The simple truth is that your recordings are only as good as the signal chain you use to make those recordings and there is no element more important in your signal chain when capturing an acoustic source than your mic. This article is about a condenser mic that will certainly not be the weak link in your chain and which is not extremely pricey (although it is not cheap either.)

The mic in question is the Shure KSM44. I have plenty of personal experience with this mic as it has been the main mic in my recording studio for seven years and I’ve used it (and continue to use it) to record just about anything you can think of.

The KSM44 Mic is a large diaphragm condenser mic and it is also a “multipattern” mic. What’s multipattern mean? Well there are 3 patterns that a microphone can record in (what makes the KSM44 “multipattern” is that it can be switched between all three.) Those directional patterns are cardioid, figure-8, and omnidirectional.

A cardioid pattern means that it only picks up the sound coming from the front of the mic while rejecting all of the sound coming from the back and most of the sound coming from the sides. A figure-8 pattern picks up sound from both the front and the back but rejects everything coming in the sides. An omni pattern picks up sound from all around the mic. All of the patterns can be useful in different recording situations which is why it’s so cool that this microphone can be used with any of these patterns.

Many mics boost particular frequencies in order to “color” the recording in some way. While this “color” can be quite nice in certain situations, having a microphone that has a more neutral (or “flat”) frequency response will give you a lot more versatility. The Shure KSM44 is well known for it’s flat frequency response and this is one of the biggest reasons why it is such a versatile mic. The KSM44 can be used to record any acoustic source.

Like all other condensers, this mic needs a mic preamp. The preamp can significantly change the quality of the sound you get so in a good quality mic preamp should be your next move after purchasing a quality condenser mic.