Can a Shure SM57 or 58 work for acoustic guitar?

[hairylarry]

good mics for acoustic guitar

Hi,

I have an SM57 and I experimented with it on acoustic guitar. It really doesn't have the high end detail that acoustic picking needs.

I do like these mics in no particular order.

Naiant msh-1 sdc omni
Audio Technica Pro37 and Pro37r (same mic) sdc cardiod
MXL 603 sdc cardiod
Realistic 1070b or c or d dynamic omni
Shure SM61 dynamic omni
Audio Technica 4054 condensor vocals mic
Superlux CM-H8C ldc multipattern

I always run my acoustic guitar signal through a DMP2 which is the version before DMP3. The DMP2 preamps are noticeably better than the preamps on my Fostex VF160 on acoustic guitar. For some sources the Fostex preamps do fine.

Microphone position really affects the sound. You can jam the dynamic omnis right up next to the strings and the wood. The sdc cardiods work good over the shoulder kind of what your ear hears.

Experiment. I found I liked the AT4054 on a floor stand pointing straight up at the guitar.

Thanks,

Hairy Larry

 

[L mandrake]

Thanks for all the info. I'm good now (at least for a little while).

and, yeah he died 2000 years ago (and rose two days later).

Why was I led to believe that he rose 3 days later . Those catholic priests wouldnt have lied to me would they?

I think if Jesus was with us today he too would have chosen an SM57.

 

[dgatwood]

Why was I led to believe that he rose 3 days later . Those catholic priests wouldnt have lied to me would they?

I think if Jesus was with us today he too would have chosen an SM57.

You know, it's kind of weird. Some folks do say that he rose three days later, but then again, some people can't do math.

According to scripture, he rose on the third day. Friday, the day of crucifixion, counted as the first day, Saturday the second, and Sunday the third. So it was two days later.

Either that or the folks who wrote down the story originally can't do math. Or both. It's hard to say when dealing with writers that far back. Frankly, I think the fact that a bunch of ordinary people in that day and age had the ability to write any of this down at all is sufficiently improbable that the mere fact it happened lends strong credence to Jesus' life being miraculous....

BTW, I'm pretty sure Jesus would have chosen a Naiant. Beneath that humble package lies something amazing.

 

[karyoker]

You people started my new year off right!! I'm rolling on the floor!! Happy New Year!!! Take the grill off a 58 and it is a 57...If u cant pick right to start with it dont make any difference what mic u got.!!

 

[L mandrake]

You know, it's kind of weird. Some folks do say that he rose three days later, but then again, some people can't do math.

According to scripture, he rose on the third day. Friday, the day of crucifixion, counted as the first day, Saturday the second, and Sunday the third. So it was two days later.

Either that or the folks who wrote down the story originally can't do math. Or both. It's hard to say when dealing with writers that far back. Frankly, I think the fact that a bunch of ordinary people in that day and age had the ability to write any of this down at all is sufficiently improbable that the mere fact it happened lends strong credence to Jesus' life being miraculous....

BTW, I'm pretty sure Jesus would have chosen a Naiant. Beneath that humble package lies something amazing.

Thanks. Nice to wake up on new years day with a good laugh.
But may I suggest that perhaps the rode nt1a might be his choice....loved by a few in the present day, detested to the point of crucifixion by many but in 2000 years just you wait.....people may be doing all sorts of crazy things to get it

 

[amarach]

the shure on the acoustic will sound fine..
maybe not transcendental, but fine.

 

[bilco]

I'm having a heck of a time with my condensors (cheap, and always a slight buzz..maybe coming from the laptop. I don't know).

Anyway, how will a Shure SM57 or 58 do for recording acoustic steel string guitar?

I'm getting a cheap tube preamp tomorrow. Will that work with a Shure SM 58?

Thanks

I don't see the audio interface you are using to connect to your laptop.

What is it?

I would like to save you the time and heartache of going down the "what is the best preamp", "what is the best mic" rabbit hole.

Work with the preamp you have right now; don't buy the cheap tube preamp yet, if at all

If you already bought it, that's okay.

If you haven't bought it, keep working with whatever is built into your audio interface to the laptop.

Regarding the buzz: Keep the mic cord and the mic away from power cords and as far from the laptop as you can. Move the interface as far away from the laptop as the firewire or USB cord will allow.

Dynamic Mics: I do recommend getting an SM57 and and SM58 or the Audix equivalent. Condenser mics are going to pick up every irritating noise in a non-professional recording space. Every time I used a condenser mic I could hear the neighbors dogs, passing cars, my stomach growling, the AC unit, the boxy sound of the room, etc. Dynamic mics may not capture the highs like a condenser, but they are good at rejecting off axis noise that condensers pick up. To maximize the high frequencies on the guitar, use new strings, try lights instead of mediums and experiment with different guitar picks.

Aim whatever mic you use on the acoustic guitar at about the 12th fret, about 6" to 12" out. Move it around slowly until it sounds the best to you. I have gotten pretty good results with this simple starter technique using an SM57 on my acoustic. It is not going to sound like a Phil Keaggy CD, but it is a good starting point.

If you sing, I recommend the SM58 for vocals when you are starting out because of the built in filter to keep the Ps from popping. Yes, there are other mics that may be more suited for your voice, but the SM58 is a usable first vocal mic.

I have been down the gear acquisition trail for over 3 years now and have spent way too much money only to realize that my voice, my guitar playing and my engineering chops, (even after having done home recording for over 20 years,) are still the biggest roadblock to great recordings. Better preamps do not make me a better guitar player...... IT IS NOT THE GEAR!

My advice to anyone starting out on home recording:

Keep it simple.

*Get a simple interface and use the software it comes with.
*Use the preamp(s) it came with
*Start recording with an SM58 and SM57 or the other brand equivalent
*Take the money you would be spending on gear and use it for vocal and guitar lessons
*Take the time you spend searching forums for "what is the best ...." and use it to work on your songwriting every day
*Use this simple setup to get good at playing accurately in a recording environment, recording to a click track, hearing your voice and guitar in headphones
*When your songs and voice and guitar playing are ready, if you want to record a CD or single songs to put out on the web, go to a real studio and pay a real engineer with talent, great ears and great tools to capture your great performance.

I spent a lot of money to come to this conclusion. I have some pretty nice mics and preamps. Every mic and preamp I bought or rented was supposed to be the next great tool that brought magic to my recordings. Every one of them has made a very slight improvement at best. In hindsite, I wish I had kept it really simple and concentrated on my songwriting and performing.

Something to keep in mind if you are tempted to spend ever increasing amounts of money on gear:

I can change spark plugs and the oil and filter on my cars with a few very basic tools and that is about the extent of my talent on working on cars since computers were added to them. If I were to buy a fully equipped garage full of pro tools, I still would only be able to change the plugs and oil.........

bilco

 

[guitar junkie]

I would wager a bet that four panels of Roxul wrapped in fabric would do a better job of improving your recordings than getting an SM57.

Gainstage my friend, work out a signal to noise ratio that works! If your mics are buzzing check your cables, get the DMP3 if you want something clean and clear... but make sure that your cables and interface are well set up... spend around $100 and get your room sounding a little better, and THEN see what your next audio problem is going to be.....

 

[dgatwood]

Dynamic Mics: I do recommend getting an SM57 and and SM58 or the Audix equivalent. Condenser mics are going to pick up every irritating noise in a non-professional recording space. Every time I used a condenser mic I could hear the neighbors dogs, passing cars, my stomach growling, the AC unit, the boxy sound of the room, etc.

That's why I like ribbons. They lie somewhere between MCDs and condensers in that regard. I would never use anything other than a condenser on acoustic guitar, though. You'd have to use so much gain on an SM57 that it would sound bad with almost any pre. The SM5x series is designed for sound sources that are relatively loud, not quiet, gentle sounds like an acoustic guitar. If you are having problems with noises in your environment, fix the environment. You can still hear noises even with an SM58. That's determined more by the pickup pattern than whether the mic is condenser or dynamic, with the exception of high frequency noises (which the SM57/58 will miss entirely because it rolls off to near zero response above about 12 kHz---it is a decidedly lo-fi microphone).

If you sing, I recommend the SM58 for vocals when you are starting out because of the built in filter to keep the Ps from popping. Yes, there are other mics that may be more suited for your voice, but the SM58 is a usable first vocal mic.

If you're having trouble with popping Ps, don't sing straight into the mic or work on your vocal technique. Practice saying the letter P with your hand in front of your mouth. You should not feel a lot of air blowing out when you make it. Keep practicing until you can consistently make the sound without it. Then sing and do the same thing. Practice until you can consistently avoid the burst of air.

I don't agree about the SM58 being usable as a vocal mic unless it is very old (early 80s and back) or you are mostly recording female vocals. They have changed the design over the years and the mics have gotten muddier and muddier. Most male voices (ultra-bright tenors excepted) sound really dull through them because of a combination of roll-off and a lot of proximity effect. If you put the SM58 far enough away to reduce the proximity effect warmth to an acceptable level, you'll have all the same problems you have with a condenser picking up noise in the environment.

Now if you had said a Shure 565SD Unisphere I (silver body), I might agree that it would be a usable vocal mic, but even there, I'd still have the same caveats, just to a lesser degree.

I have been down the gear acquisition trail for over 3 years now and have spent way too much money only to realize that my voice, my guitar playing and my engineering chops, (even after having done home recording for over 20 years,) are still the biggest roadblock to great recordings. Better preamps do not make me a better guitar player...... IT IS NOT THE GEAR!

I disagree. It is both the gear and the engineering. The best engineer can't make bad gear sound good. The worst engineer can easily make good gear sound bad.

My advice to anyone starting out on home recording:

Keep it simple.

*Get a simple interface and use the software it comes with.
*Use the preamp(s) it came with

Depends on the interface and the software it comes with. If you mean the turd preamps on a Delta 1010LT, you are better off with something that costs $25 at Radio Shack. For most interfaces, though, I would agree with you.

As for the software, again, it depends on whether it works well. I'd rather steer Mac users to Garage Band than Cubase, for example, even though most interfaces come with the latter. Stability problems with Cubase in Mac OS X can mar the recording experience from everything I've heard about it. But yeah, in general, I agree.

Something to keep in mind if you are tempted to spend ever increasing amounts of money on gear:

I can change spark plugs and the oil and filter on my cars with a few very basic tools and that is about the extent of my talent on working on cars since computers were added to them. If I were to buy a fully equipped garage full of pro tools, I still would only be able to change the plugs and oil.........

Dunno. I picked up a torque wrench and replaced all the gaskets on the intake manifold on my Ford Windstar and I'd never even gone as far as changing my oil. I guess it depends on how much risk you are willing to take or how many thousands of dollars ($1500) your sleazebag dealer in California quotes you for what should be a $150 repair (according to my competent original dealer in Tennessee).

 

[krimson]

Listen to In Absentia by Porcupine Tree. All of the acoustic guitars were recorded with 57's (through good pre's of course) and it sounds wonderful. Cuts through a rock mix very well. So i guess it all depends on the application of the music that you are doing that will matter most.

 

[kylehughes1@mac]

yeah it works, if you have two sm57's it will be a little easier. place one directly in front of the soundhole about 4-6in away, and place the other halfway up the fretboard aimed towards the soundhole about 30 degrees off of the fretboard. pan one hard left and one hard right. phase, and bobs your uncle