SM58 and $$LDC

Which is better?

  • 1 is Best

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2 is Best

    Votes: 1 100.0%
  • 3 too close to tell

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    1
  • Poll closed .

CoolCat

Well-known member
I did a short sample of each, SM58 and $$LDC.
For the elders they might recall T-Rex acoustic album numbers...this is a clone track with the Mics to be tested being the main thing.
I tried adding a few ssss shhhhss words to hit the sizzle freq.


Can anyone hear a difference?

Using retail pricing, one is $99 and the other $1200....same closet room, same everything else.
For what Im doing Im not really hearing much differences.

47sec clip... appreciate any inputs
 

Attachments

  • TREX 1 mp3.mp3
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  • TREX 2 mp3.mp3
    1.8 MB · Views: 99
I can definitely hear a definite difference, and I'd ascribe it to more proximity effect on the first track - at least that's IMLE. So, maybe that's the SM58, or maybe it's just positioning. Hard to state a preference, because that gives it just a slight edge in volume in my hearing.

Mic differences can be very subtle, depending on what's being recorded. Sometimes they can make a big difference, but sometimes it's really just a subjective feel, or a matter of one makes the job easier. Spend some time on those mic comparisons like the Audio Test Kitchen or Sweetwater, et al, and you'll go crazy...

With male voices, that tend to the bari range especially, those big LDCs are a whole lot of dollars and often don't translate to better tracks. Doesn't mean they shouldn't be used, but it's not going to pay off to unload your wallet for a mic probably. I've recorded some pretty good singers in clubs using SM58s and similar mics that have been seriously abused, and they often sound remarkably good. And, I've swapped in newer/better mics a couple times with, probably unsurprisingly, resulting tracks that mix down practically indistinguishable from the ones with the battered SM58s.

P.S. I can't vote for a *better* of the two - either is fine, though I might tweak EQ on the 2nd if I wanted more body like the first. (Only headphone and earbud listens, though.)
 
Interesting you can hear a difference.

Each recording is so subtley different , I get that.
So many details, I agree, Mic PLacement is huge especially in a closed in "bad" room with LDC too.

I was watching a video the other day and comment "walls are your enemy" and I liked that. The super large Sinatra, 56th street churches to EMI huge rooms high ceilings ..open things up. I thought my reality is "these walls are 3ft each side" lol, vocal box setup. (I have larger rooms but preer this space).

Thanks, its all part of the ears and listening gear too isn't it?

The dynamic can tend to isolate the track more, good or worse? I don't know either.

I didn't find anything with the DJ booth mics (RE20,SM7,MXL BCD) that were really much difference than the SM58. Seeing the FooFighters studio using 58 Beta for a even more focused pattern, less room. ..
the 2nd one was the 58. I thought it took ssss's and shss' well and with a eq and comp sounded nearly the same! not bad for $99.

track1-box guitar/vcal
t2-guitar
t3-guitar
t4-little shaker then got bored with it..lol

the point was then 1hr record/mix, adding comp and eq and a plug-environment mix, the difference got smaller.
I heard a little more in 1 also, LDC too.

Im thinning down to 1 or two mics because 100% of this is me and a acoustic guitar and a this room.

that SM58 I hadnt plugged in for a long while, impressive and theres this "tank tough" thing I like , they get hit or dropped...no big deal.
they have some kind of consistency too. but without the plugin sweetening it can sound pretty blah. also with a plugin I hadnt used for awhile.

after a year of more of preamp comparing 2017-2018, then mics and a few preamps in 2019....

LDC> Interface works ok...loud enough I dont need a preamp (plugins needed later)
DYNAMICS + Cloudlifter> Interface is simple enough and works well (plugins needed later)

I have PG81 and SM81 (US version) that I'll probably sell, they work well in isolation I guess its my room.
The SM7b and RE20 and MXL BCD1 all do the same thing, slight differences and need gain but have a nice tight pattern, less room...like the SM58/57.

I'll probably keep a SM58 and a LDC and decide who wants microphones for gifts this Christmas..lol
 
Nice comparison. Thanks for sharing. :)

I think I'd bet the 58 is B. Seems like the extreme lows are stronger/smoother in A, and the extreme highs are more a little more detailed/sharper.
I don't think I'd be in shock if I was wrong, though.
Just goes to show that $1100 more isn't necessarily $1100 better. These are both perfectly usable recordings.
 
The more you use both mics in a variety of applications, the more you will see why they are different and how they each can be used in different situations for the best results.
If you always record everything in a "closet room", doing the same style of music, using the same approach...then you can probably find what works, and no need to look any further or to have a broader mic selection...but TBH, an SM58 isn't going to be what I would use as a "workhorse" mic in a studio setting where there is a lot of variety. So you need to do a shootout that covers a variety of applications and a variety of sources to get a more accurate picture.

Also...what was the $1100 LDC...?...you don't say which mic it was, only the price.

And...your poll asking which mic is "best"...is not relevant without context. Best at what and for what...?
You're asking a very subjective question, and much of the answer has to do with your needs and your intent for the production as a whole. :)
 
Mic # LDC

RODE NTV: TRUE CONDENSER VALVE MICROPHONE - Mixonline

Its a beautiful thing as most gear is, but you kind of nailed it on the "for the same room , same sound source etc..." there was some professional raving about these as replacing his U87's....some skeptical of sales pitch but really, RODE put everything into it but then stopped its production, one said due to cost of all the hiend parts vs sales profit. Basically going to in-house transformers instead of Jensens etc...

Then its a matter of finding what works with what you have. For this place numerous applications isnt happening, but Im sure a working studio is much wider range of sound sources and different environment.

I posted for a sanity check of sorts. Ive kind of got this to 1 LDC and 1 Dynamic....
 
Nice comparison. Thanks for sharing. :)

I think I'd bet the 58 is B. Seems like the extreme lows are stronger/smoother in A, and the extreme highs are more a little more detailed/sharper.
I don't think I'd be in shock if I was wrong, though.
Just goes to show that $1100 more isn't necessarily $1100 better. These are both perfectly usable recordings.

you were right.
and I agree.
appreciate the sanity checks, confirmed my ears were in line with others.
the B track has more separation it seems because the Dynamic SM58 didn't pickup the guitar strumming , A - LDC picked up a lot more guitar strumming so theres like the extra guitar going on in the middle etc... Im still impressed with the SM58 $99+ Cloudlifter, totally useable for Hobbiness recording.

..the SM58 is a keeper, not sure which LDC I'll keep..

anyway thanks again for inputs and ideas.
 
I preferred TREX2. It seemed a little more relaxed and natural to me. TREX1 was a bit too bright in comparison. Either would do though, even as a solo track.

Maybe its me getting old and slow, but I didn't have an A or B. TREX2 was first in the list. So which one was the 58 and which was the Rode? Is #2 A, or is #2 B? Or not 2B... that's the question!
 
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