Shure KSM27 Studio Condenser Microphone
Shure
Posted 2001-10-21
Home recording fanatics and project studio owners rejoice! Finally, a major microphone manufacturer has stepped up to the plate with a quality offering for those of us that want studio quality recording capabilities at an affordable price!
The Shure KSM27 is a large diaphragm side-address cardiod microphone. It has a 20 Hz – 20kHz frequency response and is best suited for vocals, however it can handle high sound pressure levels which makes it flexible enough to use for miking your guitar amp or even a drum kit. What’s more, not only does the KSM27 knock your socks off with incredibly affordable performance, it looks great too! The champagne colored housing is quite attractive and the locking shock mount will provide ample protection against bumps while you’re laying down that perfect track.
Previous to the KSM27, we had been using a Shure Beta 58A in our recording rig. We thought this was the holy grail in the price / performance arena. Although the Beta 58A is a dynamic microphone it’s clearly one the best where response and quality are concerned. If you haven’t made the move to a condenser microphone, though, you don’t know what you’re missing.
As mentioned earlier, the KSM27 is optimized for vocals. We couldn’t resist the opportunity to test this microphone with other applications, though. The KSM27 comes with a contour adjustment that allows you to set the frequency response curve in such ways that make it an excellent unit for recording drums or even relatively loud guitar amps. I was equally, if not more impressed, when I used the KSM27 to mic several amps we have around here. Our Marshall VS65R and Yamaha DG80-210A sounded great even when cranked up a bit. Probably the most impressive test, however, was miking our 69 Fender Bassman 50. It’s a real challenge to capture the subtle nuances of classic tube amplifiers. The warm, crisp tone sounded incredible recorded and for the first time in probably two years, we were starting to get excited about miking our amps again – especially since we’ve been playing so much with all the latest modeling toys.
Bottom Line:
Simply put, the KSM27 can beat just about anything out there when you compare price versus performance. For the first time in history you can use the words “studio quality” and “affordable” in the same sentence when talking about a condenser mic! The KSM27 is manufactured in the US by Shure and carries a $575 manufacturers suggested retail price. I’ve recently seen it online at some of the more popular music gear retailers for around the $300 mark though, so don’t let the MSRP scare you if you’re on a budget.
One last word to the wise: be careful - or you just might get attached. We’re hoping our friends at Shure don’t find it too much of an inconvenience when they have to come down here and pry the review unit from our grimy little fingers..
