The 1-inch dual-diaphragm capsule makes every recording sound detailed and close-by.
But is it enough to justify its $199 price?
Find out in this Shure SM4 microphone review.
In the U.K., its195 at Amazonfor just the mic or249 at Amazonfor the studio kit.
If youre not a musician, you probably dont need the SM4.
For broadcasting or podcasting, Id recommend XLR mics like the SM7B or the MV7+.
These all have features better tailored towards speech than music.
I can easily see this being right at home in the most sophisticated of studios.
Its well-made, too, with a sleek metal exterior and secure casings.
I used my Shure desktop stand secured to the shock mount, which was simple to set up.
The SM4 will work with a Shure boom arm, too.
Theres a magnetic pop filter attachment in the studio kit alongside the shock mount.
Given that the SM4 is an analog microphone, the setup is minimal.
You dont need to customize parameters via an app or play around with features.
The max SPL (how loudly the mic can hear) is also higher 140dB.
The SM4 is a studio microphone, which means it only has XLR connectivity.
With the XLR adapter, I was able to record directly into GarageBand.
However, if you use the SM4 right out of the box, its just XLR.
Perhaps the most attractive feature is the Interference Shielding Technology.
However, if youre using the SM4 with an analog interface, you wont get any Motiv Mix access.
First, she played Smelly Cat from Friends and Hotel California by The Eagles.
The SM4 perfectly captured the layered sonorous sound from the acoustic guitar and I couldfeelthe vibrations from the strings.
This is with absolutely no editing just a conversion to an MP3 file, which will have lost quality.
Musicians dont only use instruments, mind, so vocalists will need to know the SM4s vocal recording quality.
Below youll find a clip of me speaking with the pop filter turned on.
It doesnt feel as warm as the Shure MV7+, which is a dynamic mic.
Here is the same recording but with the physical pop filter removed.
Theres closeness, but in detail.
The SM4 wont make your audio sound treated from the get-go.
Thats what makes it a musicians mic: it picks up onallthat detail.
Where the SM4 really excelled was recording guitar.
Thats what the SM4 is best at: helping musicians make their listeners feel at one with the music.
