Shure SM94

The Shure SM94 is a small diaphragm electret condenser microphone that I have used in the recording studio. You can probably use it for live shows as well, but I haven't used it for this application as I don't do live sound and only do work in the recording studio. It wasn't until pretty recently that I had even heard of the SM94 let alone used it, as they seem to be pretty rare. In terms of characteristics, it's got a standard cardioid pick up pattern and will pick up frequencies between 40 Hz and 16 kHz. It requires phantom power, but can also be powered by AA batteries if you're using it for a live show.

OVERALL OPINION

My experience with the Shure SM94 is somewhat limited to date, but I have used it in a few different situations, including for acoustic guitar and scratch vocals. While the SM94 isn't my favorite sounding microphone for these applications, it does have a good enough sound to get the job done well. It doesn't have any special features, and in fact the limited frequency pick up makes it less versatile than most microphones that should be used in the recording studio. While this does have a similar look to the Shure SM81, it doesn't have the same type of sound at all. While the sound of the SM94 is quite clean and full bodied, it lacks the vibrant sound that you'd get with a more traditional small diaphragm condenser like a Shure SM81 or a Neumann KM 184. Even though the Shure SM94 is pretty rare, you can most likely find them around here and there if you're looking hard enough. However, the SM94 isn't all that noteworthy where most people will be searching for it, so I believe the price wouldn't be very much, but it won't be extremely cheap. All in all, while not the greatest sounding small diaphragm condenser out there, it's still a very good sounding microphone worthy of use.