What's your favorite dynamic for recording?

Al Terhune · From: Newcastle, WA

We all have our condensers and ribbons, and the SM57 is a favorite for dynamics (it seems). Is it yours? What else is out there that's good for acoustics that's a dynamic?
_________________
Al

My equipment:

One heck of a Wife
The ghost of a red Doberman
Several pairs of reading glasses strewn about

Jerry Gleason · From: Eugene, Oregon, USA

Not quite sure what you mean by "good for acoustics". I'm certainly not a recording pro, but for a dynamic mic, I get a lot of use out of the Electro-Voice RE-20. I also like the EV RE-18, which is a broadcast mic not generally seen in recording studios, but I've found a lot of uses for it. Both mics have a minimal proximity effect, and fairly uncolored off-axis response.

Sometimes the SM-57 is just the right thing, though. The Sennheiser 421 is popular for micing cabinets and other studio and live applications. I don't own one, but I wish I did.

I think that the quality of the preamp is even more important with dynamic mics than with condensers. Most of the dynamic mics I have sound ok through a Mackie mixer, but though a good preamp, especially one that's transformer balanced, they really come to life. This is true with my condensers, too, but to a lesser degree, it seems.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

The RE-20 is a solid mic, I had two, both were stolen, DRAT
and also have a very beat up RE-15 I still keep,

the Senn 421 and 441's are very usefull workhorses.

Stevie Nicks used to sing into a 441,
during her live recording sessions.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.

Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many!

Al Terhune · From: Newcastle, WA

Thanks for the suggestions, guys. Jerry -- yes, that was a little vague, and I meant recording acoustic instruments like guitar, banjo, etc. I agree about the importance of the pres. I just upgraded to a modded pre that had burr browns stuck in. Sounds great. I hadn't used a dynamic in a while to record with, and I used an old EV PL88H that I was really surprised with in the fact that it captured a great sound and was quiet as a mouse. Some of the recordings I've been listening to lately sound rather uncolored (most likely not condenser), which I like, and I wonder if they use dynamics. Too bad records don't give you the recording equipment used on the sessions!
_________________
Al

My equipment:

One heck of a Wife
The ghost of a red Doberman
Several pairs of reading glasses strewn about

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Al I REALLY like Earthworks SR-71's for acoustic instruments.
The are condensors, but very neutral.
I use them for mandolin and dobro too.

I have recorded acoustic guitar with
a Brauner Valvet in the whole aimed away from the singers mouth and toward the neck,
and an SR-71 on the top behind and below the bridge and
another SR-71 aimed at the back under the right arm too.

But 2 SR-71's can give a great acoustic sound.
I have two and want 6 total.

I used the RE-20 back in the day for on the soundhole of acoustics,
not bad depending on placement.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.

Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many!

Al Terhune · From: Newcastle, WA

David, when I run into some extra mike money, I'm going to get me a couple of nice dynamics. I used to own the Sure SM7B a couple of years ago, but sold it to buy something else. I wasn't that thrilled with it, but maybe my newer pre would have made it come to life.
_________________
Al

My equipment:

One heck of a Wife
The ghost of a red Doberman
Several pairs of reading glasses strewn about

Randy Beavers · From: Lebanon,TN 37090

I'm not saying I've tried everything out there, but I have tried quite a few. The Sennheiser 421 is the best all around I've tried. My least favorite is a SM 57.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Randy, the 441 shades the 421 a bit, but for nearly double the price.
They are both great workhorse mics.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.

Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many!

Randy Beavers · From: Lebanon,TN 37090

I have a 441 also, that's what I'd use for anything acoustic like guitar, voice, or horns. The 441 to me seems more natural where the 421 has a bump in the mids that I really like for a steel amp. I tried a RE-15 and a 409 of Brad Sarno's recently and those were both winners. However the character the 421 puts on the steel is pretty sweet.

On my "to try" list is a RE-20. If folks think picking a steel and amp combo is tough to do, just start trying mic's and mic pre's. Confused

Ron Randall · From: Dallas, Texas, USA

IMHO
Home studio recording or live use: SM57 for amps, snare drum. SM58 Beta for vocals. Old Sennheiser (421?) for steel amp.

For full rich sound, I always run these mics through Peavey VMP-2 preamps. They are dual channel tube pre's. The preamps on most home studio boards are no match for these.

IF I want just a quick recording of a practice session, I can do without the studio pre's. (heavy!)

Gary Shepherd · From: Fox, Oklahoma, USA

I don't use any dynamic mics in the studio. Mostly large diaphragm condensers.
_________________
Gary Shepherd

Carter D-10 & Peavey Nashville 1000

www.16tracks.com

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

SM-57's are just too 'colored' to much use except for specialty sounds.
Rick Snare drum, certain retro guitar sounds etc.

I am mxing a blues festival in a week or so,
the sound company is attempting to send me
16 SM-57s and 5 SM-58s for vocals.

OK the 58's are fine.

But nothing by 57's for ALL instruments
from drums to sax & trumpet.
Are they on glue?????

Ye gawds what a BAD idea..... I would have to fight this
SAME EQ peak on every instrument,
resulting in 5 times MORE work and less likelyhood of an
over all good gig.

SM-57's for cymbals...... MADNESS!!!

There'll be some changes made.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.

Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many!

Al Terhune · From: Newcastle, WA

Wow, David -- I don't think I've heard that about the SM57's -- being colored like that. You'll have your work cut out for you! Hope you either get different mikes or can e.q. them from your past experience without too much difficulty.

Gary -- I like the LDCs, too, but those who claim to know a thing or two about a thing or two feel the SDCs capture a truer (less colored) sound than the LDCs, especiallly with acoustic instruments.

On a whim, last night I bought EV's new dynamic they call Raven. It's a collaborative effort between EV and the Blue mike people. I found it really inexpensive on eBay, and hopefully it's not a counterfeit. What the hey? Life's for living, right?
_________________
Al

My equipment:

One heck of a Wife
The ghost of a red Doberman
Several pairs of reading glasses strewn about

Gary Shepherd · From: Fox, Oklahoma, USA

Well, I can tell you this...

Don't waste your time on a Behringer C-1. I got a new one on eBay for about $30. Not even worth that. Noisy.

The Behringer B1 is ok. Used it on a live gig for vocals and it did a pretty good job. I wouldn't mind having about 10 of those for bluegrass festivals. Keep the AT mics in the case for those.

In the studio, I use my Studio Projects C1 on all of my vocals and most of everyone else's vocals. Even use it on acoustic instruments too. I've tried the C1000s on acoustics. Didn't like it as well. Your mileage may vary.
_________________
Gary Shepherd

Carter D-10 & Peavey Nashville 1000

www.16tracks.com

Randy Beavers · From: Lebanon,TN 37090

David, while I'm not a fan of the 57 either, the engineer I use likes to use 57's for the overhead cymbals. It's actually one of the most natural cymbal sounds I've ever heard. But then again, there's not much mids to cymbals. Confused

You can hear the plastic tip of the stick hitting brass. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't heard it.

Al Terhune · From: Newcastle, WA

Randy and David -- a couple of recommendations to use the 57 in the Steel Players section for a session with Jay Dee (I'm sure you've seen it). Interesting!
_________________
Al

My equipment:

One heck of a Wife
The ghost of a red Doberman
Several pairs of reading glasses strewn about

Jerry Gleason · From: Eugene, Oregon, USA

The 57 is actually a very versatile microphone. In the appropriate application, and mated with the right preamp, it can be very good indeed.

What Randy says about the cymbal sound is right on. Where a condenser will capture more of the "wash" and higher harmonics, the 57 will pick up a nice stick sound, and emphasizes middle and lower harmonics, which, to my ear, is a more natural sound, at least with certain cymbals. Sometimes that's the sound I want, sometimes not.

A dynamic mic like the 57 is also great on other percussion instruments like congas and marimbas. In that application, a condenser mic sounds nice and detailed, but sort of "compressed", to my ear. A dynamic mic has a natural, percussive quality that just sounds more... well, dynamic, if you get what I mean.

If I were recording soft fingerpicking acoustic guitar, a dynamic microphone wouldn't be my first choice (at least not any of the ones I own), but if it was a very percussive style where capturing delicate detail isn't the main thing, then it might be a good choice. It's all about choosing a mic that brings out the characteristics that you want to emphasize.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

One of the main reason to choose differing mics is to
prevent overlap of exactly the same mic character bands.

The 58 and it's predicesor the 57 have a very characteristic,
intentionally designed, boost in the upper vocal range,
and relatively poor bass responce.

Perfect for making vocals jump out of a PA system live.
And easier to deal with vox boominess.

This is also essentialy the same band that the stick sound of cymbals is at,
that's why they can make an
A Zildjin sound more like a K Zildjin.
And fine for that, but of course above that it is quite un-even.

When you were using a Sure Vocal Master in 1967
this was a VERY good mic choice. Mics designed to
get around crap (in hindsight), but affordable PA systems
of the 57's design period.

They are still useful, rugged and affordable,
that's why they are still around

My point is stacking the same accentuated freq. band
from multiples of the same non-flat mic,
means you have this huge buildup of one freq. band
in ALL instruments.

So mud for all instruments. Unless you waste EQ precision
by starting with a dip... The more eq you add or subtract
the less precise the filters work on the sides of the peaks.

I can take a pretty flat mic and make the sticks stand out with EQ,
But I want the choice to and not have NO CHOICE...

57's do have their place in the mic locker,
But they are specific places and not genral usage IMHO.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.

Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many!

Jackie Anderson · From: Scarborough, ME

The EV635A is a very versatile dynamic mic (let's leave out the legend about using it to drive nails, although that's not much of an exaggeration). They are a nice change from the SM-57 on electric guitar cabs, and they make interesting drum overheads (again, with an appropriate preamp).

The EV 666 was legendary in the Chess and Motown studios for everything, including vocals.

The EV RE-15 and some of its relatives (RE-10, 11 and 16) are good vocal mics, certainly for live use and sometimes just right for recording.

And of course dynamics like the RE-20 and a host of others (including the famous D-12 and the excellent but less well-known Peavey PV-520i) are the go-to choice for recording kick drums.

P.S. I have gotten a great hard-strummed guitar sound using a Beta 57A and an old Shure 55, through the preamps in a Tascam M-308 board.

Dan Tyack · From: Olympia, WA USA

The SM7 is my favorite dynamic for recording electric instruments. It's a great vocal mike, too, for certain voices. To my ears it sounds like a 57 with a big bottom end.

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Anyone tried the new line of Heil mic's? I've heard them in a live situation and they sounded good on a number of things. I haven't had my hands on one yet. Positive word on the street though.
_________________
Brad Sarno

'82 Emmons S-10 push/pull, Revelation Tube Preamp, Furlong SPLIT powered speaker cab, V8 Octal Tube Preamp, Ganz Straight Ahead power amp - JBL D130

John Macy · From: Rockport TX/Denver CO

Another vote for the SM7...

Want to hear the Heils, though.

Anyone tried the boiling the 57 mod yet????

Chuck Fisher · From: Santa Cruz, California, USA * R.I.P.

if I had only 1 mic to do a record, it would likely be a Sennheiser 421. The bass rolloff isuseful, it does amps,kick drums very will, It does a decent vocal or aoustic guitar sound. And very hard to distort, low noise.

57 is cheap enough to get, so get one but its not that generally good. also, try Beyer M201, be sure to use foam pop filter if doing close mic vocals.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

I have four 421's
and just bought a third 441 last night.
And very glad I did.

Got the 441
an M-Audio Solaris,
an AKG C-451,
and some AKG 240 headphones for $840...
a deal I couldn't pass up.

Seems the NEW mic list for the festival mic locker has,
only 4, 57's, not a dozen, and the console improved a LOT too.
Seems after they talked to me, things got upgraded... GOOD!
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.

Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many!

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

I've had more success in live situations with my old Sennheiser 409. Whether it's on a steel amp or guitar amp, I just run the cord thru the handle and hang the mic down over the speaker. It's warm, clear, and doesn't spike as much as the 57 (which I do like when used right). It makes it real easy to be up in the mix without hurting. I think the new Sennheiser 906 (not the 609) is supposed to be close to the old 409. Great mic's if you can find them.

Also, one of my new favorites is the old EV RE-15. Real good on lots of things, amps, vocals, acoustic guitars. As someone else may have mentioned, it was the Chess Records vocal mic of choice for a long time. I've even seen a photo of Lloyd Green with one on his amp in a studio setting. It may be a photo from an album cover, but I can't remember for sure. Real natural and very clear sound. Real cheap on Ebay too.

Brad

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