Shure KSM44

I wanted a microphone for vocals and some acoustic, mainly vocals.

This is for a small HR setup seeking professional sounds while tracking.
Male vocal mic that didnt need a lot of EQ and Dynamic work for my voice.
I wanted a mic that could track my vocal to sound finished! and the KSM44 really got me there.

For the past few years I went the wrong direction, getting dynamic mics for this goal.this overcome my noisy room which then lead me down an expensive Preamp outboard path. Once I corrected the room noise, making a "vocal booth" (and moving the pc fan out of the room) I was able to return to the beautiful LDC mics. LDC higher output allowed getting rid of the outboard preamps.

I mainly tested a flagship LDC MXL to a KSM27 mic. The KSM27 was cheap and amazing in build and tones (once I added the foam). It felt professional, metal, and thick mesh screen. The sound was clearer and crisp. So impressed I had to try the Flagship Shure KSM 44 that got most the positive reviews per the "Biz folk".

The capsules are the same in cardiod mode, but the KSM44 has the Dual Diaphragm that per physics works differently and offers a natural compression and less negative proximity effect. The KSM44 has Multi-Pattern and HPF to remove rumble. The KSM44 cost twice the KSM 27 but to me it was worth it.
The KSM44 doesnt even need a pop filter imo. The KSM44 also has a slight ability to compress and maintain a more consistent output due to the Dual Diaphragm design. US made, champagne colored, and a amazing build quality you can feel holding it. Articles say these KSM were also designed around the same drop tests and others all Shure mics go through, and they feel this tough, some even making it a Live mic! these things are great! I have the SM7, SM57, SM58, PG48, etc,, and the KSM series is just as tough built, I love that.

Shure KSM44 puts a professional grade mic in my studio for cheap/used. The KSM44 has that studio sound and accomplished my goal of not needing to spend hours fixing it. For my vocal mic it sounds pretty polished straight into the DAW.

The Shure KSM44 is a large-diaphragm dual-capsule multi-swith condenser microphone. I am a student, musician, writer, and pretty good line dancer residing in beautiful Nashville, TN. I've been a drummer and guitar player on and off for the past 10 years of my life and have began engineering and producing in the past 4. I currently play drums for the band Brookline and you can see me rockin' an Orange County Drum and Percussion or Mapex kit decked out with Zildjian K Hybrids.

Our studio bought a pair of these about 3 years ago for right around $800.00 a piece from Sweetwater. They were bought to add to our mic catalog for a studio in a Recording Arts college in Nashville, TN.

<a href="https://www.sweetwater.com">https://www.sweetwater.com</a>

These mics have a very low self noise and great clarity making them the perfect mic for softer signals and crisp clear vocals. I also love the ability to switch between the three polar patterns; cardiod, omni, and figure-8. The shock mount included is just as secure and effective as the one that comes with the U87.

I have no complaints about this unit thus far. It works great in so many applications.

This mic is tough! It has a durable zinc die-cast housing and can take quite the beating.

Bottom Line? This mic sounds simply incredible and you get set so much for the price. Whether you're starting a new studio on a budget or looking to expand your mic catalog, this dual-capsule condenser is a great value.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

The Shure KSM44 is Shure's highest offering in the condenser microphone territory. It has been and always will be compared to its cheaper cousin, the KSM32, but keep in mind. The Shure KSM32 and the Shure KSM44 are not the same microphone. It may appear to be that way with the KSM44 looking exactly like the KSM32 and coming in exactly the same package, with the only difference being the switchable polar patterns on the front of the microphone, but do not be fooled: they are very different microphone.

The KSM44 has a typical frequency response from 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz, and Shure is very, very eager to talk about how little the microphone distorts. It is a very flat microphone. The frequency plot is a proverbial pancake. The microphone also has a very different self noise figure than the KSM32; while the single pattern KSM32 has a self noise of 13 dB, the KSM44's self noise is a whoppingly tiny 4 dB. This may have something to do with how much more sensitive the KSM44 is compared to the KSM32. The 32 can handle SPLs up to 154, but this microphone, the 44, can only reach 131.

Granted, the microphone comes in the same package as the 32, although this one's case is a tad bit nicer. It includes a shockmount and a pouch, as well as the case and the microphone itself.

OVERALL OPINION

The Shure KSM44 is a very uncolored microphone. It faithfully reproduces whatever you put in front of it, but keep in mind, this is not always the most desirable thing in a recording. It will function well as a workhorse microphone, especially with its patterns and its versatility. However, it is certainly not as sweet or flattering as the 32. This wasn't the goal of Shure when they were designing the 44, and in respect to their original goal, they succeeded. Just don't buy a 44 thinking you have a multi-pattern 32.

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...