Shure SM-5B

[Michael Jones]

Anyone ever use one of these?
For what application?
How would it perform on say a small, intimate, string section?

 

[Harvey Gerst]

Well, it wouldn't be my first choice for a string section, but it wouldn't suck either. The 5B started life as a speech mic for sports stuff that regular mics couldn't handle, like boom mountings.

But since it was a smooth sounding mic, it found favor as a vocal mic in Nashville, and it's somewhat similar in sound to the SM7, another favorite.

It's a great all purpose mic with fairly smooth response from 50 to 15,000 Hz, and it'll do a lot of things very well.

 

[Michael Jones]

Well, it wouldn't be my first choice for a string section,...

What would be?

 

[Harvey Gerst]

If I had one, a Neumann U67 or an M49 or M50. Failing those, probably an RCA 44BX or 77DX or a Coles 4038.

 

[Gidge]

what "bottom feeder" mic would you use?.....

 

[Michael Jones]

If I had one, a Neumann U67 or an M49 or M50. Failing those, probably an RCA 44BX or 77DX or a Coles 4038.

OK. Given that,
Let's see if I've learned anything:
Maybe a mic that has a wide cardioid pattern, or perhaps one with an omni pattern, placed above the quartet? If so, the 77DX, set to omni, placed about 4'-6' above and center of the group, with them all seated in a sort of nearly closed semi-circle?

 

[Harvey Gerst]

OK. Given that,
Let's see if I've learned anything:
Maybe a mic that has a wide cardioid pattern, or perhaps one with an omni pattern, placed above the quartet? If so, the 77DX, set to omni, placed about 4'-6' above and center of the group, with them all seated in a sort of nearly closed semi-circle?

Yup, but don't be afraid to try figure 8 as well, since that has the smoothest off-axis response.