6 dynamic mics, one sloppy riff

[Denyle_Guitars]

I was bored so I did a mini mic shootout. It's far from the greatest tone I've recorded but you get the gist. I recorded a Les Paul (bridge pup) through a Ganesha and a Scumback speaker. Each mic was placed where the dustcap meets the cone and about 1" off the grill. The preamp used was an Avedis MA5. The mics were a sm57, 517, black 609, Heil PR-30, MD421 & a Blue Ball. (edited for correct order)

Files:
www.denyleguitars.com/mp3/tr01.mp3
www.denyleguitars.com/mp3/tr02.mp3
www.denyleguitars.com/mp3/tr03.mp3
www.denyleguitars.com/mp3/tr04.mp3
www.denyleguitars.com/mp3/tr05.mp3
www.denyleguitars.com/mp3/tr06.mp3

[rob2001]

Nice comparision. I'm assuming you posted the links in them in the order you wrote. I prefered the 57 (first clip). It seemed to have the best definition and sounded like it would sit good in a mix. I thought the Hiel was interesting. I'll have to look into that one. Sounded very full.

[Bryan T]

I didn't like 3, 5, or 6 on their own. In a mix, they'd probably work well. Is one of those three the SM57?

Bryan

[Denyle_Guitars]

I guess the order would be helpful.

SM57, 517, 609, PR-30, MD421, Ball

I'll add a few ribbons in a few days.

[Denyle_Guitars]

I like the SM57 and MD421 the best and the Blue Ball and PR-30 the least. I really expected the e906 to outperform the SM57, but not so in this comparison.

Your least favorites were my favorites.

It should be noted though that each of these mics has their own unique sweetspot, so a comparison like this will not show necessarily show off their best stuff. Something to remember and keep in mind.

Plus, I started with the SM57 so it had the added benefit of a few seconds of placement time and I set the gain on the preamp accordingly. These threads always only give part of the story and I usually avoid them. Useful to a point, I suppose, but by no means the final word. The same mics in another environment will undoubtedly have a different outcome.:AOK

[CHSU587]

I liked the MD421 and the PR-30, thanks for the clips :AOK

[Denyle_Guitars]

A few ribbon mics to conclude this thread:

A modified Nady RSM-2, Crowley & Tripp Naked Eye and Beyer M260. All placed roughly the same as the dynamics.

www.denyleguitars.com/mp3/tr07.mp3
www.denyleguitars.com/mp3/tr08.mp3
www.denyleguitars.com/mp3/tr09.mp3

[scoob]

Wow, I know it's really hard to do, but there's a huge difference I didn't expect...were these really in the same spot on the speaker?

I liked the e609 and the 2nd ribbon mics, the rest sounded washed out to my ears (or off axis?).

[Denyle_Guitars]

I marked a spot on the grill with a small piece of tape. Every mic was aimed on axis and about 1" from the grill (~1.5" for the ribbon mics).

[Pickmaster]

Thanks for the nice demo Tom,

Really liked PR-30 and MD421 and ribbons are great too.

[sdlogan9]

The 609 sounded best through my studio monitors... the speakers a person listens through can have an effect on their choice..

Just a thought.

Peace
Shane