The kit comes complete with all you need to capture great-sounding content on your smartphone right out of the box. The stereo mic slides snugly into the versatile mic clip, allowing you to mount it on your phone using the phone clamp.

The clamp adjusts to fit any size smartphone—you can even leave the case on. Then, attach the included Manfrotto PIXI mini tripod to the clamp, position your phone, and get the shot you want. The versatile tripod can be placed on a desktop or folded into a grip for handheld work. To connect and power the mic, use either the included 15″ Lightning or USB Type-C cable with your iOS or Android phone.

The MV88+ Video Kit offers a range of setup configurations for a variety of applications. When self-recording or livestreaming, press the quick-adjust red button on the tripod to release the ball head and position your phone and MV88+ mic in a widescreen orientation on a desktop.

For videography work, simply pivot the mic to the other direction, so it faces the talent. For handheld work, including audio-only applications, the PIXI tripod legs fold to form a grip that lets you move around with your phone and follow the talent in the field. This gives you the freedom to bring your mic close to the subject and capture clear-sounding interviews or wide stereo ambience. Alternatively, videographers can mount the kit on any large tripod using the 1/4″-20 thread on the phone clamp.

Unlike your phone’s built-in mono mic, the MV88+ can be configured with different settings to optimize your sound according to your recording situation. The mono cardioid setting, for example, is a smart choice for an interview focused on a single subject.

For a two-person interview, the mono bidirectional setting might yield better results. The stereo settings offer pickup patterns with variable width, great for recording musical performances or environmental sounds for video B-roll. The raw mid-side setting lets you capture dramatic stereo imaging, which you can adjust later in postproduction.

Whichever setting you choose, you can rest easy knowing the mic captures high-quality 48 kHz/24-bit audio. This means you can edit the audio in any DAW or NLE if need be without losing resolution.

The mic’s built-in headphone output lets you properly monitor your sound in real time, so you can always know what you’re recording and be sure your video sounds great. Slip the windscreen over the mic to reduce wind noise, and you’re ready to fire up the MOTIV app.

Also, a Monitor Mix function for headphone output lets you blend between live monitoring and phone playback. Finally, you can record to the analog line input of an audio recording device using the mic’s headphone output—an additional USB power supply is required to power the mic.

The ShurePlus MOTIV app for iOS and Android phones is an integral part of your kit. It controls the mic and audio settings, and functions as a full-featured audio/video recorder. The app also offers digital signal processing (DSP) with presets to get you started quickly. Included is a limiter to avoid overloading the input, a compressor to help level out volume differences, and a 5-band EQ to tame problem frequencies and reduce low-end rumbles.

The app lets you capture your audio and video in multiple formats, edit it, and share your creations via email, text, iTunes, AirDrop, and Dropbox. You can also choose to livestream right from your phone and share your video in real time with your online audience.