Reviews on a Shure Ksm44 Sound on Sound
Originally published at world wide web.proaudioreview.com/jan01/sides/shure_ksm44-sidebar.htm; rescued from Internet obscurity 2010-07-27.
With a gradual high-frequency rise between 4 kHz and 7 kHz, the KSM44 is a natural for a variety of song uses. Primarily, I used the microphone for close cardioid purposes, but in a few instances, I put its multiple patterns to the exam.
The first vocal sessions consisted of a lead male vox, a female ad-lib, and stacked male and female backing vocals.
The lead vocal role was widely dynamic, consisting of breathy "upwardly-shut and personal" passages and a "power it home" out-chorus. Self-mic control was central to getting a good signal and appropriate tonal quality to record, and the KSM44 helped out nicely.
For the upwardly-close sections, the singer moved correct up to the pop filter, placed about two inches from the mic. This yielded an intimate feel, and the microphone's proximity effect added desirable low end to the thinner breathy vocal. On the louder passages, the vocalizer hit an on-centrality mark about seven inches from the pop filter. The mic had no trouble handling the higher SPL sections.
Since the high- and low-level vocal sections were so clearly delineated in the vocal, information technology was easy to ride the preamp gain to established marks, eliminating the need for pinch on the mode to record. Several complete takes were laid to record and comp'ed together afterwards. The resulting composite vocal performance had a alive and natural experience.
The layered bankroll vocals were cut using a male and female vocalist, both singing into an omni-configured KSM44 from a distance of two feet. The 2 singers sang in unison, and each part was recorded twice. When the half-dozen tracks were panned across the stereo field, the product was a broad and lush three-part harmony.
The utilize of the omni position added a nice overall ambience to the bankroll vocals that sets them autonomously from the pb vocal. A solo female response-type advertisement-lib was added during the out-vamp, completing the vocals for this song. Again, I used the KSM in cardioid way, and the singer was about seven inches from the pop screen.
I later tried the KSM44 for a type of recording in which I knew the microphone would excel: voiceovers. The voice talent was seated at a table with the 44 placed a few inches below his mentum, angled upward toward his oral cavity. No pop filter was used. The cardioid pattern rejected well-nigh of the reflections coming from the table; a thick absorptive pad on the table took care of the residuum. I employed the KSM'due south steep 80 Hz cutoff to take intendance of any unexpected rumble. The predictable result was a make clean, full-bodied read with fantabulous clarity and intelligibility.
For vocals over music — especially male person vocals — the KSM44's built-in loftier-frequency heave added the desired clarity and height needed to cutting through a mix. No extra EQ was necessary.
In a quick comparison, I establish I could mimic the KSM44's sound with a 
In the example of this particular solo female advertizement-lib, the high-cease heave turned out to be a chip much, especially in loftier SPL passages. A mid-Q dip in the same frequency range was needed to reduce the slight smear and essing on certain phrases.
The layered background vocals went down like a charm; smooth and warm with no abrasive microphone or room signature buildup. The distance from the KSM44 and the use of the omni position resulted in a audio I will definitely employ once again.
For phonation-over and broadcast applications, the KSM44 should exist a hit.
For voice-over and, presumably, broadcast applications, the KSM44 should exist a hit. Its clean elevation end, internal subharmonic filter and low-noise/loftier-output specs make this mic a natural for commercial recording and broadcast applications.
I consider the KSM44 an excellent "open-palette" mic — the sort that presents the engineer with a total-range, clean signal that can be easily enhanced or altered through user placement, patterns and settings. In other words, it provides the ground for a skillful recording.
Stephen White potato is the editor of Pro Sound Review. As a recording engineer/producer, he has worked on many successful audio and video productions, including Platinum and Grammy-laurels winning recordings.
Source: http://recordinghacks.com/reviews/shure-ksm44-review/
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