Shure KSM32 (Champagne) Reviews

4.4/5.0 based on 19 customer reviews

Sweetwater Advice

Tim Harrington

Excellent mic for recording! Its flat response makes it great for multi-applications: Choir, Big Band, wonderful on vocals male and female, drum overheads and strong enough to handle the sound pressure level of Marshall guitar amps.

Stuart Niven

The Shure KSM32 is a wonderful, detailed, and clean studio microphone for your collection. Like all of the KSM range from Shure, it captures what you put it in front of with no coloration, providing you with a very natural and neutral sound. A perfect general purpose microphone that will always find a use in any session!

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Customer Reviews

Jonathan Jorge
from Riverside, CA
November 23, 2012Music Background:
Recording Engineer, Live Sound Engineer, Musician, Hobbyist, and Student

Awesome Drum OHs

I got the chance to use these the other day while recording drum tracks and was blown away with the sound that I was able to get from these! They did a great job with the overall sound of the kit, but I especially appreciated the clean and bright sounds of the cymbals. I would highly recommend these getting a pair of these for drum drum OHs.

from
December 10, 2010

Amazing OHs

These are great as drum overheads. I used these today on a project and they blew away mics costing twice as much. I also tried a pair of Neumann km 184s, Shure SM81s, and AKG c414s and none of them could compare. A spaced pair of these does a great job of picking up the whole kit. If your one of the people who thinks overheads are just to pick up cymbals, these aren't for you, but for anyone who knows what over heads are meant for, these are your best bet.

lloyd jones
from usa
November 11, 2009Music Background:
recording engineer

KSM 32 best microphone ever

i really enjoy listening to my songs after using this bad boy i sound like a new man great presence and vocal range 2009 best underground artist lyrical Reighn.Mob ent

Jake Saltus
from Im here, Im there, Im everywhere.
October 19, 2009Music Background:
singer, sound engineer, chip and dales dancer, songwriter, and oh yea guy in a band

The Best Microphone I have ever used

I have been using this mic (ksm 32/sl) for about 3 years now. I have used Rode, Neumann, Blue, and everything else under the son. I love it for its clarity. A rare frequency response, natural with only a few slight bumps in the 5 k range. The result is you get back the vocal you put in. Im very obsessive over my vocals sounding the way i picture in my mind and so far this is the only mic that does it. Believe it or not for me it knocked the Neumann tlm 103 and u 87 out of the water. Many would disagree but with mics it depends on the singer some need exaggeration in some frequencies and other dont. i myself have a rather thick vocal so i need this mic's sonic properties to thin it down a little. Well im off to sing stuff bye.

Cary
from Vancouver BC Canada
May 16, 2009Music Background:
hobbyist

KSM32/SL

I bought this mic used online for a smokin' price. I was saving up to buy a brand new KSM32/CG when this came along, and I snapped it up. I A/B'd it against every other mic I own, and it slaughtered them all. Two days ago I though I was getting some good drum sounds, now I'm faced with having to buy three more 32's! (This mic killed all over the kit).

Adhab Al-Farhan
from
October 30, 2006Music Background:
Recording engineer, producer, pro musician, hobbyist

Multi-million dollar sound!

You really don't need to own a $10,000 or more for a microphone to achieve that multi-million dollar sound (or just to brag that you own a really expensive mic!). With the Shure KSM32, you can get that multi-million dollar sound without breaking the bank or the ego. This mic is perfect for vocals and instruments. Perfectly engineered!

Ephraim
from Los Angeles, CA
January 18, 2013Music Background:
Recording Artist/Project Studio

Must have Project Studio Mic!

So I've been putting my Project Studio together for the past year. I've heard of these Mic Lockers (basically a nice mic collection for different apps in tracking). So I started with $100 mics up to about $300 mics. Let me tell you right now, SAVE YOUR MONEY! and buy this one instead. This is the most expensive mic I own and I am 100% glad I do. Although, I don't record my vocals with this mic on all songs, it is always a contender. The only reason why I use other mics is because the character of the mic fits with the song better and because I have the choice to do so. If I didn't, I'd much rather work with this mic than any other because of its transparency and clarity. Character may be added in your DAW later if you need any. You can't go wrong with this mic at all. If you're putting together a project studio at home, my mic advice would be: 1)KSM 32, 2)SE 2200a II C and 3)Blue Bluebird. I've put them in order of Transparency and Clarity to the same but with more character. Do your research and make some great music!

Mike S
from OC - SoCal
November 28, 2011Music Background:
musician, producer, recording engineer

A Nice Suprise

Better than I expected. Opens things up quite nicely on vocals.
Captures the highs without sounding brittle and well rounded lows. Even tried on a female vocalist - sounded great.
So far very happy

J.BYRD
from Austin, TX USA
January 27, 2009Music Background:
Producer, recording engineer, rap, hip hop rnb

GREAT MIC

I got this mic at the recommendation of the salesman at my local pro audio store,i wanted a neuman, but didnt have $1000... i do hip hop and use the KSM32 for my vocals it sounded GREAT!!!! i use the lowcut switch, spit my verses and get a Quality sound, very low noise, Ive recorded on a Nueman U87..with a LA610 Pre, and it sounded good, but I get the same..if not better sound with my KSM32 and Focusrite Plat voicemaster pro Pre...
In all, im very satisfied with this mic, now my recordings sound professional!!

p.s. this mic is very durable,
i dropped it twice, and still it works perfectly!

Mona Campisano
from Hermosa Beach, CA
October 9, 2012Music Background:
Write and record my own music using Cubase Software

Shure KSM32

I bought the Shure KSM32 to record a second track for my acoustic guitar on a mic along with the pickup on track one but I have found it is really good for vocals as well (I use dual mics on my vocals too). I like the 3 position Bass roll off.

Laurie gibson
from Texas
January 28, 2012Music Background:
Pro performer, home studio engineer

Shure KSM32 - great mic

I only reduced the rating because it is not a multi-thousand dollar Telefunken, or other unfair comparison. This is a very clean, reliable mic. I tried it with acoustic instruments, but will stick with my Shure 81's for that app. -better directional control. Vocals -really nice. Need to record in a tight room - this mic is very sensitive to spatial aspects of a room. Iso booth only, or can't add much verb, eq, etc. Great live mic for acoustic ensemble. Recommend!

Kevin
from Pa
December 28, 2011Music Background:
Acoustic and Electric Guitars,Keys,Bass,Drums

great mic

great sounding mic for recording and live micing of acoustic instruments!

Brian Wallen
from Indiana
June 13, 2008Music Background:
Musician, Composer, Performer, Recording Engineer

Great For Instrumentals

I purchased the KSM32 thinking I was going to be getting a quality mic I could use for vocal and instrumental tracks. I was partially right...

First of all, the KSM32 is a very sturdy mic. It's obviously built like a tank. The case it comes in is nice too. Kudos to Shure on construction.

This is a very quiet mic. Very little self noise; you can crank it up and hear many other room noises before you'll ever hear the mic. It has a bass rolloff switch, which I love. It has served me very well in recording guitars, especially big rosewood dreadnoughts. Also useful for upright bass. It has a pad switch that I've never had a need to use, but some folks might, and it's a nice feature.

The mic indeed has a very flat response in it's default setting. It picks up any acoustic instrument with precision and detail. You hear every little detail, in fact. The KSM32 demands that you be a good player, because you will surely hear every little mistake you make.

This mic has a very rich tone. I've gotten good results, as I said, micing pretty much all acoustic instruments. It's easy to get a good tone. But, for vocals? Here's where it all changes.

Your experience and voice may vary, but for mine, the KSM32 simply does not cut it. I played a track for several listeners who remarked after a short period of time, "you sound like you're singing through a tin can". Wow. The sad part is that they were right. No matter how I EQ'd, compressed, or mixed this mic, I couldn't get it to sound good for vocals. Plug in one of my Audio Technica condensers, and bam. Great vocals right out of the box. Even a '58 would be better for my vocals than the '32. As I said, your experience may vary; everybody has a different voice. But for me, it wasn't that great.

So, in conclusion; the KSM32 is a great instrumental mic. It has more tone and detail that you'll know what to do with. But for vocals, it's iffy, at least for me. But it was still worth every penny for it's superb instrumental recording ability, and it's durable construction.

Based on all this, 4 stars overall. If you buy it, I'm pretty confident that you aren't going to regret it. I don't.

Chris
from Colorado
November 12, 2007Music Background:
Studio owner, pro musician

workhorse

I've had one on loan from a friend for 6months. I've come to depend on it mostly for vocals, but works on all sorts of recording tasks from guitar to sax and drums. Excellent mic, great sound. He wants it back, so now I have to buy one!

Nate
from Miami, FL
September 21, 2007Music Background:
Recording engineer, drummer

Great mic - but consider other choices.

I've had great results using this microphone on guitar cabs and snare drums, but given the price, you might want to check out the SM-81 as a more versatile and practical alternative - more bang for your buck.

Ken Ray Wilemon
from Durham, NC
July 18, 2008Music Background:
Drummer, home recordist

very nice on percussion

Recorded a live acoustic jam and it sounded really good as the room/percussion mic. Tried vocals at home and just couldn't eliminate the hollow sound another reviewer mentioned, but I acknowledge it was a bad acoustical situation. I ended up going with a Beta57 for clearer vocals. And have since gone to an AT-4050 for the same. But, like I said, the percussion sounds very good. I love its look and feel, and the velvet-like pouch.

Eric
from Orlando, Fl
June 1, 2005

Excellent Mic

This is a great mic, very nuetral sounding and pleasant, a very accurate mic without the hyped up response found in other mics in this category. I find that sonetimes I need to add just a little eq to make it stand out, but what a beautiful sound it has, and it takes to eq very well... If you have some extra dough, I would recommend getting it's bigger brother, but if not, you will be very happy with this choice...

Anonymous
March 1, 2004

Shure KSM32

I bought mine about 3 years ago when it first came out; from Sweetwater. It's been my workhorse eversince. From voice over, to acoustic gtr, to singing vocals, to percussion, it has performed flawlessly. Very detail, sometime too detail. Great connection to the spider(suspension), great finish, great packaging(siver model), very quiet, however I personally find it not as warm as i would want it to, but has plenty of lows and clear highs. I use it on a profesional home digital studio, and usually hook it up to a tube analog micpre and compressor to get a better result. In short, its an awesome mic!

franklin h
from baltimore, md
March 1, 2004

shure ksm 32 mic

I'VE HAD THIS MIC FOR A YEAR AND LOVE IT IT'S WARM AND CLEAN I RUN IT THROUGH AN PRESONUS EUREKA MIC PRE AMP AND NOW IT HAS CHANGED THE QUALITY OF MY VOCALS. IF I LOST IT I'D BUY ANOTHER.