Said goodbye to all my sm57's

bouldersoundguy said:
I love my two D1000Es and happily use them in place of SM57s all the time.
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Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....let's keep it a secret. ;)

I have 4 of them.
I bought one awhile back just for kicks...after trying it, I got three more one at time as I found them on eBay.
There's one on a stand with a bag over it in the studio at all times, if I need to get some guitar tracks down on the fly.
 
They're lot prettier than 57s.....;)....nice gold finish, plus a 3-way tone switch, so a lot more options.

AKG D1000E.jpg
 
CrowsofFritz said:
Huh?

Boring as in.....boring sound? Or do you think they're boring because everyone uses them and it's "fun and creative" to use something else?
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I wouldn't call a 57 "boring"...but the fact that everyone just about feels they *must* use a 57 because that's what everyone says to use....is kinda' boring.
While agreeing that many a guitar cab was recorded with a 57 over the years with good results...I certainly don't think that a 57 sounds better than any other mic for guitar cabs.

It's like anything else...you pick a mic and an amp/cab, and then you dial 'em in, and it's possible to do that with a lot of mics.
Side-by-side or one by one, put up a 57, cascade, 609, 441U, D1000E in the same spot in front of your chosen amp, and have the amp set where you want it. Now without listening to what the mics are picking up...record the same thing with each mic.
Then sit back and audition all of the tracks and tell me which one you like best.

I've done that, a few times, with a few amps....and out of that bunch of mics, the 609 was the last choice, followed by the 57....but like I said, I'm sure if you focused on making the amp and 57 work well together, it is possible to dial them in, so anyone that likes using them, no need to toss 'em out just based on what we are saying here. :)
 
miroslav said:
I wouldn't call a 57 "boring"...but the fact that everyone just about feels they *must* use a 57 because that's what everyone says to use....is kinda' boring.
While agreeing that many a guitar cab was recorded with a 57 over the years with good results...I certainly don't think that a 57 sounds better than any other mic for guitar cabs.

It's like anything else...you pick a mic and an amp/cab, and then you dial 'em in, and it's possible to do that with a lot of mics.
Side-by-side or one by one, put up a 57, cascade, 609, 441U, D1000E in the same spot in front of your chosen amp, and have the amp set where you want it. Now without listening to what the mics are picking up...record the same thing with each mic.
Then sit back and audition all of the tracks and tell me which one you like best.

I've done that, a few times, with a few amps....and out of that bunch of mics, the 609 was the last choice, followed by the 57....but like I said, I'm sure if you focused on making the amp and 57 work well together, it is possible to dial them in, so anyone that likes using them, no need to toss 'em out just based on what we are saying here. :)
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Its more about knowing something is going to work without a lot of futzing around. Sure lots of mics will work on ANY given source. But the one you personally know the best is the one as an engineer you should start with.When you are seeing a lot of different amps its a good thing to know exactly how your mic choice is going to react to a wide variety of input. It may not be the "best" but in the case of picking somewhere to begin with a new or different set-up its always "best" to refer to the one standard you know. It might not be a 57 for you but for me it is. Of course both of my remaining 57's were made before 1971. Yeah. They are a little different that what you get these days.
 
cavedog101 said:
Its more about knowing something is


going to work without a lot of futzing around. Sure lots of mics will work on ANY given source. But the one you personally know the best is the one as an engineer you should start with.When you are seeing a lot of different amps its a good thing to know exactly how your mic choice is going to react to a wide variety of input. It may not be the "best" but in the case of picking somewhere to begin with a new or different set-up its always "best" to refer to the one standard you know. It might not be a 57 for you but for me it is. Of course both of my remaining 57's were made before 1971. Yeah. They are a little different that what you get these days.
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And I think you hit on a bit of why I dumped the 57's. They worked OK for anything but not outstanding. I have not found one single application where the 57 was my first choice, they just collected dust. I enjoy having a wide selection of mics but they need to be of some use. For me, the 57 had no use.
 
Tomm Williams said:
And I think you hit on a bit of why I dumped the 57's. They worked OK for anything but not outstanding. I have not found one single application where the 57 was my first choice, they just collected dust. I enjoy having a wide selection of mics but they need to be of some use. For me, the 57 had no use.
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and I'm right there with you ...... I just don't like the way the things sound. I haven't owned a 58/57 in at least 20 years.
 
cavedog101 said:
It may not be the "best" but in the case of picking somewhere to begin with a new or different set-up its always "best" to refer to the one standard you know.
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I agree....and in my case, following actual comparisons that also included the 57....I have little reason to reach for one as first choice or even as my general purpose "works on any cab" mic.
I know the 57 has been a staple instrument mic for many years....but there really ARE a lot of better options, they just don't get the media hype that the 57 has gotten over the years...and because of that, a lot of people perpetuate the hype by simply going for the 57 because "that's what everyone else uses".

To be honest...in many ways, that's why years ago I bought the two I have, because of the hype of "everyone needs to have a few 57s" since they are reliable (they are) and can be used on many things (they can)....b ut they aren't the only players that cover that, so mine just sit in their boxes, like the day I bought them, 'cuz they don't do what I want them to do as well as some of the other mics I mentioned.
 
miroslav said:
I agree....and in my case, following actual comparisons that also included the 57....I have little reason to reach for one as first choice or even as my general purpose "works on any cab" mic.
I know the 57 has been a staple instrument mic for many years.... .
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and at least part of that, IMO, is because back in the day there weren't very many affordable alternative. So with it's indestructability and it's acceptable sound , or even better sound than most of it's contemporaries, it was the obvious choice.
But now there are SO many other mics and the technology has improved so much it's just a holdover from the past.
Kinda like some people still plotz over old amps just 'cause they're old when many of them don't really sound that great.
I have a friend who's a collector and he has a bunch of old Silvertones and Kustoms and Checkmates and such. They look cool and a couple of them sound aight but most of them sound like crap.
 
miroslav said:
:D

Kinda' why I opted to get more modern versions of classic amp circuits. It's not just about buying "boutique"...but more about reliablity and refined designs.
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I totally agree.
In my opinion there's a couple of things at work.
One is our fond memories of things from our youth.
But another is the fact that we weren't as discerning back then. Our ears weren't trained as much as they are now and we have had many years of experience and learning about sound whereas back when we were kids we didn't really know nearly as much.

So we remember something being great and when you actually get your hands on it, it often disappoints.

I used to love Kustom amps back in the day but have you played thru one in recent years? OMG they suck!!

In a different direction I didn't like Princetons back in the day ..... too small and distorty. Now I'd love to have one.

But modern boutique and/or upper-end amps are the result of years of progress and tweaking by dedicated amp designers and are just better in most cases.
 
Lt. Bob said:
I used to love Kustom amps back in the day but have you played thru one in recent years? OMG they suck!!
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:D I bought one several years ago....looked cool, and I expected it to be descent, but I sold it like the following year.
 
I concede your points. However....through high-end pres paired with another mic...in my case a Royer R101....The 57 is simply the 'right' choice on open back combo amps. I prefer something else with a closed back cabinet. There's something about the interplay between the two mics that makes this a no-brainer. But thats just me.

If its heavier music and more saturated I'm more inclined to put up an SM7 or a Heil PR or an Audix D2/D4 with the ...surprise...Royer.

and as I mentioned....my 57's are very old...UnidyneIII's. Vive 'la difference
 
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