using the famous sm57

artCROSS

New member
I picked one of these up today, mainly b/c every single person i've ever talked to told me it was essential to get one of these. Now, i'm not saying it's bad, but i'm actually not sure if i have a use for it. Right now i'm recording electric guitar, bass, drums, violin, and cello. For micing the amp, i was using a sp b1, and i actually like the tone of the b1 better than the 57...the b1 also sounds better picking up the woodwinds...the only real use i can see for it right now is my snare drum and i'm contemplating about taking it back...can anyone talk me out of it?
 
OK, uses for your 57...
Firstly, it depends on what you're working with other than the 57 (other mics, pres etc).
Violin and cello - probably not!

Drums - snare, like you said. Also can be good on other percussion, toms. Can use for kick but there are definitely better choices. And wherever you use them around drummers, bear in mind that they can take hits that would bust most chinese condensors right open. And you can use a 57 to hammer in a nail if you don't have a hammer around!

Bass - Probably not great for this either

Guitar - Yeah, it sounds different to a condensor on amps. But it sounds good, and it fits into the mix well. If it doesn't do it for you on its own, try tracking in stereo with the B1 and 57 in x-y or on different speakers (checking phase of course). Recording both lets you chose which sound fits the track best in the mix, or pan hard for large sound.

Vocals - you don't mention vox, but it's great on some voices.

There are loads of mics out there, and all of them are likely to sound better than a 57 on something. The point is that they sound good on lotsa things, and are very reliable. They don't have that condensor crispness (which reminds me of everything I hear on the radio these days), so they take a bit to get used to using if you're only using condensors. But different sounds fit together better than the same sound often in a mix.

I have 2 57s, and if I could swap one for a 421, or a 635, or whatever, I would. But I'd always keep one.

Steve
 
Steve,
I really liked your idea about stereo micing my amp with the b1 and 57...if i very very very slightly offset the two, then pan hard left/right, it sounds like two different guitars playing the same thing and adds a degree of fullness to the mix.

oh, and btw, i use a v67g for vox, and i'm pretty content with it. and you're absolutly right about the crispness...up until now, i've only used condensers. thanks!
 
There is definitely a place for the crispness, but there's also a place for the restricted frequency range and compression that you get from most dynamics. Parts take up less room in the mix, and that's often a good thing.

Try the 57 on vox. You may be suprised. Or use the v67 on lead vox, but the 57 or the B1 or both on backing vox. The different sounds help with seperation in the mix.

Another 57/condensor trick is to use the 57 as a close mic and a condensor as a distance mic a few feet from the amp.

You can also use the 57 live where you might hesitate to take a condensor. Or loan it out when your clueless friends go - hey, he's got lots of microphones. Let's borrow one for our gig and put it against the kick skin where the beater hits!

There are so many reasons to keep it.

Steve
 
57 close miced off axis of the speaker with the B1 5' away is a great combination for a big guitar sound...used in 2 tracks and panned at 9/3.
 
What a great thread...thanks for all the tips guys....drooling to get back in the studio to play now!
 
yeah, thanks guys, i'm definitely keeping mine now. One last question though, if you had a sp b1 and an sm57, which would you put on a kick and which one would you put on the snare, if those were the ONLY two mics you had? Disregard OH/toms/etc.
 
artCROSS said:
[the b1 also sounds better picking up the woodwinds...[/B]

What woodwinds are you recording? A 57 can sometimes be great on saxes. Stick it near the bell. For flute, clarinet, or oboe, etc. I would probably go the SD condensor route, but if you don't have one, yeah, the B1 is probabaly best on double reed and smaller single reed instruments.
 
artCROSS said:
Steve,
I really liked your idea about stereo micing my amp with the b1 and 57...if i very very very slightly offset the two, then pan hard left/right, it sounds like two different guitars playing the same thing and adds a degree of fullness to the mix.


Umm, not really. Its nowhere near as good as a double tracking. There are variances in the way a part is played everytime, and the brain picks it out.

I'd take it back if I were you and get some good cables or something, ha... I think 57's suck balls, and its no secret that they do suck, just for some reason some people think they are great. It may be a fact that they'll beat out other mics on some sources, but there is never a source I have dealt with that one of my other mics didnt stomp its ass. Talk into the thing, it sounds like you are talking into a cardboard box.
As for snare, it'll give you a decent snare tone, but its a crappy design with minimal rejection and the hat bleed might prove unbearable. I cant stand it.

YMMV

Paul
 
Michael Jones said:
Match it up with a great pre, and its a helluva combination that's hard to beat!

http://www.nowhereradio.com/artists/album.php?aid=1656&alid=-1

(See sm57 on Grand Piano)


Ok, that was cool. Smooth, warm tone. Artcross, this is what people are talking about. It's not a typical condensor sound - but you can hear the unique qualities it has on its own, and the benifits its would bring come mix time. Damn Michael Jones, why didnt you play longer? I was into that...

T
 
artCROSS said:
yeah, thanks guys, i'm definitely keeping mine now. One last question though, if you had a sp b1 and an sm57, which would you put on a kick and which one would you put on the snare, if those were the ONLY two mics you had? Disregard OH/toms/etc.

Depends on what kind of sound you want. B1 on snare, with the right positioning will give you a realistic picture of what your snare actually sounds like. The 57, with a few db's of EQ will work on the kick no problem and might give a typical rock n roll sound if placed near the beater.

57 on the snare is great for a fat, punchy snare tone; the B1, with correct positioning, will capture a boomy, jazzy kind of kick sound.
 
Tubedude - totally agree about the double tracking thing - double tracking is much bigger. But the condensor/dynamic thing gives you tonal options, and a bigger sound than you would likely get with one mic if you want it (assuming no phase issues).

Artcross - about drum micing - I'd really suggest a kick mic. I've gotten a decent drum recording with a C1 as mono overhead, 57 on snare and a peavey 520i kick mic. Not gonna sound like Metallica, but still a decent drum kit sound.

If you're stuck with just the 2, I'd try 57 on kick and B1 as mono overhead.

Steve
 
"57 on kick...B1 4' above whole set...you really need more mics."

well i actually started another thread about this, but i guess i can talk about it here also. I do have more mics, which is why i asked to disregard the oh/toms/etc...but i'm ordering an atm25 for the kick and have the mxl603s stereo pack for overheads...i'm recording someone's demo tomorrow and the atm won't be in by then, so i wanted to know what i could substitute until they arrive.

Also, yes, double tracking is much better as far as a fuller sound, but usually when i do, it still sounds like the same guitar on each track. With this new method, i can mix the 57 and b1 on the 2 different tracks to sound like two different guitars.

oh, and the "newbie" text under my name is there for a reason, so thanks everyone for helping me out!
 
Try double tracking (ie different takes) using different mics/guitars/amps/other components in the signal chain. Use the B1 on 1 track and the 57 on another. That will give you an even bigger sound.

Steve
 
i agree with the idea about doubleing up the guitars but using a different mic for each take....sometimes it sounds good. but if the placement of the two mics eq-s the sound in REALLY different ways..sometimes it sounds too wierd and doesnt work. alot of times using the same mic double tracked is the way to go. depends on if you have found a good place for the two mics that work together. also, im not sure which mettalica album you are talking about with those drum sounds. but....if i got drum sounds like the one off their new album, i think i'd shoot myself.
 
but....if i got drum sounds like the one off their new album, i think i'd shoot myself

I agree! I was really referring to the black album, close mic'ed sound. Say, weren't the new album's drum tracks recorded through a single sm57 (and maybe a behringer pre...) :D Sure sounds like it...

Steve
 
they apperently went to a HUGE stuidio (of course) and asked to try and make a recording to sound like a "home in garage recording" type of sound. so, in esecense, they really tried to get a crappy sound out of good equiptment. which, in the end, sounds like a really badly done recording. i say, if they wanted a cheap recording studio sound, they should have gone to a CHEAP RECORDING STUDIO. dont ya think? but then again, the songs suck as well. so.....if yall actually wasted your money on buying that album yall wana have a good plastic bon-fire??? hehe
 
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