Shure
It was in 1925 that Sidney N Shure started the Shure Radio Company as a one man company selling radio parts in Chicago. By 1928, his brother Samuel had joined him, and the company was then employing 75 people. The name was changed to the Shure Brothers Company.
Throughout the 2nd World war, Shure were a major supplier to the US Armed Forces, which, by developing the forerunners of today’s products, helped them to grow the company in the post-war period.
In 1953, Shure produced the world’s first radio microphone system for use in entertainment. It had a range of 700 feet and was years ahead of its time. They also moved in to the expanding world of Hi-fi by producing high efficiency diamond tipped styli for record players.
By 1965, the Shure SM57 dynamic microphone was released. Its clean, natural sound soon made it one of the most popular microphones around, even used on President J.B. Johnson’s, and all succeeding US Presidents’, lectern. In the following year, the Shure SM58 vocal microphone was unveiled. Over 40 years later, it is still the preferred microphone of many famous vocal artists.
The company has grown over the decades and now the Shure name has become the world’s leading supplier of microphones for the music industry. Many have tried to copy their success but Shure still lead the way.
Shure Differentiators
Having been at the forefront of audio technology for over 80 years, Shure continue to dominate the world market. The most famous range is the SM (Studio Model), which has a microphone for all applications, the SM58 being the No. 1 vocal microphone. This helped to introduce many new ranges such as the Shure PG (Performance Gear) range – a budget version of the SM range. The PGX range of radio microphones uses the latest multi frequency UHF technology, making them much more versatile than the early VHF products.
As well as microphones, Shure produce the E series in ear monitors, which, in today’s mobile music market, is a massive growth industry.
Shure Today
Over 80 years on, Shure still lead the way in microphone technology. The list of musicians that endorse their products reads like a who’s who of the music industry. The Shure SM58 still dominates as the preferred vocal microphone of choice, while the PGX radio range offers wireless technology to guitar players, vocalists and presenters, all at an affordable price.
Home studio recording has grown massively over the last few years, to the point where a digital studio is affordable to a large percentage of musicians. Shure have addressed this
market requirement with the release of their KSM range
of condenser microphones, which provide professional
results with most types of project studios and home
recording set-ups. The Shure range of live and
studio microphones will match virtually any musical
requirement, from the solo leisure musician to
full-on studio and concert environments.