The scene is the Audio Engineering Society Convention in San Francisco. The event is the unveiling of a brand new microphone designed and manufactured by Shure, a company with a phenomenal 72-year history of building solid, durable, high performance audio products to serve the needs of recording engineers and working musicians around the world.

The crowd is hushed. Anticipation is great. In the back row, somebody nervously chews a fingernail. Tension mounts. Then suddenly, inexplicably, without any explosions or even a laser show, the Shure KSM32 Studio Condenser Mic is presented to the waiting audience. There are some oohs and ahhs. A few want to reach out and touch the cool champagne-colored housing of the full studio version, the model KSM32/SL. Still, the question in everyone’s mind is perfectly clear: Will this great-looking microphone live up to the standards established over many decades by a company known for its quality products?

Aw, get real, would ya! Shure doesn’t build microphones that don’t perform because, well, nobody would buy them. So you just have to know that the KSM32 is a winner. Designed and built based on years of Shure research and development, the KSM32 is a side-address, cardioid condenser mic outfitted with Class A, transformerless preamp circuitry. This virtually eliminates crossover distortion and brings improved linearity across its entire operating range. Its embossed, high-compliance, gold-layered, Mylar diaphragm provides extended low frequency response while improving environmental stability. The low mass of this ultra thin (just 2.5 micrometers) diaphragm enables it to accurately reproduce the transient response of any sound source.

The KSM32 incorporates a 15dB attenuation switch for managing extremely high SPLs. Performance is further enhanced by its extremely low self-noise (less than 13 dB typical, A-weighted — that’s low, trust us), resulting in the increased dynamic range required for demanding recording applications like, say, 24-bit digital. Given the KSM32’s high output capability, noise potentials are reduced even further by eliminating the need for large amounts of mic preamp gain.

As a safeguard against unwanted noise, the KSM32 is additionally equipped with an internal shock mount, integral three-stage pop filter, and a switchable low frequency filter which can be adjusted to reduce mechanical vibration and HVAC noise (I think that’s what you get when someone is vacuuming in the room next door, but I might be wrong), or to counteract proximity effect (and who doesn’t want to do that from time-to-time).

With an open, natural, extended frequency response from 20Hz to 20kHz, the KSM32 is ideally suited for use with vocals, acoustic and wind instruments, ensembles, and the overhead miking of drums and percussion. Two KSM32 models are offered. The full studio version, the Model KSM32/SL ($1029 retail), features a champagne-colored finish and comes standard with a ShureLock elastic-suspension shock mount, a locking aluminum carrying case, ShureLock swivel mount, and a protective velveteen pouch.

For applications such as live stage productions, where reduced microphone visibility might be desired, the KSM32/CG ($959 retail) is available. Finished in non-reflective charcoal grey, it comes with a ShureLock swivel mount and a padded, zippered carrying bag.

While both the acoustic environment and microphone placement have significant effects on the sound obtained when miking a source, the KSM32 is a mic that literally can be used in almost any application. It incorporates all the features you’ve come to expect from a company with a reputation like Shure’s, yet it also breaks new ground in terms of its performance and fidelity. If you weren’t present at the AES Convention, you need to know more about the KSM32. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call your Sales Engineer. There won’t be any explosions, no laser shows, but you will get a super low Sweetwater price on the KSM32 that best suits your needs.