Shure KSM 44: Advantages VS Disadvantages

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sniper-X
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Sniper-X

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I'm thinking of picking up a new condenser mic, and I was wondering if anyone has had experience with the Shure KSM 44. Any opinions on it, excellent experiences, good experiences, bad experiences, terrible experiences...anything would certainly be helpful. Thanks.
 
I have one...

It's a good mic, I guess I'm an early adopter, and bought it based on the great press the KSM32 was getting. My goal was to have a single mic, and I wanted the multiple patterns found it as opposed to the 32.

It does exactly what I bought it for, its a good condensor mic, but I can;t say I've been blown away. The press on the 44 so far has been a bit lukewarm, I have seen reviews in SOS, prorec, mix, pro audio review, and Electronic Musician or Recording (can't remember) which. Well, actually, SOS and Mix were lukewarm, prorec and the mystery article liked it.

I haven't had occasion to use the patterns yet, so I can't comment on those.

If I had it to do again, I probably would have picked up a TLM for acouple hundred more. There have also been some strong words regarding a new mic from JoeMeek (studio projects or something or another) that Pete Leoni swears sounds exactly like a u87.

For mics in it price range, I would offer that it doesn't make much difference. The AT's (4047, 4050) are comparable, and all are superior to the typical 200-300 mics out there.

Based on my experience, I would say that its a good mic, but I'm not sure its worth the $699 I paid for it.

One thing that has made big difference in its application has been the addition of a DBX silver series front end. I'm getting a much bigger sound out of the ksm with this than I was getting with my Aark Direct Pro.

So maybe the lesson is get a good mic, but make sure the rest of the chain is taken care of. One of those studio projects mics could be had with a voice channel for the price of the ksm.
 
schwa-

Which dbx did you buy ? I'm lusting after one of those but can't decide if I want the 586 or 576.
 
586 and 566...

I was trying to solve a couple of problems. Originally, I was looking to add a compressor, but the Aark has no inserts, so I found myself looking for a pre as well. I also wanted to be able to have stereo linking, so I dropped the dough on the pair of units.

Ironically, the pre seems to be having a more profound effect on the recording quality. The better pre makes me less concerned with squashing the signal down.

I seriously considered the 576, but wanted the extra flexibility.

I might have gotten away easier with a 575 and a RNC, but I am happy with the 566. I'll probably add the RNC when the time comes as well.
 
now,

a joemeek that sounds like a u87 is a perfect example of a home recorder's dream.

Now I am off to their site to see which one it is.

If it happens to be the JM47 @$200, that will be happy hour for many.

peace
 
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