SM81 rediscovered
SM81 rediscovered
wow after shelving them for about 18 months or just using them under snares I was forced to put them back into use in front of an very old martin.I lent my other SDC out. I wasn't expecting much but they were so flat and nice. Really accurate. I got conditioned to my bright km184's but these SM81's pulled me back to reality a bit and how a natural/neutral sound can be so sweet. If you have em' dust them off once in awhile, an oldie but goodie.
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- george martin
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- ghost haunting audio students
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I usually come off as a Shure-hater in general so I'll appologize in advance. I think that if I owned an SM-81 I would use it, but I don't think I would go out and buy one on purpose.
Yeah, it's an oldie, and in some cases it's a goodie. There's a pair hanging in each of our two concert halls here - and they are used, but not by me.
It's just that there are so many other better mics that have been made since the 81s came out. Maybe the KM-184 isn't one of those, but the AT-4041 or 4051? the Gefell M-300? the MBHO 603? the Josephsons, Earthworks, and countless others.
If I someday replace the concert hall 81s with new MBHOs or something, then the 81s would go into the studio locker, and I've no doubt I would use them.
I guess I'd say that every mic is useful for something, but not every mic is worth buying.
But that's just me.
-Jeremy
Yeah, it's an oldie, and in some cases it's a goodie. There's a pair hanging in each of our two concert halls here - and they are used, but not by me.
It's just that there are so many other better mics that have been made since the 81s came out. Maybe the KM-184 isn't one of those, but the AT-4041 or 4051? the Gefell M-300? the MBHO 603? the Josephsons, Earthworks, and countless others.
If I someday replace the concert hall 81s with new MBHOs or something, then the 81s would go into the studio locker, and I've no doubt I would use them.
I guess I'd say that every mic is useful for something, but not every mic is worth buying.
But that's just me.
-Jeremy
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- george martin
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Just the other day I used a stereo pair in front of my '54 D-28. When I finished the song and played it for a long-time acoustic playing friend of mine, he turned to me during the intro to the song and said, "You know, I hardly ever hear an acoustic guitar sound like an acoustic guitar on a recording. This one does."
I was also blown away. I'm into simple signal paths, so the recording was done with the SM81 pair into a couple of channels of Millennia HV-3D pres into my HD24XR. Playback through my Series II Neotek. I gotta tell ya, it just doesn't get much better than this for acoustic guitar.
Cheers,
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Don
I was also blown away. I'm into simple signal paths, so the recording was done with the SM81 pair into a couple of channels of Millennia HV-3D pres into my HD24XR. Playback through my Series II Neotek. I gotta tell ya, it just doesn't get much better than this for acoustic guitar.
Cheers,
--
Don
Last edited by idylldon on Fri Feb 24, 2006 9:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I DO like the MBHO 603's, but they are nothing like the 81's.
I have been doing SO much AC gtr with a single 81, into a really amazing tube mic pre.... MONO, and it still sounds so 3D and perfect to me....
With the 603 it sounds like a recording, a good one, but a recording of a gtr, rather than the original event itself. I dont always feel like that is appropriate, but I do LOVE the osund of the 81 through a tube mic pre.
I have been doing SO much AC gtr with a single 81, into a really amazing tube mic pre.... MONO, and it still sounds so 3D and perfect to me....
With the 603 it sounds like a recording, a good one, but a recording of a gtr, rather than the original event itself. I dont always feel like that is appropriate, but I do LOVE the osund of the 81 through a tube mic pre.
Yeah, I feel bad about this, I used to have a pair of 81's and since I hadn't been using them I sold one, now I'm feeling pangs of regret. It feels decadent to hold on to six sdc so I sold a few, shit what are you going to do. I did have a 4041 too and though I love my 4047...that mic did not cut it IMO ...soldidylldon wrote:Just the other day I used a stereo pair in front of my '54 D-28. When I finished the song and played it for a long-time acoustic playing friend of mine, he turned to me during the intro to the song and said, "You know, I hardly ever hear an acoustic guitar sound like an acoustic guitar on a recording. This one does."
I was also blown away. I'm into simple signal paths, so the recording was done with the SM81 pair into a couple of channels of Millennia HV-3D pres into my HD24XR. Playback through my Series II Neotek. I gotta tell ya, it just doesn't get much better than this for acoustic guitar.
Cheers,
--
Don
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- Garthplinko
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Yeah, I've heard of guys even using the thing on kick drum - worth trying I s'pose - would probably need help w/ the eq.
About the only thing I have tried it on that I didn't like it at all was vocals, but I have a KSM32 for that. Of course, that could be the vocalist too - might sound good on the right person. That's what makes this job interesting...!
About the only thing I have tried it on that I didn't like it at all was vocals, but I have a KSM32 for that. Of course, that could be the vocalist too - might sound good on the right person. That's what makes this job interesting...!
"Just because you don't like it don't mean it ain't no good."
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