Swiss Army Knife

You rarely ever read a bad review about these mics b/c as long as you have some clue about what you are doing, these mics rarely every give you a bad sound. I often pair a set of these with an A-Designs MP2-A preamp and get nothing but amazing results on acoustic guitar and drum overheads. I also love this mic on percussive sources. Its response is a quicker than most LDCs so you get a little more out of percussion. The 3 position Low Cut filter is always nice and the -10db pad comes in handy when tracking transient rich percussive sources. They also sound stellar on top and bottom snare. This is not designed to be a vocal mic but I have employed them as such several times and I am always pleased.

A bad mic with a good preamp sounds about as awful as a good mic with a bad pre. If you already have a decent pre or two, this mic (especially in pairs) is a studio workhorse that always gives me excellent results.

Very neutral performer

I've owned a pair of these for about 10 years. I also own AT4050's, Shure KSM's and some CAD mics. The Shure is a very very neutral mic that does not color the recording. (What goes in, comes out, with very high fidelity.) The microphone is a small diaphragm design. This typically reduces output a bit but improves linearity. If you need a high quality, very accurate mic for recording acoustic instruments, this is about as good as you will get. It outperforms and outlasts mics that cost a lot more.

A legend in the making

If you are like me and don't have the means for a pair of KM84s then this is your mic. A pair of these with good converters and you have a stereo kit for acoustic guitar, percussion, and drum over heads. The sound is transparent, clean and with no unwanted fizzle at the top. They're not really colored and they take eq very well if needed.

great service and mic

Awesome product. I use 2 of them for overhead drum mics. They are worth every penny. And of coarse, sweetwater came through with great customer service. i wouldn't buy from any other place.

Shure SM81

Stop messing around trying to figure what mics to use on your drum kits and acoustic guitars. Do you want to sound like a real record? Well, then purchase the Shure SM81's. No, they are not "free" :) But they are an industry standard and don't break your bank. One of the best purchases I have ever made.

You'll find them in every Ryder

These mics do not color the sound. What you hear when you play is what you will hear out of the mixer. Fantastic mics.

Also very viable for any rental company..

Great mic for acoustic guitar!

I use 2 of these to record acoustic guitar in true stereo and I'm blown away by the clarity and detail. This is a truly great studio tool.

A Must Have Mic

Whether you are in the studio or touring live, this mic is a must have. I always keep a few around because they are so versatile. Great on almost everything. Choir, overhead, acoustic guitar, strings, woodwinds. They are expensive but well worth having a couple.

A Swiss Army Mic...

We have four SM81's, having just bought two new ones. I've found them great when paired on a Steinway and of course perfect for overhead drums. Tonight, I have all four out on stage working under a variety of high energy Indian drums but just last week we used one with wonderful results on a delicate Flamenco guitar performance; just a truly excellent mic. In my opinion, if you are putting together a mic inventory, make sure to include some SM81's. You will quickly learn to rely on their versatility and great sound.

What a snare mic!

I purchased my first SM81 in the mid 80's and I'm about to purchase my 3rd. I was never quite happy with my snare sound and I had an arsenal of drum mics to choose from. A fellow engineer at the studio suggested trying the SM81 on the snare drum. It's not quite as indestructible as an SM57 so you need to pay attention to placement (top mic). The SM81 is awesome, very transparent and the low cut position comes in handy with the snare. Its polar pattern is also very nice for the snare position. You cant go wrong with this mic because you can use elsewhere with great success.

Vocal Bass microphone

Over the years singing in Southern Gospel Quartet's I have used all kinds of Mic's.
To get that rich full low bass in a studio is very easy, but on stage doing a live concert, we all strive to have that same studio quality sound.
After useing The Shure SM81 it gave me the very clean and full bottem double low C note
That why The Crownsmen put there trust in Shure Microphones the other members use Shure Beta 87A.
All of our road equiptment was purchased at Sweetwater Sound,Thru Dan Vanamerongen.

Acoustic Guitar, Overheads, Ambience ....

These have come to be one of my favorite mics for acoustic guitar. One at the sound hole and one on the "sweetspot" of the finger board. I find them to be transparent, which is also why some people don't like them - they don't have a lot of their own character - which leaves the character up to what you are recording! That a good thing when you need it! Also great as overheads, apparently there used to be an omni capsule you could buy for these, but now it's not easy to obtain. I think I would give it higher marks if I could get an omni cap.

Solid, reliable, honest & great value

I bought two of these mics and while I have to say I have heard livelier mics, I am impressed with what I got for my money. They are rock solid and massive (would you expect anything less from Shure?). I use them extensively for overheads and acoustic guitar - usually in XY configuration.

Pretty Good

I am impressed with this microphone as a whole, but there are certain things that could make it better. Mainly, I have found the mic to have very low sensativity. There are a few other issues that took a little bit of time for me to overcome, but again I am happy with this purchase.