Ksm44...

[cracklin']

I am searching for a good mic that will handle most situations (vocals, acoustic gtrs, banjo, drums/room mic). being that i cant really afford more than one condensor, this mic will be used a lot on each recording I make---so I would rather the mic not have too much of its "own" flavor.
My research has pointed me to the KSM44 (the akg 414 was also recommended).
Is there a better mic for this situation than the 44?

[hognogger]

Others might recommend the Audio Technica 4050 as being in the same quality-bracket for those applications. It seems, though, that of those who've tried all those mics, there's nothing even approaching consensus about which is the best for those tasks. So, in all likelihood, they're probably in the same ball-park quality-wise.

I have a KSM44, which I'm happy with.

Do you particularly want a multi-pattern mic? If not, consider the KSM32, also. You can get one of these used for around $250 on ebay.

I often use my KSM32 in preference to the KSM44 for vocals and acoustic guitar.

[cracklin']

besides the options (figure 8 and omni), is there a difference in sound btwn the 32 and the 44?

[Ronan]

Originally Posted by cracklin'

besides the options (figure 8 and omni), is there a difference in sound btwn the 32 and the 44?

Yes, the are voiced differently. The 44 is a little more hyped in the top end, I do not mean that in a bad way, it has a little for of that high end excitement that you would expect from a nice LDC. It is fantastic mic. I am actually pretty crazy about the KSM32. They constantly surprise me when they often win shoot outs with mics costing 10 times as much. They have a very flat natural sounding top end which might actualy sound a little dull to some when compared to other LDCs, but they EQ well, meaning if you want to boost some high end later they will still sound great.

[xstatic]

KSM 32's actually have a different sized diaphragm then the 27 and 44. More of a midsized diaphragm so you almost get the best of both an LD mic and a SD mic

[Henri Devill]

You could do worse than the KSM44..most of the time its at least good on something and never really bad on anything.

[cracklin']

thanks. now I just gotta decide whether the 44 is worth (for my purposes) the extra dough. i kinda want to get a sm7 too...ohhhh it never ends

[tryptophan]

Check out the Studio Projects T-3. It's very versatile and sounds great on a number of sources.