Shure PGA81 Condenser Microphone - with Cardioid Pick-up Pattern,Condenser Instrument Microphone, No Cable (PGA81-LC)

I’m not a career sound person. I do videography part-time (nights/weekends). My points of reference are built-in camera mics; DLSR add-ons like Rode’s Pro (short shotgun) & Stereo Pro; and built-in mics on portable recorders, like Zoom H5 & H1.Compared to those, my Shure PGA81-XLR’s have been a step up. The balanced line XLR cables pick up less ambient RF noise, giving me less audio clean-up work in post, and better audio results for the clean-up that I still do. And the cardiod pick-up pattern helps reduce audience noise, and phase interference between mics used in xy pairs for stereo.These are built like little tanks. I’ve had them 2 years, and use them every shoot. Seem indestructible.They list at 40-20,000 Hz (I guess all the dogs & toddlers listening to my videos appreciate the 10k+ end; I can’t hear it). Since these have no built-in low-cut (a.k.a. high-pass), I use them in shock cages on mic stands and don’t handle them during recording. This works very well. (Tip: in floor-pounding environments like theater, I like to put the mic stands atop a hand-cut circle of Damplifier automobile sound dampening foam.)I’m not qualified to comment on the ear-love from these: how “warm” or “sizzly” or “present” or they are (“with hints of oak, hominy, and spent transmission fluid”). But I am very fussy about sound, and these have been my go-to mics for best capture. I’ve used them for 50-piece orchestra projects; the conductor said the recording “brought tears to his eyes.” (Yeah, yeah, I know: happy tears!)I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them, at least for anyone like me, looking to up their audio game from the non-XLR realm. But if your first use is run-and-gun video, then consider instead something like the Audio-Technica AT2022 or AT875R, since both are designed for DSLR-mounting. The 2022 is for low background noise settings and where stereo is important. The 875R is for high ambient/competing noise settings and where monaural sound is no big sacrifice.

It's not a fix-all. I'm still having issues getting the volume I would like and, to be fair, I haven't tried this with a PA setup yet. However, it does seem to be overall better than either my PR22 or SM57 for recording my guitar and seems a bit more tolerant to where the soundhole is as I move around. So I'm generally happy with it.That's for live. For recording the thing sounds quite good. Getting close to the quality of my (admittedly lower priced) Behringer B1 I normally use and is certainly easier to handle this way.I'll be doing a live set with this mic soon enough so may adjust my opinion after that.

I realize this is Shure’s lower end condenser mic, but I find it to have excellent sound quality for live use. As is often the case, Shure’s lower price point products are excellent. This is no exception. It’s a solid overhead drum mic, but it also makes a great ambiance mic for bands who use in ears but want to hear the audience. Take one or two of these and point them at the audience. Works great.

I play Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Studio Acoustic-Electric. When added this microphone my guitar sounds special. Very good mic.

We use a pair of these to mic the cymbals on my son’s drum set. They sound great! They do need phantom power.

Excellent off-axis rejection for home or office, and being a condenser mic it doesn't have to sit in your face on video. Zero issue with plosives being 18 to 24 inches away. Yes, it's an instrument mic, but Bluetooth and USB mics for Teams/Zoom are typically junk - consider that they're too poor to be cross-marketed beyond such. Not being junk, you can set Teams' noise rejection algorithm setting to 'low' and not sound as if in a bucket. Lastly, it's physically diminutive and blends it. I replaced an SM57/A2WS, moved it back a foot, more sensitive, very pleased.

This mic works quite well for my application: Pickup of a guitar or banjo through a Fender bandmaster amp. However, since it requires phantom power you cannot plug it straight into an amp and will need a mixer to provide the power. This should not be a problem because having a mixer allows you to fine tune the gain on your instrument and voice mics. I am totally satisfied with this mic, and it reproduces the sounds of my acoustic instruments well from about 3 feet away.

Writing a good report about a Shure product is nothing new. However, the PGA81-lc exceeded my expectations. I record an acoustic guitar with the mike. It delivers a great, natural sound. I don't know anything about how to mix a recording, still, they sound great with this mic.