Getting Started
Open ShurePlus MOTIV. Dismiss the popups that appear.
Record Settings
Tap the blue box that says something like “24/48 kHz.”
Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, select 24 on the left and 48 kHz on the right. Then tap “Done.”
Monitoring
First get in position to record your sound. As a rule of thumb, try to get as close to the sound source as you can without coming within three feet.
If you see a mic gain slider, that’s great! That means you can control the levels of your sound recording.
When you turn the mic gain up the sensitivity of the microphone will increase and therefore things will sound louder. When you turn it down the sensitivity of the microphone will decrease and therefore things will sound quieter.
Do a test of what you will record. How close do the numbers get to zero? Your goal is for the highest peak to be approximately -12dB.
Why -12dB?
Your main goal is to avoid peaking. Peaking happens when the audio level reaches the top of the range (0dB). When that happens, the audio distorts, which sounds ugly, will be distracting in your project, and can’t be fixed later. If you look at the waveform of distorted audio, you can see what looks as though the tops of the sound waves have been chopped off.
To avoid this, we’re going to give ourselves some headroom. We are going to watch the performance and these meters closely, and make sure the loudest parts land roughly 12dB short of the top of the range (0dB). That way, if our actor decides to give an unexpectedly loud delivery for the real thing, it won’t ruin the take.
Have your actor give a practice delivery of their line. Whether it is too high or too low, move the mic gain slider to your best guess of where it should be so that you can capture a peak of roughly -12dB.
If you do not have a mic gain slider, you will have to find other ways to adjust your levels. You may have to move further away or closer to your subject in order to get the right level.
Repeat this as many times as necessary to get your highest peak close to -12dB. It doesn’t need to be exact, it’s just a rule of thumb. Note that you can tap on the keyboard button on the right and type in an exact value for mic gain.
If you are recording non-dialogue sounds, you can do roughly the same thing. Meter the sound and change the level until the highest peak is around -12dB.
Headphones
Plug in your headphones. Tap the headphone button to hear what the microphone is currently picking up.
As you listen to your audio, you should be able to optimize your recording in various ways. For example, try positioning your device in different ways to make sure you aren’t holding your device at the wrong angle.
After each of these adjustments, you should go back to your levels and reset the mic gain as needed if possible.
If you have an in-line headphone microphone, do not use it. Use the microphone on your mobile device. This might be impossible to avoid when using the ShurePlus MOTIV app. If that is the case, use headphones that do not have an in-line microphone or unplug your headphones and rely on the meter.
Recording
Tap the big red button in the middle of the screen.
Monitor on headphones (if you can) and by looking at the levels onscreen as you record your audio. Once you are done recording, press the check mark to the right of the pause button.
You will be asked to save the file with a name. The default file name is the date and time the recording was started.
Transferring Media
To see your recordings, tap on the button on the right at the bottom of the main screen.
Here you can see all of your recordings.
Separately, in your Carleton Google Drive you should create a folder for your media.
Back in ShurePlus MOTIV tap “Select” in the upper right. Tap “MARK ALL” in the bottom left. Tap “SAVE AS” at the bottom of the screen. Tap the “MORE” option.
Tap “Drive.” You may have to sign in with your Carleton credentials. Navigate to the folder you made for your media and save it there.
Further Resources
ShurePlus MOTIV User Guide: https://pubs.shure.com/guide/MV88/en-US