New MIC to pair with my sm57- pros/cons of choices

[Kapo_Polenton]

Ok, with all the clips going up lately and my own frustrations with my recordings, I am considering another mic for christmas. I have no problem getting sound to tape, I just don't like the sound of what I am hearing. I'm thinking it is time to pair this sm57 up with something to soften the stiffness of the 57. Step one is obviously to record with volume so you can get the power tubes in there. Step two is to choose on of these 3 mics to pair up with my 57:

fathead II (probably with upgraded transformer)

Seinheiser MD421 (the classic pairing)

Heil PR30 (been hearing good things about it)

Do you guys have any preferences on these three? What can I expect from each? Budget is around the 3-350$ mark so Royer R-121's are out!

 

[PaulyPanacea]

421, RE20 are my 2 favs w the 57.

 

[Milerky2]

http://www.cascademicrophones.com/cascade_FAT_HEADII_Live.html

you can thank me later with a RAWK soundclip.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

What's the diff between the regular short ribbon fathead II and the Live? 6$ difference?

 

[Milerky2]

SPL handling.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

gotcha, so more volume handled before distortion/breakup. So the theory goes anyway...

 

[Audioholic]

I have been using a 57 with a PR30. I end up having to position the PR30 much more towards the cone then center, but they compliment each other. I would like to try a Fat head sometime, as I could see how that would work. I really like the senheiser, but think a different combination with the 57 might be a better route depending on what sound you are looking for.. as a standalone mic, I like the 421 better then the 57 solely.

 

[sled]

Here's several ribbon back-to-back comparisons...

V30 - r121 fathead t7000 r92

Greenback - R92 T7000 FatHead R84

V30 - R92 T7000 FatHead R84

 

[Audioholic]

The R92 sounds awesome in these clips, head and shoulders better imo. how much is that sucker?

 

[sled]

I think about $900

the R92 is a great cab mic. Quite a bit different than a 121 as the R92 delivers a lot more mids

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

Ack, the R-121 sounds the best though in that shootout. Cascade sounds a tad less in the face and a bit scooped. They all sound good though. The thing with the R121's though is that I have been reading they are very sensitive to pressure levels so really, spending 1200$ on a mic and have it fart out on you ain't cool. The R92 does sound very present and closest to the 121 though. So ultimately the 900-1200$ do make the diff here. The 7000 was my least favorite.

 

[sled]

The thing with the R121's though is that I have been reading they are very sensitive to pressure levels

All ribbons are sensitive to air. I wouldn't let that be a driving force. Proximity is a bigger issue. The R92 bottom end is rolled off a bit to help with proximity. IMO, with ribbons you get what you pay for.

A 121 + 57 or R92 + 57 is an awesome recording pair.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

exactly.. proximity is what scares me though. People might tend to push up the ribbon too close so that they can avoid phasing issues... one trick I recently picked up was off the Wagner studio walk through clips he did that are available on youtube. He mentions getting more life out of his royers by simply having them tilted on an angle up towards the place on the speaker where they sound best. In his opinion, this seems to help preserve the mic more. Granted at home I am not going to be recording at the levels they do but i'll still be recording fairly loud so i would want a mic to hold up. I'd love to hear more clips though. The fathead II upgraded option does seem like a great alternative to the 1200$ price tag of a 121. It also is very durable.

 

[sled]

Actually Royer recommends angling the mic. A fairly lengthy wite-up comes with the 121. Also, they offer a free one-time re-ribbon.

 

[Kapo_Polenton]

I feel like i'd be nervous handling that thing! golden egg.

 

[Milerky2]

a great Mic is just a great Mic if you don't know how to use it. Anyone can drive a Ferrari, but only someone who has racing experience will be able to DRIVE a Ferrari.

Get a less expensive ribbon, learn how to make it sound amazing, then once you get the Royer, you will get even better recordings!

 

[The Hoff]

a great Mic is just a great Mic if you don't know how to use it. Anyone can drive a Ferrari, but only someone who has racing experience will be able to DRIVE a Ferrari.

Get a less expensive ribbon, learn how to make it sound amazing, then once you get the Royer, you will get even better recordings!

I like this analogy

I too am in the middle of choosing another mic to pair with my SM57. I really know very little about mics, recording, etc. but I want to start doing some clips as well as some more writing. I purchased a Presonus Firestudio and a SM57. I'm planning on purchasing one more mic (probably some sort of ribbon) so I can get some quality stuff.

 

[Greazygeo]

With the 57 you can mix a 421 pretty easily. I was doing alot of dual mic stuff for a long time. Recently I've just been using a Beta 57 by itself. I'm happy with the results. Its alot less picky about placement.

Not that that is of any help.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, with all the clips going up lately and my own frustrations with my recordings, I am considering another mic for christmas. I have no problem getting sound to tape, I just don't like the sound of what I am hearing. I'm thinking it is time to pair this sm57 up with something to soften the stiffness of the 57. Step one is obviously to record with volume so you can get the power tubes in there. Step two is to choose on of these 3 mics to pair up with my 57:

fathead II (probably with upgraded transformer)

Seinheiser MD421 (the classic pairing)

Heil PR30 (been hearing good things about it)

Do you guys have any preferences on these three? What can I expect from each? Budget is around the 3-350$ mark so Royer R-121's are out!

I dig the Heil PR20. That was what I used the record the Cameron clip I posted a few days ago. That mic sounds great. Don't know about the PR-30...

Steve

 

[garbagetruckdriver]

I had the same dilemma about two years back. Bite the bullet and buy a R-121. I regret not doing it sooner, and I am sure you will too.

I did the 57 + 121 combination for a while, then I bought a second 121. The 57s are back in the drawer and haven't seen daylight for about a year.

I've cranked the PT-100 pretty hard through a '69 quad and never had an issue -these 121s take a beating.

The new Royer 101 is significantly cheaper and definitely needs consideration if you're looking at ribbons.