We have a couple studios for commercial voiceover. I need to clarify that I am a fan of John Peluso's current production tube mics.. In a situation where I brought one of my more expensive vintage tube based condenser mics into a smaller studio we have..the VERY expensive tube developed bad noise and failed so we needed something pronto. One call to Sweetwater's Paul Lea and upon his suggestion we got the KSM44a sent immediately. Not knowing what to expect we rescheduled sessions and put the Shure up..powered it up..and were amazed at how clean, noise free, and clear sounding it was on male narration tracks. Perfect balance of airy high end..buttery midrange and solid lows..with NO outboard or plug-in EQ. Really an impressive voice mic.

I bought the KSM44A after a friend recommended it for my Tascam DP32SD recorder in my home studio. It has been a great mic. I use it for vocals, acoustic guitar, fiddle, mandolin, upright bass, cajon, and an overhead for drums. It pairs very well with the Tascam.

I've been using this for a while, and I have to say it's kind of my baby. It has a very neutral sound that some might call "boring", but it worked very well in taming aspects of my voice that other mics I've tried accentuated unflatteringly. It's so neutral, that it's hard to find anything it fails to give at least useable audio for. I've used it on ukulele, piano, dulcimer, guitar, banjo, vocals, misc. sound effects, and voice over, and it's worked well on all of those for me. The only negative thing I'll say is that it's very sensitive to mouth clicks so mic technique and experimentation are key when using this on vocals.

This is an outstanding mic, not because of its color, but because it always translates the sound in such a natural way. I've had two pairs for years and they get used all the time, many times it wins shootouts with much expensive mics in the studio.
It is clear, articulate and balanced without never exaggerating particular frequencies.
Love them for acoustic guitar, room Mike, vocals and choirs, cello, viola, sax, trumpet, piani, overheads... truly a workhorse.
Incredibly silent, for very low volume instruments it is invincible.

I owned this mic for 7 months. It really upped my vocal game; the detail is incredible. I was impressed with the quality and the low noise, but ultimately I sold it because it just didn't suit my voice.

I am not a trained singer, so this won't apply to singers with more talent and training. I never had any issues with the mic when recording the female singer I normally work with, because she's a hell of a singer. However, I'm not, and for my voice this mic was noticeably harsh on some sibilant phrases. I bought a de-esser plug-in and did my best to improve my vocal technique to reduce the harshness, which helped, but then I heard about the Lauten FC-357. Long story short, I did an A|B test and could definitely hear a difference in the sibilant areas, so I just sold the Shure.

I recommend that you listen to it vs. other microphones in Sweetwater's vocal mic shootout.

Just saw this mic front and center for a live performance by Alison Krauss and Union Station from some years ago. Wonderful sound. I'm sure they went through a lot of mics before settling on the Shure KSM44.

It was mounted on a mic stand with a low hard mount, not the shock mount. No noticeable mechanical noise.

Interestingly, for the final song, "There Is A Reason," I saw no other mics at all. Just a single KSM44 at face height. The standup bass, the bongo, the three guitars and Alison and her violin were positioned in a small group near the mic (perhaps within maybe 6-8 feet) and soloists simply stepped up to the mic and played or sang. Each instrument and voice blended when needed for the trio, or soloed beautifully.

How all this was done with one mic is beyond me, unless they had some very cleverly mics hidden. I played the broadcast very loudly on my home theater system. Clean and pure sound.

This is definitely an underrated microphone. For the money, you can't beat it. Fantastic on male vocals and acoustic guitar. It sounds awesome on kick when paired with a dynamic kick mic and also makes for a great overhead mic. No mic is perfect on everything, but I give this a 5/5 because it is DEFINITELY a microphone you want to have at least two of.

The original KSM44 (non A version) was my first professional microphone. I purchased it when I built the first incarnation of my vocal studio. It beat out a ton of microphones for me during a shoot out of mics under $1000 and was my workhorse for years recording vocals, guitars, cello, viola, room mic, etc. I used this to record my vocals on a major international release that I was a part of and featured on. It's still in my mic locker, although used a bit less these days. The KSM44 is a very neutral mic, capturing the source as it is without coloring the sound much. It is bright, but not overtly so. It does not have a huge low end like some of it's more expensive competition, but the low end is solid and balanced.

This is easily the best mic I have ever owned. Super detailed, high resolution sound, very versatile mic. Female vocals sound angelic!
I REGRET selling mine when I closed down my project studio a few years back and this is one mic that I want back!!

Like the title suggests, the KSM44A, is the most versatile, great sounding mic I've ever used. With it, you can get a fantastic sound from male or female vocals, any guitar, drum, etc. With the polar pattern settings, you really get an assortment of tones than all sound fantastic their own way. For some low male voices, it might be a little bright, but this is easily fixed by running it through a low-impedance preamp, which is exactly what I'm doing to a record one of my clients who has a very smooth true-bass voice, and it is the best sound I've ever gotten out a vocal. Fantastic mic for any source.

Many of Shure's products have become industry/studio standards throughout the years because they just work, and work well. Their mics seem to " get the job done", without frills. Their products remind me of a 'military grade', constructed to be functional and to last . I've read somewhere that they actually do test and torture their products way beyond other manufacturers. I have no affiliation with the company. This is an honest review.
I recently purchased the KSM44a and am in the process of selling my AKG c214, which I bought on a whim. I have owned about 10 different mid-range mics..most I consider good, but over time ended up tiring of them, and selling them. I mainly used them for vocals as well as acoustic guitar. This Mic is heavy and seems built like a tank.
The best subjective way I can describe the sound of the KSM44a (in cardioid) is somewhat of a slight color. Of the 3 polar patterns, the cardioid is the hottest (+6db), and the brightest. The upper-mids are accentuated, giving the vocalist a very present 'up-front' sound; a mid-lift without any harsh high end. I have become allergic over the years to mics with any kind of harshness to them. The sound of this mic is very pleasing to my ears..more than any other mic I have owned.. Unlike many other mid-priced mics I owned (the ksm44a happens higher priced, but you can get god deals on them) that seem to try to shape the sound to be appealing; this one seems to give you back what you put into it, but in a more mid-forward and flattering way. This is not a 'WOW' mic, but more of an 'A-HA' mic…gives me back what I've imagined I am supposed to sound like, only slightly better. Put another way, although this mic can be used as a home studio mic, it seems its main purpose is as a STUDIO mic. You'll know the difference if you have used many other mics. The other polar patterns add to the functionality as they have different frequency responses (and are not as 'hot' as the cardioid mode)'.
To summarize there is NO one mic that fits everyone/everything, but this is a very, very good honest mic that seems especially well tailored for vocals. I give it 5 stars and I ain't sellin' this one. Shure really did their homework.

The silence of this microphone is stunning.
It makes you stop, and pause, just, and only to listen, to it's 'nothingness of quiet'!
But then when you make a sound for it to hear, it is a natural and authentic accuracy of reproduction, if you will, with fine and clear clarity.
Thanks once again to our Friends at Sweetwater Sound.
Your shipping and packaging is outstanding over and over again!
A special gratitude to Mr. Shaun Friedman.
You have helped to make Sweetwater Sound my Professional Sound company of choice.

I have owned the predecessor of this mic, the KSM44 for years and I can say I have no complaints with it. In fact, I bought a second so I have a matched pair. It's great as drum overheads, lead vocal, acoustic gtr, electric gtr cabs, etc. There's just nothing that won't sound good through this. I have recorded projects and never EQ'd the material recorded by this MIC. Love it!!!

A great microphone- very clean and clear. Love the selectable patterns for different recording applications. Great for adding depth of sound to a recording. Solid construction but also comes with a rugged travel-case.

I just bought it!!! This mic is very flat in its response. What you hear with your ear is what you'll hear in the recording. I tried this mic in front of an acoustic guitar, bass amp, and vocals. Its very clear, clean, and un colored!!! One thing I noticed in particular is that vocals really stand out!! I've waited a long time and I've done a lot of research but I've finally found my mic! Great shock mount and accessories!! The polar patterns are amazing!!!!