Weak Response from SM57 : (

puffin

puffin

New member
I recently bought a second hand SM57 on Ebay. When I set it ip for some guitar and vocals, the level meter on cubase only rose to about 1/3 of the way up (if that). This was with the gain all the way up on a Behringer mixer (i know!) but with the AKG c1000 I have, which requires phantom power, the signal is nowhere near this weak.

Have I bought a dud?

I'm going from the sm57 > behringer mixer > Delta 66
 
puffin said:
I recently bought a second hand SM57 on Ebay. When I set it ip for some guitar and vocals, the level meter on cubase only rose to about 1/3 of the way up (if that). This was with the gain all the way up on a Behringer mixer (i know!) but with the AKG c1000 I have, which requires phantom power, the signal is nowhere near this weak.

Have I bought a dud?
Click to expand...

Probably not, a condenser like the C1000 is a much hotter mic than a dynamic like the SM57.
 
So how should I bring the signal up? I find it a real problem for vocals as they need to be as 'up front' as possible.

With the acoustic guitar I mic, I have the sm57 right up - about a couple of inches away and it really is a low signal...

Maybe it's just not what I expected and have been spoiled by the condenser?
 
puffin said:
So how should I bring the signal up? I find it a real problem for vocals as they need to be as 'up front' as possible.

With the acoustic guitar I mic, I have the sm57 right up - about a couple of inches away and it really is a low signal...

Maybe it's just not what I expected and have been spoiled by the condenser?
Click to expand...

Probably :D

Which Behri is this? It might not have enough gain. Or maybe you can switch the Delta 66 to -10dBV?
 
it's the UB1202. It's just a small mixer. I think it's 60db of gain and it's right up.

Is changing the setting on the soundcard to -10 the right thing to do? Does anyone else do this?
 
I'm sure you've thought of this already, but

make sure you don't have the trim turned down or the pad engaged. Also, a 57 on a relatively quiet signal like an acoustic isn't going to be anywhere near as hot as a condensor. That's one of the reasons dynamics aren't used for acoustic guitar micing very often.
 
There's now solution to this problem, Rode D-Power, which installs pre-amp inside you dynamic microphone.
 
I doubt a little mixer like that even has a pad (which is used to decrease an incoming signal).

Why not use the AKG for the vocals?
 
puffin said:
it's the UB1202. It's just a small mixer. I think it's 60db of gain and it's right up.

Is changing the setting on the soundcard to -10 the right thing to do? Does anyone else do this?
Click to expand...
The Shure SM57 has an output of -55dB , so you would have to crank the level just about all the way up. The AKG C1000S has an output of -45dB, so you'd need far less gain to get high signal levels on the meter.

Those -dB sensitivity numbers on the spec sheet indicate how much gain is needed for the mic to reach 0dB with a standard test signal. Typically, it's around 94 dB, measured from 3 feet away - a fairly loud signal. An acoustic guitar played quietly is way softer than that.
 
Enzo Polotso said:
Don't use a 1/4'' cable. Get an XLR. For some reason I'm absolutely positive that's what's happening.
Click to expand...

Well, I think that might explain an extra 6dB of loss if you wired it to only one side without a matching transformer.... Ditto if one of the two wires were misattached inside the mic, I think....
 
after cranking up the gain on your mixer, turn up the input level of your sound card to bring up the weak signal. from what I've read, to get the lowest amount of noise, it's best to increase the gain as early in the signal chain as possible.

like what was said before, sm57's are generally used on loud sources; it's not a very sensitive mic like a condensor mic. when I use my 57 thru my yamaha mg 12/4 mixer (60 db's of gain), I have to crank up the gain for vocals and acoustic guitar. your 57 is most likely working fine.

just curious but why are you micing an acoustic guitar with a 57 anyway? try to get a cheap condensor mic for your purposes.
 
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