TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
When I first plugged it in I was rewarded with an instantly warm and natural sound – very smooth and not at all edgy with no obvious presence peaks. The next thing I had to do, of course, was test the proximity effect and while it hasn’t been eliminated completely I was quite surprised how much it’s been reduced compared to other dynamic microphones; the sweet spot is noticeably larger.
In Use So I decided to throw it in at the deep end and take it to a gig to try it out. The first thing I did was put it up on a stand stage centre and have a listen on a big PA with a flat EQ – again it sounded very warm and natural so I set up an SM58 beside it and the difference was quite striking; the SM58 was dull compared to the KSM8 and a fair bit quieter at the same gain settings. Then I realised this was probably a slightly unfair comparison so I got a Beta 58 out and the level was a lot more comparable (which I assume is
down to those neodymium magnets used in both models). In a direct comparison the KSM8 was noticeably warmer than the Beta 58 and when I tested the off-axis response I found the cardioid response of the KSM8 was a little bit tighter than both the SM58 and Beta 58 (which is, of course, super cardioid). Next I let it loose on three actual real live vocalists. The first two worked out fine – they were strong singers who enabled me to get plenty of gain before feedback; the only EQ I used on the channel was a high pass filter and both sounded great in the mix. The third vocalist was slightly harder to work with – quite a soft voice that required a few extra tweaks of the graphic EQ to get the required level. I also encountered feedback issues when she put her hands around the top of the microphone, which was quickly dealt with by tweaking the monitor EQ (as you would with any other dynamic microphone). Every vocalist I tried it on said they liked the sound and would like to use it again.
I mentioned earlier that to compare the KSM8 to an SM58 is an unfair comparison, but it’s difficult not to. They’re clearly part of the same lineage but are separated by 50 years of incremental technological advances – the SM58 is still much loved by vocalists and engineers alike. One area in which they clearly differ, however, is the price – the Shure KSM8 is just over four times the price of an SM58 but you do get a lot of bang for those extra bucks. I was very impressed with the performance and the sound of the KSM8 – it’s the kind of microphone that could
transition quite easily from live to studio usage and on into TV and radio. Shure has put a lot of very clever engineering and its many years of experience into creating what could be the ultimate dynamic vocal microphone.
The Reviewer Andy Coules is a sound engineer and audio educator who has toured the world with a diverse array of acts in a wide range of genres. andycoules.co.uk November 2016
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