GLS Audio ES-57

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JPXTom

JPXTom

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Do they actually sound like or the same as SM57's? Are they as good as advertised hah? Cause if so, i'd rather save some cash and get these. I'd figure using them for snare/guitar amp...like how the sm57 is usually used.
 
Most people report using them on toms more then snare and amps, but that doesn't mean you can't. I don't own any, yet, the purchase of 3 of them keeps getting pushed back.
 
Hey everybody, freshly new to this forum but on a mission to record drums on a budget. I've got an sm57 and two behringers for overhead. I'd be interested in 3 of these as well for my toms and then to find a budget kick. Would love to hear from drummers who have tried these with success.. I figure afterwards i can use freeware that is similar to drumagog to kind of voice over or "color" the sound to refine it and make it more studio like.

So anyone playing with these, let us know!:)
 
I've used em on snare with limited sucess. I think maybe it has more gain than a real sm57??

On amps if its clean they sound fine, but distorted they end up sounding worse.

I mainly pull one out if there is no other mic available and someone needs to do a guide vocal or something. They are a good deal though I think it was 79 bucks for 3 of them
 
wildflower soul said:
I've used em on snare with limited sucess. I think maybe it has more gain than a real sm57??

On amps if its clean they sound fine, but distorted they end up sounding worse.

I mainly pull one out if there is no other mic available and someone needs to do a guide vocal or something. They are a good deal though I think it was 79 bucks for 3 of them
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I guess i'll stick to getting 57's for my amps.
 
Could that distortion be due to preamp levels? Maybe they need less gain? I am lucky enough to have a real sm57 for my guitars.. very interested in these for toms as these are where people have been seeing bang for the buck it seems.
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
Could that distortion be due to preamp levels? Maybe they need less gain? I am lucky enough to have a real sm57 for my guitars.. very interested in these for toms as these are where people have been seeing bang for the buck it seems.
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...in my experience, I agree that they need less gain...I use both the ES-57 and ES-58 and I find that they definately require less gain and therefore are more likely to go into the red (distort) if pushed too hard...

...but if you use them discretely, and forget your reference level settings for the Shure versions, you may find (as I have) that these mics have more "presence" than the originals...I use both in live applications, and both (IMHO) are capable of out-performing the Shure versions...I much prefer the ES-58 for male vocals, but you do have to back off on the gain levels...the ES-57 also has higher output and will distort if you ride the gain...but if you back off on the gain, both mics have a kinda "in-your-face" presence that makes them great for live gigs as well as recording...

...in fact, I have purchased quite a few of these for other singers, drummers and guitarists that have come to our live gigs and and wanted to know where they could get them...and I've never heard anything but positive feedback from the musicians using them (and I'm talking about pro-session players not garage band kids)...I highly recommend them as an addition to, and often a substitute for the original Shure versions...

...now if I can only convince GLS to manufacture an ES-7B (SM7B clone), that would be way cool!...;)
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
Hey everybody, freshly new to this forum but on a mission to record drums on a budget. I've got an sm57 and two behringers for overhead. I'd be interested in 3 of these as well for my toms and then to find a budget kick. Would love to hear from drummers who have tried these with success.. I figure afterwards i can use freeware that is similar to drumagog to kind of voice over or "color" the sound to refine it and make it more studio like.

So anyone playing with these, let us know!:)
Click to expand...

...if you're looking for a great value in drum mics, check these out...I use them and they are quite good (actually considering the price, they're great!)...very reliable for gigging...
http://karmaaudio.com/clearance.html
 
Kidvybes, those would be even cheaper than the crappy CAD's that everyone hates! What is the deal with those? Are they actually reliable and do the trick? How is the kick? Would you be able to share some clips of the results you received from these mic's?

Thanks- great forum here by the way.
 
Kapo_Polenton said:
Kidvybes, those would be even cheaper than the crappy CAD's that everyone hates! What is the deal with those? Are they actually reliable and do the trick? How is the kick? Would you be able to share some clips of the results you received from these mic's?

Thanks- great forum here by the way.
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...I use that set primarily for live gigs so I don't have clips to offer up...but they do a pretty good job...and both my drummer and my sound tech prefer the kick mic included in the kit over our Shure Beta 52A, so go figure...

...I find that when I offer up new mics to my sound tech and my fellow musicians, I avoid telling them the price until after they test out the equipment...that way (especially when the mics are this cheap) I get more subjective opinions about the product's performance...these mics did very well and were integrated into are regular "gigging" arsenal...I am comfortable recommending them...I mean, $99...;)
 
...the thing to keep in mind here, is that mic placement is at least 50% of the equation (some would argue placement is even more crucial)...when we go into the studio to record, I have a drum micing tech I call in who is amazing!...the sound that this guy gets, in most cases using some assortment of battle-scarred odds and ends (no vintage high-end mics in his arsenal), is nothing short of miraculous...that's why he's booked up most of the time...

...the moral here is get the best tools you can comfortably afford, and learn to use them to their best advantage...learning your trade with "less than spectacular" equipment sometimes results in greater skills (making the best of what you have available)...it's not the guitar that makes a great guitarist, and it's not a high-end mic kit that makes a great drum recording...technique is a big part of the equation...so don't stress the brand name or price point...concentrate on learning your trade...you can always upgrade your "tools" once you're a qualified and capable gigging musician/tech...;)

(sorry if I'm sounding "preachy"...)
 
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kidvybes said:
...the thing to keep in mind here, is that mic placement is at least 50% of the equation (some would argue placement is even more crucial)...when we go into the studio to record, I have a drum micing tech I call in who is amazing!...the sound that this guy gets, in most cases using some assortment of battle-scarred odds and ends (no vintage high-end mics in his arsenal), is nothing short of miraculous...that's why he's booked up most of the time...

...the moral here is get the best tools you can comfortably afford, and learn to use them to their best advantage...learning your trade with "less than spectacular" equipment sometimes results in greater skills (making the best of what you have available)...it's not the guitar that makes a great guitarist, and it's not a high-end mic kit that makes a great drum recording...technique is a big part of the equation...so don't stress the brand name or price point...concentrate on learning your trade...you can always upgrade your "tools" once you're a qualified and capable gigging musician/tech...;)

(sorry if I'm sounding "preachy"...)
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hah good point though...ive heard some better vocal tracks with my MXL990, then some other vocals done with mics costing 400,500 dollars..i'll consider the phoenix, but i'd still like to know how they sound...at least with some of the more expensive mics, ive heard what im getting(the d6, sm57)...i just like a little security in what im buying...hence, this thread about the es-57.
 
I'd rather have three ES57s than one SM57. And I'd have money left over for cables.
 
Well I heard some soundclips of the gls 57 clones on tomscfrom a fellow forum member and I am pretty much sold on picking some up! Sounded pretty damn good to me.
 
...the bottomline is that the ES-57, ES-58 and the Pheonix kit are all very usable and cost effective mics that will perform "well or not-so-well" based very much on the skill and expertise of the musician/tech using them...all are worthy of a spot in any well-stocked and diverse microphone locker...;)
 
Personally I like the ES-57 quite a bit. As said, it's higher output than the SM57, but it also has more high-end to it. At times, this can get to the "brittle" range, but as long as you're recording the right source with it (high gain scooped guitar tones = a no-no), you should get some pretty nice results.
 
Completely agree...

timthetortoise said:
Personally I like the ES-57 quite a bit. As said, it's higher output than the SM57, but it also has more high-end to it. At times, this can get to the "brittle" range, but as long as you're recording the right source with it (high gain scooped guitar tones = a no-no), you should get some pretty nice results.
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I strongly recommend both the ES-57 and 58 - especially for live work. Vocals on this track were done with the ES-58 (large file - rough mix):

CFI - first song live session.wav
 
Is this how they sound?

If WhiteStrat or anyone who has used these things on vocals and such cares to comment:

I've read lots of good posts about these things from people who seemed to own SM57s as well, so I grabbed the 3-pack. I tried it on some test vocals against an SM57 and it is quite noticeably "grittier" with less detail and has a bit of a honk to it. I'm wondering now if there is more than one version of these things (or their quality control is lacking) or if it just does something good for close mic'd drums or instruments which might need the extra crunch.

Here's a test file:



(file is back to back- Shure then GLS)

Note- This is not a "studio" recording. It was done with what was on hand at the time. I believe it was amped by one of those little single-pre Behringer Xenyx things which has Burr-Brown opamps in it, but I had tried a pre in a rackmount Alesis mixer (Studio 12R), as well as a Symetrix 528, so I doubt the issue is amp-specific. The file is also processed, but it seems to show off the "character" of the GLS pretty well. Both recordings are hitting the exact same chain of crap anyway.

I may get around to doing some real tests with them later as well as some close micing of drums, but from what I heard, I'd be sort of wary of having a bunch of them in a mix.

Take Care

PS- And thanks WS for the shootout. I'll be checking out those clips tonight. It would be nice to get a vocal or something open sounding in there to hear the details if you ever go back to adding anything.
 
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