The Shure KSM44 is a large diaphragm condenser microphone that is designed for use in the recording studio. This is probably the highest end condenser microphone that Shure currently has to offer, as of course they are best known for their dynamic mics. The KSM44 will certainly draw comparisons to the cheaper KSM32, as they are definitely similar mics. The KSM44 has three pick up patterns to choose from, including for cardioid, omni-directional, and figure eight. It picks up the full range of human heard frequencies, from 20 Hz to 20 kHz.

OVERALL OPINION

The Shure KSM44 is simply an all around great microphone. It's suitable for almost any application that you'd like to use it for, including for vocals, room mics, and anything else that you can think of where you'd want a good amount of clarity from a large diaphragm condenser mic. I've also used it for recording the bottom of a snare drum, and it excelled tremendously in this situation as it picked up all the details of the snares beautifully. When compared to the Shure KSM32, the KSM44 has more options and a slightly cleaner sound, although both mics do sound great. It would be hard to say if it would be worth it to go with the KSM44 over the KSM32, as it really just depends on your situation and what you want to use the mic for. I'd recommend both microphones, and it should be easy enough to try out both of them since they are quite readily available. I don't know if it's worth the extra couple hundred bucks if you are a home studio owner looking for an all around condenser mic, but again it's hard to say as everyone's situations will be different. All in all, the Shure KSM44 is a very high quality condenser microphone that comes at a reasonable price considering the flexibility and overall tone quality of the mic...