For recording guitar amps/cabs: Shure SM57 or Senn MD421 or Neumann U67?

For recording guitar amps/cabs: Shure SM57 or Senn MD421 or Neumann U67?

  • Neumann U67

    Votes: 2 7.7%

  • Sennheiser MD421

    Votes: 3 11.5%

  • Shure SM57

    Votes: 21 80.8%
  • Total voters
    26
V

valacirca

New member
TBH, I'm just asking because the cab impulses I got from the Line6Pod has different variants based on these three microphones.

Which would you choose?
 
well, if I didn't have any of those 3 mics, but were allowed to have one, I'd pick the U67, that way so I have it and could keep it.

But probably the U67 anyway, since I'm more of a fan of room guitar sound. Although I prefer ribbons.
 
valacirca said:
What if I just wanted to know what most people would choose... like, y'know... what I asked in the OP? :confused:
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But it's all about variables. What kind of guitar, what kind of amp, what kind of music, what kind of mix, etc.

I know it's not the answer you wanted to hear--but there isn't one answer. I'm a guitar player. I record guitar non-stop. I use a 57 on one amp, a 421 on another, a condenser on another, and a ribbon on still another. And that can all change when I change guitars.

And when I get a new amp, it doesn't matter that I've been doing this for years. After I dial in a decent sound on the amp, I still audition a bunch of mics. I got a new amp last December--and I'm not still not sure what my "go to" mic is for it.

Take it for what it is and have fun experimenting.
 
The real answer is - any of them.

The one to use is the one that gives you the sound you want.

And that sound will vary a lot as to where you actually place the microphone.

There is no one answer - all are equally good, or equally bad, depending on what *you* want to achieve.
 
U67 - if you don't like it, you can sell it and use the money to buy 8 buzillion SM57s and swim around in them like Uncle Scrooge swims around in money. Then you can borrow enough money to buy a 421 that you'll probably prefer to the 57s in many cases.
 
Which one would I choose?
I would start with a ribbon, then move on to a 421, then on to a 57 if I wasn't satisfied with my first choice.
But if I moved on to a U67 I would immediately realize that I was in the wrong studio. :D






:cool:
 
valacirca said:
What if I just wanted to know what most people would choose... like, y'know... what I asked in the OP? :confused:
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Then you would use the search function on this site because this exact pole has been repeated 8946864818997864423155788674231544864521 times.
 

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Kingofpain678 said:
I just realized how old this thread is....
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And stupid - comparing $80, $200 and $4000 mics.

Which is better: a 2001 Neon, a 1985 Buick station wagon or a brand new $60K Lexus?

I've used all three mics on guitar amps and I've never had any success with SM57's, I think 421's have a very hard sound that works on toms but little else and the U67 sounds wonderful. Big surprise! :rolleyes:
 
bouldersoundguy said:
You left out an option:

"Whichever sounds best on that cab with that player for that song."
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...when auditioned in the mix.

SM57's are funny little buggers - it takes a while to get the hang of positioning them right (they're awfully position-sensitive), but once you do, well, they capture and augment everything you want from a guitar, and nothing you don't.

It's still not my go-to lead mic, but I'm wondering if that's beginning to change - for this video I posted over here, I just left the SM57 I'd positioned to track rhythm guitars in place and hit record, and to my surprise I really liked how the lead guitar recorded. I'm wondering if I just never quite got the placement right before. :D

Anyway, tangent aside... Try 'em all. There's no best way to do this - recording and mixing is an art, and half the fun is we all get to choose our brushes and our personal palette.
 
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