Shure is one of the world’s leading manufacturers and retailers of high-quality microphones that are perfect for personal and studio usage.
They are incredibly sturdy, have a fantastic dynamic range, and are perfect for helping you to achieve unparalleled audio fidelity from your recordings.
One of the most popular ranges of products under the Shure brand is the Motiv range, a range of digital microphones that are incredibly easy to set up, hook up to your recording system, and get to recording with.
This makes them also perfect for podcasters of any experience level. Whether you are totally new to podcasting, or you’ve been in the business for years, these are the microphones for you!
But what if they were even easier to use? Well, thanks to the genius of the ShurePlus Motiv App, this just might be a very real possibility.
But is the Shure Motiv App actually worth downloading? How well does it work? And does it make using the Motive microphones much easier? Join us down below now to find out for yourself!
Are There Different Versions Of The ShurePlus Motiv App?
Yes. The first thing that we should highlight is the fact that there are actually multiple distinct versions of the Shure Motiv app available online.
These are each designed to be optimized for the device you are using.
There are dedicated desktop versions of the app for PC and Mac, which can be downloaded instantly from the Shure website.
USB connectivity allows you to plug in Shure devices such as the MV51, MV5, and MV88+ directly into your computer or laptop, so that you can monitor sound levels effortlessly. An XLR cable connection option is also available if you’re using a microphone with an XLR output.
For users planning to use the app on mobile devices, there are also iOS device and Android-exclusive versions of the app, best suited for use on those platforms (also see, ‘How To Connect A USB Mic to iPhone).
What Are The Unique Features Of The Shure Motiv App?

In order to decide whether the Shure Motiv app is worth downloading, the best thing we can do is take a look at some of its unique features. Let’s dive into them now!
Microphone Gain
One of the best things about the Shure Motiv App is that it allows you to directly control the microphone gain, stereo width, and adjust them to your specifications, to achieve the exact results that you want.
The gain of a microphone refers to how strong of a signal it creates to send to the recording software that you are using.
Whenever a microphone picks up sound, that sound is then converted into a digital form which then needs to be amplified again in order to be played back.
The higher the mic gain, the louder the sound from the microphone will sound. Thus, the Shure Motiv App’s ability to let you directly control your gain to precise levels ensures that you can get exactly the sound experience that you want! (Also see, ‘How To Make Your Mic Sound Better‘)
For best results, a device with a headphone jack or Bluetooth capability should be used. This is because the Shure Motiv App has a built-in headphone monitoring system that lets you hear your microphone’s sound in real-time, allowing you to make adjustments on the fly. (Also see, ‘Best Headset Microphone For Recording Audio‘)
Monitor Mix
Recording audio requires that you are able to hear what you are recording being played back shortly after recording it, to ensure that everything sounds right.
The Monitor Mix function of the Shure Motiv app helps to make it easy for you to control all of the various levels of your audio files, on the fly, as you record! This is incredibly useful.
This is particularly important for podcasters, as you don’t want to record for hours at a time only to find out that your audio file doesn’t sound exactly as you want it to!
The Monitor Mix interface allows you to test your recording first before jumping right into your podcast recording, helping you to significantly cut down on preparation time.
Thanks to how well-designed the Shure Motiv microphones are, your recordings will be played back near-instantaneously, thanks to how efficient the devices are, and how well they work in tandem with the Shure Motiv app!
EQ

If you find that certain frequencies in your recordings, such as bass or treble are too loud, then you can easily make use of the editing features such as the built-in equalizer function contained within the Shure Motiv app.
The EQ allows you to make quick and simple changes to your frequencies as and when you need them so that you can stay in control of your recordings throughout, and so that you can easily achieve exactly the kind of sound that you want!
Using the EQ is incredibly simple, and will yield fantastic results every time without trouble.
Limiter

If certain frequencies or sounds are spiking the audio levels in your recordings, then you can make use of the Limiter function that comes packaged in with the Shure Motiv app.
The limiter allows you to set a limit to how loud a certain frequency response can be, which can help you to easily cut down on the number of sounds that bleed into your recordings.
This is great for podcasters because it allows them to ensure that external unwanted noises, such as traffic, or people talking outside of the home cannot be heard in final recordings.
This means that podcasters of all types can record podcasts, no matter where they live, or where they might be recording from!
Using the limiter is also nice and easy, and you can instantly get the results you want, so you don’t have to be an expert with sound recording technology in order to record a fantastic podcast.
Compressor
Your podcasts will sound better than ever thanks to the compressor tool found in the Shure Motiv app.
Compressors are rather similar to limiters, in that they allow you to control the dynamic range of a specific frequency, so if there is anything that sounds particularly loud in your recordings that you want to make a little bit quieter, then this tool will be perfect for you.
And as with all of the other features included in this app, making use of the compressor could not be easier.
Your podcasts will sound totally smooth, and so well balanced thanks to this effortless tool.
Are There Any Features Exclusive To The Mobile Versions Of The Shure Motiv App?
There are not too many features that are exclusive to the mobile versions of the Shure Motiv app, but one of the best exclusive features is that it allows you to record audio using the built-in microphone of your mobile device.
This means that, if you have a very high-quality and up-to-date mobile phone, you can easily record great audio for your podcast!
But if you don’t want to use your phone’s built-in microphone, you can still record your podcast by using any supported microphone included in the Motiv range!
As well as this, you can also easily share your finished recording using email, iTunes, DropBox, or AirDrop, depending on whether you are using an Apple or Android device!
Is The Shure Motiv App Worth It?
If you have a Shure microphone that is compatible for use with the Shure Motiv app, then we strongly recommend making use of the app.
It allows you to gain even greater control of an already easy-to-use microphone, so that you can achieve true mastery over your recordings, allowing you to create a podcast that you can be proud of.
As well as this, the fact that there is a fully-equipped mobile version of the app for Android and iOS devices makes the portability of the Shure Motiv apps even better.
This can make it easy if you plan to record your podcasts in unique spaces, or, say, you need to host an interview at short notice at an outdoor location.
You can be sure that, no matter when you’ll be able to record to a professional degree!
However, there are a few issues that you may want to be aware of when making use of the Shure Motiv app. One issue that has affected a number of users of the app is that of stability.
A number of users have noted that the app has crashed at important moments, especially when it is processing multiple things at one time.
Other users have also noted issues with getting the application to boot up upon starting their personal computer or their smart device.
However, both of these issues are actually quite infrequent, and only affect a small number of users.
Regardless, the Shure company continues to make a concerted effort to keep maintenance of the app to a high standard, and they very often release updates to make it run more efficiently!
Pros And Cons
Pros
- Multiple versions of the app ensure that it can be used on countless devices.
- Easy to use, and has an effective user interface that is simple to understand and non-confusing.
- Works directly with the Shure Motiv range of microphone products.
Cons
- The app is occasionally given to infrequent crashes for some users.
- Some Apple users have noted trouble getting the app to work on Mac computers.
To Wrap Up
The Shure Motiv app is a great way to make the absolute most of Shure’s range of incredible Motiv microphones.
The app makes it easy to control audio levels across the board to ensure that your podcast sounds exactly how you want it to!