Shure has introduced its new KSM11 wireless vocal microphone capsule, a premium condenser microphone transducer technology intended to provide low and mid-range clarity as well as high-end detail without requiring additional processing.

Available in black and brushed nickel finishes for use on Shure wireless handheld transmitters, the KSM11 offers a lighter, streamlined design. With specifically developed microphone technology for wireless, the KSM11 transducer is outfitted with a ¾” gold diaphragm and “premium electronics” with an eye towards handling dynamic range and transient response.The capsule features a consistent, deep cardioid polar pattern with the aim of reducing off-axis phase distortion while providing full low frequency response, linear mid-range and high-end detail when used for vocal reproduction.

Aiming to reduce weight as much as possible, the new capsule has a streamlined design intended to keep it small and lightweight, and part of that includes an “advanced suspended isolation system” said to reduce handling noise while providing clarity. The KSM11 capsule comes in a dent-resistant, hardened steel grille with 3-stage plosive reduction pop filtering.

While the new capsule’s origins go as far back as 2017, according to Shure, 2021 saw the capsule start to get beta tested on the road.

Paul Wichmann, FOH engineer for Tyler the Creator, stated, “Rappers, MCs – they always cup the mic. That is the notorious problem with hip-hop. I actually talked to Shure, and I said, ‘boy, it’d be really nice if you had a mic that could do this.’ So, they sent me a capsule of the KSM11… And I was like ‘nailed it, you got it.’ It is consistent whether or not your artist cups the mic. I can just trust it. I can trust that capsule to get the job done.”

Will Nicholson, FOH engineer for Dua Lipa, added, “When we’re looking at vocal mics, we want the mic to produce the artist in a true form. You want to be able to hear the vocal that people have come to expect. It was immediately obvious that the KSM11 was doing that better than anything else we were using at the time.”