The Steel Guitar Forum

I have dome three sessions lately with the last one being done with a mic. He used a Shure SM57 on the recording. Is this a good mic for recording or what is a better mic that would be in a reasonable price range?

If this is for miking your amp, the SM57 is a recording studio "workhorse" for miking amps.

I've got a couple of SM57's that I use in my home studio.

Vocals are a different story.

Thanks Jack for the reply.

Hard to go wrong with a 57, though I personally lean toward a Sennheiser 421...on my long list of things to do is to russle up about a dozen more 57's and track a full production song using only 57's and see how it turns out...bet it won't be half bad...

I also just bought a couple of the TAB/Telefunken transformers that they wind to replace the one in the 57...supposed to be very cool...around 80 bucks...

The SM57 is a legendary mic for a reason - it works well in many situations. But for steel, it might get a little too harsh. I like ribbon mics on steel guitar amps, because they sound very smooth and tend to tame the highs a little bit. Cascade Microphones makes somes inexpensive models that work well, such as the Fat Head and Fat Head II.

http://www.cascademicrophones.com/menu_ ... hones.html

I've used the SM57 on all my steel recordings. I like the fact that it's not very sensitive and does not pick up very much extraneous noise. With the amp cranked a bit above average practice volume, the air conditioner, pedal actuations and verbal groans just don't make it into the microphone. The SM57 also seems very hard to overload to distortion or nonlinearity. Maybe not the best, but very good and for the money, the workhorse of recording instruments. You should make sure you get and use the real SM57 and not one of the cheap knock-offs floating around some ebay auctions.

Greg

I agree with John about the Sennheiser 421 for steel.

-Jeff

The Fathead is an amazing mic for the money...and killer for recording steel.

For those using a fathead to record steel-what is your setup to keep the mic from being damaged? My understanding from a similar post is the high SPL of the amp may be too much for ribbon microphones. Do you use some type of filter or other device to protect the ribbon mic? Do you keep the mic further from the cabinet? Does it pick up a lot of unwanted ambient sound. I know as far as acoustic instruments, nothing beats the warm sound of a ribbon microphone, and I do play some acoustic guitar, but I don't want to invest the money in a mic I can't use for my main instrument...

The newer ribbon mics are hardier than the older models. I've used the Royer R-121 and the Fathead for recording lots of guitar (and steel guitar) amps with no problems. You wouldn't want to put it facing the hole on a kick drum head though - air blasts are bad.

Thanks Bryan, that's good to hear. I'm never recording at that high of a volume anyway since my room isn't soundproofed, so I'm guessing that won't be a poblem then. Do you have any recordings of PSG using the fathead or royer R-121 you don't mind sharing? I'd love to hear how they sound with steel. I'm in the market for a microphone and am seriously considering going with an affordable ribbon mic (used if possible).

Hey John...please let us know what you think about that Telefunken upgrade...thanks!

Will do, Steve...I just got the 90 degree kit from Granelli Audio and am going to try and do that and the tranny mod l ater this week...

That would take some digging to find...not sure what I used on which. Probably more the Royer since it has a more balanced response. I actually like the Royer and a 57 side by side!

Thanks,John...my buddy Elijah over at Omni is gonna perform the"transformerless"mod for me tomorrow...I'm gonna wait till I hear from you as far as doing one with the transformer upgrade...that Granelli"elbow"deal is pretty cool,ain't it?

I did the transformerless mod a few years back...don't seem to have it anymore...it was kinda cool...very hot output if i rememberd

John,seems like I got some different info on the output thing...I'll have to check into that...

Alllright..Ole Roadhog had the card upside down...I meant a lot less gain--used to have to run it into a DI first...

Bryan Daste wrote:I like ribbon mics on steel guitar amps, because they sound very smooth and tend to tame the highs a little bit. Cascade Microphones makes somes inexpensive models that work well, such as the Fat Head and Fat Head II.

http://www.cascademicrophones.com/menu_ ... hones.html

My understanding is the cascade ribbon mics and maybe most other ribbon mics require a good mic pre-amp to boos their output. What stats would I need to look for to find a pre-amp that is compatible with a robbon mic? How much should I expect to pay for said gear?

What are you using now for a preamp? You'd just have to try the ribbon and see what you get. I have favorites, like the Neotek console pres or the Millennia TD-1. There are also pres designed specifically for ribbon mics, but you can probably get by with something you already own.

Bryan Daste wrote:What are you using now for a preamp? You'd just have to try the ribbon and see what you get. I have favorites, like the Neotek console pres or the Millennia TD-1. There are also pres designed specifically for ribbon mics, but you can probably get by with something you already own.

I just recorded direct from digitech rp150 to pc using audacity software (free) in the past. Really want to incorporate my tube amp in the mix but don't have a lot to spend esp after $200 for a fathead...The TD-1 is millennia beyond my budget

Do you have a mixer of any kind?

Nope sold it after the band broke up figured all I need as a home recording artist was a multitrack digital recording software. I've seen some very simple mic pre amps on ebay called "art" mic pre amps. Some claim to add tube technology (ART TUBE MP Mic pre amp) while others advertise phantom power (ART Phantom). They are under $50. Would this work for a ribbon mic?

Alllright..Ole Roadhog had the card upside down...

"That there's ad libbin'....all part of bein' in show bidness......"

You could make a whole record with SM 57's. One of the true wonders of the audio world, IMHO. Plus you can drive a nail with it in a pinch...

I recently lost an earlier SM 57 variant, the Unidyne III version. I always felt that is sounded better than the new ones, although I can't really intelligently articulate why. So I was happy when I found a very clean replacement a couple days ago.....

This fellow makes some cool gadgets for SM 57's. I have bought a few from him and they are quite good, and he is a good cat:

http://www.audiogadgets.net/index.html

Hi Tommy!Thanks for putting that link up.