How is the Shure KSM 44

[Baderup99]

Looking to get a nicer LDC. Right now I have an AT4033. It does its job good, just nothing special. I was reading about the KSM 44 and people described it as having lots of colour. I would being using it for vocals, ac guitar, and OH probably. Sound good? Whatcha think?

[allencollins]

ksm44 is a solid mic. For the price it is not bad but not great
I use them on toms or a bottom snare mics from time to time

But they are not as good as 414's tlm103's
even though you may hear otherwise

oh yeah, they are better than anything AT has ever made
or does make

[Anselmo]

Man oh man! Opinions differ so greatly from one person to the next...
It´s so friggin´ hard to make a desicion when you can´t audition them!


(I´m also in the market for a good step upward in the LDC department )


It would be awsome if someone here, who has the opertunity, could take the time to do a shootout and throw in some clips of the strongest competetors in this $1000 LDC range (C414, KSM 44, TLM 103...) Maybe some acoustic guitar, and vocals.

hmmm... anyone?

[zimv20]

Originally Posted by allencollins

But they are not as good as 414's tlm103's
even though you may hear otherwise

i'm unclear if you mean we're supposed to ignore opinions which aren't yours or ignore our own ears.

[synthoid]

Auditioning these is a good idea. It will clear everything up.

But they are not as good as 414's tlm103's

Wow, I like 414s but I really dislike the TLM103 and would take a KSM44 over it any day. It is amazing how opinions vary on this subject. Makes you wonder if there is a lot of manufacturing variance in these mics, or whether they react radically to different preamps, or maybe it's just a matter of taste...

-synthoid

[loudmusic25]

The KSM44 is not a Cadillac BUT, it is probably the best all around mic to have in in your arsenal. It's been the go-to mic when all everything else doesn't quite sound right. I can always get a 'good' vocal track with the 44 and depending on the vocalist, sometimes a 'better than good' track. Through an API or Great River, you'll get a very usuable vocal track.

When recording female R &B vocals, I often end up with a 44 going into a 737 (with no Avalon eq going in) and a slight bit 1176- very nice sound.

I've always used it on room mics and AC guitars and had real good results. For the price, I think it can't be beat.

Compared to a 414, it's a bit warmer.

(Of course, comparing anything to a Cadillac is a bit biased being Cadillac is the finest automobile ever made-hands down, no doubt about it.)

[TobyToby]

IMO:

The KSM44 is one of the best go-to mics in its price league. It sounds very round and has body (soul could be be added later with some transformers in the chain). It's very balanced on vox. But I it delivers not a specific color. It\s a very good sounding base mic

The TLM103 from the first production line (made about 97/98) sounds good (we bought a new one in this time, our first Neumann)

The AT line is quite different in some models. The AT4047 gives a nice, kind of coated, mellow "mojo" tone on vox. Your AT4033a is very nice on acoustic guitars (and bit thin in the upper range on vox). The AT4050 is a good allrounder.

There are various models of the AKG 414. The old EB ones with the brass ring bordered C12 capsules (nice), the U-BLS, TLII, the newer XLS models (never tried). It seems the different 414's models could sound great on some sources -or the complete opposite. ~I remember we had not that good experience with a female singer and an ULS.

If you want body, a kind of color & truth, maybe you should spend a few bucks more and get a Microtech Gefell MT70s or MT71s. These mics are so good!

. . . buying CHANDLER GEAR is always a pleasure !

[thermos]

Originally Posted by allencollins

But they are not as good as 414's tlm103's
even though you may hear otherwise

Gotta love those kind of comments. Which 414 are you referring to? I had a B-ULS with the Jim Williams mod that sounded quite good for some vocals. But for my voice, it was awful. Absolutely not even close to usable. The KSM 44 on the other hand I could totally cut a record on my voice with. So, my point is, Allen's comment is hilarious, and unfortunately you have absolutely no idea what mic is going to sound good for what singer without trying them.

FWIW, I love my KSM 32 for OHs, and sounded much better on my voice than the aforementioned 414, and a Soundelux U-195 that I owned for a little while.

[buzzjoe]

I rarely use my KSM44. Not a bad mic but for close micing I prefer e.g. a SM7b, AT 4040 or Oktava 219 (PEO mod) not to mention the Gefell MT71s (superb mic). To me the KSM44 sounds flat, boring and a little harsh in comparison. From a greater distance I like it better (nice room ambience). In figure eight it can make a good side mic for M/S (but I usually prefer ribbon mics here).

All in all I think I will sell it and maybe get myself e.g. a Gefell UMT70s.

[dropblacksky]

Both the 44 and the 32 are solid all around mics. You probably wouldn't be disappointed at all. Every source is going to be different, so as many have said, you really just have to find a way to audition them and see what works for you.

Another mic that you may consider in the ~$1000 price range is the Mojave MA200. I don't know about other people's experiences, but I've dug this mic every time I've had the opportunity to use it. Never had a WOW moment with the 44 (though it's almost always good)...but have had several with the Mojave.

[vibralux]

Great mic- cheap, good and flexible. It does not sound harsh or anything like that to me. Just neutral and natural- I like it that way.

Marty

[ddageek]

For the $$$ Hard to beat very veritile Its not a U47 but it might fit the bill just as often!

[chasman]

if I was gonna spend $900 on a mic today I'd talk to dave pearlman and mention the 10% gearslutz discount for a TM-2. sounds beautiful and flattering thru a pacifica on my voice. also like the sound for AC guitar, stunning clarity and pretty sparkle for fingerpicking. super worth the cash.
IMHO.

[KevWind]

I use and like a pair of 44s for acoustic guitar got them new at GC Nashville for $1,200 for the pair.

[allencollins]

speachless

[Anselmo]

Dude.... easy now, lets keep this civil.

[Anselmo]

It would be greatly appreciated if any of you guys, who are in that position, could do a little comparison shootout between these mics in question, namely; C414, KSM 44, TLM 103 - and post some clips for us who are trying to decide...


Peace!

[allencollins]

Originally Posted by loudmusic25

Compared to a 414, it's a bit warmer.

There are almost 10 variations of the 414. And probably a 100 different
variations of those due to component variations and mfg issues over the 30+ years in existence

Which exact 414 did you try? I have 5 414's, uls's , eb's ,xls not one sounds as thin as a ksm.

[allencollins]

Originally Posted by Einar

It would be greatly appreciated if any of you guys, who are in that position, could do a little comparison shootout between these mics in question, namely; C414, KSM 44, TLM 103 - and post some clips for us who are trying to decide...

Peace!

I don't have clips but I a/b'd the ksm with a 414 uls in the compnay of a Shure
regional sales rep about two months ago. 3 people blind a/b them on Vox and overheads

Even the shure rep selected the 414. It was not even close. No hesitations
I realize this stuff is subjective but when someone who makes a living peddling shure and he picks a 414 in a blind a/b test? what conclusion is there? the 414 is really better? it was a stock 1985 uls. He was so in denial like most of you guys prior to the test.

I look at it this way. The ksm is a $500 mic. Sure im gonna say it's better that a414 if I can't afford a 414. Maybe the KSM is as good as a xls or some of the newer crap akg has put out. But All the 414's I own are sonically much better than the ksm. Noticably bigger on immediate comparison. I bought most of mine in the 80's so maybe the newer ones are not as good. i don't know.

But I really wouldn't use a ksm or 414 on vocals. Even if I didn't have U67/87's. I would use a sm7
over a ksm.

[vibralux]

----Even the shure rep selected the 414. It was not even close. No hesitations
I realize this stuff is subjective but when someone who makes a living peddling shure and he picks a 414 in a blind a/b test? what conclusion is there?-----

The conclusion is that on this vocal it might sounded better. The 500$ argument does not convince me at all as it implies that the more expensive the better the mic, which is plain nonsense of course. I have a lot more expensive mics than KSM 44 and many times I am choosing the KSM for vocal.

Go figure- its all personall, on my vocal- dfegad 414

M

[RCM - Ronan]

The KSM44 is an excellent mic. Great price/quality ratio and very flexible. I actually prefer the less expensive (and cardioid only) KSM32 on most sources, but they are both excellent mics.

[Anselmo]

Is the difference between KSM44 and the KSM32 only the pattern swtich?

[Cody]

Different capsules, I think. The Ksm44 is a large dual-diaphragm, can do cardiod/omni/figure8. Ksm32 is single, cardiod only.

I like my ksm44!

[Anselmo]

Yeah I´m gonna give it a go...

[oudplayer]

I was pleasantly surprised with the 44. I did some recordings of oud, background vox, and acoustic guitar with the 44 that worked perfectly in a pop sort of track. It doesn't have a lot of bright "presence," but has a nice beefy midrange.

I didn't find the 32 as usable, and probably wouldn't grab that mic unless there were no other option around. The 44, though, I'd probably grab before a 414.

[rockstar_josh]

I demo's the 414 XLS and the KSM 44s. I went with the KSM 44s. Now, I have a weird affinity for the 414 - I just really dig those mics - but in my tracking environment the 44 worked better all around on instruments and it was better for vocals. I did prefer the 414 on acoustic guitar and overheads, hands down, but the 44 was still good. As much as I didn't want to admit it, the KSM 44 was a better choice in my situation. And less expensive.

[thermos]

Yeah, as I said earlier I would take the KSM 44 (paid $400 for) over the 414 B-uls with the Jim Williams mod I had (paid $750 total for). I could afford either mic. The KSM just works better for MY voice. Sounded great on some voices.

[loudmusic25]

Originally Posted by allencollins

speachless

I take it you'd chose a Lincoln Continental over a Cadilac Fleetwood Brougham or a Ford over a Chevrolet. I'm not trying to stir anything up here as most people know that General Motors makes better automobiles than Ford. That's a given among automobile afficianados. No need to debate this well accepted fact of life.

I'm just having a difficult time understanding how a man of your knowledge and credentials would opt for the Ford?

The KSM44 is a very reliable mic and used more often than most folks admit. The 414 is a hit and miss. Some are okay but most models are unusuable-much like a Ford vehicle.

[noizemakerz]

I would look closely at the AT4047..

[allencollins]

Originally Posted by loudmusic25

I take it you'd chose a Lincoln Continental over a Cadilac Fleetwood Brougham or a Ford over a Chevrolet. I'm not trying to stir anything up here as most people know that General Motors makes better automobiles than Ford. That's a given among automobile afficianados. No need to debate this well accepted fact of life.

I'm just having a difficult time understanding how a man of your knowledge and credentials would opt for the Ford?

The KSM44 is a very reliable mic and used more often than most folks admit. The 414 is a hit and miss. Some are okay but most models are unusuable-much like a Ford vehicle.

Don't be sarcastic I'm a nobody just like you and 99.9% of the rest of GS. I do like the 44. I use it on toms sometimes snare situations I honestly think the 44 is weak in the high end dept compared to the uls
The low end is not great either

Believe me, If cheap/less expensive equipment sounded great I would be the king of cheapo gear.

Because of todays technology like cadcam, automated systems it is easier to build mic capsules mic enclosures etc. Taking that into consideration I think that all of Nuemann and most akg's are now overpriced. But I still think they are better than the 44. unless you own all these mics, you shouldn't be saying one is better than the other to justify the 1 you own.

Yesterday everyone was jumping on me for saying RME converters are not that great. I stand by it. Do you think a professional tracking or mastering engineer who has a large budget would use a 44 or an rme? Maybe in some rare situation. And despite what some of you think folks who buy expensive gear don't do it as a status thing just to say they have expensive gear. It 's not like buying a bmw over a kia.
That's a piss poor analogy. It does not apply to audio,. You make yourself look like a novice with statements like that.

The bottom line is the 44 is a good mic. It is a great mic for the novice or home studio guy who doesn't have a big budget. That's not to say it doesn't have it's place in a highend studio cuz in a small role it does. But it gets way too much love here. It is way overrated It really isn't fair to the guy looking for honest technical advice and have to be sadly misguided by saying a 44 is as good as a 414.

But you know what's cool? Gear cheerleading. Cuz if someone buys a 44 and is let down and realizes it aint that great they can always look back to this post and say "All the other guys like it" "So I don't feel so bad" "It must be a good mic" "Cuz I'm a follower" "And I don't know what's good" "And the fellas told me it was good" And that my friends..... Is as comforting as your mommy tucking you into bed while reading you 'Hansel and Gretel' by candle light with a cup of hot chocolate on a cold NewEngland winter eve 5 days before the celebration of the birth of christ!!!!! too bad Audio life wasn't sweet and innocent and free.

Everyone wants the magic audio bullet at a cheapo price. Well let me tell ya 'IT DOES NOT EXIST'
Cheapo gear = cheapo plastic sounding demo tape. Statements like " If you can't get a good sound out of cheapo gear it's not the gear!!....... BULL! I like you, wish it wasn't so. I would love to have to not spend the 6k+ on converters or pay 2.5k for my mint 70's U87. O.k. sounding gear is not expensive
Unfortunetely great sounding gear is. It is not price gouging or someone trying to take adavantage of a novice. Quality components and articulate engineering cost $$$$ and someone has to pay for it in the end.

I do like the 44 though just not as much as a uls