SM57 vs I5 on heavy guitar revisited

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metalhead28

metalhead28

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I crammed some Vintage 30's in my Marshall cab and it made a dramatic difference in the tone versus the G12T-75's I removed...so I decided to revisit the 57 vs. I5 comparison to see how they reacted to the tone I was getting.

The amp is a 5150 II with a MXR Wylde overdrive in front for a clean boost, with no gain. The cab was obviously the Marshall with V30's. ;)

The pre-amp was a Brent Averil 312a.

One track 80% left, one track 80% right.

SM57

Audix I5

And for the hell of it, here's a track with both of them combined:

57 and I5 combined
 
Oddly, inexplicably.......I think the i5 sounds better.
 
I like the Audix I5. There are lots more guts in that clip.
 
I tend to agree, but I question which one would sit in a mix better...

I'll find out soon enough because I'm reamping some guitars this weekend for a band I've recorded. I'm going to go ahead and try out both mics there too.
 
I'd say track with both mics since you have both. As you say, you won't know which sits better in a mix until you try it. Blending is always an option too. Position them so they're in phase and enjoy.
 
metalhead28 said:
I crammed some Vintage 30's in my Marshall cab and it made a dramatic difference in the tone versus the G12T-75's I removed...so I decided to revisit the 57 vs. I5 comparison to see how they reacted to the tone I was getting.

The amp is a 5150 II with a MXR Wylde overdrive in front for a clean boost, with no gain. The cab was obviously the Marshall with V30's. ;)

The pre-amp was a Brent Averil 312a.

One track 80% left, one track 80% right.

SM57

Audix I5

And for the hell of it, here's a track with both of them combined:

57 and I5 combined
Click to expand...
The 57 has more clarity in the upermids. And the I5 is warmer in the low mids.

Id EQ both seperately in the mix to get the best out of each track, then use the faders to mix the best tone wuth the 2 mics.
Sounds nice.

Eck
 
CAn I ask how you manage to get a nice distortion tone without any high end hiss or fizz? I always have this problem around 1-2k and 5-8k so I have to cut my guitars dramatically to get them sounding ok.

Plus with my marshall JCM2000 DSL50 I seem to get pretty muddy distortion. (using Boss GT6 on metal setting)

Eck
 
ecktronic said:
CAn I ask how you manage to get a nice distortion tone without any high end hiss or fizz? I always have this problem around 1-2k and 5-8k so I have to cut my guitars dramatically to get them sounding ok.

Plus with my marshall JCM2000 DSL50 I seem to get pretty muddy distortion. (using Boss GT6 on metal setting)

Eck
Click to expand...

Well, when I switched to these Vintage 30 speakers it cut down somewhat on the fizzy high end.
Technique wise, I just keep the mic about an inch and a half to two inches out of the center of the speaker. That cuts down on the harsh top end as well. This tone sounded really bright and crisp in the room. I like the combination of dialing in a really bright tone and micing the way I described.
Otherwise, that's just the tone of this amp. It's not really very fizzy to begin with. If you're using the GT6 I would expect it to have a harsher/fizzier high end than when using the distortion from the amp itself. Do you not like the DSL50's tone without it?
 
I like the 57. sounds like it might tolerate EQ better too.
 
There are things I like about both mics. Blending them seems to be the ticket!
 
Audix 15 for me - but I'm a life long 57 NON fan.
The blend is good but I like the fuller tone of the 15.
 
ecktronic said:
I seem to get pretty muddy distortion. (using Boss GT6 on metal setting)

Eck
Click to expand...

why use a boss pedal on a 1000+$ amp?

that pedal is part of the problem
actually, the more i think about it..... it's probably all of the problem.
burn it.
 
also

i've been meaning to do a
57 vs. heil pr30

i'll try and get that up, you won't believe the difference.
the pr30 stomps the 57's ass.
completely.
 
giraffe said:
i've been meaning to do a
57 vs. heil pr30

i'll try and get that up, you won't believe the difference.
the pr30 stomps the 57's ass.
completely.
Click to expand...

please please pretty please?
 
giraffe said:
i've been meaning to do a
57 vs. heil pr30

i'll try and get that up, you won't believe the difference.
the pr30 stomps the 57's ass.
completely.
Click to expand...


Let's hear it! I'm dying to hear one of those Heil mics.... Please! :)
 
giraffe said:
the pr30 stomps the 57's ass.
completely.
Click to expand...
it probably does, on merits of the solo'd track alone. but i don't ever deal with solo tracks. the real question is how does it sit in a mix?

that's one reason i keep coming back to the 57. it doesn't always (ever?) sound too great by itself.....but when mixed in with everything else, it's usually what i'm looking for (or damn close to it).

maybe the pr30 works real well in a busy mix too......i haven't used one. all's i'm sayin is that "mic versus mic" on a solo guitar amp shootouts are nice for telling us what the mic itself sounds like on the amp in question......but doesn't do a whole lot as to how it'll fare in a mix (as our esteemed metalhead pointed out).

personally, i would think that a mic with a lot of low mids (like the i5 here) would be more difficult to mix in with the bass, kick and meat of the snare, and i'd end up dialling a lot of that out. but i wouldn't know until i mixed the track in question....... :D


cheers,
wade
 
yea, remembered headphones!

deffinately the i5 here, and i like it because of the hi end and personally think that it would mix better.
 
I really like the combination of the two. There's a slight chorusing effect that almost sounds like there's another take going on at the same time. It sounds a lot like slayer's seasons of the abyss (haven't listened to the album in a long time, but it at least reminded me of it).
 
My consensus still seems to be that the 57 sounds better in a mix, at least for my tastes. With a certain type of bass sound the I5 may be preferable.

So once again, this comparison doesn't really demonstrate anything but 2 different flavors for guitar micing. :D
 
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