Shure SM57 vs. Sennheiser e609

SM57 or e609 to record guitar amps?

  • Total voters
    185
The old rule is "If it sounds good, it is good," so don't go buying another amp if you like your Crate. Just because your Crate sounds poor on recordings is not a good enough reason to get a new amp. The issue could be how you are recording the amp. You may need to rethink your method. Start by reading how others mic their amps. Some common tips are to try decreasing the gain and changing EQ settings and moving the mic around to see if you can't get a sound "on tape" that is closer to what you are going for. In my experience, a smoother distortion sound can be had by adjusting the mids.

Good luck!
 
Depends really. I have both mics and use the 57 on my combo more often than not. I find the 421 fuller sounding BUT my amp is already full sounding(Marshall 1974x) and I find the 57 a nice balance. With the 421 I have to play with the mic more to nail the right mix.
 
I used both the SM-57 and the e609 silver on a 61 Tremolux (with a clean Tele) and a JCM 900 2500 half stack (with a Les Paul Special with P-90s) in a session last weekend. In both cases, I liked the e609 the best... less brittle, more accurate-sounding and smoother on the bottom end. Also, the e609 requires no trial and error or monkeying around to get a good sound, which usually isn't the case with an SM-57.
 
Fact is, if the amp doesn't sound good to begin with, you can't record what isn't there. Please don't be offended, but I have never seen a Crate amp that was any good for anything other than practice in a bedroom. However, I've always felt that getting a good recording is not about having the best equipment, but about doing the best you can with what you have.
Anyway...
I have started using both the 57, and the 609 on my Boogie amp. I like the blend. The 609 is warmer, and handles the low end a lot better, but the 57 is a little less "boxy" sounding, and the highs are a bit clearer (although a bit harsh). The blend is really nice.
 
I prefer the 609 on most cabs, especially clean cabs, which I use much more than distorted. However, the 609 is a cab mic, and probably OK on toms, but I wouldn't recommend it as a vocal mic. The SM57 is a compromise mic, which is handy as hell on stage. It's good for sax, trumpet. A pair is good on standup piano. It's a better snare, bongo, or conga mic than a 609. I still prefer the 609 most of the time on cabs. It knows what it's trying to do. The SM57 is on another mission altogether- To be the mic you pull out in a live performance when you need one more mic for- anything.-Richie
 
Yo Toker! I agree that you can't put something there that wasn't there to begin with, but I also believe that if something can sound good in the room and suck on tape, it can *also* suck in the room in some ways, and record well. I know this is true because I have heard it. The guitarist really must use cans, though, or he'll freak when he hears the sound. Many a time I've spent a while placing a mic on a cab, it's recording well, and the room is a whole different sound. Sometimes I prefer the room in the recording, sometimes not.
And regarding Crate amps, this is a weird one. I've played through a bunch of Crates, Blue Voodoo, etc., and they have, with one exception, sucked. We were looking for a cheap, small, stage amp for a lap harp with a Barcus Berry transducer, for my wife. We played it through a bunch of small amps, and wound up with a Crate MX15R, a 15 watt combo with reverb. The shredders at GC were dumbstruck as my wife wailed away on the harp, cackling, "angels on steroids!"
Anyway, the little bugger remains, as a stage amp for the harp (usually solo), and I'm damned if it isn't the amp I plug into when I'm sitting around working, and I just want a nice acoustic sound out of a solid body. It's a little noisy, and for recording, I gate it. It is, however a pretty good clean amp. God does perform miracles.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
I prefer the 609 on most cabs, especially clean cabs, which I use much more than distorted.
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Me too. I love the way the e609S works with a Tele through a "clean" Fender amp... ;)
 
how can some of you say things like "burn the Crate, buy a Boogie"? If he's playing through a Crate, he's obviously on a budget. Does the amp sound ok live? I mean not being miced, just playing through it. I think which mic you get will depend on what type of stuff you play and how you set your sound. Personally, I'm not too crazy about the SM57. I just got a CAD M179 condensor mic and it reproduces my amp's sound pretty accurately. If your looking to reproduce your amp's sound, I would look at a condensor mic with a -20 db pad. If you're looking to get a sound different than what's coming out of your amp, in some way, get a dynamic mic. Just my opinion.
 
The 57 is just so ............crappy. The 609 is OK. I usually use an MD421 paired with a tube condensor mic for guitar cabs. The 421 gets the "chug" and the tube mic gets the airy high end sound. Add the right EQ and you have a great guitar sound that mixes very well with no compression.
 
i love it when people say things like
"your 100$ mic sucks, go out and spend 1300$ like me or your sound will suck"
 
But on the other hand...

acorec said:
The 57 is just so ............crappy. The 609 is OK.
Click to expand...

But on the other hand, after watching the new "Russ Long's Guide to Nashville Recording" DVD (where you see two songs recorded; one with over $37,000 worth of mics, preamps, compressors and EQ, versus the other song that was recorded with only SM-57's and the preamps and EQ in a Mackie 1604), it's pretty amazing what you can do with an SM-57 and a bit of experience. If you haven't seen this new DVD yet, I highly recommend it... it's the best $50 investment you can make if you're really serious about making great recordings.
 
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When i first started i used both the 57 and the 609, and still do on some things.

But i couldnt imagine recording guitar without a ribbon mic these days.
 
Fwiw

I never vote in this type of poll, because usually I haven't heard all of the gear in question. In this case, I have a 57 and a e609s, and on my amp, with my crappy equipment, I prefer the 609 *slightly*.

Could be that it's still the new-toy-syndrome, and I will tire of it. It seems much easier to place and get a usable sound, despite my constant knob turning/adjusting/experimenting/sucking... :o
 
boingoman said:
It's like battlebots. Some people like the ones with the saw blades, some like the ones with the flamethrowers.
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i like the ones that flip the other battle bots so i guess I'd choose other
 
Richard Monroe said:
Yo Toker! I agree that you can't put something there that wasn't there to begin with, but I also believe that if something can sound good in the room and suck on tape, it can *also* suck in the room in some ways, and record well. I know this is true because I have heard it. The guitarist really must use cans, though, or he'll freak when he hears the sound. Many a time I've spent a while placing a mic on a cab, it's recording well, and the room is a whole different sound. Sometimes I prefer the room in the recording, sometimes not.
And regarding Crate amps, this is a weird one. I've played through a bunch of Crates, Blue Voodoo, etc., and they have, with one exception, sucked. We were looking for a cheap, small, stage amp for a lap harp with a Barcus Berry transducer, for my wife. We played it through a bunch of small amps, and wound up with a Crate MX15R, a 15 watt combo with reverb. The shredders at GC were dumbstruck as my wife wailed away on the harp, cackling, "angels on steroids!"
Anyway, the little bugger remains, as a stage amp for the harp (usually solo), and I'm damned if it isn't the amp I plug into when I'm sitting around working, and I just want a nice acoustic sound out of a solid body. It's a little noisy, and for recording, I gate it. It is, however a pretty good clean amp. God does perform miracles.-Richie
Click to expand...

It's strange where you can find a gem from time to time. I have a fender bass amp with an 10" speaker that I some how ended up with. It's 15 watts. You can imagine how awful is sounds with bass, and how usless it is. I was going to toss it on E-bay. Thought I'd make about $35 for it. Then I plugged an acoustic guitar into it just to quickly make sure it still worked before I put it up for auction. I was shocked! I played that guitar for 5 hours that day. Warm and deeply rich. Remains my number 1 acoustic guitar amp for recording to this day, which I mic with a 609 (which brings us back to subject). I also use 2 mics on the guitar and a direct.
 
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