Shure KSM109 Cardioid Studio Condenser Mic Reviews

[brandondrury]

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Shure KSM109 Cardioid Studio Condenser Mic Description
The Shure KSM109 Cardioid Studio Condenser Mic delivers incredibly smooth high end and tight, controlled bass with extended 20Hz-20kHz frequency response. It features a tight cardioid pattern, transformerless Class-A preamp circuitry, outstanding transparency without crossover distortion, and a switchable -15dB pad. It's a microphone that excels in capturing acoustic and wind instruments as well as overhead, ensemble, and room ambience recording. Includes windscreen and carrying bag. Requires phantom power.

[garageband]

Wicked cool mic on hand drums and percussion with just the generic class A interface mics in my Fireface. Nice on overheads with extra aggression thrown in. And I bought my pair when GC was closing them out for $100 each. Sold my Rode NT5 pair the next day. Similar vibe but clearer and a nice natural EQ curve. And if I destroy one I won't cry.

[TonyB]

Quality: 10
A very nice quality SDC. I typically use it on the high hats and/or ride. Right now I only have one, but I find that the virtually flat response does a good job capturing the ride or hight hat.

Reliability: 10
I've only had it for about 3 months, but used it quite frequently on the drums. I've never had any issues with it.

Never had to call tech support for any assistance.

Overall Rating: 10
I really need to get another one so I can capture the rida and HH at the same time (of course when the song is using both).

It is a good complement to my overhead mics.... NT-5 Pair.

[repete86]

Quality: 5
The Shure KSM 109 is (like almost all Shure products) a very well built mic. I've owned my two 109s for years and haven't had any problem with them.

Unfortunately, it sounds like complete garbage. I bought two of them a few years ago after hearing about how wonderful they are for drum overheads. I quickly found out that it's a very dull microphone with almost no detail and alot of mud. I've tried it on acoustic guitars, guitar amps, bass amps and snares to no avail. I have found one use for it though on high hats. It gets a very nice clear sound out of hats with minimal bleed.

It has since become my go-to mic for hats.

Reliability: 10
I've owned them for years, have gigged with them and have never had a problem with their reliability.

Overall Rating: 3
It's a great mic for high hats, but that's really it. I would never suggest this microphone to anyone who doesn't already have a decent mic locker as it's really only useful for one thing.

[TonyB]

Quality: 10
Interesting, repete86. The hats and ride are the only places I've really used the 109. I've gotten good results using it on them. I've never tried it anywhere else.

Reliability: 10


Overall Rating: 10

[repete86]

Yeah, it's definitely great on hats. I haven't tried it on a ride yet. I'll have to try that out sometime.

[paul999]

How does it compare to an SM-81?