Key Of Grey

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January 19th, 2009 – Shure joins a string of companies, including Samson and Blue Microphones, by releasing a USB microphone that integrates its own pre-amp and AD (analog to digital) converter. Both new microphones, the PG27 and PG42, include zero latency monitoring (through a built in headphone jack), 16-bit 48 khz recording (for “better than cd quality”), and an integrated pre-amp with gain control, among other features.

If a company without the status of Shure released something like this, especially at the low $199 pricepoint they’re expected to start selling at, no one would pay attention. But since it’s Shure, maker of the legendary SM57 and SM58, as well as professional grade in-ear monitors, these products stand out for a couple reasons.

First, all-in-one pieces of gear aren’t something you want in pro-audio, a market Shure products are normally targeted towards. Having everything built into one piece of gear means that each part of the signal chain cannot be tweaked. If you have a great mic, and a terrible pre-amp, the whole concoction is going to sound terrible; it’s the weak part of the chain that you’ll hear. SM57′s and SM58′s made their mark for being durable with decent sound quality. They’re already at a pretty low price, but what makes them useable in recording situations is the use of a good pre-amp and convertors. The other pieces of gear will minimize the weaknesses, and maximize the sonic characterstics of the microphone. When all things are one, it limits your choices to only what has been pre-decided for you.

When that decision has probably been based almost entirely on a marketing price structure, you have a recipe for terrible quality. Any decent microphone that I would consider other than the SM57/58, would cost at least $300. A decent pre-amp that’s flexible for multiple recording situations costs at least $1000. A decent AD converter would come with a USB or Firewire interface and would cost around $300. If you had a decent interface, it probably would have a workable pre-amp and you could take it out of the equation. At the lowest, a good set up would cost $600 then.

Can you imagine the corners that were cut to get to $200? The marketing materials state that you’ll get “better than CD quality”, but the stuff you hear on your CD which has “less quality” will sound better, I guarantee it. The reason? It’s not about high sampling rates, some of the best gear has terrible sampling rates, it’s choices that an engineer makes. These USB microphones might be good for a Youtube video, or to get down song ideas, but if that’s what you’re doing, you probably don’t need to spend even $200.

But here’s the interesting part, I would never have thought Shure would offer such a product. They have always been one of the companies selling premium products. Their willingness to enter the low-end audio market is a mis-step in my eyes. I’m pretty sure that microphones in this range aren’t canniblizing their sales, so why lower their brand strategy? To get mind-share in the Youtube market? They offer a better solution with their SM57/58 and USB mini-interface. That costs about about the same as their new USB microphones but, granted, the USB mics are condensers and not dynamic microphones like the SM57/58.

But do you really want a condenser that comes in at $200 including the built in audio interface? Behringer (purveyor of low-end audio goods) sells some decent condensers that already cost around the same as Shure’s new microphones. When I first heard them, I was impressed by how good they were for the money. The only catch was that they were pretty sensitive which means they were quite prone to off-axis sounds even when cardioid patterns were chosen. They also maxed out and distorted very easily. The reason is that condensers by strict design definition can be made easily, but good quality components and construction mean everything. Your Neumann microphones are expensive because they use Class A components and are made in small quantities with great care. The balance of materials and tight manufacturing tolerances is reflected in their sound.

In audio, as I’ve said many times before, you get what you pay for. Will Shure sell a bundle of these USB microphones? I’m sure they will, but with cheap components, these microphones are more likely to fail than other Shure products and that may harm their brand. Pro and even semi-pro types likely won’t buy these microphones, and neither should you. If you’re looking for something cheap to get you started, you should just consider one of Shure’s USB mini-interfaces. At least you can plug other things into it as well, making it more versatile. I have yet to hear a good USB microphone for music, and I’m certain that there will never be one at $200. End rant.

Shure via BradLinder.net