A great mic that's very versatile! 
by Steve Schriemer from Ann Arbor, MI, May 2008
Music Background:  Student in Recording School, Folk Rock Musician, Producer

I purchased my KSM44 about 2 years ago and I've been very happy with my purchase. I've compiled some pros and cons to this mic that I hope will prove to be helpful to you:

Cons:

- This mic can sound very colored if you are not careful about placement. Vocals can sound flat and guitars can sound too light.

- This mic can sound a little too bright at times. Especially on things like mandolin, or piano. It doesn't always handle high frequencies very well.


Pros:

- Because of it's abundant features, this mic is very versatile. I've used this mic on acoustic guitars, male vocals, recorder, Chimes, Guitar amps, bass amps, and harmonica with great results.

- I've found that mic placement is very sensitive with this mic, but if you work at it, you can get a great sound out of this mic! I've found it to perform with a very transparent and clean sound when I worked hard to find its "sweet spot."

- The digital brightness that this mic has can be cured with a tube preamp. I bought an ART MPA Gold tube preamp and that has helped to give the mic's sound some warmth and richness on the frequencies above 1k.

Overall:

This is a great mic and I'm very happy with mine. This thing is very durable and it's a workhorse. I would definitely recommend this mic to anyone who is looking for a mic with multiple applications and a nice sound for the price.

  "PHENOMINAL SOUND FROM A COMPANY THAT I'M SHURE OF." 
by Ingvar Estrada from NV., March 2007
Music Background:  Tenor

Every microphone that I utilize as a singer for Stage or Studio is a top of the line Shure.
The KSM 44 is a very versatile, quiet, and rich sounding, studio microphone to record with and will rival or sound better than microphones that cost much more.
Buy a quality microphone preamp as this microphone is well worth it.

If you're serious about your audio sound and performance-
Shure is a company that you can trust for quality products.

  Love it 
by jimi Krystofiak from San Leandro Ca, September 2006
Music Background:  Recording enginer w/ BA

great mic, never a problem and always sounds so clean. love it for room mic drums , close and far guitar , electric or acoustic, vocal, and just about anything. I have a teacher who even uses them as overheads!!!!

They just do what they need to and well great for the price multi pattern.... come on sweet......

KSM 44 
by Victor T from Princeton NJ, November 2005

The Shure KSM 44 mic works wonderfully with nylon classical and flamenco guitar. It picks up the sound so well when you are listing to the guitar in play back or live its like the guitar is in your face and you can hear all of what is coming from the guitar and your hands. I really like it and look forward too many recordings. I did not need to add eq or compression. Great Job Shure and thanks Sweetwater.

None better 
by Marc from Philly, PA., September 2005

This mic is the warmest mic with presence I've ever encountered. Where have they been hiding this mic all my life? This mic is worth more than it's price tag by all means. The sound is amazing. Little compression needed plus it multi pattern!!!? Come on now, this mic is the truth.

THANK YOU SHURE! 
by Rogue Scout Productions from Southern California, May 2005

The best mic for the money on the planet!

Ultra quiet! Built like a tank! Clean, accurate sound!

I am running mine with an FMR pre/comp combo and WOW! It sounds like an 87 with a Millenia behind it! I will be buying another one soon!! Look out stereo applications!

Shure has knocked one out of the ballpark with it's flagship condenser! THANK YOU SHURE!

AND IT IS MADE IN THE USA! WOOOOOHOOOO!! Take that you cheap, Chinese clones and uber-expensive German mics!

Presence 
by Eric from CT, December 2004

If your mics lack presence-- this is the one to get. Up-front sounding vocals with little to no compression, EQ or tampering. If you want a flat mic, this is not the one-- this mic is colored like the walls of a kindergarden class...but OH MY DOES IT PUT YOU IN THE MIX!! Different from your U87 sound, but reminds you of it because of how in-your-face your vocals sound. Haven't tried it on anything else besides VOX, but that is why you would buy it anyways. Top end is bright, but not brittle. As far as price is concerned, you could pay 1200 for this and not blink an eye. awesome job by shure-- one of their best ever. built like a tank and sounds like a dream...priced for the homeless. awesome mic

ksm44 
by Jay Emmett from Cumberland, RI, September 2004

This microphone is one amazing piece of studio equipment. Its multi pattern ability allows this microphone to give you beautiful sound with any use. I recommend this microphone to anyone looking for a superb condenser for vocals or anything you want to sound great.

Write Your Own Review!
We all love gear, and we all love talking about gear with our friends and bandmates. Why not share your thoughts with the hundreds of thousands of customers who regularly visit Sweetwater.com? Write your own customer review on this product! To begin, just Click Here!