Authenticity of Shure mics...

[cellardweller]

I remember hearing a while back that stockpiles of fake shure mics were being found (and had been for some time) in China/elsewhere.

I have a sm57 and a 58. I have tried them in identical posisitions. I've tried compensating for the grill of the 58 by moving the 57 away, and a thousand other positions.
For some F'ed up reason, I can't get my 57 to sound but only slightly better than fingernails on a chalkboard (slight exaggeration). How much difference between the two should one reasonably expect? Am I profoundly retarded?
How could one easily (or otherwise) identify a counterfeit?


*edit* Maybe I should just come around to the realization that either my pre's/myself/my room/god doesn't like/want me to have the 57. That's fine, I'm ready to replace it and my pre's, but I have to get through Xmas first!!!

 

[mshilarious]

I have a sm57 and a 58. I have tried them in identical positions. I've tried compensating for the grill of the 58 by moving the 57 away, and a thousand other positions.
For some F'ed up reason, I can't get my 57 to sound but only slightly better than fingernails on a chalkboard

What are you recording?

If you move back a 57, you will lose proximity effect, which means bass, not high end. Thus the 57 further away than a 58 on the same source will have more highs and fewer lows. Maybe that's your chalkboard sound.

For a more valid test, unscrew the ball of the 58 and mic at the same distance.

 

[paddyponchero]

I can imagine the fakes replicating the exterior but I bet they have a plastic capsule, as I recall the sm58 / 57 capsule are a pretty complicated assembly

 

[noisedude]

They shouldn't sound that different. Certainly not if you don't have a killer room and monitoring. I'm not sure my first assumption would be that one's a fake - are you sure it's working properly?

Try find someone else with a 57 (there's one or two knocking around the planet and see how that sounds against yours.

 

[Michael Jones]

Can you post a clip and let us hear what you're talking about?

 

[DJL]

Cellardweller... and sometimes the Shure SM57 just doesn't nail it... and some xmas money gets spent on a Sennheiser MD421. ... honestly, if you ever get the chance, give the MD421 a try. In the mean time... try putting your SM57 about 6 inches or so off the amp grill and put a sleeping bag/thick blanket over and around the whole setup, enclosing the amp and mic in a little blanket type box, (but, don't let the amp over heat)(and don't let the blanket touch the mic or hang between the mic and amp) and see if that gets you closer to the recorded guitar type sound you're looking for or not.

 

[cellardweller]

Thanks for all the replies.

Sorry for not including, I am micing a guitar 4X12. Usually distorted guitars, have tried GREATLY reducing my distortion to less than 25% of what I would normally use, mids way up on pedal, low/mid/high on amp around 12 o'clock, etc...

So the ball of the 58 just unscrews , I was actually afraid to try it. I'd recently read a thread here about the perils of dismantling the 57, so figured I'd forego that potential fiasco, but I will definitely try that...

I have neither a killer room, nor monitoring, and believe it or not, don't immediately know of anyone who has another 57!

Can't post a clip right now (@ work), might have a chance to "throw-up" (literally maybe) something later!

I'll try the blanket thing, and I have had my eye on the MD421 for a while, but my wife about crapped down her leg when I told her how much it cost, but after several months of "look at how much THIS mic costs, honey" I think she may be getting the idea!!!

Thanks again.

 

[Michael Jones]

Thanks for all the replies.

Sorry for not including, I am micing a guitar 4X12.

A 4x12 cab?
You're micing a 4x12 cab?
That may be your whole problem right there.
Monster stacks, and large cabs, while they sound GREAT live, are NOT the ideal choice for recording.

 

[OneArmedScissor]

A 4x12 cab?
You're micing a 4x12 cab?
That may be your whole problem right there.
Monster stacks, and large cabs, while they sound GREAT live, are NOT the ideal choice for recording.

I'd say that depends a heck of a lot on exactly what you are recording.

So cellardweller, you are saying that the 57 sounds bad and nothing like the 58? Your 57 could just be a dud or something if that is the case.

I wouldn't think that it is a fake. I don't know how a bunch of fakes would get passed off to stores to sell. Of course you didn't necessarily have to have bought it from a store, but that still doesn't seem like the first thing to consider as the problem.

 

[cellardweller]

A 4x12 cab?
You're micing a 4x12 cab?
That may be your whole problem right there.
Monster stacks, and large cabs, while they sound GREAT live, are NOT the ideal choice for recording.

A single 12, in a self-contained amp would be preferable?
Is this because of the low-end that a 4X12 produces?

The 57 is probably not fake (long night)... it only seemed I'd tried everything
BTW, I finally took the "ball" off of the 58, will I need any type of pop or wind filter to emulate the 57?

And thanks for the heads up!

 

[mrface2112]

<<A single 12, in a self-contained amp would be preferable? >>

usually, yes. you'd be surprised how "massive" a good, small, 10-15W tube amp can sound given the right player, guitar, mics, placement and room. most of your famous rock tracks tend to be recorded on these things.

<<Is this because of the low-end that a 4X12 produces?>>

no, it's b/c there's only one speaker. when you've got 4 speakers, you've got all manner of frequency clashing (cancellation, phasing, etc) among the 4 speakers that really can thin out the sound of the amp when you stick a mic up close on one of the speakers (and that's assuming you've managed to single out the best sounding of the 4).

IMO, 1x12 and 4x12 should be no different in terms of their respective low end. the increased volume from the 4x12 just might make it seem like there's more low end (which, honestly, i'd prolly end up rolling off anyway in the mix).

now, of course, plenty of folks have mic'd 4x12 and 8x12 cabinets to great success......just don't close-mic it (or at least, don't rely on the close mic as the *only* mic). put it in a good sounding room with some distance mics, and add in some close mics for flavoring.


now, if you can find a spot in your current room where the amp sounds good to your ears, try putting your mic right there where your ears are. see if that gives you a more acceptable tone.

but seriously, if you're going to be recording a lot of guitar, i'd look into getting your hands on a low wattage tube amp.


as for the 58 sans ball, don't worry about it--just don't drop it. it should sound similar enough to the 57 without the ball in place as it's the ball that makes the 58 sound different than the 57.


cheers,
wade

 

[noisedude]

I gave my kid brother a little Crate 15-watt amp for his birthday in August ... and have kept borrowing it back because it produces a much more easily recordable and mixable tone than my Fender 100 watt!

But again - the two mics really shouldn't sound very different at all ...