Mic Preference for Pedal Steel Guitar

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 24 Mar 2009 8:30 am

I have recently joined a band and they run everything through the mains. The band I normally play in does not, so I don't have a mic. I know lots of pickers swear by the Shure SM57.

The guys in the new band said they have some extra mics and I can choose which to use:

Shure PG57

or

AKG D9000

Any thoughts? This mic will be placed in front of my 1985 Evans FET-500, if that makes any difference.

Lee, from South Texas

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 24 Mar 2009 8:43 am

I like the Sennheiser E609s hanging mic. Sounds great and very easy to deal with. Not expensive either.

Ben Strano · Post by **Ben Strano** » 24 Mar 2009 9:44 am

Sennheiser 421 or a shure sm57 for me.

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 24 Mar 2009 9:48 am

Sennheiser 421 - hard to top this one

Sennheiser 409, 609, or 906 hanging mic - great warm and clear sound

EV RE15 - classic and clear

SM57 - works in a pinch, but not the best treble response for a smooth sound

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 24 Mar 2009 10:02 am

The guys in the new band said they have some extra mics and I can choose which to use:

Shure PG57

or

AKG D9000

My question is, out of the two mics they are offering, which, if any, would be more appropriate for pedal steel? If I can get away with not purchasing a mic and using one of theirs, I would like to go that route. I have two in college at the same time right now, so there's not a lot of extra cash laying around. After I get a couple of gigs behind me, I can start investing in needed equipment.

Ben Jones · Post by **Ben Jones** » 24 Mar 2009 2:55 pm

I dont think it will matter much which of those two you use. If i had to pick one over the other I'd choose the shure simply because the description describes its intended purpose as "useful for micing guitar amps" as opposed to the AKG whose stated purpose is "vocal and instrument mic". They're both cardioid dynamics so either will work fine and i wouldnt rush out to buy anything better, I dont think the difference in sound will be worth the money you spend, even tho the senn and shure sm57 mentioned above are relatively cheap.

I like to work with whats there and not costing me additional $. Theres a long tradition of doing just that that has yeilded amazing classic recordings and in this case the difference made by spending more money would be minimal anyway. He's just micing to PA, not recording.

If I had NO mic, yes...Id go buy the sennheiser and maybe a sm57 too. If i had unlimited money a nice ribbon mic ...yummy

Jonathan Cullifer · Post by **Jonathan Cullifer** » 24 Mar 2009 3:02 pm

I also like the 421. The 57 is okay, but it's not my favorite. I really prefer some sort of condenser, but those are expensive and hard to come by.

I am also a huge fan of the Audix i-5. It has a much better high end than the 57.

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 24 Mar 2009 5:47 pm

For live sound, the 57 is the standard, but the AKG might sound better. Mike it up and see which sounds better to you. THe sennheiser mikes mentioned sound better than the 57 for live work, but since that isn't an option, don't worry about it.

I love my ribbon mikes (I have a Royer, an AEA, 2 Shiny Box, and one PPA) but they pretty much suck for loud live work.

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 24 Mar 2009 6:00 pm

Indeed, ribbons mic's are incredible on steel. See photo above...

Brad

Chuck Snider · Post by **Chuck Snider** » 24 Mar 2009 6:10 pm

Seems like some of the responses were missing your question.

The PG57 ($54) is the less pricey version of the SM57 ($99). The SM57 is a standard, not so sure the PG57 would fall into the same category. Although, I would beleive it would sound ok. I don't have any first hand experience with the AKG D9000 mic, but looking at the info online for it, it may be slightly better than the PG57. However, I think Dan's suggestion to plug one of them in and give it a spin is the real answer. It appears both mics would be acceptable, as they are both at somewhat the entry level range of decent mics, they certainly aren't on the high end. So, in the end, it may be a toss up. You might want to consider watching for a used SM57 on ebay, you could like pick one up for under $75. I just checked and some guy has some new ones for sale at $43 and free shipping.

-Chuck

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 25 Mar 2009 3:38 am

This is kinda like combing your hair before you get on the roller-coaster.

If you were doing studio work with all the instruments isolated, this might be an important decision. However, when you're out playing live, with a bunch of other instruments thrashing about on stage at the same time, and coming out of the same speakers, the mike choice really becomes rather insignificant, IMHO. As long as it doesn't feed back, and you can hear it, it's doing what's required.

What the guy running the sound is doing, and what kind of ear he has for the music, is far more important to the overall sound...and yours!

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 25 Mar 2009 4:23 am

with a bunch of other instruments thrashing about on stage at the same time

So, Donny, you're already familiar with the band I recently joined?

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 25 Mar 2009 7:14 am

Brad Sarno wrote:Sennheiser 421 - hard to top this one

Sennheiser 409, 609, or 906 hanging mic - great warm and clear sound

EV RE15 - classic and clear

SM57 - works in a pinch, but not the best treble response for a smooth sound

I'm with Brad on this.
Avoid the SM57 or 58. But most any Sennheiser will be good.
I use 421's a lot bullit proof.

If there are other 57's or 58's on stage they
tend to build up in the same freq. band, and turn things to mush.

You want your signal to cut through in a balanced way.
The more the clutter, the MORE you need this,
not the opposite.

Ribbon mics record lovely,
but are not the really right thing for live.

Basically any dynamic mic that is essentially flat response
for micing at a live gig is good.

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 25 Mar 2009 9:13 am

Where the mic is placed may be as important to your tone as the unit itself. Many sound people like to dangle the mic by its cord in front of the amp speaker, not the best system IMO. I find a small adjustable boom (actually intended to be attached to drum rims) works really well as an alternative. It clamps to most amp cabs and enables the distance the mic is from the speaker to be adjusted to suit your taste. It also fits easily into a small gig bag or even in the pedalboard compartment of your case.