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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

Hello,

I am looking for mic help!
I just bought a vintage Shure 55c high impedance microphone, a new
vintage style 7' cable (3-pin amphenol to 1/4"), and a 1/4" to XLR
transformer from radio shack. I have connected it to several
different sound boards but struggle to get good sound quality.
Everything sounds muffled, like the bass is missing perhaps.

I purchased it on ebay, and the seller said the sound quality was
"amazing", though he said he tested it on a ham rig, and I don't know
much about that. I've been doing tons of research about impedance
matching, and I made sure to buy the right cables and all that, and
yet I can't get this thing to work the way I had hoped.

I've posted a sample that I recorded at a radio station I work at.
Please take a listen and let me know what you think.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...05960483515961

Is it broken? Is it just old? Could I be wiring it wrong?

Thanks for all your help,

Adam
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Mike Rivers Mike Rivers is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

On Dec 31, 12:22 am, wrote:

I just bought a vintage Shure 55c high impedance microphone, a new
vintage style 7' cable (3-pin amphenol to 1/4"), and a 1/4" to XLR
transformer from radio shack. I have connected it to several
different sound boards but struggle to get good sound quality.
Everything sounds muffled, like the bass is missing perhaps.


"Muffled" usually means lacking treble rather than lacking bass. Given
the setup, and the fact that the Shure 55C is supposed to have a
"vintage" and band-limited sound, it's simply not supposed to sound
very good.

Is this a real 55C from the 1940s, or the modern version? If it's an
old one, goodness knows what it's been through. Just look at the
frequency response of it when it was new and you'll see that it starts
to go to pot beyond the speech range (200 Hz to 3.5 kHz roughly).

http://www.shure.com/stellent/groups...pro_55a_ug.pdf

The fact that you have the high impedance version and you're going
through a crummy transformer only makes things worse. Enjoy the
vintage sound or get yourself a more modern microphone. I was given a
couple of those mics (though the low impedance version) and after
deciding that I'd never use them for anything but a prop, I put them
on the "future projects" pile. I'm planning to mount them on a nice
looking piece of wood and making them into a hat rack.

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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

wrote:
I am looking for mic help!
I just bought a vintage Shure 55c high impedance microphone, a new
vintage style 7' cable (3-pin amphenol to 1/4"), and a 1/4" to XLR
transformer from radio shack. I have connected it to several
different sound boards but struggle to get good sound quality.
Everything sounds muffled, like the bass is missing perhaps.


Yes, those mikes are that way.

I purchased it on ebay, and the seller said the sound quality was
"amazing", though he said he tested it on a ham rig, and I don't know
much about that. I've been doing tons of research about impedance
matching, and I made sure to buy the right cables and all that, and
yet I can't get this thing to work the way I had hoped.


The old 55 has no top end, no bottom end, and the pattern is just
godawful. It is far worse than the SM-57 as a PA mike because the
gain before feedback is just awful.

I've posted a sample that I recorded at a radio station I work at.
Please take a listen and let me know what you think.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...05960483515961

Is it broken? Is it just old? Could I be wiring it wrong?


No, they sounded awful when they were new too. You might try an active
DI box to reduce the load on the thing, but don't expect it to sound
as good as an SM-57.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."


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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

On Dec 31, 9:47 am, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
wrote:
I am looking for mic help!
I just bought a vintage Shure 55c high impedance microphone, a new
vintage style 7' cable (3-pin amphenol to 1/4"), and a 1/4" to XLR
transformer from radio shack. I have connected it to several
different sound boards but struggle to get good sound quality.
Everything sounds muffled, like the bass is missing perhaps.


Yes, those mikes are that way.

I purchased it on ebay, and the seller said the sound quality was
"amazing", though he said he tested it on a ham rig, and I don't know
much about that. I've been doing tons of research about impedance
matching, and I made sure to buy the right cables and all that, and
yet I can't get this thing to work the way I had hoped.


The old 55 has no top end, no bottom end, and the pattern is just
godawful. It is far worse than the SM-57 as a PA mike because the
gain before feedback is just awful.

I've posted a sample that I recorded at a radio station I work at.
Please take a listen and let me know what you think.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...05960483515961


Is it broken? Is it just old? Could I be wiring it wrong?


No, they sounded awful when they were new too. You might try an active
DI box to reduce the load on the thing, but don't expect it to sound
as good as an SM-57.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."


Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. It's just a crummy old mic. It's
beautiful though so I took it today to music repair man to see about
updating the internal mic parts. I know it will no longer be a
vintage mic, but a decent mic in that chrome frame is all i really
want anyway, and I don't really intend to resell it.

Thank you all for your help!

Adam
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

On Dec 31, 9:33 am, Mike Rivers wrote:
On Dec 31, 12:22 am, wrote:

I just bought a vintage Shure 55c high impedance microphone, a new
vintage style 7' cable (3-pin amphenol to 1/4"), and a 1/4" to XLR
transformer from radio shack. I have connected it to several
different sound boards but struggle to get good sound quality.
Everything sounds muffled, like the bass is missing perhaps.


"Muffled" usually means lacking treble rather than lacking bass. Given
the setup, and the fact that the Shure 55C is supposed to have a
"vintage" and band-limited sound, it's simply not supposed to sound
very good.

Is this a real 55C from the 1940s, or the modern version? If it's an
old one, goodness knows what it's been through. Just look at the
frequency response of it when it was new and you'll see that it starts
to go to pot beyond the speech range (200 Hz to 3.5 kHz roughly).

http://www.shure.com/stellent/groups...b_ug/documents...

The fact that you have the high impedance version and you're going
through a crummy transformer only makes things worse. Enjoy the
vintage sound or get yourself a more modern microphone. I was given a
couple of those mics (though the low impedance version) and after
deciding that I'd never use them for anything but a prop, I put them
on the "future projects" pile. I'm planning to mount them on a nice
looking piece of wood and making them into a hat rack.



It's a real 55c, and the element is just probably too old. Basically,
I was hoping I could get a decent sounding mic that might provide
something usable once or twice for a radio broadcast. I don't have a
high impedance crystal amplifier, though it did work a little better
on a guitar amp.

Thanks for the help,

Adam
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

wrote:
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. It's just a crummy old mic. It's
beautiful though so I took it today to music repair man to see about
updating the internal mic parts. I know it will no longer be a
vintage mic, but a decent mic in that chrome frame is all i really
want anyway, and I don't really intend to resell it.


It won't be.

You can put an SM-57 capsule behind that grille, and what you will get
won't have anything to do with the SM-57 pattern. The grille is going
to screw up any element you put behind it.

There is a reason modern microphones don't look like that, and it's not
just style.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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On Dec 31, 4:24 pm, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
wrote:
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of. It's just a crummy old mic. It's
beautiful though so I took it today to music repair man to see about
updating the internal mic parts. I know it will no longer be a
vintage mic, but a decent mic in that chrome frame is all i really
want anyway, and I don't really intend to resell it.


It won't be.

You can put an SM-57 capsule behind that grille, and what you will get
won't have anything to do with the SM-57 pattern. The grille is going
to screw up any element you put behind it.

There is a reason modern microphones don't look like that, and it's not
just style.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."


What if used a bullet microphone, like the Shure 520DX? It also has a
grill. I'm looking for average (but modern) sound, not top of the
line. Do you think it's possible?
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

On Dec 31, 6:44 pm, wrote:

What if used a bullet microphone, like the Shure 520DX? It also has a
grill.


It's good for playing blues harmonica into a guitar amplifier. Is this
for television? If not, who cares what the mic looks like?

Have you looked at the Heil Fin or Heritage models? They're cool
looking and at least they're modern designs so they won't make you
sound so much like a taxi cab dispatcher.

http://www.heilsound.com/pro/products/fin/index.htm
http://www.heilsound.com/pro/product...tage/index.htm


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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

In article ,
(Scott Dorsey) wrote:

wrote:
I am looking for mic help!
I just bought a vintage Shure 55c high impedance microphone, a new
vintage style 7' cable (3-pin amphenol to 1/4"), and a 1/4" to XLR
transformer from radio shack. I have connected it to several
different sound boards but struggle to get good sound quality.
Everything sounds muffled, like the bass is missing perhaps.


Yes, those mikes are that way.

I purchased it on ebay, and the seller said the sound quality was
"amazing", though he said he tested it on a ham rig, and I don't know
much about that. I've been doing tons of research about impedance
matching, and I made sure to buy the right cables and all that, and
yet I can't get this thing to work the way I had hoped.


The old 55 has no top end, no bottom end, and the pattern is just
godawful. It is far worse than the SM-57 as a PA mike because the
gain before feedback is just awful.

I've posted a sample that I recorded at a radio station I work at.
Please take a listen and let me know what you think.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...05960483515961

Is it broken? Is it just old? Could I be wiring it wrong?


No, they sounded awful when they were new too. You might try an active
DI box to reduce the load on the thing, but don't expect it to sound
as good as an SM-57.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."





Many years ago I got one at an auction. When I plugged it in, it sounded
like crap, so I sent it out to Shure for repair. When it came back, it
still sounded like crap. So I sent it back to Shure, telling them it
didn't sound right. And when it came back again, it still sounded like
crap. That's when my thick head finally got the message.

Years later a guy who kept renting it from me for photo and video shoots
asked if he could buy it. Lucky me.




David Correia
www.Celebrationsound.com
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

On Dec 31 2007, 8:55*pm, Mike Rivers wrote:
On Dec 31, 6:44 pm, wrote:

What if used a bullet microphone, like the Shure 520DX? *It also has a
grill.


It's good for playing blues harmonica into a guitar amplifier. Is this
for television? If not, who cares what the mic looks like?

Have you looked at the Heil Fin or Heritage models? They're cool
looking and at least they're modern designs so they won't make you
sound so much like a taxi cab dispatcher.

http://www.heilsound.com/pro/product...tage/index.htm


Yeah, those are nice looking. The problem is I'm a pain in the ass
and only specifically like the original fat boy Shure 55 model. If
they made a Series II version of that (like they did with the 55sh), I
would buy it!
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wrote:

Yeah, those are nice looking. The problem is I'm a pain in the ass
and only specifically like the original fat boy Shure 55 model. If
they made a Series II version of that (like they did with the 55sh), I
would buy it!


The 55SH reissue is pretty crappy, again because of the grille problems.
It's got an SM-57 capsule in it, which is a pretty good capsule, but the
grille screws the pattern up so the gain before feedback is much worse
than an SM-57.

Could you live with an omni? You could block up a 55 body and install
a small omni capsule. You'd still have all the awful edge effects of
the grille, but you wouldn't have to worry about rear venting which
would take a lot of the nastiness off. Unusable for PA work, but fine
for TV.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

Could you live with an omni? *You could block up a 55 body and install
a small omni capsule. *You'd still have all the awful edge effects of
the grille, but you wouldn't have to worry about rear venting which
would take a lot of the nastiness off. *Unusable for PA work, but fine
for TV.


Yeah, I think that's what I might do, though I'm nervous about costs,
but I guess I've already sunk a lot into this, a little more won't
hurt. I thought the bullet is omnidirectional, but you said its junk,
right?

Honestly, I've used the 55 SH before, and I love the way it sounds.
It's not pro quality, but good enough for me, if that helps explain
what I'm looking for.

Again, thank you all for your help. It's greatly appreciated, and I
hope I'm not annoying or distracting from more productive discussions
in this group. I just really needed some quality advice, because I'm
pretty new to this.

Thanks,

Adam
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In article ,
wrote:
Could you live with an omni? =A0You could block up a 55 body and install
a small omni capsule. =A0You'd still have all the awful edge effects of
the grille, but you wouldn't have to worry about rear venting which
would take a lot of the nastiness off. =A0Unusable for PA work, but fine
for TV.


Yeah, I think that's what I might do, though I'm nervous about costs,
but I guess I've already sunk a lot into this, a little more won't
hurt.


I'm still totally at a loss for what you want, though.

I thought the bullet is omnidirectional, but you said its junk,
right?


No, it's a great microphone for distorted harmonica. If what you want
is a microphone for blues harp, it's the way to go.

Honestly, I've used the 55 SH before, and I love the way it sounds.
It's not pro quality, but good enough for me, if that helps explain
what I'm looking for.


For WHAT, though? This is for a TV broadcast application? For PA?
For what? Why is it so important that the mike look a particular way?
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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For WHAT, though? *This is for a TV broadcast application? *For PA?
For what? *Why is it so important that the mike look a particular way?
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. *C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."


Hehe. I'll just come out with it. I am a college sportscaster, and I
would like to use this microphone once or twice for a basketball radio
broadcast at my university station in Washington DC. We have a comrex
hooked up to a phone line (we're not even ISDN), and our headset
microphones are average (though I don't know the model offhand,
sorry). Basically, I was hoping the vintage mic I bought would
compete with the headsets at our station, or even the $20 lapel mic I
bought at radio shack, so you know I'm not looking for pro quality
stuff.

I only wanted the vintage fatboy because I love the way it looks.
It's not for publicity, it's not for TV, it's simply for the sheer joy
of it. I know I'm being a pain in the ass, but this is something that
would make me very happy, and if it works, I will cherish it. I'm
normally very cheap and hate spending money, but in this case, I'm
willing to go for it.

Adam
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On Jan 1, 2:27*pm, "Peter Larsen" wrote:
wrote:

[quoting Scott Dorsey]

Could you live with an omni? ...unusable for PA work, but fine
for TV.

Yeah, I think that's what I might do, though I'm nervous about costs,
but I guess I've already sunk a lot into this, a little more won't
hurt. *I thought the bullet is omnidirectional, but you said its junk,
right?


Digikey has a Panasonic omni electret that will be affordable. The
practicalities of the transplant may of course cost you some if you can't do
it yourself.

Adam


* *Kind regards

* *Peter Larsen


Thank you Peter. I think I will probably be going with something just
like that, but I will have to pay someone for the installation, I
think. I'm willing to spend money to get it right. The mic is now
with an instrument repair man who was very kind and said he would test
the mic for me on his equipment for free, and then said he would look
into finding something to replace the capsule if the original is no
good. I'll see what he says.

Thanks again,

Adam
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

On Jan 1, 3:30 pm, wrote:

I'll just come out with it. I am a college sportscaster, and I
would like to use this microphone once or twice for a basketball radio
broadcast at my university station


Finally! They all seem to come up with the missing details eventually.
As long as you're not also announcing the game over the PA system, you
don't have to worry about feedback, but you probably don't want to use
an omni either unless you have an enclosed booth, since it's probably
pretty noisy on the court. A headset mic is usually best for that kind
of application, and that's why your station uses them.

I only wanted the vintage fatboy because I love the way it looks.


I can understand the inspiration. Dave Letterman doesn't really need a
vintage RCA mic, but it just looks right to him. I understand that he
occasionally taps it with a pencil and it sounds live, but I wouldn't
be surprised if his primary audio actually comes from a condenser clip-
on mic that the engineers are more comfortable with.

So why don't you use a headset or clip-on mic connected to the
telephone interface, set up the 55, and pretend that's what you're
broadcasting through?

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Mike Rivers wrote:

[finally, after a week on the newsgroup's racks the questionee gives in and
admits what he intended to use the mic for, and it is NOT what he initially
said it was about]

So why don't you use a headset or clip-on mic connected to the
telephone interface, set up the 55, and pretend that's what you're
broadcasting through?


That's pure wisdom! - an omni ain't gonna cut it for "in audience" sports
casting if the crowd gets enthusiastic.


Kind regards

Peter Larsen




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wrote:

Hehe. I'll just come out with it. I am a college sportscaster, and I
would like to use this microphone once or twice for a basketball radio
broadcast at my university station in Washington DC. We have a comrex
hooked up to a phone line (we're not even ISDN), and our headset
microphones are average (though I don't know the model offhand,
sorry). Basically, I was hoping the vintage mic I bought would
compete with the headsets at our station, or even the $20 lapel mic I
bought at radio shack, so you know I'm not looking for pro quality
stuff.


The thing is, that's not a microphone anyone would ever have used for
that application when it was new. You'd have been a lot more likely
to see an EV 630 or an RCA ice cream cone on the desk in that kind
of situation back in the fifties.

Have you ever used a 635A on the desk? Give it a try. If you stick
an omni element inside the case, the best you'll ever do will be
something like that. If that works out well enough for you, try it.
I think you'll get way too much crowd noise.

But for a sportscast, why the hell do you care WHAT the microphone
looks like? Nobody can see it on the radio. That's the thing about
radio.

I only wanted the vintage fatboy because I love the way it looks.
It's not for publicity, it's not for TV, it's simply for the sheer joy
of it. I know I'm being a pain in the ass, but this is something that
would make me very happy, and if it works, I will cherish it. I'm
normally very cheap and hate spending money, but in this case, I'm
willing to go for it.


There are plenty of great looking microphones, though, that actually
sound good. Hell, you can get an EV 664 for cheap, and it'll beat
most modern dynamics hands down for the application. There's no reason
to waste your money on cheesy crap that is only worth money because
Japanese collectors want to put it behind glass.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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Mike Rivers wrote:

I can understand the inspiration. Dave Letterman doesn't really need a
vintage RCA mic, but it just looks right to him. I understand that he
occasionally taps it with a pencil and it sounds live, but I wouldn't
be surprised if his primary audio actually comes from a condenser clip-
on mic that the engineers are more comfortable with.


It does, as well as the boom mike. Likewise that SM-33 that sat on
Johnny Carson's desk for years was normally silent, and when they brought
it up occasionally to deal with failed lav mikes the difference in
sound quality was considerable.

So why don't you use a headset or clip-on mic connected to the
telephone interface, set up the 55, and pretend that's what you're
broadcasting through?


If it's good enough for Johnny Carson....
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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On Jan 1, 4:26 pm, Mike Rivers wrote:
On Jan 1, 3:30 pm, wrote:

I'll just come out with it. I am a college sportscaster, and I
would like to use this microphone once or twice for a basketball radio
broadcast at my university station


Finally! They all seem to come up with the missing details eventually.
As long as you're not also announcing the game over the PA system, you
don't have to worry about feedback, but you probably don't want to use
an omni either unless you have an enclosed booth, since it's probably
pretty noisy on the court. A headset mic is usually best for that kind
of application, and that's why your station uses them.

I only wanted the vintage fatboy because I love the way it looks.


I can understand the inspiration. Dave Letterman doesn't really need a
vintage RCA mic, but it just looks right to him. I understand that he
occasionally taps it with a pencil and it sounds live, but I wouldn't
be surprised if his primary audio actually comes from a condenser clip-
on mic that the engineers are more comfortable with.

So why don't you use a headset or clip-on mic connected to the
telephone interface, set up the 55, and pretend that's what you're
broadcasting through?


I'm really sorry everyone for confusing! I wasn't trying to mislead!
I mostly want the mic for fun, for recording PSAs and spots (which
will be in a quiet studio), but yes, I would like to do a gimmick and
use it for one basketball broadcast. I can do it at a women's game so
crowd noise won't really be a problem.

I have heard the Shure 55 SH and love the way it sounds (and it's
unidirectional), and if I could duplicate that sound in my old fatboy
shell, it will become my most prized possession. Don't mean to sound
dramatic, but I want something that's a bit more than a showpiece,
something functional. That's why I don't want to simply attach a lav
mic and use the vintage as a prop.

If it can't be done, it can't be done, but if I don't ask, I won't
know!

Thank you all again for the help,

Adam

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On Jan 1, 4:38 pm, "Peter Larsen" wrote:
Mike Rivers wrote:

[finally, after a week on the newsgroup's racks the questionee gives in and
admits what he intended to use the mic for, and it is NOT what he initially
said it was about]

So why don't you use a headset or clip-on mic connected to the
telephone interface, set up the 55, and pretend that's what you're
broadcasting through?


That's pure wisdom! - an omni ain't gonna cut it for "in audience" sports
casting if the crowd gets enthusiastic.


I'm sorry to be confusing! I wasn't trying to be. I did want to use
it mostly for simple voice recording in a studio, to record PSAs and
promos. But I would love once to take it to a basketball game, and I
can take it toOn Jan 1, 4:38 pm, "Peter Larsen"
wrote:
Mike Rivers wrote:

[finally, after a week on the newsgroup's racks the questionee gives in and
admits what he intended to use the mic for, and it is NOT what he initially
said it was about]

So why don't you use a headset or clip-on mic connected to the
telephone interface, set up the 55, and pretend that's what you're
broadcasting through?


That's pure wisdom! - an omni ain't gonna cut it for "in audience" sports
casting if the crowd gets enthusiastic.


I'm sorry to be confusing! I wasn't trying to be. I did want to use
the mic mostly for simple voice recording in a studio, to record PSAs
and promos. But I would love once to take it to a basketball game,
and I can take it to a women's game where crowd noise won't be as big
of a problem.

I really love the way the 55 SH sounds (and it's unidirectional) and
if I could get something like that inside my vintage fatboy chrome
shell, that would be perfect for me. I don't want it for show though,
I want it for myself, which is why I don't want to use it as a prop
(with a lav as the active mic). If I could get one that is
functional, it would become my prized possession.

If it can't be done, it can't be done, but I figured I'd ask.

Adam
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Scott Dorsey Scott Dorsey is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

wrote:

I'm sorry to be confusing! I wasn't trying to be. I did want to use
it mostly for simple voice recording in a studio, to record PSAs and
promos. But I would love once to take it to a basketball game, and I
can take it to


1. Find out what you really want a microphone for.

2. Buy a microphone that is good for that application.

3. Stop worrying about what it looks like, unless looks are critical for
that application (as they are for TV stuff, tribute bands, etc).
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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jakdedert jakdedert is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

Scott Dorsey wrote:
wrote:
I'm sorry to be confusing! I wasn't trying to be. I did want to use
it mostly for simple voice recording in a studio, to record PSAs and
promos. But I would love once to take it to a basketball game, and I
can take it to


1. Find out what you really want a microphone for.

2. Buy a microphone that is good for that application.

3. Stop worrying about what it looks like, unless looks are critical for
that application (as they are for TV stuff, tribute bands, etc).
--scott


Amen to that, and I might add: if you need something, let the
experts--whose time you are requesting--what you need it for.

On the subject of #3, didn't they modify vintage mics for the 'Buddy
Holley Story', including some 55's? Seems I read, back when the movie
came out, a story about how they shot many of the musical performances live.

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Buddy_Holly_Story mentions
the live concert scenes, but nothing about the technology involved.
They do go into depth about numerous historical innacuracies in the
movie....

jak
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Mike Rivers Mike Rivers is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

On Jan 2, 11:48 am, jakdedert wrote:

On the subject of #3, didn't they modify vintage mics for the 'Buddy
Holley Story', including some 55's? Seems I read, back when the movie
came out, a story about how they shot many of the musical performances live.


That doesn't mean that they actually used the mics that you saw in the
movie. There was probably an overhead boom mic that captured the sound
of the band, or maybe the singer had a hidden miniature mic to capture
his vocal. Good movie sound engineers are really good at placing and
hiding those things, and making a usable sound track from wild sound.
Or maybe they captured the band minus the vocal live and then
overdubbed that.

Movies are better than ever.
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Don Pearce Don Pearce is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

On Wed, 2 Jan 2008 08:55:08 -0800 (PST), Mike Rivers
wrote:

On Jan 2, 11:48 am, jakdedert wrote:

On the subject of #3, didn't they modify vintage mics for the 'Buddy
Holley Story', including some 55's? Seems I read, back when the movie
came out, a story about how they shot many of the musical performances live.


That doesn't mean that they actually used the mics that you saw in the
movie. There was probably an overhead boom mic that captured the sound
of the band, or maybe the singer had a hidden miniature mic to capture
his vocal. Good movie sound engineers are really good at placing and
hiding those things, and making a usable sound track from wild sound.
Or maybe they captured the band minus the vocal live and then
overdubbed that.

Movies are better than ever.


Apart from the Foleys, which go on getting more absurd by the day ;-(

d

--
Pearce Consulting
http://www.pearce.uk.com
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[email protected] air453@gmail.com is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

On Jan 2, 11:48 am, jakdedert wrote:
Scott Dorsey wrote:
wrote:
I'm sorry to be confusing! I wasn't trying to be. I did want to use
it mostly for simple voice recording in a studio, to record PSAs and
promos. But I would love once to take it to a basketball game, and I
can take it to


1. Find out what you really want a microphone for.


2. Buy a microphone that is good for that application.


3. Stop worrying about what it looks like, unless looks are critical for
that application (as they are for TV stuff, tribute bands, etc).
--scott


Amen to that, and I might add: if you need something, let the
experts--whose time you are requesting--what you need it for.


I'm sorry. I thought I did. I said from the beginning I wanted it
for voice recording and possible radio broadcast, something
unidirectional similar to the 55 SH. I had this idea to use it at a
basketball game (a silly idea, but sounded fun), but if those mics
don't work for that application, that's fine. I just want something
functional inside the 55c case I bought.

If it can't be done, it can't be done, but I figured I'd ask. Sorry
to waste your time.

Adam


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jakdedert jakdedert is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

Mike Rivers wrote:
On Jan 2, 11:48 am, jakdedert wrote:

On the subject of #3, didn't they modify vintage mics for the 'Buddy
Holley Story', including some 55's? Seems I read, back when the movie
came out, a story about how they shot many of the musical performances live.


That doesn't mean that they actually used the mics that you saw in the
movie. There was probably an overhead boom mic that captured the sound
of the band, or maybe the singer had a hidden miniature mic to capture
his vocal. Good movie sound engineers are really good at placing and
hiding those things, and making a usable sound track from wild sound.
Or maybe they captured the band minus the vocal live and then
overdubbed that.

Movies are better than ever.


IIRC, they did all of the above--including modding vintage mics with
modern (1978) elements--but that was 30 years ago. Possibly somebody
with a collection of EQ (or Mix?) magazines from the era could verify.
I believe that's where I read it....

jak
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Richard Crowley Richard Crowley is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

"OFFICIAL RAM BLUEBOOK VALUATION" wrote ...
I purchased it on ebay, and the seller said the sound quality was
"amazing", though he said he tested it on a ham rig, and I don't know
much about that. I've been doing tons of research about impedance
matching, and I made sure to buy the right cables and all that, and
yet I can't get this thing to work the way I had hoped.


You've been scammed, probably by Brian McCarty.


Which, of course, is hilarious since this message was
posted my Mr. McCarty in yet another of his silly
impersonations. Move along, nothing interesting
to see here.

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Steve King Steve King is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

wrote in message
...
| On Jan 2, 11:48 am, jakdedert wrote:
| Scott Dorsey wrote:
| wrote:
| I'm sorry to be confusing! I wasn't trying to be. I did want to use
| it mostly for simple voice recording in a studio, to record PSAs and
| promos. But I would love once to take it to a basketball game, and I
| can take it to
|
| 1. Find out what you really want a microphone for.
|
| 2. Buy a microphone that is good for that application.
|
| 3. Stop worrying about what it looks like, unless looks are critical
for
| that application (as they are for TV stuff, tribute bands, etc).
| --scott
|
| Amen to that, and I might add: if you need something, let the
| experts--whose time you are requesting--what you need it for.
|
| I'm sorry. I thought I did. I said from the beginning I wanted it
| for voice recording and possible radio broadcast, something
| unidirectional similar to the 55 SH. I had this idea to use it at a
| basketball game (a silly idea, but sounded fun), but if those mics
| don't work for that application, that's fine. I just want something
| functional inside the 55c case I bought.
|
| If it can't be done, it can't be done, but I figured I'd ask. Sorry
| to waste your time.
|
| Adam

No, don't be sorry. I get what you want to do. Nothing wrong with it. If
I were doing a 'period piece' production for video or film I might try what
you want to do. (I also might boom the performance with a Schoeps ;-) If
you want to do it for your own amusement, go ahead. I think many posters
could not get around the idea that the quality of the microphone sound was
secondary to the idea of using a cool looking old microphone. Also, you
were shy about telling us about your real priorities and applications, which
sent things off on a tangent. You can't blame a bunch of people who spend
their time pushing the quality envelope of recorded sound to the utmost for
having difficulty understanding your 'other than sound' reasons for wanting
to use the mic in question. At one time the 55c was extensively used as an
inexpensive public address microphone. At least three radio stations I
worked for in the 50s had them. They got used on stands at 'remotes',
broadcast events like store openings, etc. They were used in broadcast
booths at sports events. They were cheap and rugged and cool looking, so
they got used even though there were many better choices to be had. There
were a bunch of other mics used in that period that sucked just as much from
a pure sound point of view. However, AM radio was and is severely limited
in its ability to deliver good sound, so mics such as the 55 were often
'good enough'. Try one of the suggestions you've got about replacing the
capsule. It will be a fun project even if the directional pattern and
directional frequency response leaves much to be desired, because of the
case design.

Steve King

Steve King


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Scott Dorsey Scott Dorsey is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

jakdedert wrote:

On the subject of #3, didn't they modify vintage mics for the 'Buddy
Holley Story', including some 55's? Seems I read, back when the movie
came out, a story about how they shot many of the musical performances live.


I think those were the 55S, which they put SM-57 elements in. Again, the
grille screws things up badly, but it's good enough if you absolutely need
that look. And for that film, they did.

Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Buddy_Holly_Story mentions
the live concert scenes, but nothing about the technology involved.
They do go into depth about numerous historical innacuracies in the
movie....


Well, again, the 55 was designed to be rugged at the expense of sound
quality.... rock musicians would never have been trusted with a Shure 300
on stage...
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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Scott Dorsey Scott Dorsey is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

wrote:

I'm sorry. I thought I did. I said from the beginning I wanted it
for voice recording and possible radio broadcast, something
unidirectional similar to the 55 SH. I had this idea to use it at a
basketball game (a silly idea, but sounded fun), but if those mics
don't work for that application, that's fine. I just want something
functional inside the 55c case I bought.


The 55SH isn't really very unidirectional. As I pointed out earlier,
it's an SM-57 capsule, but because of the grille, the directionality is
totally screwed up.
--scott

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


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[email protected] air453@gmail.com is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

On Jan 2, 1:00*pm, "Steve King"
wrote:
wrote in message

...
| On Jan 2, 11:48 am, jakdedert wrote:
| Scott Dorsey wrote:
| wrote:
| I'm sorry to be confusing! *I wasn't trying to be. *I did want to use
| it mostly for simple voice recording in a studio, to record PSAs and
| promos. *But I would love once to take it to a basketball game, and I
| can take it to
|
| 1. Find out what you really want a microphone for.
|
| 2. Buy a microphone that is good for that application.
|
| 3. Stop worrying about what it looks like, unless looks are critical
for
| * *that application (as they are for TV stuff, tribute bands, etc).
| --scott
|
| Amen to that, and I might add: if you need something, let the
| experts--whose time you are requesting--what you need it for.
|
| I'm sorry. *I thought I did. *I said from the beginning I wanted it
| for voice recording and possible radio broadcast, something
| unidirectional similar to the 55 SH. *I had this idea to use it at a
| basketball game (a silly idea, but sounded fun), but if those mics
| don't work for that application, that's fine. *I just want something
| functional inside the 55c case I bought.
|
| If it can't be done, it can't be done, but I figured I'd ask. *Sorry
| to waste your time.
|
| Adam

No, don't be sorry. *I get what you want to do. *Nothing wrong with it.. *If
I were doing a 'period piece' production for video or film I might try what
you want to do. *(I also might boom the performance with a Schoeps ;-) *If
you want to do it for your own amusement, go ahead. *I think many posters
could not get around the idea that the quality of the microphone sound was
secondary to the idea of using a cool looking old microphone. *Also, you
were shy about telling us about your real priorities and applications, which
sent things off on a tangent. *You can't blame a bunch of people who spend
their time pushing the quality envelope of *recorded sound to the utmost for
having difficulty understanding your 'other than sound' reasons for wanting
to use the mic in question. *At one time the 55c was extensively used as an
inexpensive public address microphone. *At least three radio stations I
worked for in the 50s had them. *They got used on stands at 'remotes',
broadcast events like store openings, etc. *They were used in broadcast
booths at sports events. *They were cheap and rugged and cool looking, so
they got used even though there were many better choices to be had. *There
were a bunch of other mics used in that period that sucked just as much from
a pure sound point of view. *However, AM radio was and is severely limited
in its ability to deliver good sound, so mics such as the 55 were often
'good enough'. *Try one of the suggestions you've got about replacing the
capsule. *It will be a fun project even if the directional pattern and
directional frequency response leaves much to be desired, because of the
case design.

Steve King

Steve King


Thank you very much for your kind words. I feel a bit relieved now,
as I was getting very stressed, thinking I was ****ing everyone off.
I am glad I asked though, as I did get some great ideas from this
forum, so thank you all again.

Adam
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[email protected] air453@gmail.com is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

Hey everyone,

I'm not trying to reopen an old topic, but I have a question about
something I saw on ebay, he
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Antique-...QQcmdZViewItem

On ebay, a salesman sold a Shure 55SH for $710. It appears to be the
same model that sells for $150 in stores, but the salesman claimed it
was an antique vintage mic, and said something like "there's no
telling what legend sang through this mic!"

Was there a vintage Shure 55SH before the model that's out now? Or
did he just rip someone off?

Adam
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Scott Dorsey Scott Dorsey is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

wrote:
On ebay, a salesman sold a Shure 55SH for $710. It appears to be the
same model that sells for $150 in stores, but the salesman claimed it
was an antique vintage mic, and said something like "there's no
telling what legend sang through this mic!"


It's true. Just because they made it last week doesn't mean that some
legend couldn't have sung through it in the week since it was made.

Was there a vintage Shure 55SH before the model that's out now? Or
did he just rip someone off?


The 55 was the original mike. The 55S was the smaller version. The
55SH was the reissue of the smaller version with an SM57 element.

Each one progressively gets more usable as you go down the line. And
yes, $710 for a 55SH is a total rip off... but I think $150 for one
is a ripoff too.
--sco
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
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Steve King Steve King is offline
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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

"Scott Dorsey" wrote in message
...
| wrote:
| On ebay, a salesman sold a Shure 55SH for $710. It appears to be the
| same model that sells for $150 in stores, but the salesman claimed it
| was an antique vintage mic, and said something like "there's no
| telling what legend sang through this mic!"
|
| It's true. Just because they made it last week doesn't mean that some
| legend couldn't have sung through it in the week since it was made.
|
| Was there a vintage Shure 55SH before the model that's out now? Or
| did he just rip someone off?
|
| The 55 was the original mike. The 55S was the smaller version. The
| 55SH was the reissue of the smaller version with an SM57 element.
|
| Each one progressively gets more usable as you go down the line. And
| yes, $710 for a 55SH is a total rip off... but I think $150 for one
| is a ripoff too.
|
Then there was the 556, which, I believe, was a 55 with a built-in shock
mount and had a premium price... the broadcast version, as some called it.

Steve King


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Default Vintage Shure 55c, trouble getting good sound quality

Just to let everyone know what I did, I wound up replacing the capsule
in the mic with an SM58 capsule, and it sounds fantastic! Here is the
test: http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...87232208518932

I had to remove the original capsule (which is still intact and
usable) and its transformer, but I left the housing so that the new
capsule could be suspended from it using electrical tape that attached
at the top and bottom. I get strong output from it, although I'm not
sure how the grill is affecting the sound (as was warned). It still
seems to be pretty unidirectional.

I generally have to be within about 4-5 inches of the mic to get good
sound pickup with bass (the test was from about 4-5 inches).
I hear this is typical of all SM58s, so I expected that.

I get a very slight hiss when I turn the gain on the mixer up that I
don't get with an SM57 that I have. I think the problem is that the
cable I have for it has a 1/4" mono connector at the end, which I then
use a hi-z/lo-z transformer to fit into an XLR input. I think I need
a cable with an XLR connector at the end as opposed to a transformer.
Does this make sense?

Anyway, this is what wound up happening. Thank you all for your help
and ideas! I'm really happy with the result!

Adam
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