Just wanted to see if anyone had some recommendation for the ideal microphone from Shure for everyday use. I'm looking to record mostly vocals and random sounds really but mostly vocals. If you have any insight it would be very much appreciated,

Thanks again,

johnnyjover

KSM32. But if you have a less than ideal room, SM7, although it's not as good for instruments, but it won't pick up a lot of ambience and noise.
Why must it be a Shure mic?

Good choice! I'd also recommend the KSM44A, the multi-pattern version. The omni and figure 8 patterns are well worth it if you're recording instruments or more than one vocalist.

I've seen Alison Krauss several rimes on Austin City Limits, and there were Shures all over the stage and the recordings sounded GREAT!

Around the same price, with the same kind of specs and pedigree is the Audio Technica 4050. Three patterns, ALL good!

KVR/eSoundz: Xenobt

I have a connection with Shure.. so it has to be from them

I see. Well, I can also say that I like KSM32 much more than 44A or 42. It's more accurate/neutral, just sounds nicer (regardless of frequency response) and doesn't have a sharp high frequency bump like the other two, which may be nice for some things but I just find it annoying and limiting.

Note that it -will- pick up a lot of the background, much more than a mic like SM7B. So even though it's supposed to sound better, if you're recording in a place that has a lot of unwanted ambience or noise, all its superiority doesn't matter at all, it could very well give you a worse result.

Yeah, I'd say that about most large diaphragm mics, Shy.

If you don't have a treated space to record in, you can end up with STUNNING amounts of things you never heard before. The walls, ceiling and floor reflections, neighbors, the dog down the street, birds outside, the fridge, AC or heating units, your cpu/HD noise. We tune out SO much on a daily basis!

And I LIKE the slight hi bump in the 44A, plus it has low self noise, hardly needs eq in a mix and just sounds more "produced" to my ear. And as I mentioned the additional polar patterns can be lifesavers sometimes.

I recently had a string section in, and from overhead, the cardioid pattern was a bit edgy and not warm enough in lower mids. The omni pattern made it really gel nicely with a rich bottom end.

And I often set the mic to figure 8, turn it 90 degrees, put one singer on one side of mic and the second on another and balance them by distance to the mic. Stack that a few times and you're in background heaven without lots of mic bleed and the attendant phase issues. And having people sing toward each other REALLY helps the performance too!

But the SM7 is a lovely choice as well, (in a whole different way), and if money isn't an object, get both!

I worked with the late Mark Richardson, and he said that it was the only mic he used for Billy Corgan's vocals on Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream, and also read that Bruce Swedien used it for almost all of Thriller. Nuff' Said!

It will keep its business to whatever is dead in front of it, (and damn close!), and works great for singers (and voice over talent) with good mic technique.

KVR/eSoundz: Xenobt

I agree on what is said about the SM7B - but check that you have an preamp with at least 60dB gain.

If not you might need this:
http://tritonaudio.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=cat egory&sectionid=4&id=17&Itemid=33

I checked, it also has balanced input, even if text say nothing.

For some strange reason Shure does not specify it as large membrane, but I talked to a guy that wrote an article in a studio magazine and he open one up and measured membrane and it was 25mm.

So SM7B might be underrated by many for vocals because they think it's not a large membrane. Some confusion about it's the same capsule as SM57.

This guy an the magazine even took all acoustic filters off and used it for acoustic guitar.

Beta 57a

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peace