E609 or SM57

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MajorTom

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I'm sure this question has been asked before. I just wanted to get a few opinions from people who aren't trying to sell me something. I went to the local GC and said I was interested in a 57. A couple guys suggested the 609. I was just hoping someone with more experience than myself could offer an unbiased opinion.

Edit: Let's add the Audix I5 into the discussion as well. It seems like it may be a good choice. I'm looking to spend around 100 dollars.

The fact that the 57 and the I5 are suited for vocals is kind of a plus, but I don't know if I'll ever use it for that. The E609 sounded really good in some comparisons I've heard, but I doubt they tell the whole story.
 
Neither. Audix i5. I know that's not what you asked, but it's an SM57 killer IMHO.

Between the SM57 and the 609 - I prefer the SM57. E609 just doesn't sound as good to my ear. They are different enough that they sound good blended together though. If I just had to choose between those two, the 57 gets my vote.
 
I would go SM57 out of those two having both...I have heard good things about the Senn 906 though that I want to try one sometime lol.

I agree with Pete the Audix i5 is a good choice as well imo.
 
To my ear, the 609 is brighter, the 57 is more midrangey, the i5 has a really fast transient response and less low mids than the 57. I think for different amps/speakers each can be a great mic.
 
I don't mind new suggestions. Though it does complicate things further.. I liked how bright the 609 was, but the comparison I listened to was a little unfair. The 57 seemed too dark and less present. I'l look into the audix i5 too.
 
stratotone":189rym9e said:
Neither. Audix i5. I know that's not what you asked, but it's an SM57 killer IMHO.

Between the SM57 and the 609 - I prefer the SM57. E609 just doesn't sound as good to my ear. They are different enough that they sound good blended together though. If I just had to choose between those two, the 57 gets my vote.
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This was gonna be my response verbatim.
 
Although it is a little more over the 609 I would check out the 906. The eq switch gives you a 609 mode plus two others. It's a great mic and very versatile.
 
My fav dynamic in that price range is the Heil PR20. I like it a lot better than the sm57, haven't tried the other mics mentioned.
 
daveg62":2ma8ojx0 said:
My fav dynamic in that price range is the Heil PR20. I like it a lot better than the sm57, haven't tried the other mics mentioned.
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I like the Heil pr20 also. I like it better than the sm57. However I am curious about the i5 now too.
 
Super Cardioid mics have capsules that are small. Plus, they only pick up a sliver's worth of a sound source because the pickup pattern is narrow.

Cardioid's on the other hand have a larger pickup pattern, so you get a broader sound sample along with the larger capsule.

SM57 FTW.

I don't think the side rejection benefit of a SC is a must have for a guitar cab, or a snare.
 
Depends what you're recording.

For guitar amps with distortion, Shure SM57 with a decent channel strip. Nothing beats an SM57 with a Sennheiser MD421 running through a pair of decent channels.

For clean amps, I've used the e609 in the past with better results, but not enough to warrant me keeping it.

For bass guitar, I tend to stick to the MD421 on the cabinet mixed with a DI from the bass.
 
Both. I get the best tones with an e609 almost dead center and an SM57 off-axis.
 
dstroud":28dxo2gl said:
daveg62":28dxo2gl said:
My fav dynamic in that price range is the Heil PR20. I like it a lot better than the sm57, haven't tried the other mics mentioned.
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I like the Heil pr20 also. I like it better than the sm57. However I am curious about the i5 now too.
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Forgot about the pr20, I use one of those too. Very cool mic.
 
The e609 sems to have a little more sparkle on top while the sm57 really has that midrange bite. I can get a really good sound from my 57 but problem is, I don't think I like that tone alone. To me the best tones are probably to combine that 57 with something else.. i'm looking at some cheaper ribbon mics to do this. The apex 205 and 210's get some good reviews. One of them comes in at the 100$ mark too.
 
Kapo_Polenton":2p2jbz71 said:
The e609 sems to have a little more sparkle on top while the sm57 really has that midrange bite. I can get a really good sound from my 57 but problem is, I don't think I like that tone alone. To me the best tones are probably to combine that 57 with something else.. i'm looking at some cheaper ribbon mics to do this. The apex 205 and 210's get some good reviews. One of them comes in at the 100$ mark too.
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MXL144 Is a cheap ribbon and it sounds great IMHO. Under $100 and at every guitar center. I've used it for profiling with great success. I used a Royer ribbon at a recording studio and liked it too, but it's not 10x better. For price/performance, the MXL is a winner. I wouldn't use one live because it picks up front and back of the mic, but for recording it's awesome.
 
stratotone":3ebqced2 said:
Kapo_Polenton":3ebqced2 said:
The e609 sems to have a little more sparkle on top while the sm57 really has that midrange bite. I can get a really good sound from my 57 but problem is, I don't think I like that tone alone. To me the best tones are probably to combine that 57 with something else.. i'm looking at some cheaper ribbon mics to do this. The apex 205 and 210's get some good reviews. One of them comes in at the 100$ mark too.
Click to expand...

MXL144 Is a cheap ribbon and it sounds great IMHO. Under $100 and at every guitar center. I've used it for profiling with great success. I used a Royer ribbon at a recording studio and liked it too, but it's not 10x better. For price/performance, the MXL is a winner. I wouldn't use one live because it picks up front and back of the mic, but for recording it's awesome.
Click to expand...

i'll check this one out too.. I agree, the royer is awesome sounding but not 10x a lot of it's competition. If anything, it just sounds like it retains more of the highs which is what the cheap Chinese ribbons worked back into their design. how do you use the mxl? close mic or like 2 feet off the grill?
 
For reference, I'll mostly be recording my 6505 through an Orange 2x12 w/v30s. I like the tone that black dahlia murder get. I've read their producer say he uses a 57/201 mix. I looked up a 201 mic. If I'm looking at the right one, it's out of my price range. I want a mic around 100 bucks. I'd go 120 or 150 maybe for the right mic.

The videos I've watched have made the e609 sound really good and the SM57 sound dull-ish. But I know tons of groups that have guitar tones I love are using 57s.

I'm interested in the I5 now too. The Heil is interesting as well, but I can't find a ton of reviews. I don't know a ton about recording live cabinet sounds, so it'll be a learning experience. I just want something that I won't look back and say "that would have been so much easier if I'd had mic A, b or c"
 
I've recently traded the extra 57s in my arsenal and got all of the above (i5, pr20, e609). All great mics. My personal goto is the 57/e609 pairing. While attempting to not get flamed, I think they're all "close enough", where getting one and messing with mic placement is going to be more important than stressing over which is the best.
 
I've had the 609, 906, and 57, and the 57 is the one I've kept. Its a standard for a reason.
 
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