Shure announce PG27USB/PG42USB condenser microphones and X2u XLR-to-USB adapter

With the democratization of digital music recording and production in full flight thanks to applications like GarageBand, Shure have released three new USB-based products to cater for the ever increasing market of users who need to record audio to their computers, but don't have access to professional pre-amplifiers - the PG27USB and PG42USB USB condenser microphones, and the X2u XLR-to-USB adapter which turns any existing XLR microphone into a plug-and-play USB microphone.

The PG27USB features a flat frequency response for use with instruments, while the PG42USB features a larger diaphragm designed to capture the subtleties of vocal performances and a low-cut filter to eliminate vocal pops.

All three devices feature plug-and-play connectivity with Windows and OS X, integrated pre-amp with gain control, hassle-free zero-latency monitoring through a 1/8" headphone jack, and a mix control dial for blending signal from the microphone with audio played back from the computer.

The PG27USB (US$199), PG42USB ($249) and X2u ($129) will be available in Spring 2009.