MOTIV Audio Reviews

by Rigadoohaus

Shure makes incredible mikes don’t give me wrong, but this is one utterly frustrating application. I don’t know how many times I’ve had that spur of creative juice picked up the phone opened up MOTIVAudio plug in the mike and started recording and Wala what comes out of the other end is absolute silence. His application seems to shut off while you were playing in recording when the device screen turns off perhaps this company didn’t even decide to test with the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7 or maybe without a phone in their hand at all. You’re happy to do one thing right, consistently and reliably record anything. This does not do that at all. What a waste of buying $150 microphone along with using MOTIVAudio. I would suggest getting out all the bugs before trying to release an app on MOTIVAudio Store.

by Voiceover Vixen

The mic is excellent but I cannot make cuts within the wave form when editing – waveform has to be split and trimmed individually which is tedious and creates extra files not needed to edit one wave form. There are no resources available to show how to edit otherwise you cannot just highlight the empty space and cut it you have to split and trim every single time. My files are anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes long as you can imagine having an app that can’t edit this way is pointless I have to export to another program if I want to even try.

by Theiosdude

The hardware isn’t recognized by the software, all of the extra features that you get once the unit is synced with the software isn’t there. So anyone with the intentions on purchasing this unit to you strictly on iOS devices may be in trouble because they having trouble syncing to one another. Noted this device works fine on Mac and PC but the intended use for the device is iOS so those looking for the mentioned capabilities and features I wouldn’t recommend this device.

by Ecsdesignsvfx

I feel like I’m taking crazy pills, I’m seeing pics and videos of all these mic “features / settings / presets” screens, have exhausted every button/page on MOTIVAudio and see nothing of the sort. I have a record button, a headphone icon, and can change the theme to light or dark. That’s the extent of it. Where in the world are all these extensive setting and preset features???

Update . I figured it out - the whole page that holds that content was blank except for mic “gain”. I unplugged the mic and back in a couple times and all the settings loaded. Those settings are showing up for me about 50% of the time. Sometimes briefly a spinner and blank, sometimes spinner and settings are there. Just keep unplugging and plugging in until it populates

by HDCShah

While Shure has expanded out the line of microphones supported and increased the functionality of MOTIVAudio, it seems to have left out the older versions of hardware, specifically the first gen MVi interface on current Apple iPads pros with current iOS. I’ve tried several brand new USB-c to micro USB cables, but MOTIVAudio still does not properly recognize the MVi interface. My iPad powers up the MVi and I can use the on device controls but MOTIVAudio just doesn’t recognize the device. My MVi is now just a pretty paperweight. Way to stay current, Shure.

by Dahl540

I’ve literally never written another review of an app before, but before the iOS 11 update, this was the one app to rule them all. By far my most recommended and most used app, and as a drummer, definitely the most necessary for what I do. After the update, I’ve had maybe a 10% success rate for my recordings, and lost many fantastic ideas due to error. A majority of the time it simply says Recording Unsuccessful. I have nearly 30gigs of free space, so it isn’t the storage. Please, if someone can help fix these issues, I’d highly appreciate it.

by WC Doolin

MOTIVAudio works perfect on my iPhone 11 Pro Max however my IPad is a different story. I just purchased an iPad Pro 4th Gen and when I launch MOTIVAudio it is missing most of the settings that are available on the iPhone. I just have a gain adjustment and that is. There are no options such as the stereo width adjustment, filters, EQ or compressor. I am assuming it may be a problem with compatibility with the IPad OS since it works fine with iOS on my iPhone. I just purchased the IPad and the MV88+. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

by Msreenie

In response to the developer’s feedback:

I contacted support through the MOTIV Audio App & we’ve been troubleshooting all week. I doubt it is a connection issue bc you can tell the difference in sound quality when I record with the mic attached and unattached EVEN if neither app recognize the MV88+.

We’ve deleted and downloaded both apps again, and adjusted permission settings but no dice.

For the time being, I can set the parameters for the mic on the desktop app but the whole point of this line of mics is to be portable and easily adjustable with our mobile phones. It would be nice to be away from my desktop and still use the mobile app to adjust settings as needed.

******

Hi, I updated my iPhone 12 Pro to the latest iOS (15.3.1) in hopes that it would make MOTIVAudio functional again. But it doesn’t do what it used to, which is register my Shure MV88+, allow me to choose a setting, then record. Now it shows “built-in” as my mic and says the presets are just an example of possible settings but doesn’t actually impact recording, which is the opposite of what I want it to do. Any troubleshooting tips? Thanks!

by S.Francise

MOTIVAudio is really cool and feature rich, but for whatever reason, when recording a louder signal (electric guitar, full band, etc) with a MV88 and the meters in the green, I get a really gross crackly distortion. It sounds like I was clipping the mic, but it’s not present when I use the same mic in the exact same position with other apps. Sounds great with vocals and acoustic guitar though!

Another minor complaint: I can’t get MOTIVAudio to flip upside down like shown in the ad shots. The most frustrating thing is that this is happening in a very cool and feature rich app that I’d love to be able to use without fear of unexplainable distortion.

by DOOMAPPLE

Using MV88 with my iPad mini 5. It was working great until a few months back. I don’t know what happened but ever since a few months back I get audio clipping during screen recordings in the middle. It messes up the recording and I have to do the session all over. I believe that recent iOS updates have broken some compatibility issue with Shure mics that connect with lightning. Please talk with Apple in making sure your mics are 100% compatible with Apple products.

by Lengjaihk

Update:

still the same issues as below, but now a new bug where converted files don't show up in the list, but they do in the file list if connecting the phone to a Mac.

I've been using MOTIVAudio alongside the MV88 for a few years now and MOTIVAudio has always been a reliable way to capture sound, edit fade and length of the audio, different file formats to share, etc. Here's a problem though... The controls on the fade have always been difficult to use, but now they're way harder. I spend a lot of time trying to tap and swipe the controls and end up grabbing the beginning or end markers instead of the fade control. It's too small to grab most of the time. Basic effects like reverse, gain, reverb and normalizing would be great additions to a future release. But for now, please fix the issues mentioned. I understand the need to update the design because of a overall redesign, but can we have an option to have the previous look? I like it a lot more as it was, especially dark mode.

by DavidBrackett385

MOTIVAudio is good but it’s a little confusing if you’re using their MV7 dynamic mic. It doesn’t seem to have the options to tailor the sound like the desktop has which is a bummer. I wouldn’t think it would be hard to update that. I podcast with my iPad and iPhone and it would be nice to have the full features available

by SendIt Hesham

I bought the microphone last year to go with my iPhone 11 Pro Max for outdoor climbing filmmaking to get better audio and it worked like a charm but the recent update does not work with my new iPhone 12 Pro Max. Every time I connect the cable to the lightning port, my phone immediately resets and reboots.
Please fix this issue so I can use my microphone again

by Trainwreck0224

I’ve used MOTIVAudio to record EVERYTHING, from practice to auditions. It does not disappoint. The sound clarity is near perfect, and the layout of MOTIVAudio is so simple to easy that even a dummy like me to technology can work it. It even allows a simple process to download recordings, which other apps I’ve tried have seriously lacked. However, I would like a minor change. I would like to be able to put my recordings into different folders, as I absolutely despise being disorganized and as an avid user, I have a lot of recordings; I could easily download the videos and then delete the recordings on MOTIVAudio so I have less clutter, but I don’t want to. Thanks for listening!

by Braided Pony

I get many compliments on my recordings. I have one issue and that is the micro USB to lightning cable that does not fit snug into the iPhone X. I tried changing my case and now have a silicone case that does not block the Lightning port in any way, but the cable rocks just enough inside the port that it makes the mic lose connection. Is there a replacement cable to fix this issue? 🤔

by TorbinRapid

I’m a new user of MOTIVAudio and the Shure mv88 mic for iOS. The sound is crystal clear, the stereo separation is appropriate, and I like it all so far ..... except.

My iPad will flip my apps 180 degrees, putting the mic at the top. The iPhone will not. Admittedly this is an iOS problem, but if they are not going to fix it, I’d appreciate the option to flip my screen while using MOTIVAudio . Any chance of this in upcoming updates, my app developer buddies seem to think it’s an easy fix .... but what do they know?

by 1.6B6T

Your latest version 3.2.3 has a bug. With the MV88 connected to my iPhone 12Pro Max/iOS 14.6, upon launching MOTIVAudio all appears normal. But as soon as I minimize MOTIVAudio to do something else like open my camera, the Motiv App changes and reverts to the “Preview Mode” of MOTIVAudio which basically means you cannot do any audio recordings with MOTIVAudio or make any recording setting changes that you would normally find in the “Device” section of MOTIVAudio . It will remain stuck on this mode until you close MOTIVAudio then re-open it. This had me confused before I figured out what was going on. I thought maybe you were forcing everybody to switch to a pay version of MOTIVAudio ! Basically the work around right now is to close MOTIVAudio then re-open it (while having the MV88 connected). Please fix this annoying problem!

Update 9JUL2021: A special thank you to the developer, you read my problem and fixed it with the latest update version 3.2.4 on the same day! An uncommon gift, can’t ask for more than that! Thank you! To be clear, when you minimize the Motiv screen, it still reverts to the “Discover Shure Motiv Microphones” promotional screen. However, as soon as you bring it back to the front it immediately switches to the proper “Device” screen where you can make all your changes/adjustments. Thank you for listening and I’m especially grateful for the lightning fast response!

by Greg_Latrell

Thanks for fixing iOS 11.3 bug so quickly!

Love the Shure mic and MOTIVAudio. Being able to quickly name files and then airdrop them to my mac is so nice.

A few things I would love:

1. The same mic with a headphone jack built in.
2. When saving an audio file I wish the name was already highlighted so I didn't have to click the 'x' to rename it.
3. I wish the keyboard would automatically come up when saving an audio file.
4. The ability to lock the orientation of the screen when upside down so it doesn't keep bouncing back and forth.

These things are super nitpicky but just wanted to throw them out there. This product is amazing and I'm recording amazing sounds all the time.

P.s. I'm using an iPhone 7 Plus so thanks for bringing back the Bluetooth monitoring even though I'm sure there will be latency.

Thanks,
Brennan

by Darrel M

I had been using a Zoom HandyRecorder, but wanted to integrate my remote video and audio recording so I purchased the Shure MV88+ microphone and iPhone recording setup. The Shure hardware setup works great with the MOTIV Video app with excellent stereo sound and video sync using an iPhone or iPad.

One night I needed to record a band practice session and did not bring the Shure mic setup, so I used the MOTIV Audio app with the iPhone mic and it sounded reasonably good. On several subsequent sessions I have recorded for over two continuous hours without problems. The MOTIV app quickly converts wav files to Apple Lossless format and AirDrops the files to my iMac for further editing and processing in Logic ProX. I always have my phone and the MOTIV app is so “handy” I sold the Zoom recorder.

by Lojavvvv

I bought the Shure MV88 microphone for iOS and the microphone as well as MOTIVAudio going with it are both well made. The mic is very cool, actually consists of two mics in mid-side arrangement for great stereo or mono recordings. Considering how small and portable it is I'm impressed with the sound quality.

MOTIVAudio is great, my only request to the developers would be to add a high pass filter to the effects options. In processing vocal recordings I use a high pass filter almost every time, it would be nice to have the option to automatically do this.

by DavieMustard

Overall I love my Shure Motiv MV5 mic, but MOTIVAudio is very frustrating in the sense that it is more basic than the apple voice memos app. You cannot listen to what you recorded until you save it! I would also appreciate a folder-based organisation system for storing audio recordings, as the running list is not very efficient. Otherwise, MOTIVAudio and mic are great

by In My Free Time!

I’ve been using this a few months now, mostly for a simple way to record live performances or practices. Biggest complaint is no effects. It would be nice even if you could just add a little reverb. I’ve also had it randomly just stop recording for no reason that I can find. Decent overall but can’t say I’m thrilled with it.

by Gi Gi 28

These mics are super easy to use, and after figuring out MOTIVAudio , by doing a little reading, I really enjoyed the results! I do so much recording with iPhones, and now that I have my new iPhone X, I have bought a second Shure MV88 mic to use with my 5s to record audio only, and my 6s to I record video and audio together! I then will mix them with Board mixes to get the crowd ambience sound, and it all turns out so fantastically. All the musicians I have filmed have commented that they enjoy the sound from this mic much better than they do the native iPhone mics. It doesn’t seem to work as well with my iPhone X, but only if I change lenses in the middle of doing a video, (the sound drops out for just a second, i.e., using the optical zoom). Every time I use these mics, people stop and ask me about them!

by 2old4roadrash

Two words. Screen Rotation. Screen Rotation alone makes MOTIVAudio far superior to its non-Sound Industry rivals, but add the ability to split tracks and optimize settings for sound sources and environments and there are no applications that come near the professional performance of ShurePlus™ MOTIV™ 24-bit/48 WAV recording application. And I don’t even own a MOTIV microphone .... yet.