The condensor equivalent of the 57

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Tomm Williams

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What do you guys feel is the condensor equal to the 57 in terms of flexibility, etc.....
General consensus is the 57 is the swiss army mic of dynamics. What condensor would fit that description? I'm leaning towards the 3035 bit really never thought about it.
 
I'm thinking something like one of the well known pencil condensers?
For me, sm81, because that's what I have.

Maybe akg c451 or oktava mk012?

Really, I don't think there's anything with the kind of rep a 57 has, but if I just need to capture an acoustic instrument and not think about it, an sm81 will sort it out for me.

I suppose half a 57s rep is the durability thing. Throw it in a bag and forget about it.
Throw my 81s in a bag? Forget about that! lol.
 
Hmmm it really depends. When you say the "equivalent" of an sm57, are you talking about the multi-instrument functionality, the affordability, or the durability?
 
Sennheiser K3-U / ME40. I have recorded Vocals, Acoustic guitars, guitar cabs, overheads, almost everything, and if you get one with the swappable ME80 and ME20 capsules, there is nothing it won't do.

I own several with at least 2 of every capsule. I could record anything with this mic. They are discontinued, but plenty of secondhand ones around.

Alan
 
Well, in my case I'd definitely say the AKG451--but that's because I have several of the old fashioned ones with interchangeable capsules, extension tubes, swivels, etc. I use them for darn near everything (and, when I run out, I move to my AKG Blue Line mics.

From what you can buy now, I dunno. I guess I should bite the bullet and try some of the Oktavia stuff I keep reading about in here.
 
guitaristic said:
Hmmm it really depends. When you say the "equivalent" of an sm57, are you talking about the multi-instrument functionality, the affordability, or the durability?
Click to expand...

All of the qualities of the 57 but in a condensor, Rather subjective but worth the discussion.
 
For what you are asking, I choose AKG C2000B. Good on vocals, instruments, percussion, cabs, brass/sax,overheads, or as half of a remote stereo pair. It's the first mic I reach for for cabs and hand percussion, and the second or third mic I reach for for almost anything else. I do have much more expensive mics that I use for specific purposes, but none of them is as flat-out versatile as the C2000.
 
An AT4033. Pretty rugged, takes high SPL, and like a 57, it sounds decent at anything you point it at.
 
okay, I'll jump in and nominate an unexpected contender.

I reckon that a respectable alternative to a 57 is the unassuming Behringer C2. I discovered these cheap and versatile mikes, and how remarkable they are, by accident.

I've posted these very short samples before, but they are revealing:

Upright bass
https://www.box.com/shared/uim1h825c4

Sax:
https://www.box.com/shared/ggi08h0122

They are good for live use, being as well-behaved as a 57. I wouldn't use them on everything that a 57 is used for, but for acoustic instruments they work real well.
 
witzendoz said:
Sennheiser K3-U
Click to expand...


I keep forgetting that I own this microphone and when I do remember and use it am always amazed by it.

I thank the day that I walked into GC with them not knowing what they had (you have to unscrew the body of the K3 to see *Sennheiser K3* written inside) they sold it to me for $19. thinking that it was a no-name camcorder microphone. :p
 
We've used and tested over 200 mics over the years.

This is from a post I made 10-15-03 on "essential" home studio mics where I compared the B1 to the venerable Shure SM57:

I think the Studio Projects B1 is now the most essential "workhorse" mic for home studios - even surpassing the SM57.

I still think it holds up today.

==========================


Here's my rating on studio applications, based on a scale of 1-10:

SM57
amps - 9
toms - 4
kick -2
snare - 9
OH - 3
acoustic - 3
percussion - 2
vocals - anywhere from 1-10

SP B1
amps - 9
toms - 10
kick - not tested
snare - 9
OH - 9
acoustic - 9
percussion - 8
vocals - anywhere from 5-8

==================================

If you want to move out of the sub $100 price range, the AKG 414 has long been the industry-standard, workhorse, Swiss Army knife of mics.
 
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The AT4033 is a great mic. I have two of them in case I need to do stereo stuff. You can generally get a nice clean sound that reproduces very accurately the sound in front of the microphone. However, I have found at times it can be a bit sterile sounding compared to other alternatives that I have.

I personnally have never been a fan of the SM57. I have two and use them very infrequently.
 
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