Shure KSM109

Condenser microphone for the studio.

The KSM is everything you’d expect a condenser to be: small, tight pickup pattern, smooth response, and pretty sensitive.

Works better on some instruments than others. I wouldn’t suggest this mic for anything that requires warmth, a really full body or great mid-low or low response.

Sure We Love the Shure KSM 109

Combined with a nice preamp, the KSM109 will sparkle. Don’t expect to get that bottom end you always dreamed of, but the tracks you record with this will most definitely shine.

Before all else, Shure is an awesome microphone company.  They have tremendous resources to push their research and development.  The result is a line of microphones that set the industry standard.  The KSM109 is part of the KSM series: finely-tuned condenser mics designed exclusively for the studio.

The Shure KSM109 has a full frequency response (20-20,000Hz), with little peaks around 4K and 10K.  On the low end, it starts to roll off around 300Hz.  This is evident in recording certain instruments.  For instance, if you want to capture the snap of a kick drum, but little of the boom, the 109 works well.  In that application, I would suggest using it in tandem with a large-diaphragm kick mic like a Shure Beta52.

The only feature on the body of this mic is an attenuation switch.  It enables a -15dB attenuation, critical for screaming horns or other loud players.

I originally bought the KSM109 as a snare mic by suggestion of a retailer.  However, it really didn’t carry a tight snare sound.  The bottom end was non-existent, and the top end was splashy, even with a gate and EQ.  I gave my snare’s heart back to the SM57, and the KSM109 sat the bench for a few tracks.  When I listened back to the snare tracks I recorded with the KSM109, the bleed from the high hat sparked my interest to try it on the hats.  Since then, I have never used another mic on the hats.

Positioned about six to eight inches over the bell, facing away from the snare towards the rim of the hats, the KSM109 consistently recorded a crystal, pristine sound.  I usually roll off the bottom end completely up to 700Hz or higher, leaving nothing but sparkle.  This might be too much shiny hat for contemporary jazz or hardcore-disco, but for reggae, world, dance and pop music, the KSM109 delivers a dynamic upper-extension of the drum kit that can’t be beat.

The other exclusive application I use the KSM109 for is recording trumpet.  With this, the –15dB attenuator is best enabled to reduce the chance of hurting the mic.  Also, since the timbre of a trumpet needs smooth curves and wide range of frequency response, I highly suggest using a tube preamp with a sweet touch of compression.

Other suggested applications by Shure for this mic are as drum overheads (need two of them), woodwinds, acoustic instruments (guitars, pianos), or as a room mic.

The Shure KSM109 is available now for under $180, making it the least expensive of the KSM series, and settles it as an incredible value among other studio condensers.