Looking to replace my SM57 for micing cabs...

  • Thread starter Thread starter leib10
  • Start date Start date
royer r121 and r122v, great for guitar, also the r10 is cheaper and supposed to be good for guitar as well
 
swamptrashstompboxes":1bwmm4ob said:
At this point I would personally I will not buy anymore mics for recording.

I will snag a captor x or something.
The captor x and the Suhr RLIR seem to be pretty powerful pieces of gear. I can't justify for MY (meaning me personally) buying more mics or needing them for guitar cabs tbh.

Drums I will buy more mics for or vocals, but I think two notes mics a cab better than me.
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Smart man.
Once I got my Torpedo Live, I put any wishes for a R121 waaay on the back burner.
(It does help I already have a bunch of great dynamics and a few cool condensers).

That being said, if you don't own the Beyer M88 or an Audio Technica AT4047SV, you should. Real bang for buck mics and very flexible in their usecases.
 
I've been after a SM7B for guitar cabs, and everything else too. Really want it for vocals mostly.

I'm using an Shure SM57 and an Audix D3 on different speakers of the same 4x12, with a condenser mic a few feet away and I seem to have a good starting point without much (or any) EQ or mixing. I've even had good luck with 2 SM57s where one was one axis near the center and one was off towards the edge. The D3 seems like the sweet spot because it's relatively flat, and works good near the center, where I can use the SM57 nearer to the edge for the warmth.

Really, the question is not "SM57 or...?"
The question is "SM57 and...?"
 
Speeddemon":xt1s7qdn said:
swamptrashstompboxes":xt1s7qdn said:
At this point I would personally I will not buy anymore mics for recording.

I will snag a captor x or something.
The captor x and the Suhr RLIR seem to be pretty powerful pieces of gear. I can't justify for MY (meaning me personally) buying more mics or needing them for guitar cabs tbh.

Drums I will buy more mics for or vocals, but I think two notes mics a cab better than me.
Click to expand...
Smart man.
Once I got my Torpedo Live, I put any wishes for a R121 waaay on the back burner.
(It does help I already have a bunch of great dynamics and a few cool condensers).

That being said, if you don't own the Beyer M88 or an Audio Technica AT4047SV, you should. Real bang for buck mics and very flexible in their usecases.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I still have my mics (SM57, Audix i5, ADK Thor, and Heil PR40 are all decent guitar amp mics) but am now much more reliant on my Power Station and IR's or Wall of Sound III for the speaker/mic part of the equation, whether recording live with the group or at home silently. These days I have to go to the basement to play guitar and can't go through a loud amp. My dog goes crazy barking at the sound of a guitar.

I will say I was listening back at some in the room close-mic recordings of my D-Moll through my K85 cab with just an SM57 on the grill from a couple of years ago and had a "whoa, that sounds crushing" reaction. The drum overheads were definitely picking it up also which added to the sound in a good way.
 
lll":3dhe2k6d said:
The SM57 works fantastic, provided you have a quality mic pre.

A good mic pre (and proper mic placement) will make the SM57 shine with little to no "correctional EQ".
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agreed
I hated my 57 until a snagged a decent pre. Now I love it.
 
Really depends on how much $$$ and time you want to invest. Mics and preamps get pricey fast.

Some I like for guitar cabs besides the SM57:

Audix i5
MD421
BD M88
Bock-SoundDeluxe U195
Neumann U87
Neumann TLM 103
Shure SM-7B
EV RE-20

I'm not a fan of most ribbon mics for high-gain guitar... too dark, bassy... kills off a lot of the detail and mushes notes together when playing fast. Royer 121 is a popular ribbon mic... but I always found it too dark, and kills off too much high-end... even when paired with something like a SM57. For ribbons I like the Coles 4038.
 
Wizard of Ozz":lvfpxch3 said:
I'm not a fan of most ribbon mics for high-gain guitar... too dark, bassy... kills off a lot of the detail and mushes notes together when playing fast.
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My experience as well, albeit with a cheapo MXL R144.


Wizard of Ozz":lvfpxch3 said:
. For ribbons I like the Coles 4038.
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That's still on my want list :yes: ;

-pair of Beyer MC930's or vintage Neumann KM84s (currently making due with Rode NT-5's and I find the KM184's too bright)
-Shure SM91
-Coles ST4038
-Neumann M149 / Brauner Phantera
and maybe a Royer R121
 
ribbons like to be in the center of the cone back a foot or 2 or 3 IME
That should solve the dark muddy concern and give you something interesting/usable
 
crankyrayhanky":1dfyat2v said:
lll":1dfyat2v said:
The SM57 works fantastic, provided you have a quality mic pre.

A good mic pre (and proper mic placement) will make the SM57 shine with little to no "correctional EQ".
Click to expand...
agreed
I hated my 57 until a snagged a decent pre. Now I love it.
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What pre you running?
 
crankyrayhanky":2liz4ckc said:
ribbons like to be in the center of the cone back a foot or 2 or 3 IME
That should solve the dark muddy concern and give you something interesting/usable
Click to expand...


Tried that. Even with a reflection filter behind the Royer 121. Not my thing.

The only 2 ribbon mics I'd consider buying again for guitar cabs, would be the:

BD M160 or Shure KSM313. That's it. The KSM313 is the best bet as the ribbon design is entirely different from the older ribbon mics and uses a different and more durable ribbon material that works much better on loud high spl sources like guitar cabs, and sounds great even close micced. No spending 2 hours finding the magic spot.

For the back aways and or off center position, I prefer a large diaphragm condenser... like the U87 or SD U195. With a filter behind it to kill waves.
 
Not sure why you guys are having a problem with an R121. Here's a quick ditty I did with just the Royer plugged into and mixed old school with an analog mixer.. I had other mics mixed in when I tracked, but today I like the Royer by itself. Tomorrow I'll probably hate it. :D

https://soundcloud.com/midnightlaundry- ... O1Mdvy8Zdi
 
57 to a nice ribbon is a big leap ($ wise). Not going to sound great on it's own for electric guitar, so you'd need multiple quality preamps...gets expensive fast. Even a "cheap" ribbon like a Beyer 160 is $400+. Heil and all the other "57 killers" (M88TG included) fall short IMO. Neither here nor there.

Corrective EQ will go a long way with a 57. You'd be surprised how much is on pro albums! ...or just use a preamp with a low impedance switch (300 ohms) to smooth things out.
 
nigelpkay":9zt4as2b said:
For what it’s worth, I’ve tried a few different mics and usually end up on the SM57 again.
I’ve tried the E906, E609, and Heil PR30.

There’s just something about the SM57, it’s focused in all the right areas for hard rock/metal guitar.
I would try to work on post-EQ a little more and notch out some of the annoying higher frequencies.
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This!
 
Spaceboy":4uhyybfs said:
Heil PR30.
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GREAT mic, especially for multi use applications. I am biased though, I live about 10 min from Heil Sound.
 
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