Shure SM81 vs. Peluso CEMC6 Which do you prefer for acoustic guitar?

[kensington]

Which of these two mics do you prefer for acoustic guitar. I have a Taylor 314 and an early 60's Gibson Heritage acoustic. Finger-picking, flat-picking and strumming are all included. From piano to forte. Most songs would be pretty sparse production wise....the guitar figuring pretty prominently.....some full blown band numbers (think "White Album"-like).Anybody have a chance to use both the SM81 and CEMC6's? thanks a million for any replies. kk

[dalley]

well I can't vouch for the peluso but I have a pair of SM81's and they sound sweet in stereo on acoustic. I picked up a used pair on ebay for ~400USD

[kensington]

Thanks Dalley, I've heard as much......great price you got on those 81's. If you've ever used MXL 603's, how do they compare to the SM81's?.....I have 603's at the moment. kk

[dalley]

Originally Posted by kensington

Thanks Dalley, I've heard as much......great price you got on those 81's. If you've ever used MXL 603's, how do they compare to the SM81's?.....I have 603's at the moment. kk

never owned any MXL's ... I moved up straight from the dreaded AKG C1000's and never looked back

[TragikRemix]

i think those two guitars could sound good through a Nady Starpower mic

i've never used either, but i think the 81's would be a good choice, because of their versatilitiy. i want to get a pair for overheads because everyone says that they are just a good overall mic, this way i can use them for other things too.

[cnix]

In my never ending search for the ultimate acoustic guitar mic, I have owned both the SM81 and the Peluso. I sold the SM81, still have the Peluso. +1 for the Peluso.

[scrubs]

Originally Posted by kensington

Thanks Dalley, I've heard as much......great price you got on those 81's. If you've ever used MXL 603's, how do they compare to the SM81's?.....I have 603's at the moment. kk

I've used both for overheads and they each have their place. The SM81 has a much flatter response in the high end compared to the 603s. It has a very neutral sound -- that is, it will capture what your drums sound like in the room, which might be good or it might not. I'm actually using an SM81 as a snare mic right now for jazzy stuff with brushes/rods and it sounds pretty cool.

[Brackish]

Originally Posted by cnix

In my never ending search for the ultimate acoustic guitar mic, I have owned both the SM81 and the Peluso. I sold the SM81, still have the Peluso. +1 for the Peluso.

What other mic's have you tried?

[pdlstl]

I have a pair of 81's.

On acoustic guitars I will go back and forth between the 81's and a pair of AT 4041's.

Regardless of the mics used, I always put one out in front about 1' from fretboard 45'd back toward 12th. fret and one pointing straight down over guitarist's shoulder. About head high.

Since I mainly record bluegrass, this setup with the shoulder mic panned about 50% left and the front mic panned about 50% right, gives me a really rich, textural track which lays nicely behind the other instrumentation and vox.

Just my 2¢...

[RezN8]

Actually, both will do the job and do it well. I've used both - I don't own a pair of 81s but I do own a pair of CEMC6s -- I really love them for their clarity and detail, especially on acoustics and drum overheads.

I've used an ORTF set up for solo acoustic w/vox, which works well if you set them back a couple of feet from the artist -- depends on the room though.

Close up on a triple-0 body style, I used one at the 12th fret and one behind the sound hole facing down at the body - great blend of tones this way but watch for phase/proximity issues.

One a dense mix with other instruments, one mic did the trick pointed directly at the spot that's usually missing from cutaways - about 4-6 inches away.

Anyway, I would be happy with a pair of SM81s too. It really all depends on your room and signal path too!

[kid klash]

I too own a pair of SM-81's, which I bought new about 11 years ago. VERY accurate, quiet, well-made mics. I haven't found any other SDC's that I'd trade them for. FWIW.

[Booda]

I like my CEMC6 as well. Have only compared them to Rode NT5s and Oktava Mc-012s. In comparison the Pelusos are much more detailed, smoother and true sounding. By true I mean there is no hype or color. I was also looking at the Josephson c42 and decided to go w/ the Non-colored mics first... mostly for Acoustic guitar and some OH.

As it is right now I know I won't be looking for another pair of SDC for quite some time. I can't comment on the sm81... but from reading this thread, like others have said, I'm sure either will work for you. One other thing about the CEMC6... you can change the Capsules on them, Omni, Hyper, Wide ect...
http://www.pelusomicrophonelab.com/CEMC6.html

Good Luck,
B.

[sdelsolray]

I've tried/used the Shure SM81 and the Peluso CEMC6 (with all 4 capsules), as well as many other SD mics, all for recording solo fingerstyle acoustic and classical guitar.

The Shure SM81 is a very good mic - accurate and detailed with very little color. A stereo (near coindcident) pair creates a decent image, but it lacks depth and width. For fingerstyle acoustic guitar, I think there are better mics out there, some of which are at the same price point.

The Pelusos are very nice. More musical than the Shure SM81, yet they are not very colored. I would choose the Pelusos over the SM81s.

Other mics to consider are the following (in no particular order):

SE Electronics SE3 (nice mics, the HF rise is smooth)
AT 4051 (similar to the SM81, but a bit more refined)
Josephson C42 (colored, creamy, different than all others mentioned)

These mics are a cut above the budget SDs (e.g., Studio Projects C4, Okatva MC-012, MXL 603/604, Rode NT5, ADK SC-T) and are quite a cut below world class SDs (e.g., Schoeps, Microtech Gefell M29x, M300, DPA).

[kensington]

Wow....lottsa feedback. First, I'd like to thank everybody for their feedback. TRAGIKREMIX.......they are pretty good sounding guitars. Don't know which I'd pick If I had to choose one.....I know, another ONE! An old Martin...a $5,000 Breedlove and on and on and on. SCRUBS.......I appreciate the feedback but, I won't be tracking real drums anytime soon. Lately I've been trying to get my head around 2 drum machines...SR16 and Roland R8.Maybe if I meet a good drummer that digs my music I'll squeeze him in here somewhere. Live drums would be nice though.
BRACKISH.......other mics I've tried are: MXL 603's (like 'em), CAD e100 and e300 (hated the 300...really liked the 100 on hard-strummed Taylor,not fingerstyle), AT4040 (so-so to my ears & guitars...can't really remember why I nixed this mic, something about the mid-range), Shure KSM44 (liked on vocal....good on guitar,but YES! I did nix it...too compressed or something, probably should have kept it...I liked the 603 sound better), SOLARIS....(OK,
didn't find it great like some have....think I preferred this to the AT4040.) Oh, and an MXL990?...the cheap one, (I actually got one of the best guitar representations I've gotten from this cheapo MXL. It was a very big, deep, warm, (hmmmmm) balanced up-front sound. I put the mic 2 inches from sound hole (Taylor) at the neck-end of soundhole, tilted as close as I could get and red-lined it. I use tape so I can do this, but the thing was I put a Lutehole feedback supressor in the soundhole of the taylor...it's a wooden disc with designs cut in it, not solid...so it tamed the bass/proximity and still let the sound/air of the guitar come out. It was great, I could thump that low E and it was clear and deep and not boomy. Have to try that again.) I also tried CAD's 179 multipattern and 177. (The 177 comes out kinda edgy in the highs...too jangly...same on the 179 except out of cardoid...no real depth of field to my ears.) I didn't stereo any of these mics except the 603's...which are still my pick for my guitars. Hence the Shure-Peluso question.
REZN8......my signal chain is very simple...Mic to Allen-Heath MixWizard to Tascam TSR8....tried some cheaper preamps....worse to not much difference.
I get a pretty good sound keepin' it simple, but would like to try a good mid-priced preamp....or two...to see what happens. A dude I met from NYC says do it the real old-school simple way....I believe he said run your mic directly into the back of the tape deck...forget the mixer when laying down the initial track! I should have grilled him more, but it was a party. I think he said adaptor down a good dynamic to the rca's in the rear of deck...or use a passive preamp and condenser to the rca's.......point being the least amount of distance between redlined tape and vocal chords.....maybe I should just hit record and scream at the passing tape with no mic.
BOODA...........yeah, there are those multiple capsules......

SDELSOLRAY..........thanks for the concrete preference and the reasons for it.....I've heard, from DOT, Tweak and others, the SM81 is actually better as a solo mic. The pelusos sure seem worth checking out for a man of my present means.
Just wanna smile (wider) when I hear that guitar playback. Thanks everybody...your help is indispensable.
Anybody else used these two microphones? Kenton

[homestudioguy]

Try the sE Electronics SE3's if you have the ability to do so.
Certainly not in the price range of the others but you may be surprised.
I own one and use it specifially for acoustic guitar and it works quite well.
A pair goes for $649 nowadays.
http://www.seelectronics.com/
Warren Dent aka WAR on this forum did an A/B using the original Neumann KM84 SDC and the SE3 on acoustic guitar. The recordings are on the Front End Audio website. Worth a listen at minimum!
http://forums.frontendaudio.com/index.php?showtopic=334

[kensington]

thanx homeguy

[scrubs]

Originally Posted by kensington

SCRUBS.......I appreciate the feedback but, I won't be tracking real drums anytime soon.

doh! I don't know why I thought you were asking about overheads. Anyway, both the SM81 and 603s are good mics for acoustic guitar. The 603s being the brighter of the two. The SM81 is more neutral, but I also think it picks up more room sound.

[Brackish]

Anyone know some reputable dealers of the
CEMC6?

[scrubs]

Originally Posted by Brackish

Anyone know some reputable dealers of the
CEMC6?

Dan(Dot) at Soundpure: http://www.soundpure.com/showProduct.do?id=683
or: http://www.atlasproaudio.com/peluso.html

[musical5]

I have used both extensively. You cant go wrong with either IMO. I would however pick the Pelusos for sure. More realistic, much hotter output, and better sounding for multiple sources. Than consider price and the Pelusos are the champion.

[Brackish]

One thing I haven't been able to locate is a
frequency resopnse curve for the Peluso.
Anyone seen one?

[BigRay]

Originally Posted by kensington

Which of these two mics do you prefer for acoustic guitar. I have a Taylor 314 and an early 60's Gibson Heritage acoustic. Finger-picking, flat-picking and strumming are all included. From piano to forte. Most songs would be pretty sparse production wise....the guitar figuring pretty prominently.....some full blown band numbers (think "White Album"-like).Anybody have a chance to use both the SM81 and CEMC6's? thanks a million for any replies. kk

I prefer a combination of SDC and Ribbon!