SM57 vs. Audix I5

  • Thread starter Thread starter theoriginalthg
  • Start date Start date
T

theoriginalthg

New member
Hey everybody. I was thinking of picking up a dynamic instrument mic and was gonna go with the old standard: The Shure SM57. But I heard about the Audix I5 which is the exact same price. Do you guys have any suggestions on which one might work better for me? I'll mostly be miking my Fender Tube Amp.
 
I have not tried the Audix microphone, so I can not recommend or detract from that microphone.

For the Fender Tube amp I will give you my experience with my Fender Silver Face Twin.

I have tried the Sennheiser e601 (Blackface which is basically the same sound as the current e901). This microphone is a bit dark. I prefer it on a higher gang application, more Marshall, Mesa or Peavey 5150.It will nto pring out the chimey tones of the Fender.

Electro-Voice ND468: Very nice full sound with crisp highs, goes good with the Fender and can do the Marshall sound well too.

Peavey PVM45ir: Also, a nice full sound. I think a bit fuller than the 468, but not to the e601. This still has good highs as well. A good compliment to the Fender. This can also do Marshall well.

Shure SM57: A bit more midrangey. It does not hav ethe crisp highs or the full bottom. When I listen to this mic in an AB situation against the other three, I never select it on its own merrit. That being said I have selected it, when it's midranginess fit better into the song with the other instruments.

From my point of view if I was selecting one with a limited budget, I would go for the PVM45ir. It is a good over all microphone at a very good price.

The Audix may fit in as well, I have just not used it.
 
Finding the answer to this will entail using both mics on the sources you wish to use it for and doing some critical listening on both otherwise I'd say either will be fine as they are similar in usefulness and if you never hear the other then you'll never know the difference.
 
Pahtcub said:
Finding the answer to this will entail using both mics on the sources you wish to use it for and doing some critical listening on both otherwise I'd say either will be fine as they are similar in usefulness and if you never hear the other then you'll never know the difference.
Click to expand...

That's really your answer.
I couldn't agree more. :)

You'll almost certainly be happy with either mic.
 
Just my personal taste here but I've got the 57 and the I5 and after tryin em both on different sources (snare, guitar cab, rank vocal stuff), my 57 pretty much stays on my cab and the I5 stays on my snare.
YMMV...
 
To me the i5 just has a more open mid/high reproduction capability.
 
Don't forget to weigh in the use of other applications... Perhaps you'll want to record vocals or something along those lines. I have the SM57 and I really like how my vocals sound through it, mind you I have a decent preamp and of course we all know it's a fantastic instrument mic. I've never tried the i5 but just wanted to add the versatile point of view. In the end if you're happy that's all that matters.
 
Okay, seriously--I have numerous 57's and a couple i5's.

Us old recording farts often get comfortable saying things like:
- it all depends on the source
- do what your ears tell you
- what color are your mic cables?

Okay, forget that third one, but we say things like that because it really is true. Especially in a case with two mics as similar as these. If someone were asking me about recording a heavy guitar and wanted to know if he should use a 57 or an NT5 (or any SDC), I could say with confidence--start with the 57 and go from there. But the 57 and the i5 are close enough that "follow your ears" and other vague Yoda-like statements (that would be "Your ears you must follow, young Jedi) actually hold true.

Now, having wasted all those keystrokes, I can say this. I remember being new to all of this. And sometimes you just want a real opinion. Even if it's lace with variables and doesn't match someone else's reality--it's at least a starting point based in experience.

So here's my experience: Knowing the reputation of the 57 and the i5 I played with them both extensively on amps and snares. I've also used them on bass, the bottoms of congas, brass--all sorts of things. But I found some niche mics that do all of those things better. So I'm back to amps and snare. In the end, I've got an i5 on my snare and 57's on three of my amps. Oh--I do have another i5 on an amp. It's a Vox (like that means anything in this context!) and in that case I found that the i5 worked a tiny smidge better than the 57.

But the real truth is this: If I had six 57's or six i5's instead of a mix of the two, I'd be just fine. And my recordings would sound just as good. Yeah, I'd likely EQ things a bit differently in the mix, but they're both workhorse mics that do a great job on the same types of sources.

Clear as mud?
 
Yup! I have 3 57s and 2 i5s. Honestly, I love having both in my studio. I just end up reaching for the i5s a bit more often.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top