Shure KSM 44 - general use questions

[Rockin Mike]

I have a chance to buy a Shure KSM 44 (large diaphragm condenser mic) at a good price but I've never owned or used a condenser mic before. I read through the manual and I see that it wants 48v phantom power, which I can supply from my board (Allen & Heath MixWix3) but some of the other specs have me puzzled...

General Questions:
Will it harm the mic or board to plug it directly into a channel on the board?
Will that provide a valid test of the mic?
How can I tell if the mic has been damaged?
Is it easy to damage these things?
Is it suitable for live performance or only for recording?

It wants a "Load Impedance" of at least 1000 ohms.
What's Load Impedance?

It can handle up to 156 dB SPL.
If it sees more than that will it be damaged or just not sound good?

Thank you very much for all help.

 

[audioglenn]

I've got two of these mics and they really work well.

General Questions:
Will it harm the mic or board to plug it directly into a channel on the board?

You'll have to plug the mic into a channel of the board and turn on the phantom power for it to work.

Will that provide a valid test of the mic?

There are a number of things to check on this mic. You will see three small switches, one on the front, and two on the back. The mic has switchable pickup patterns. It can be used in cardioid, omni, and figure 8 patterns. Be sure that all three patterns work. This switch is on the front of the mic. The next two switches are on the lower rear of the mic. One is a -10db pad. When you turn this switch on, the output of the microphone should decrease by 10db. The other switch is a two position low frequency roll off switch. This will reduce the low frequencies of the mic. This can help minimize stage rumble and proximity effect when used in the cardioid pattern. The best way to test all of these is to listen to the mic through headphones.
How can I tell if the mic has been damaged?

Look for dents on the casing, or on the grill of the mic. If it looks beat up, I would probably not buy it. The reason is that condenser mics have electronics inside the body of the mic. They don't really hold up well to being dropped or hit, and can be very expensive to repair.
Is it easy to damage these things?

YES! See above answer.
Is it suitable for live performance or only for recording?
It can be used for both live and recording purposes. Care must be taken when handling them.


It wants a "Load Impedance" of at least 1000 ohms.
What's Load Impedance?

That is the optimum resistance that the mic wants to "see" at the input of the mixer. Don't get hung up on this right now. Your Allen & Heath board will be fine with it.

It can handle up to 156 dB SPL.
If it sees more than that will it be damaged or just not sound good?

If it sees more that 156db SPL, it will sound distorted and can damage the mic if it sees this level for and extended period of time. This is the reason that you would use the pad


There are a couple of more things you should know. The mic should come with an aluminum case that has a velvet pouch to cover the mic. It should have a shock mount and a regular stand mound as well. All of these will fit inside the case, which is also foam lined and has cutouts for each piece. If you know someone who is more familiar with a condenser mic, I would bring them along when you go to look at it. The sell new for about $1000 dollars, so judge your used price from that. Hope this helps!

 

[Rockin Mike]

audioglenn,

Thanks for the information, that's perfect.

I see them selling used on ebay for around $425 and this one is considerably less than that so I'm hopeful.

 

[audioglenn]

One other thing, Rockin Mike...the mic should be silent once it is powered up. There should be no hiss, pops, or crackles.
If it does have noise, first try another channel of the mixer. If it's noisy in the new channel, then something needs to be
repaired in the mic. Do not assume it will be cheap! It will probably have to go to Shure for repair and it won't come
out for anything less than $100. Just an FYI. Good luck!