Best reasonably priced mic for recording steel?

John McClung · Post by **John McClung** » 3 Feb 2022 3:38 am

I did a track in a Bakersfield studio with a great engineer, he recorded my isolated Webb amp (it's open back) with 3 mics, 2 in front, one in the rear! I never heard the final mix, but playback in the studio sounded terrific.

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 3 Feb 2022 7:44 am

John Macy wrote:I’ve had it on my to do list for a while to track an entire song (all drum mics, bass cab, piano, guitars and vocals) with only 57’s just for fun and to see. I don’t think it would become common practice for me, but I bet it’s not quite as far away as I would like it be!

That would b3 a fantastic experiment! It would be worth the trouble with all you could learn about mic placement alone.
I think the first Van Halen album used almost all 57’s.

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 3 Feb 2022 9:34 am

I think I would place the mics pretty much in the usual placements. As to Ian's comments, I would use the right preamp and eq for each one to get the sound to tape like I would want it, just like any mic. If I were running all the mics through the same pres with no eq there would be that buildup. It's just an experiment to see how close I could get using only 57's.

I was thinking about that first VH record that Don Landee did. For sure 57's on guitars and snare, but I think they ad a single U47 on overhead and 421 on toms. Not sure about the lead vocal, but I'm sure it wasn't a 57...

Bob Hoffnar · Post by **Bob Hoffnar** » 4 Feb 2022 9:41 am

John, I tracked down an interview with Landee on Vintage King on mics used for VH 1 . The SM546 is a cheap version of the 57 ! Here is a mic list:

1 Hi-Hat AKG C-451 (-20 pad)
2 Kick 1 Shure SM546
3 Kick 2 Shure SM546
4 Snare Above Shure SM546
5 Snare Below Shure SM546
6 Tom Sennheiser MD 421
7 Tom Sennheiser MD 421
8 Tom Sennheiser MD 421
9 Tom Sennheiser MD 421
10 Tom Bottom Shure SM57
11 Tom Bottom Shure SM57
12 Tom Bottom Shure SM57
13 Tom Bottom Shure SM57
14 Overhead Left AKG C 414EB (-20 pad)
15 Overhead Right AKG C 414EB (-20 pad)
16 Overhead Center AKG C 414EB (-10 pad)
17 Bass Direct
18 Bass Amp Electro-Voice RE-20
19 Guitar Shure SM57 (top cone)
20 Guitar Shure SM57 (bottom cone)
21 Vocal SM-60
22
23
24 Room U-87 Figure-8

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 5 Feb 2022 12:03 pm

DANGER ! DANGER ! Will Robinson! The Chinese are making copies of big name products and microphones is one of them. If this is the case it could be a good mic or one that's nothing like a Sennheiser MD421. The cheapest I've ever bought a used 421 was $125.00 It would be a crap shoot but at that price I guess you can trash can it if it's junk.

John Sims · Post by **John Sims** » 5 Feb 2022 12:06 pm

Agree David! If it's junk I'll give it to my grandkids as they sing Karaoke...

David Mitchell · Post by **David Mitchell** » 5 Feb 2022 12:59 pm

That appears to be a scam website just to get your money. Usually someone from a foreign country not under U.S jurisdiction. That's not even an Austin, Tx. phone number. I think it's a scam website. Better to just buy a new one from Sweetwater Audio, B&H Audio or Musicians Friend. That way you know you'll receive it and it is indeed a real Sennheiser.

Karl Paulsen · Post by **Karl Paulsen** » 5 Feb 2022 1:21 pm

K Maul wrote:Senheiser e609 is a very good mic for amps and even works well for dobro or acoustic guitar. It’s low priced, nothing fancy but I’ve found it very useful for recording or live applications.

I haven't used it for steel, but the E609 is a very well respected mic for guitar cabinets. IIRC, we sold them to alot of happy customers when I worked for GC, and my brother used one for 6 string for years.

There are better mics for more money for, but if I had $100 for amp-micing, I'd get an e609.

John Sims · Post by **John Sims** » 5 Feb 2022 5:46 pm

Thanks Karl,

David, I got a refund from PayPal. Forget about that website! Thanks for all the mic suggestions.

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 5 Feb 2022 7:16 pm

Bob, I haven’t seen that one. Don mentions something a little different in this one:
https://www.vhnd.com/2013/12/13/former- ... van-halen/

The SM546 is a 545 with a built in shock mount, and the 57 evolved from them. I much prefer my 545’s over a 57 (not the reissue 545’s). One of my go to snare and electric guitar mics. Never used it on kick, but I’m shure (pun intended) would work fine.

Ian Rae · Post by **Ian Rae** » 6 Feb 2022 5:13 pm

John, I just re-read your original post. Feeding your USB box from the line out is exactly the right thing to do. That output comes after the EQ and both insert points, and is just before the main volume.

If you don't like what you hear there, then look at the beginning of the chain (strings, pickups, volume pedal, even cords) rather than the end. After the main gain come the power amp and speaker, neither of which improve the sound quality. A high-quality mic will only highlight its limitation.

Miking a cab gives more of a live feel because you pick up a tiny bit of the room (or a lot if you prefer) but you need to like the basic sound you're getting first. I use quite expensive mics on cabs because they're all I have, but your Behringer is quite adequate once you have your signal source sorted. Hope this helps!

John Sims · Post by **John Sims** » 6 Feb 2022 6:11 pm

Thank you Ian! The line out to the AI is very good, and has good tone but just not what I think it should be as far as what I expected to hear insofar as a wide spectrum of frequencies. Lot's of highs and mids, but little lows. I have top quality cables (George L's .155) and the line out is a top quality XLR to 1/4" plug. I will play around a bit and see if I can improve it...

Patrick Timmins · Post by **Patrick Timmins** » 7 Feb 2022 10:32 pm

So that Lameby site is totally fake postings.
I looked at a few other items they were selling and saw a Silvertone amp. the same one I use in my studio.
Here:
https://www.lameby.com/product/1962-sil ... ootswitch/

Then you right click the image and select : Search image with google lens.
That brings up copies of that image found on the web:

I got the same set of images from Ebay where the amp is currently going for $884.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/255171085277?c ... 1&mkcid=28

Another example:
Fake ad
https://www.lameby.com/product/dandrive ... rd-to-get/
Real ad
https://reverb.com/fr/item/48947856-dan ... ue-paisley

There are a bunch of these sites popping up. You should stop payment now.

My microphones may be beyond your budget, but hey!

Feathermicrophones.com

ANd the 3 microphone trick, you need to reverse polarity on the mic in the back and EQ the 2 mics in front to find the sweet spot.

Duane Reese · Post by **Duane Reese** » 8 Feb 2022 8:08 pm

I like to use a Rode NT1000 side-address condenser (NT1 or another large diaphragm condenser might be better — you're mileage may vary). I place it right in the middle of the speaker field, just like Paul Franklin advises to do, and that really does work well. Never had a problem with the tone doing that.