Mic for acoustic recording
Wed, 04/29/2020 - 16:07
Hi Greg,
I am thinking of getting a microphone for playing acoustic/recording acoustic harmonica playing.
I am in the lucky position to be able to try out
- a big condenser mic
- a SM58
- for a short time, a SM57
The condenser mic picks up too much noise from me and the room to be really useful.
So it's basically down between a SM57 and a SM58.
Do you have an opinion on which I should choose?I know people use a 57 for amplified playing (or your Ultime 57, with or without Bulletizer), and a lot of people use a SM58 for acoustic playing.
Is this just "how it's done", or is there more to it?
Cheers
Hi, Cornelius
YES! Mics considered good for the studio are usually hyper-sensitive and, in my opinion, make lousy performance mics. They can be more fragile too, making them less likely to withstand the abuse of a live setting mic.
There ARE important differences between a 57 and a 58. One is simply ergonomics. The 58 is very comfortable to hold, but harder to get an airtight cup. The 57's smaller diameter can lead to hand cramps for some if handheld - the Bulletizer can help with that. And of coruse the Ultimate versions of either of these mics are considerably ighter and shorter, making them much more comfortable if you intend to hand hold the mic. (The Ultimate versions ALSO give you a built in volume control and a choice of impedance/connector - neither of which are needed in the studio alone.)
In free air, they are very similar tonally, however when handheld you can get a more airtight cup with the 57 and drive it significantly further into the distortion range - which gives it the widest tonal spectrum of any mic I know.
If you want to play primarily blues and are using an amp- the 57 is the mic. If you play with the mic in a stand, connected to the PA (or recording equipment), perhaps to combine it with singing - then the 58 is the better choice. I use mine that way. When I sing I tend to close my eyes frequently - and if you go off axis a bit, the 58 is much more forgiving than the 57.P.S. - If you subscribe to Facebook, there's is a recent an extensive discussion on the same topic: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ModernBluesHarmonica/permalink/10158125206382225/