software

I went to GC today to look at digital recording equipment. The guy at GC said I would get poor qulity recordings with a SM57 and should get a condensor mic.

I was just wondering If it really made that big of a difference. Has anyone used a 57 for recording.

I'm sorry, but I think anything not recorded with a condensor, as far as amplified guitar, sounds dead.

I like to mix a condensor a few feet back with a 57 up on the speaker.

Take anything anyone ever ever ever says, between the walls of a Guitar Center, with a huuuuuuuge freakin' grain of salt.


Originally Posted by WoodcutterHas anyone used a 57 for recording.

there is not enough bandwidth on the internet to list every major influential recording of electric guitars made with an SM-57

as bad as the internet sometimes is for getting reliable information, GC always is worse

An sm57 is a great all around microphone whoever told you that at GC is a complete idiot. You don't absolutely have to have a condenser unless your recording acoustic instruments. For micing an amp the 57 would work great. Same as with the sennheiser 421 its also a great dynamic for guitar work. If you are using acoustics alot then look at the studio project B1 and C1 microphones as they are cheap and sound better than many high end mics.

An SM-57 is a great choice for micing an amp, but many of the less expensive mic preamps sold today may work better with one of the inexpensive condenser mics. Several folks in the know have commented that a dynamic mic like the 57 requires a good mic preamp for good results. My SM-57 works really well with my FMR Audio RNP and RNC setup, but so does my BLUE Baby Bottle condenser mic. Variety is the spice of recording as well as life...

my friend who got a condenser mic has a lot of problems with it picking up everything even rooms away and he needed phantom power and it ended up costing well over 150 i have sm57 and am so glad i got it i researched in college recording books, internet, experienced touring musicians, people that are going to school for recording it was highly recomended all the way around. Good price too i called musicians friend and told them zzsounds had it for 5 cents less they gave it to me for 83.50 and i got 2 year warranty on it for less than 10 bucks and they sed if it broke and i didnt want to get another 1 theyd give me $100 when i record i take my cab cover off and center it an inch away from the center of the cone and u can get slightly diffrent sounds depending on ur angling and distance good luck dude

The general rule is to use dynamic mics to milk and amp, and condensor mics for acoustic and vocal work. Condensors don't work as well(and correct me I'm wrong) because they can be damaged by the high sound pressure and need to be quite a bit farther away. Well, at least that's what I seem to remember hearing.

If you want a good condensor for acoustic, piano, vocal work or just about anything else not recorded at deafening volumes- is a good place to start. The b1 is only a hundred bucks and sounds GORGEOUS- absolutely crystal clear. The c1 sounds almost identical to a u87 which is almost ridiculous since it's only 200 bucks. Either one is a tremondous bang for the buck. I've actually been considering a c1 to pair with my u87 and use em as overheads when I do drum tracks soon.

[QUOTE=Death's Acre]The general rule is to use dynamic mics to milk and amp, and condensor mics for acoustic and vocal work. Condensors don't work as well(and correct me I'm wrong) because they can be damaged by the high sound pressure and need to be quite a bit farther away. Well, at least that's what I seem to remember hearing. [QUOTE]

Well true to an extent... I mean you don't want to put a condenser in a kick drum or anything but most can handle a fair amount some can't.

The guy is just trying to get the biggest commision he can, since condensors are typically more exspensive. Condensor mics are great when used in the right applications, but directly micing guitar amps is not that. As far as micing a guitar amp, a condensor and SM57 is ideal, however if you have to choose one over the other, the SM57 is your answer. They do a fine job on there own, condensors when recording can just sometimes add to them.

Hell if you really want a great sound and price is no option try a ribbon mic. IMO you can't get much better than an amp mic'd up with a ribbon.

All of the demos I record are with a SM57. I'll save my money for when I go into a studio and can play around with $30,000 mics and hardware

Has anyone tried out an Audix i-5? All the reviews I've read said it was better than a 57.