[DeeAa[_3_]]

Hello!

I tested six different mics simultaneously in front of my guitar cab;
I positioned them all similarly (touching grille, 2" from the speaker
edge, at 45' angle towards the grille) and recorded some playing. I
chopped it into shorter example, so now I have 6 identical guitar
tracks from different mics. He

http://deeaa.pp.fi/08mictest/

One of them is a 57 and the rest are whatever, all cheapos and I'd be
interested which do you feel is the best?

Because I certainly didn't like the 57 best at all and I might end up
using one of the cheapies for my close-up recorded guitars...I'd like
to know if you guys also like my selection well or maybe it just
sounds good on my listening system?

So please have a listen and if possible, post back what you liked
best?

Cheers,

Dee

[Ty Ford]

On Tue, 9 Sep 2008 08:57:04 -0400, DeeAa wrote
(in article
):

Hello!

I tested six different mics simultaneously in front of my guitar cab;
I positioned them all similarly (touching grille, 2" from the speaker
edge, at 45' angle towards the grille) and recorded some playing. I
chopped it into shorter example, so now I have 6 identical guitar
tracks from different mics. He

http://deeaa.pp.fi/08mictest/

One of them is a 57 and the rest are whatever, all cheapos and I'd be
interested which do you feel is the best?

Because I certainly didn't like the 57 best at all and I might end up
using one of the cheapies for my close-up recorded guitars...I'd like
to know if you guys also like my selection well or maybe it just
sounds good on my listening system?

So please have a listen and if possible, post back what you liked
best?

Cheers,

Dee

try putting a 600 Ohm resistor in parallel on the 57 and try again.

Regards,

Ty Ford



--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demos http://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

[DeeAa[_3_]]

On 9 syys, 17:32, Ty Ford wrote:
On Tue, 9 Sep 2008 08:57:04 -0400, DeeAa wrote
(in article
):



Hello!

I tested six different mics simultaneously in front of my guitar cab;
I positioned them all similarly (touching grille, 2" from the speaker
edge, at 45' angle towards the grille) and recorded some playing. I
chopped it into shorter example, so now I have 6 identical guitar
tracks from different mics. He

http://deeaa.pp.fi/08mictest/

One of them is a 57 and the rest are whatever, all cheapos and I'd be
interested which do you feel is the best?

Because I certainly didn't like the 57 best at all and I might end up
using one of the cheapies for my close-up recorded guitars...I'd like
to know if you guys also like my selection well or maybe it just
sounds good on my listening system?

So please have a listen and if possible, post back what you liked
best?

Cheers,

Dee

try putting a 600 Ohm resistor in parallel on the 57 and try again.

Regards,

Ty Ford

--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demoshttp://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

What does that mean...solder a 600 ohm resistor across two leads?
Which ones? I'm pretty clueless when it comes to electronics :-)

I might try adding the resistor in the mic cable end, if that works
just as well - should be easy?

Cheers,

Dee

p.s. did u have a favorite of those 6?

[Scott Dorsey]

DeeAa wrote:

What does that mean...solder a 600 ohm resistor across two leads?
Which ones? I'm pretty clueless when it comes to electronics :-)

Pins 2 and 3 of the cable.

I might try adding the resistor in the mic cable end, if that works
just as well - should be easy?

Yes. Mark the cable as having a 600 ohm shunt, with a sharpie, on BOTH
ends of the cable.

With the shunt resistor, the SM-57 will still have a gargantuan presence
peak, but it will not have the ringing at high frequencies any more.

Anything in the 560-680 ohm range will be fine. Use a metal film resistor,
not an old carbon comp.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Ty Ford]

On Tue, 9 Sep 2008 13:14:41 -0400, DeeAa wrote
(in article
):

On 9 syys, 17:32, Ty Ford wrote:
On Tue, 9 Sep 2008 08:57:04 -0400, DeeAa wrote
(in article
):



Hello!

I tested six different mics simultaneously in front of my guitar cab;
I positioned them all similarly (touching grille, 2" from the speaker
edge, at 45' angle towards the grille) and recorded some playing. I
chopped it into shorter example, so now I have 6 identical guitar
tracks from different mics. He

http://deeaa.pp.fi/08mictest/

One of them is a 57 and the rest are whatever, all cheapos and I'd be
interested which do you feel is the best?

Because I certainly didn't like the 57 best at all and I might end up
using one of the cheapies for my close-up recorded guitars...I'd like
to know if you guys also like my selection well or maybe it just
sounds good on my listening system?

So please have a listen and if possible, post back what you liked
best?

Cheers,

Dee

try putting a 600 Ohm resistor in parallel on the 57 and try again.

Regards,

Ty Ford

--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demoshttp://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

What does that mean...solder a 600 ohm resistor across two leads?
Which ones? I'm pretty clueless when it comes to electronics :-)

I might try adding the resistor in the mic cable end, if that works
just as well - should be easy?

Cheers,

Dee


yes, pins 2 and 3.

Regards,

Ty Ford

--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demos http://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

[DeeAa[_3_]]

On 9 syys, 23:13, Ty Ford wrote:
On Tue, 9 Sep 2008 13:14:41 -0400, DeeAa wrote
(in article
):



On 9 syys, 17:32, Ty Ford wrote:
On Tue, 9 Sep 2008 08:57:04 -0400, DeeAa wrote
(in article
):

Hello!

I tested six different mics simultaneously in front of my guitar cab;
I positioned them all similarly (touching grille, 2" from the speaker
edge, at 45' angle towards the grille) and recorded some playing. I
chopped it into shorter example, so now I have 6 identical guitar
tracks from different mics. He

http://deeaa.pp.fi/08mictest/

One of them is a 57 and the rest are whatever, all cheapos and I'd be
interested which do you feel is the best?

Because I certainly didn't like the 57 best at all and I might end up
using one of the cheapies for my close-up recorded guitars...I'd like
to know if you guys also like my selection well or maybe it just
sounds good on my listening system?

So please have a listen and if possible, post back what you liked
best?

Cheers,

Dee

try putting a 600 Ohm resistor in parallel on the 57 and try again.

Regards,

Ty Ford

--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demoshttp://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

What does that mean...solder a 600 ohm resistor across two leads?
Which ones? I'm pretty clueless when it comes to electronics :-)

I might try adding the resistor in the mic cable end, if that works
just as well - should be easy?

Cheers,

Dee

yes, pins 2 and 3.

Regards,

Ty Ford

--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demoshttp://www.tyford.com
Guitar player?:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RZJ9MptZmU

Thanks scott & Ty, I'll be sure try that out! It is exactly the
'ringing' described I don't like about its sound w/driven guitars.

[DeeAa[_3_]]

On 9 syys, 15:57, DeeAa wrote:
Hello!

I tested six different mics simultaneously in front of my guitar cab;
I positioned them all similarly (touching grille, 2" from the speaker
edge, at 45' angle towards the grille) and recorded some playing. I
chopped it into shorter example, so now I have 6 identical guitar
tracks from different mics. He

http://deeaa.pp.fi/08mictest/

One of them is a 57 and the rest are whatever, all cheapos and I'd be
interested which do you feel is the best?

Because I certainly didn't like the 57 best at all and I might end up
using one of the cheapies for my close-up recorded guitars...I'd like
to know if you guys also like my selection well or maybe it just
sounds good on my listening system?

So please have a listen and if possible, post back what you liked
best?

Nobody wants to give their opinion?

I've had the same poll going in some other NG's and so far no.5 has
been the clear winner...not my fave though.

Cheers,

Dee

[Ben Bradley]

On Tue, 9 Sep 2008 22:04:11 -0700 (PDT), DeeAa
wrote:

On 9 syys, 15:57, DeeAa wrote:
Hello!

I tested six different mics simultaneously in front of my guitar cab;
I positioned them all similarly (touching grille, 2" from the speaker
edge, at 45' angle towards the grille) and recorded some playing. I
chopped it into shorter example, so now I have 6 identical guitar
tracks from different mics. He

http://deeaa.pp.fi/08mictest/

One of them is a 57 and the rest are whatever, all cheapos and I'd be
interested which do you feel is the best?

Because I certainly didn't like the 57 best at all and I might end up
using one of the cheapies for my close-up recorded guitars...I'd like
to know if you guys also like my selection well or maybe it just
sounds good on my listening system?

So please have a listen and if possible, post back what you liked
best?

Nobody wants to give their opinion?

Oh, okay... I'll give my long-time-listener-but-non-pro opinion.

I just listened on my home PC, AKG K240M headphones plugged into
the standard cheap consumer soundcard. 1 and 2 sound the same, but
they're 'sort of' ok. 3 is not quite as bright, and I think not quite
as good either. 4 really sucks, missing both highs and lows, and only
seems useful for an intentional lo-fi sound. 5 and 6 are "interesting"
(I'll go out on a limb, guessing one of these is the SM57) and are the
"brightest" sounding, and I think I like these the best (worst case,
if later you decide the high end is really too much for a mix, you can
[dare I say it] eq down the highs). 5 has a midrange 'presence' (could
that be the ringing that you don't like?) whereas 6 has a scooped-out
midrange compared to the others. Not sure which one I like better, but
they both 'excite' my ear more than the others.


I've had the same poll going in some other NG's and so far no.5 has
been the clear winner...not my fave though.

Well, that's an even stronger hint that 5 is the SM57.


Cheers,

Dee

[DeeAa[_2_]]

"Ben Bradley" wrote in message
...

Oh, okay... I'll give my long-time-listener-but-non-pro opinion.

I just listened on my home PC, AKG K240M headphones plugged into
the standard cheap consumer soundcard. 1 and 2 sound the same, but
they're 'sort of' ok. 3 is not quite as bright, and I think not quite
as good either. 4 really sucks, missing both highs and lows, and only
seems useful for an intentional lo-fi sound. 5 and 6 are "interesting"
(I'll go out on a limb, guessing one of these is the SM57) and are the
"brightest" sounding, and I think I like these the best (worst case,
if later you decide the high end is really too much for a mix, you can
[dare I say it] eq down the highs). 5 has a midrange 'presence' (could
that be the ringing that you don't like?) whereas 6 has a scooped-out
midrange compared to the others. Not sure which one I like better, but
they both 'excite' my ear more than the others.


I've had the same poll going in some other NG's and so far no.5 has
been the clear winner...not my fave though.

Well, that's an even stronger hint that 5 is the SM57.

Well, it's not actually...I'll tell the mics in a few hours, hoping someone
else will also add to this, although the results are pretty clear. So far
what I've had people's votes for the best ones, the points spread is:

1. 10 points
2. 12 points
3. 0 points
4. 2
5. 14
6. 15

5. was in a bigger lead like 4 votes ago, but 6. has been rising. So now the
last one is leading, and if I count yours as 2 for each, they're in a clear
lead. People seem to like 5. and 6. the best, with no.2 tailing just behind
and number one being selected as second choice a lot. I like 6. as well but
I'd use it for more metal tones because it is kinda scooped. My fave overall
is probably no2. I'm interested to try the resistor mod on the 57 and see if
that makes it more appealing - I'll try that today.

Nobody likes the number three, and I can reveal it's an old AKGD310S that I
assume is a vocal mic.

Cheers,

Dee

[DeeAa[_2_]]

"Ben Bradley" wrote in message
...

Oh, okay... I'll give my long-time-listener-but-non-pro opinion.

I just listened on my home PC, AKG K240M headphones plugged into
the standard cheap consumer soundcard. 1 and 2 sound the same, but
they're 'sort of' ok. 3 is not quite as bright, and I think not quite
as good either. 4 really sucks, missing both highs and lows, and only
seems useful for an intentional lo-fi sound. 5 and 6 are "interesting"
(I'll go out on a limb, guessing one of these is the SM57) and are the
"brightest" sounding, and I think I like these the best (worst case,
if later you decide the high end is really too much for a mix, you can
[dare I say it] eq down the highs). 5 has a midrange 'presence' (could
that be the ringing that you don't like?) whereas 6 has a scooped-out
midrange compared to the others. Not sure which one I like better, but
they both 'excite' my ear more than the others.


I've had the same poll going in some other NG's and so far no.5 has
been the clear winner...not my fave though.

Well, that's an even stronger hint that 5 is the SM57.

Well, it's not actually...I'll tell the mics in a few hours, hoping someone
else will also add to this, although the results are pretty clear. So far
what I've had people's votes for the best ones, the points spread is:

1. 10 points
2. 12 points
3. 0 points
4. 2
5. 14
6. 15

5. was in a bigger lead like 4 votes ago, but 6. has been rising. So now the
last one is leading, and if I count yours as 2 for each, they're in a clear
lead. People seem to like 5. and 6. the best, with no.2 tailing just behind
and number one being selected as second choice a lot. I like 6. as well but
I'd use it for more metal tones because it is kinda scooped. My fave overall
is probably no2. I'm interested to try the resistor mod on the 57 and see if
that makes it more appealing - I'll try that today.

Nobody likes the number three, and I can reveal it's an old AKGD310S that I
assume is a vocal mic.

Cheers,

Dee

[darrelldklein]

On Sep 10, 3:42*am, "DeeAa" wrote:
"Ben Bradley" wrote in message

...





* Oh, okay... I'll give my long-time-listener-but-non-pro opinion.

* I just listened on my home PC, AKG K240M headphones plugged into
the standard cheap consumer soundcard. 1 and 2 sound the same, but
they're 'sort of' ok. 3 is not quite as bright, and I think not quite
as good either. 4 really sucks, missing both highs and lows, and only
seems useful for an intentional lo-fi sound. 5 and 6 are "interesting"
(I'll go out on a limb, guessing one of these is the SM57) and are the
"brightest" sounding, and I think I like these the best (worst case,
if later you decide the high end is really too much for a mix, you can
[dare I say it] eq down the highs). 5 has a midrange 'presence' (could
that be the ringing that you don't like?) whereas 6 has a scooped-out
midrange compared to the others. Not sure which one I like better, but
they both 'excite' my ear more than the others.

I've had the same poll going in some other NG's and so far no.5 has
been the clear winner...not my fave though.

* *Well, that's an even stronger hint that 5 is the SM57.

Well, it's not actually...I'll tell the mics in a few hours, hoping someone
else will also add to this, although the results are pretty clear. So far
what I've had people's votes for the best ones, the points spread is:

1. 10 points
2. 12 points
3. 0 points
4. 2
5. 14
6. 15

5. was in a bigger lead like 4 votes ago, but 6. has been rising. So now the
last one is leading, and if I count yours as 2 for each, they're in a clear
lead. People seem to like 5. and 6. the best, with no.2 tailing just behind
and number one being selected as second choice a lot. I like 6. as well but
I'd use it for more metal tones because it is kinda scooped. My fave overall
is probably no2. I'm interested to try the resistor mod on the 57 and see if
that makes it more appealing - I'll try that today.

Nobody likes the number three, and I can reveal it's an old AKGD310S that I
assume is a vocal mic.

Cheers,

Dee- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

I liked #4 even less than #3

#2 would be my pick. However, even in a shoot out, mic positioning
(even slight differences) and relative levels can influence the sound
a great deal, so I might not make the same choice another day.

[HKC]

It's not easy to tell whether a mic sounds good if you don't know the sound
of the source. I mean obviously no. 6 sounds scoped out in the midrange but
that could also be the actual sound of the amp/guitar/pedal. For the record
I like no. 5 and 6 best but again I can't judge a mic without knowing the
sound of the source.

[Paul Stamler]

"DeeAa" wrote in message
...
5. was in a bigger lead like 4 votes ago, but 6. has been rising. So now
the
last one is leading, and if I count yours as 2 for each, they're in a
clear
lead. People seem to like 5. and 6. the best, with no.2 tailing just
behind
and number one being selected as second choice a lot. I like 6. as well
but
I'd use it for more metal tones because it is kinda scooped. My fave
overall
is probably no2. I'm interested to try the resistor mod on the 57 and see
if
that makes it more appealing - I'll try that today.

In my original experiment with this, I used a 698 ohm resistor, because I
was working into a 2000 ohm load. 681 ohms would work fine (not 681k!). Or,
really, anything from about 562-698.

Peace,
Paul

[DeeAa[_3_]]

On 10 syys, 18:44, "HKC" wrote:
It's not easy to tell whether a mic sounds good if you don't know the sound
of the source. I mean obviously no. 6 sounds scoped out in the midrange but
that could also be the actual sound of the amp/guitar/pedal. For the record
I like no. 5 and 6 best *but again I can't judge a mic without knowing the
sound of the source.

Yes, but it's possible to compare them in relation with each other.

Those two are best liked among people it seems!

Cheers,

Dee

[DeeAa[_3_]]

On 10 syys, 20:02, "Paul Stamler" wrote:
"DeeAa" wrote in message

...

5. was in a bigger lead like 4 votes ago, but 6. has been rising. So now
the
last one is leading, and if I count yours as 2 for each, they're in a
clear
lead. People seem to like 5. and 6. the best, with no.2 tailing just
behind
and number one being selected as second choice a lot. I like 6. as well
but
I'd use it for more metal tones because it is kinda scooped. My fave
overall
is probably no2. I'm interested to try the resistor mod on the 57 and see
if
that makes it more appealing - I'll try that today.

In my original experiment with this, I used a 698 ohm resistor, because I
was working into a 2000 ohm load. 681 ohms would work fine (not 681k!). Or,
really, anything from about 562-698.

I tried it, and I think I'll be using that cable a lot. Haven't really
studied the difference yet in detail, but it did seem a lot softer
based on initial listens. 615 ohms here.

[DeeAa[_3_]]

OKAY so here's what the mics were, in the order of preference as
indicated by about two dozen voters:

BEST: a Philips mic from an old tape recorder. I can't tell much about
it, except it's condenser, powered by a single 1,5V battery and all
plastic, fixed cord with small plug. Probably from the 80's. Was
number 5. I must say I'm astonished about the outcome, I don't like it
much, it's too raw and...I dunno. I think I hear the plastic rattle in
the sound :-)

2nd: Samson QKick kickdrum mic. Many people liked it; it's scooped and
pleasant. Was number 6. I like it too, especially for more modern
guitar sounds I bet it'd work real well.

3rd: Shure C606. A '58 cheapo version...my personal favorite. IMO this
also sounds the most like the amp sounds like live. Most people ranked
it in top three, I'd say this was the most uniformly liked mic despite
it fell to 3rd place. Was number 2.

4th: Shure 57. Nuff said. Was number one. For me, too shrill at some
freqs, but maybe now with the 600ohm shunt...

The last ones were a Sony condenser, don't know the model, and an
AKGD310S which received no votes.

Well I guess this goes to show sometimes it really doesn't matter much
what do you mike a normal electric guitar with...many different mics
may do a great job. I remember one of the best sounds I ever got for
my guitar sounds was in this studio where they had this beat-up old
mic that used to have a DIN connector originally and looked like utter
shaite...but worked like magic on electric guitar recording.

Cheers,

Dee

[Scott Dorsey]

DeeAa wrote:
OKAY so here's what the mics were, in the order of preference as
indicated by about two dozen voters:

BEST: a Philips mic from an old tape recorder. I can't tell much about
it, except it's condenser, powered by a single 1,5V battery and all
plastic, fixed cord with small plug. Probably from the 80's. Was
number 5. I must say I'm astonished about the outcome, I don't like it
much, it's too raw and...I dunno. I think I hear the plastic rattle in
the sound :-)

You just discovered the secret of the Cola Wars! Just like people will
always pick the sweetest drink if they are given only a single sip of
each, given short instrumental clips to evaluate, people will almost
always pick the brightest one. (Assuming they are level matched, of
course... if one is a couple dB or so louder, people will go for louder
rather than brighter).

Given longer clips, the brightness tends to pale.

Well I guess this goes to show sometimes it really doesn't matter much
what do you mike a normal electric guitar with...many different mics
may do a great job. I remember one of the best sounds I ever got for
my guitar sounds was in this studio where they had this beat-up old
mic that used to have a DIN connector originally and looked like utter
shaite...but worked like magic on electric guitar recording.

Was it a Sennheiser MD421 or an MD406?
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[DeeAa[_3_]]

On 11 syys, 18:19, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:

You just discovered the secret of the Cola Wars! *Just like people will
always pick the sweetest drink if they are given only a single sip of
each, given short instrumental clips to evaluate, people will almost
always pick the brightest one. *(Assuming they are level matched, of
course... if one is a couple dB or so louder, people will go for louder
rather than brighter).

Given longer clips, the brightness tends to pale.

Well I guess this goes to show sometimes it really doesn't matter much
what do you mike a normal electric guitar with...many different mics
may do a great job. I remember one of the best sounds I ever got for
my guitar sounds was in this studio where they had this beat-up old
mic that used to have a DIN connector originally and looked like utter
shaite...but worked like magic on electric guitar recording.

Was it a Sennheiser MD421 or an MD406?
--scott

Yes I guess that's what happens.

I really couldn't say, it had no markings left whatsoever, if it ever
had any. One side was gold, one black, or at least had been, and it
was kinda rectangular like an old electric razor or a soapbar. It sure
was good!

Cheers,

Dee

[Mike Rivers]

DeeAa wrote:

I really couldn't say, it had no markings left whatsoever, if it ever
had any. One side was gold, one black, or at least had been, and it
was kinda rectangular like an old electric razor or a soapbar. It sure
was good!

Like this?: http://tinyurl.com/445ok8
That's a Sennheiser MD-409, a "legendary" electric guitar microphone. I
have one with the Echolette name and a DIN connector. I think this was
the mic supplied with a tape recorder. Apparently the same capsule was
used in a Grundig branded mic, most likely one that came with a Grundig
recorder.



--
If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
me he
double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
)

[DeeAa[_3_]]

On 11 syys, 23:20, Mike Rivers wrote:
DeeAa wrote:
I really couldn't say, it had no markings left whatsoever, if it ever
had any. One side was gold, one black, or at least had been, and it
was kinda rectangular like an old electric razor or a soapbar. It sure
was good!

Like this?:http://tinyurl.com/445ok8
That's a Sennheiser MD-409, a "legendary" electric guitar microphone. I
have one with the Echolette name and a DIN connector. I think this was
the mic supplied with a tape recorder. Apparently the same capsule was
used in a Grundig branded mic, most likely one that came with a Grundig
recorder.

Well, yeah, exactly like that as I recall. Well no wonder then - it
really did sound very very good with guitars, I thought it was just a
fluke and not really so much the microphone's doing, but I guess it
really was the mic that did the trick :-)
I shoulda tried to buy the thing, it was a small project studio and
they might have, for a good money offer.

Cheers,

Dee