mic mainly for distorted gtr cab and snare

T

thecugga

New member
hey,

im setting up a home studio and already have two LDC's for overheads and a kick mic and now am in need of a good snare/guitar cab mic.
we will be playing metal.
originally i was going to go with the sm57 but from reading on here i think i could probably do better for not much more $$. a hypercardiod mic to help control hi-hat bleed (which has been a big problem for me lately when using crappy mics on snare) would be good.
i was going to go with either the e609 or i5. the 609 would be fine micing the guitar cab but im not sure about snare. the i5 is good all around but would it be so much better on snare as to outweigh the fact that the 609 is probably better on guitar?
then i read about the m88. seems like it'd be good on snare, even kick if necessary. it is good micing guitar cabs and has good low end apparnetly which is something i like. and is even good on vocals, and all i have for vox is a spb1. plus everyone seems to have only good things to say about beyer mics.

theres a cheap m88nc that i could possibly grab for less than the 609 or the i5.

do you think this would be a good mic for im looking for? or are there better mics in the same price range that would be more suited to my needs.

if anyone has any helpful information that would be great ... thanks
 
thanks for the suggestion ... yeah i agree an m201 sounds perfect except for the fact that its a little more than we wanna spend, plus its a little harder to find. its my guitarist buying this mic and doesnt wanna spend much over 100$.

basically would an m88 be a better choice than the 609 or i5? or will i be kicking myself because its not really meant for what i need it for?
i searched alittle more and have seen much about using it on snare. would it work well on snare?

thanks
 
I don't think the 57 will let you down. If you search on here, you'll find that there have been many comparisons (with sound clips) between the sm57, e609, and beyer.

Personally, i like the 57 and Sennheiser e835. The e835 is great for snare.
 
well my guitarist has got his heart set on buying the e609 (he knows nothing about mics, he just thinks it looks awesome) but i was worried it would suck when i have to use it on snare. but the e835 is a good suggestion!! cheap too! maybe i'll just buy myself an e835 to use on snare and he can get the e609 he wants so badly for guitar.
thanks for the suggestion
 
the e609 sounds fine on snare. he/you wont be dissapointed. the guitar player in my band bought one, and i was like "why'd you do that, that things gonna suck" i was pleasantly surprised.
 
I would highly reccomend the Groove Tubes GT-44 if you can get your hands on one. I think Guitar Center is the exclusive dealer for them and I believe they run about $200 each though i found a pair on ebay for $200. It is a tube mic that is kind of a medium diaphram. They sound awesome on amps, sometimes on vocals, and I like them on snare too. My favorite application, however, is in a pair for drum overheads. Anyway, I highly reccomend them.
 
I like SM-7B's on guitar cabs (with Soundelux iFET7 for additional overdubs...and sometimes a good ribbon for a more 'vintagey' vibe), and Sennheiser 604's on snare (although a great small diaphragm condenser sounds great on snare, but be prepared to see the drummer hit the mic). I'll probably change my mind in the future, but that's the conclusions I've come to after more than a decade of recording commercially and having 95% of whatever is out there available to me at one time or another. Don't particularly like the SM-57, I'd rather have a Sennheiser e609 if on a budget...it sounds more like the amp, than the 57 does.
 
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thecugga said:
theres a cheap m88nc that i could possibly grab for less than the 609 or the i5.
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I personally like the i5 quite a bit on snare and on toms, but I haven't liked it as much on guitar cabs so far. However, if you can get an M88 for the same price, I'd snag it in a heartbeat. It would probably be adequate on snare, but it would be fantastic on numerous other sources. As far as dynamic mics go, it's in the same league (usefulness and quality) as the Shure SM7 and the EV RE20. It's simply in a different class than the i5 and 609. If you buy the M88 and it still doesn't satisfy your need for a snare mic, shell out $25-30 for a Shure 545 on eBay.

- Jerfo
 
thecugga said:
originally i was going to go with the sm57 but from reading on here i think i could probably do better for not much more $$. a hypercardiod mic to help control hi-hat bleed (which has been a big problem for me lately when using crappy mics on snare) would be good.
Click to expand...

Looks like you already made your choice but for future reference and hypercardiod will probably be worse for AMOUNT of bleed from the hats. A hypercardiod has a more focused pattern in the front, but also has a little "tail" lobe in the back (think figure eight with the top loop much bigger than bottom loop). Since you're probably pointing the rear of the mic directly at the hats, it'll actually pick them up more than a cardiod. This isn't bad if the bleed sounds good, the thing I've heard people complain about with the SM57 is the off axis response is horrible and what does get picked up of the hats sounds like ass. I tend to find it acceptable, but hey, YMMV.
 
i'm not a big fan of the 57 on snare, but it's been a proven "winner" time and again, so i'm not gonna argue that fact. :D plus, people say that the 57 performs better with higher-end preamps, and i don't have any higher-end preamps.....

i think you'll do fine with the 609. i love it on an amp--especially when combined with an LDC from a short distance. nice contrast to the usual 57 tone. i like the senn e835 on amp and snare as well--similar sound to the 609 in some respects (maybe the same capsule in a different housing?).

i have 3 shure 545's and i like the way they sound more than 57's. don't ask me why, i just do. still, they suffer from the same "nasty sounding bleed" that i don't like about the sm57 on snare.


cheers,
wade
 
jerfo said:
the Shure SM7 and the EV RE20. It's simply in a different class
Click to expand...

while i totally agree......man, i wouldn't put an sm7 or an RE20 anywhere NEAR a snare drum--even i'm a careful drummer and i've still whacked my snare mic on occasion.

besides, how would you fit an RE20 between the hat and snare anyway? :D :p


:D


cheers,
wade
 
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