Outlaws said:
I don't think you can record anything at 18" away with a 57. You will need sooooo much gain it won't be worth it.
You're going to need a lot of gain no matter what.
I just set this up as a quick experiment. With a 1/4 scale nylon-string guitar (which is much quieter than a full size, don't have one of those anymore) and the 57 at 18", I needed about +60dB of gain for quiet fingerpicking and about +50dB for fingernail strumming. Figure you'd need about -6dB less than me with a real guitar. Also I don't have fingernails anymore, so if you have them that will help.
As for distance, going to 3' would require another +6dB; 9" would give you back -6dB. To get another -6dB you'd have to be at 4.5" which is pretty uncomfortable.
I'll guess your mixer pre is designed for around +55-60dB of gain, so you'll be pushing the limit. Check your manual.
The 57 manual shows that the 57 is about -15dB less sensitive than a typical condenser, which is why condensers are used for acoustic guitar. Also, looking at the 57's frequency response, I note that it's brighter than I remembered, so forget that treble +3dB advice.
You can change the tone a lot by moving the mic. 12th fret minimizes the boom; I personally wouldn't mic the soundhole, but that will give you more volume. Micing the bridge can yield an interesting tone.
As for voice on the 58: that's much easier. Depends on how loud you sing, and whether or not you want the proximity effect--you get an enhanced bass response if you get real close. For a loud singer that doesn't need bass, I like it about 6" away, slightly above the mouth (breath pops tend to go down). For a singer who needs to get close, I get about 2" away and slightly to the side (which has the same effect as slightly above, but it feels weird with a mic in your nose, so I go to the side). EQ on 58 vocals can +3dB bass if you need still more warmth. If you need more treble, try using the 57 instead (but not for close micing).
The TRIM knob is the preamp gain control.
