Shure KSM40C, KSM44MP & KSM32C

Shure’s popular family of studio mics gets a dark reboot — and a new sibling.

The KSM32 and KSM44 have been mainstays of Shure’s studio microphone range for a quarter of a century. And in that time, the world of affordable studio microphones has changed beyond all recognition. At launch, the Shure models faced limited competition from a handful of European and US manufacturers, with Chinese‑made mics just beginning to penetrate Western markets. Today, pressure on prices is far more intense, and the majority of mics in this price bracket are wholly or partly manufactured in the Far East, nearly always using some variant on the ubiquitous Neumann K67 capsule design.

This intense competition has, however, highlighted Shure’s unique selling point: their KSM‑series mics are wholly designed and manufactured in North America, and the capsules are original Shure designs rather than copies. These are made in a clean‑room environment, and tolerances are tight enough that any two examples of the same model can be considered matched.

If anything has dated the KSM32 and 44, it has been their styling rather than their performance; there’s an unmistakable whiff of ‘ADAT project studio’ about their curved shells and shiny silver finish. From a cosmetic point of view, therefore, a refresh was perhaps timely. And in the process, Shure’s engineers have found ways to improve both mics, leading to the release of the KSM32C and the KSM44MP.

Although the uniform styling of the two mics means that the KSM32 is often thought of as a fixed‑cardioid version of the multi‑pattern KSM44, there are actually deeper differences between the two models. The KSM44 is an externally polarised or ‘true’ capacitor microphone with a one‑inch, dual‑diaphragm capsule, operating on the standard Braunmühl‑Weber principle. By contrast, although the KSM32 is also a side‑address mic with a very similar look and feel, it uses a permanently polarised or back‑electret capsule that is intermediate in size between typical ‘large’ and ‘small’ designs. It is consequently more comparable to models like the Neumann U89 and Sony C‑80 than to more traditional studio mics. So, with this reinvention, Shure have also introduced a new model called the KSM40C — which really is the fixed‑cardioid version of the KSM44 design that some expected the KSM32 to be.

The introduction of the KSM40C is welcome, as there are many buyers out there who want a high‑quality large‑diaphragm studio mic but don’t need multiple polar patterns.

Clean Lines

Once again, the models look almost identical, the only obvious differences being that the 32’s body is slightly shorter than that of the other two, and the 44 bears an extra switch for selecting the polar pattern. All three mics retain the 15dB pad and high‑pass filter options that were featured in earlier iterations. However, the metallic sheen and bulbous curves are gone, replaced by a very smart and businesslike black cylindrical body. The robust headbasket is formed from a single piece of metal, into which a pattern of circular holes is cut; behind these is visible a finer mesh that protects the capsule from air blasts, stray particles and other foreign objects. It’s an attractive, no‑nonsense design in its own right, and also brings the mics much closer in appearance to existing Shure classics like the SM7B.

The XLR socket is, as usual, located at the base of the body, and surrounded by a threaded ring. This can be used to attach either an elastic shockmount or a simple standmount, both of conventional design. The KSM44MP and KSM40C ship with both as standard, along with a pop shield that fixes magnetically to the upper ring on the shockmount; this is a new accessory, which was not available for the older models. The KSM32C is available in either a ‘studio kit’ which includes the shockmount and pop shield, but not the hard mount, or as a slightly cheaper ‘stage kit’ with the standmount and a foam windshield, but no shockmount or pop filter. All three models ship in the same, good‑quality padded case, which is large enough to hold the mic without removing it from its shockmount. All in all, it’s a comprehensive package that ensures almost all recording scenarios are covered.

The Quiet Life

Shure publish refreshingly comprehensive specifications and diagrams for all of their mics, and it’s interesting to compare these latest releases with the earlier variants. The previous KSM44A, for example, boasted some astonishing measurements, of which the most eye‑catching was a self‑noise figure of 4dBA in cardioid. The KSM44MP matches its performance in this respect, but a change in Shure’s measurement process now means the self‑noise figure is reported as 5dBA. This is still state of the art, and I know of no other production mic that outperforms it on this front.

In other respects, the 44MP measures pretty much exactly like you’d expect a well‑designed large‑diaphragm studio mic to do. At the low end, its frequency response is not curtailed in any way, and it’s largely flat through the midrange. Above 3kHz or so, it exhibits a presence lift that varies with polar pattern in a way that is typical of dual‑diaphragm mics. A 10kHz peak is apparent in cardioid, more prominent in omni, and almost disappears in figure‑8, while a broader boost from 3‑8 kHz is most apparent in figure‑8 and almost absent in omni. The polar pattern is well behaved at all frequencies in figure‑8, whilst the cardioid setting tends to hypercardioid from about 2kHz upwards. The 44MP is marginally more sensitive than the preceding 44A, generating 32mV/Pa in cardioid and 18mV/Pa in the other patterns. Depending on the load presented by the mic preamp, the 44MP can accept sound pressure levels up to 150dB with the pad engaged for a 1% distortion level.

All three of these Shure models can cope with huge sound pressure levels.

The KSM40C uses a single‑sided version of the same capsule. Shure told me that it should sound very similar to the KSM44MP in cardioid mode, but with slightly greater proximity effect. Specifications are similar, but not identical, with self‑noise rising to a still‑very‑impressive 7.5dBA and sensitivity falling to 21mV/Pa. The published frequency response closely resembles that of the KSM44MP in cardioid, but with a slightly more prominent lift from 4 to 7 kHz.

The KSM32C has a similar extended low‑frequency response and flat midrange, and although there’s a modest peak around 12kHz, the treble response is somewhat flatter than that of the KSM44MP in cardioid. The polar pattern also retains a recognisably cardioid shape over a wider frequency range, as you’d expect given the smaller capsule size. Self‑noise is quoted as 11dBA, which is excellent considering the dimensions of the capsule, whilst sensitivity is 16mV/Pa, and 1% distortion is reached at sound pressure levels of up to 155dB depending on the load. All three mics use transformerless electronics, and share the same high‑pass filter design. The two options are an 18dB/octave slope turning over at 80Hz, for removal of subsonic noise, and 6dB/octave with the ‑3dB point at 115Hz, which is designed to compensate for proximity effect.

Fresh Ears

I’ve never had the good fortune to use the previous iterations of the KSM32 or KSM44, so was approaching the new mics without preconceptions. To take the KSM44MP first, most of the large‑diaphragm mics I encounter could be described as belonging to one of two families, in terms of their subjective sonic character. Mics based around the K67 capsule and its derivatives tend to have a noticeably forward character in the midrange, even when this isn’t apparent from their measured frequency response. This is often paired with a presence boost that can be either exciting or a bit shrill and harsh depending on how far it’s pushed. On the other side of the divide, mics based around AKG’s large‑diaphragm capsule designs tend to have a smoother and less prominent midrange, sometimes combined with an airy, sparkly high end.

The capsules Shure use in the KSM44MP and KSM40C are edge‑terminated, in the AKG tradition, but to my ears they belong sonically in the former camp. In fact, in side‑by‑side comparisons with my Neumann U87, the 44 often sounded very similar, albeit with an on‑axis sound that seemed more consistent across polar patterns. The KSM44MP is also a lot quieter and is much better able to cope with loud sounds than the U87, and is a smidge brighter. Subjectively, where a difference was apparent, I’d say the Shure mic was more analytical and less forgiving; on sources such as vocals, I sometimes missed the richness and the slightly soft quality that the U87’s transformer brings. Either way, the KSM44MP more than holds its own against much more expensive mics.

The introduction of the KSM40C is welcome, as there are many buyers out there who want a high‑quality large‑diaphragm studio mic but don’t need multiple polar patterns. In a direct comparison with the KSM44MP, the additional brightness and bass tip‑up were audible, but the core character is the same, and you could easily drop in with one of them onto a track recorded with the other. The most obvious difference I could detect was in the response 180 degrees off axis, where the KSM40C seemed to offer quite a bit more rejection at low frequencies.

The 44MP, 40C and 32C Studio Kit include an effective shockmount and magnetically attached pop shield.

The KSM32C, meanwhile, is more of a sonic tabula rasa. It’s hard to say that it really has much of a sound of its own: it’s the sort of mic that stays out of the way and allows the source to sound like itself. I liked it a lot on drum overheads, for example, where it gave a balanced picture of the whole kit, with plenty of low end, without emphasising gritty resonances in the drums or bringing out harshness in the cymbals. I’d be more than happy to use the KSM32C to record almost anything, from loud guitar cabs to delicate winds.

Clean Sweep

Overall, I don’t get the impression that these new variants sound significantly different to their predecessors, and I don’t think Shure mean them to. In terms of the bits that matter, they got pretty much everything right first time around, and the level of attention to detail in the design is impressive. For instance, the two high‑pass filter settings are both genuinely useful in different contexts, and make clear that Shure’s engineers have thought hard about the real‑world applications for these mics. At the same time, there are genuine improvements here that go beyond the mere look and feel of the mics. To take a small example, as well as being a neat addition in itself, the inclusion of the magnetic pop filter has allowed Shure to dispense with a third layer of mesh inside the headbasket. The removal of anything that comes between the source and the capsule usually benefits the sound.

It’s a fool who tries to predict the future, but if Shure’s aim is to ensure that the KSM range remains relevant for another quarter of a century, I’d say they’ve succeeded handsomely.

Information

KSM44MP £1059; KSM40C £849; KSM32C £709 (Studio Kit) or £639 (Stage Kit). Prices include VAT.

Shure UK +44 (0)1992 703058

www.shure.com

KSM44MP $1099; KSM40C $879; KSM32C $729 (Studio Kit) or $659 (Stage Kit).

Shure USA +1 800 516 2525

www.shure.com

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