elbandito
potential lunch winner
I subscribe to Recording Hacks' mailing list and today I recieved and email that's mostly about dynamic mics. Here's a portion of what was written:
Insider SM57 Secrets
The Shure SM57 was introduced in 1965. Audio technology has come a long way since then, with composite materials and acoustics research and CNC machines whose precision takes several decimal places to describe. So, it stands to reason that newer dynamic mic designs would be superior. Right?
I would have thought so, until some guys at Shure showed me a bit of the technology in the SM57 and SM58. The magic engineered into these mics was developed in the 1960s, but despite being described in patents and white papers, has never been duplicated by a competitor.
The specific trick I'm referring to gives the SM58 the best handling-noise spec in its class. Check out the noise results from Shure's "vibration table," showing the SM58 with 5 popular competitive stage vocal dynamics. The highest-profile, most expensive mic there, despite its Sorbothane-mounted capsule, is 34dB more sensitive to mechanical noise at 100Hz than the SM58!
...I wish to share a series of videos we made with Shure over the summer. We can all thank Peterson Goodwyn of DIY Recording Equipment for conceiving, proposing, and delivering this groundbreaking feature, which is guaranteed to enlighten you about dynamic microphones in general, and the SM57/SM58 in particular.
In part I, learn how a dynamic mic works. Pretend you're a sound wave, and follow this tour through the most popular transducer in studio history, from the grille to the XLR jack.
In part II, Engineering Secrets of the SM57/SM58, learn how Shure created the first single-capsule unidirectional dynamic cartridge, and how simple pockets of air and bits of cloth are used to tune frequency response and polar pattern.
In part III, the secret of Shure's invisible shockmount is revealed. Hint: it ain't Sorbothane.
Here's a link to the Recording Hacks blog and the videos are embedded there. It's pretty interesting... Personally, I would have liked to hear from EV, so I could learn how their "Variable D" technology works but hey, we can't all have everything we want, now can we?
How A Dynamic Microphone Works
Insider SM57 Secrets
The Shure SM57 was introduced in 1965. Audio technology has come a long way since then, with composite materials and acoustics research and CNC machines whose precision takes several decimal places to describe. So, it stands to reason that newer dynamic mic designs would be superior. Right?
I would have thought so, until some guys at Shure showed me a bit of the technology in the SM57 and SM58. The magic engineered into these mics was developed in the 1960s, but despite being described in patents and white papers, has never been duplicated by a competitor.
The specific trick I'm referring to gives the SM58 the best handling-noise spec in its class. Check out the noise results from Shure's "vibration table," showing the SM58 with 5 popular competitive stage vocal dynamics. The highest-profile, most expensive mic there, despite its Sorbothane-mounted capsule, is 34dB more sensitive to mechanical noise at 100Hz than the SM58!
...I wish to share a series of videos we made with Shure over the summer. We can all thank Peterson Goodwyn of DIY Recording Equipment for conceiving, proposing, and delivering this groundbreaking feature, which is guaranteed to enlighten you about dynamic microphones in general, and the SM57/SM58 in particular.
In part I, learn how a dynamic mic works. Pretend you're a sound wave, and follow this tour through the most popular transducer in studio history, from the grille to the XLR jack.
In part II, Engineering Secrets of the SM57/SM58, learn how Shure created the first single-capsule unidirectional dynamic cartridge, and how simple pockets of air and bits of cloth are used to tune frequency response and polar pattern.
In part III, the secret of Shure's invisible shockmount is revealed. Hint: it ain't Sorbothane.
Here's a link to the Recording Hacks blog and the videos are embedded there. It's pretty interesting... Personally, I would have liked to hear from EV, so I could learn how their "Variable D" technology works but hey, we can't all have everything we want, now can we?
How A Dynamic Microphone Works
