Shure SM4

The Home Recording Kit includes a shockmount, pop filter and carry case.

Does the latest member of Shure’s SM series have the potential to become as iconic as the SM57 and SM7?

As befits one of the world’s largest manufacturers, Shure have microphones for every conceivable application. Fom conference room to concert hall, sweaty club to swanky studio, harp to harmonica, you’ll undoubtedly find something in their huge range that does what you need. In many cases, in fact, Shure offer multiple microphones for the same applications, at different price levels.

Most of the Shure mics that will be of interest to SOS readers have model numbers prefixed with SM, which stood originally for ‘studio microphone’. This range encompasses most of the company’s most popular workhorses, including the SM7, SM57 and SM58, and there can be few studios worldwide that don’t contain at least one SM‑series mic.

Until now, though, the SM series has not featured a large‑diaphragm capacitor microphone of the type that’s so widely used for vocal and instrument capture in small and large studios alike. If you wanted such a thing from Shure, you’d need to look instead at the no‑frills PGA27, from their budget range, or models from their premium line such as the KSM32 and KSM42. That’s now changed with the launch of the SM4, a mic that’s actually more affordable than the PGA27 but is said to offer a significant step up in quality. (The older mic has now been discontinued to make way for it.)

SM4 Two Ways

The SM4 is available in two packages. You can buy it either with a simple standmount and zippered pencil case, or as part of Shure’s Home Recording Kit, which includes a shockmount, a pop filter and a good‑quality carry case. The mic itself is a compact cylindrical design, with no pad or filter switches to break up the clean lines of its cast zinc body. It attaches to the standmount or shockmount using a screw thread at the base, and the optional pop filter is held firmly in place by a strong magnet.

Whereas the PGA27 was an electret design, the SM4 is an externally polarised or ‘true’ capacitor mic that uses a conventional ‘one‑inch’, dual‑sided capsule. The capsule itself is an OEM item, but mic and accessories are built in Shure’s own factory, and build quality is outstanding, especially when you consider the highly competitive price. It’s a great example of how companies...