what do you prefer in place of an sm57?

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Re: Re: Re: Re: what do you prefer in place of an sm57?

DJL said:
That's why I said normally... and my second choice would normally be a SM57 on snare and guitar amps.... except, I like the B1 on my fender twin also.

I don't know... is it true?

According to these people it is.

So, which would be your Second choice on the Twin: B1 or Sm57?








(the correct answer, for Newbies, is: it depends on the circumstances)
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: what do you prefer in place of an sm57?

grahamware said:
How relevant is a microphone's country of origin?

Depends on which low wage economy you prefer American jobs to go to.
 
<<is there any reason to use one of those 545s?>>

not sure what you're asking here. the 545 was the predecessor to the sm57 and to my ears has a tad grittier/grainier sound, which makes it (IMO) a tad nicer on gnarly rock guitar.

<<So, which would be your Second choice on the Twin: B1 or Sm57? (the correct answer, for Newbies, is: it depends on the circumstances)>>

exactamundo. i really like the B1 on a Fender Twin.....and just about any amp, really, that you'd use an sm57 (etc) on. the B1 really captures a pleasing image of the amp--very clean, thick and pretty lush, actually. much more detailed than an sm57. however, in a live room where there's a lot of bleed, the B1 would not be my first mic of choice--i'd look to another dynamic instead of a condenser.


another mic to check out based on my experience with it would be the EV RE38. i've yet to find something that mic wasn't good on. this mic has definitely made me appreciate the sound of a "nicer dynamic", and without a doubt the sm7, re20, md421 and md441 are now all on my "get sooner rather than later" list.


wade
 
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: what do you prefer in place of an sm57?

Mark7 said:
Depends on which low wage economy you prefer American jobs to go to.

If they're in another country, they were never intended as american jobs.
 
In place of a 57? It depends but for 57 like tasks, a Shure Unidyne III 545SH.
 
i think what i should have asked is, wheres a good place to buy a 545?
 
Two reasonable ways to go are either to buy a used Shure 545 (or SM57) from someone you think is trustworthy, and/or from e-bay. Keep in mind that used dynamic microphones are a relatively "safer" buy than used condensers, as they are inherently more robust in build design.

There's an interesting article by the redoubtable Fletcher at www.mojopie.com (excellent website BTW), where he's asked some gear questions, and the SM57 is discussed.
As Fletcher said, expect to "pound" (EQ) a SM57 (or Shure 545) into submission :D, like my last post here mentioned.
This makes the "country of origin" concern rather moot IMHO.
In any case, I've NEVER heard two SM57's (or 545's) sound
"identical".


Personally, I like the use of Meek compression on these microphones, if desired, during mixing also.

While the Studio Projects VTB-1 pre may not quite have the sonic detail of a Fmr. Audio RNP pre on a SM57, among the budget mic pre's it seems to "fill" in a SM57 (or 545) low end response quite well. This can be handy when you don't wish to "eat" one of them close up to get the proximity effect IMHO.

Chris
 
chessparov said:
Two reasonable ways to go are either to buy a used Shure 545 (or SM57) from someone you think is trustworthy, and/or from e-bay. Keep in mind that used dynamic microphones are a relatively "safer" buy than used condensers, as they are inherently more robust in build design.

There's an interesting article by the redoubtable Fletcher at www.mojopie.com (excellent website BTW), where he's asked some gear questions, and the SM57 is discussed.
As Fletcher said, expect to "pound" (EQ) a SM57 (or Shure 545) into submission :D, like my last post here mentioned.
This makes the "country of origin" concern rather moot IMHO.
In any case, I've NEVER heard two SM57's (or 545's) sound
"identical".


Personally, I like the use of Meek compression on these microphones, if desired, during mixing also.

While the Studio Projects VTB-1 pre may not quite have the sonic detail of a Fmr. Audio RNP pre on a SM57, among the budget mic pre's it seems to "fill" in a SM57 (or 545) low end response quite well. This can be handy when you don't wish to "eat" one of them close up to get the proximity effect IMHO.

Chris
I was the "The Anonymous Newbie" who asked Fletcher that question. :D

http://www.homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?threadid=91725&highlight=SM57
 
so, how would you normally start eqing an sm57 on a snare drum, tom, or guitar, or back up vocals? i mean, i know it depends on the drums/guitar/amplifier/voice and a bunch of other stuff... im more just looking for general tips on where you would start.

this is off topic also, but its probably better here then starting a new thread, how would you suggest eqing an AKG c2000b for best results on vocals? Thanks alot! You're all very knowledable and helpfull.
 
where to start? you answered yourself, really. no one can tell you where to start without hearing the source and knowing what your end goals are. we can't tell you that (for example) all snare drums could benefit from a boost around 1k, b/c that's simply not true.

that said, the best way for you to get a grasp on it is to just get in there and get your hands dirty. turn the knobs and see what it does. once you get some experience with eqing, you'll be able to hear things and immediately identify what needs to be done in order to achieve the results you're shooting for.

as with all things, there's no cut and dried "right answer", and there's certainly no substitute for experience......so get in there and carve things up!


however, one general rule of thumb that SHOULD be said, it's generally better to apply sutractive EQ than additive EQ. in other words, pull out from where you don't need rather than boosting a frequency you think you do need.


wade
 
Somehow "DJL" and "anonymous" don't seem to go together.

Seriously Rocket, (as the other posters know here) microphone
PLACEMENT is even more important than any EQing afterward.

Try to move the SM57 (or any) microphone around to find the
"sweet spot". The nature of the musical source and the "room"
it's in will be the key factors.

Chris
 
chessparov said:
Somehow "DJL" and "anonymous" don't seem to go together.

Seriously Rocket, (as the other posters know here) microphone
PLACEMENT is even more important than any EQing afterward.

Try to move the SM57 (or any) microphone around to find the
"sweet spot". The nature of the musical source and the "room"
it's in will be the key factors.

Chris
Yeah, I found that funny too... and I agree with you about the mic placement.
 
absolutely

<<microphone PLACEMENT is even more important than any EQing afterward>>

no one has spoken more truth in this thread than the above statement.

you can't fix through eq what should've been fixed before it went to tape. if it sounds like ass through the mic before it goes to tape, all you'll be doing is eqing garbage. put the mic in the sweet spot and you'll know it.

get your mic placement techniques down first. if you get that licked and assuming you're using "the right mic for the job", then you shouldn't have to use eq to "fix" much of anything. remember, EQ is short for "equalization" which means just that--equalling something back to "normal", and it should be viewed as such--not as compensation for something that sounds bad.


wade
 
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