when the microphone is in place. |
Audio is distorted | Use the audio meter to ensure that volume peaks are within the target range. If the level reaches the red peak indicator of the input meter, turn the gain down. |
Will work with any Android device that has:
Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
Note: See https://www.shure.com/MOTIVcompatibility for information on supportive Android devices.
This equipment is compatible with Android devices that support USB Audio Class 2.0 and USB-C connectivity. Not all Android devices are compatible. Android is a trademark of Google Inc.
The ShurePlus MOTIV App for Android is not affiliated with or otherwise sponsored by Dropbox, Inc.