Good choices Mike...but I think a better answer would be "It depends on the application". Some mics are good for some things while others, others. I like the AKG 414 for piano, but it's totally inappropriate (IMHO) for acoustic guitar. Venue is also another consideration...what works well in the studio might not live. And all of this is just the beginning....
Joined: 25 Jan 2002 Posts: 340 Location: Frankfurt / Germany
Posted: Sun Apr 24, 2005 9:08 pm Post subject: Re: WOW
...and it depends on the speakers you're using. I play an old Fender cabinet. Two 10' and a 15' speaker. SM 57 is great for the 10'. But last recording date I tried a EV RE20 for the 15' speaker and man it sounded unbef...inglievable great. For clean sounds I sometimes use a BPM tube.
I second the RE20 for electric guitar. It has two diaphrams for good capture of both highs and lows, and can take good SPL. Stevie Nicks uses the RE20 for vocals as well (in the studio), so it is a somewhat versatile mic, too. Not as durable as the SM57 or SM58...but those two are sort of in a class by themselves. You could almost pound in a nail with one of them, then turn around and use it to record.
...yeah...you gotta worry about micing guitar cabs with a condensor mic. If you use a close-mic technique, most will be blown away (an expensive mistake!)...though they could work for a more ambient sound when used at a distance. But then you have to deal with differences in mics as they will not always work well with the different (dynamic) mic used close up, when the tracks are mixed together. I like to use a 3-mic technique with the RE20...one close, one back about 5 feet, and a third back ten feet behind an acoustic baffle. Blend them together and you get thick and raunchy...great for rythm tracks.
It's very close to what I prefer. One SM57 close to the middle of the speaker, another SM57 pointing at the rim and an AKG C414BTL-2 switched to omni pattern about two meters away from the speaker. I really dig the sound of my little silent room!
Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2005 11:09 pm Post subject: Re: WOW
I'm in the minority, but, I only use Beyer Dynamics for live sound on guitar amps. They are fragile on the road, but, give true sound, will take a hell of a dynamic spread without distortion, and, on standby they are silent. I love them for concerts.
In 30 years of doing live sound, no Beyer ever broke on a gig. I agree that Shure '57's are tough, but, a few failed in the field in the past. No Beyer ever broke.
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