Shure KSM44 Large Diaphragm Condenser Mic
April 23rd, 2010
Your recordings are only as good as the signal chain you use to make those recordings and there’s no more important element in your signal chain when capturing an acoustic source than the mic that you use. This article is about one microphone that will certainly not be the weak link in your signal chain and which is not outrageously pricey (although it is not cheap by most standards.)
The mic in question is the Shure KSM44. I have plenty of personal experience with this mic as it has been the principle mic in my home studio for about six years and I have used it to record a variety of sources during that time.
The KSM44 is a large diaphragm condenser mic and it’s a “multipattern” mic. What’s multipattern mean? Well there are 3 different patterns that a mic can record in (and the KSM44 can be switched between all three.) The directional patterns are cardioid, figure-8, and omnidirectional.
Cardioid means that it only records what is coming from the front of the mic while rejecting sound coming from the back and most of the sound coming from the sides. A figure-8 pattern picks up sound from both the front and the back while rejecting the sound from the sides of the mic. An omni pattern picks up sound from all around the mic. All of these recording patterns can be the most effective pattern in different situations and this is why it’s so cool that this microphone can record in any of the patterns.
Quite a few microphones boost certain frequencies when recording in order to “color” the recording. While this frequency favoring may be perfect in certain circumstances, having a microphone that has a neutral frequency response can allow quite a lot more versatility. The Shure KSM44 is well known for it’s flat frequency response and this is one of the big reasons why it is such a flexible mic. It can be used to record just about any sound source effectively.
Just like all other condensers, this microphone requires a mic preamp. The preamp can greatly effect the quality of the sound you get and investing in a high quality preamp should probably be your next purchase after ordering a good condenser microphone. Yes, most audio interfaces do have built in mic preamps but you’ll get better results from an external preamp.
Categories: Music
