Why is my iPhone mic better than my $100 dynamic!?

[JJames]

I think the problem is that you're comparing the omni mic in your iPhone against the cardioid mic that is the e609 so you're kinda comparing apples to oranges. Yes they're both mics but they're drastically different in terms of polar pattern which, in this case, drastically effects the sound. If you really like the sound of the first take, why not try throwing a decent omni up (I'm thinking of my U87 in omni mode- can't think of a cheaper omni mic at the moment) against the cab and see how it fairs against the iPhone mic. Doing it this way you're definitely comparing apples to apples.

 

[Greg_L]

I am just going to use my phone as the pick itself. cut out all the in between junk. Imagine the ambiance of a pick scrape.

Now that is some out-of-the-box thinking. You should write a blog about it and get a bunch of gullible goofs to latch on.

 

[Schwarzenyaeger]

I think the problem is that you're comparing the omni mic in your iPhone against the cardioid mic that is the e609 so you're kinda comparing apples to oranges. Yes they're both mics but they're drastically different in terms of polar pattern which, in this case, drastically effects the sound. If you really like the sound of the first take, why not try throwing a decent omni up (I'm thinking of my U87 in omni mode- can't think of a cheaper omni mic at the moment) against the cab and see how it fairs against the iPhone mic. Doing it this way you're definitely comparing apples to apples.

The e609 is a dynamic
A c414 costs half of a U87 and can be omni

 

[ShanPeyton]

Now that is some out-of-the-box thinking. You should write a blog about it and get a bunch of gullible goofs to latch on.

my youtube channel is just about ready to go live. I am on top of this Greg.

 

[miroslav]

Try repositioning the 609 relative to the speaker (cone VS edge), that will change the tone, and you can make it more brighter/thinner VS darker/fatter...and you can also pull it back a bit if you want some room vibe.

Personally...I don't much care for the 609 on guitars, but with the right combination it can sound pretty decent.

Try a Cascade Fat Head II (about $150)...it's a ribbon mic with a figure-8 pattern. Set it back a foot or so, and the back side will pick up some room, while front will give you a nice fat tone. You can stick a ribbon more at the cone and not get that nasty harsh high-end. If you go too far to the edge, with a ribbon you'll get more low-end than usual, so again, find your sweet spot.

 

[JJames]

The e609 is a dynamic
A c414 costs half of a U87 and can be omni

I realize one is dynamic and the other condensor- I'm just trying to say that an omni mic will always pick up a lot of room sound in comparison to a cardioid, regardless of whether they're dynamic, condensor, ribbon, or whatever.

---------- Update ----------

The e609 is a dynamic
A c414 costs half of a U87 and can be omni

I realize one is dynamic and the other condensor- I'm just trying to say that an omni mic will always pick up a lot of room sound in comparison to a cardioid, regardless of whether they're dynamic, condensor, ribbon, or whatever.

 

[BroKen_H]

I think the problem was that you compared omni to dynamic. Comparing omni to cardioid or dynamic to ribbon would probably have flown. You just fumbled your nomenclature. No big.

 

[VomitHatSteve]

my youtube channel is just about ready to go live. I am on top of this Greg.

"Now, when it comes to which talcum powder to dust your phone with before playing, some people will say that brand doesn't matter. But I've found that I get the best results using CVS brand."

 

[laurend]

Your iPhone mic isn't a dynamic microphone. Electret or MEMs are the two technologies used in mobiles. Usually they're fare better about highs extension and flatness. But I'm not sure they will support the High SPL produced by a Marshall stack. Your Dynamic mic will perform better in this case.

 

[Greg_L]

Recording is in a sad state if using an iphone mic is even a consideration for some people.

 

[DebErney]

The first take has much more of a reverb, echo to it . The second is a very clean, almost bright sound, which is my experience with Sennhesier microphones. When I record and mix down I tend to like the cleaner sound to start with applying the effects and tone when mixing. You can always add it in but you can't take it out.
Try the experiment again adding a little reverb and EQ to your mic sound.
I agree that the iPhone has a little processing going on.
I use my iPad, iPhone to record ideas on the fly. They are definitely handy to have. And to put this in context even more, the iPhone 5 was $500?? new?

 

[Greg_L]

$99 SM57 > $600 iphone6

 

[dobro]

I prefer the second sound. The first one sounds brittle by comparison, and I bet if you started putting effects on it, it would quickly start sounding shitty.