Sm57 vs Audix i5

  • Thread starter Thread starter Elton Bear
  • Start date Start date

Which mic do you prefer for all-round studio use?

  • Total voters
    88
A Beyer M201 used as a hammer?? :confused:

I'm doubtin' that!

But I bet it beats those dynamic qtips all to heck for guitar cab mic'ing.....
 
i just got an i5, and i like it alot. its a little differnt than the sm57, but it works well on all of the same applications so far.

it's weird though, its Shiny and not dull colored like a 57.. weird, but i'll get over it.
 
TragikRemix said:
i just got an i5, and i like it alot. its a little differnt than the sm57, but it works well on all of the same applications so far.

it's weird though, its Shiny and not dull colored like a 57.. weird, but i'll get over it.
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it's smaller too. =)

the i5 also blends well with the 609 on guitars, IMO.

on vocals, you can get the 57 to work...i would never recommend it with an i5
 
Hmmm. I might have to get me an i5. Polar pattern looks like it would be better for aiming on the snare to determin how much ring you want.

Think I'll stick with the 57 for live vocals. Don't need the hyped low end of the i5. Wish it did not have that. It would be a whole lot more kissable mike than the 57. Aww hell I can try dialing ou the low boost on the i5.

Thanks alot guys. Another mic to buy now :mad:


F.S.
 
Freudian Slip said:
Think I'll stick with the 57 for live vocals.

F.S.
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like i said, i would definitely stray away from the i5 on vocals. i think it sounds terrible.

and yeah, it sounds fantastic on snare, as long as you have a little patience with it! =)
 
I had an i5 recently, for a couple months, couldn't get a sound I wanted from my guitar cab using it. So I put my RE20 there instead and I was blown away. But I've never gotten a guitar sound I liked out of an SM57 either.

Before the RE20, I think my best dynamic mic for guitar cab was the EV ND468. For the money, it blows all those other budget dynamics outa the water on a guitar cab.
 
I have a shure Unidyne 545 I like a lot on snare. For Guitar cab, recently I got an EV 635a and I've noticed it's a whole lot smoother in the high mids. For my personal guitar tone,live and recorded, I don't want to use anything else right now. It's like the Holy Grail or something. ;)
 
I have 4 Shure SM57s and 2 Audix i5s. I like the i5 on most snares. Just, "better" sounding!

Joel
 
Elton Bear said:
Any thoughts?

I used an Audix i5 on snare for the first time the other day and was blown away. Which do you guys prefer?
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I use the Audix for live applications, but still prefer the SM57 for recording, since I find it to be much more versatile and also has the edge sound wise.
 
Depends on what I'm micing but I use them both quite a bit. I really like the i5 on drums when I can use it. Sometimes I use the i5 with a 57 on a guitar cab or one or the other and another mic like the AKG D330BT or EV RE10. Just depends on what works best at that time.
 
TragikRemix said:
thats a reason for me to look into one. i guess it would be a change of pace.. i was also considering getting an MD421. just another dynamic for all purpose or whatever.

i can't take delicate (dynamic) mics. any mic that i'm putting on a close miked drum has to be tough.
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Haven't read the whole thread, but from this point, I'd say use the i5. If you're worried about being tough, then unless you're ACTUALLY using them as hammers, the metal cases are not gonna break. What you need to be worried about are the grilles, and the i5's is sturdy metal, the SM57's is weak plastic.
 
Elton Bear said:
Any thoughts?

I used an Audix i5 on snare for the first time the other day and was blown away. Which do you guys prefer?
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personally, I'm not a huge shure 57 fan. I have some akg mics I'm a little more into (d770 and d880). I actually tried a gls 57 the other day and liked it a bit more than my shure! Pretty strange, but anywho...

If you were "blown away" by the i5, then I'd say go i5. Nothing like firsthand experience.
 
Well how about (just on snare), the i5 vs beyer 201? Anybody have both to compare?
 
I'm an i5 guy. I prefer it over the SM57 on everything I've encountered so far.
 
Wow! This thread is a blast from the past:D

I didn't vote because I preffer I5 on snare most of the time and the 57 on guitar. Both are well worth having. I also preffer the 57 to the e609 in the guitar.

F.S.
 
BRIEFCASEMANX said:
I5 has something weird going on in the low mids. I still prefer sm57 on snare even if it sounds boxy and "worse". I5 sounds "better" as in more detailed or something, but has a weird quality that's hard to describe.
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I find it to have a bit of a bump around 120hz on snare... which can be good or bad. Great if you want that bit of punch on snare... maybe a cause of mud in a dense mix and I will low shelve it.
 
You need flavors in an ice cream shop - one isn't better or worse than the other, just somewhat different. I always go for an SM57 if I'm micing a small electric guitar amp, for instance. I know the mic and understand what I'll be getting, and it works for me. But the next guy might debate that choice for at least three beers and some ego-type will chime in and say I'm stupid for not using a $900 superwhatzit condenser. Flavors are good. :D
 
My class did a mic comparison with a Beta 57, SM 57, Beyer m201 and a Audix D-2. The Beta actually sounded kind of bad. Out of the rest the m201 took the cake.
 
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