sm57 on lsd?!

[ryan.c.ya]

I?m going to dismiss the comments of James L. in this months ?letters to Tape Op?; I think the gear mod/DIY articles are useful and inventive for us readers?keep them. What piqued my interest was Larry?s note that he hasn?t ?tracked with [an SM57] in years.? Really? Wow! I?m sad that I believed the 57 a great mic for the purposes mentioned (guitar amp, snare drum); now, I just want to know?what are you using Larry? What do you consider standard arsenal for snare and amp cab? I understand that every recording situation can be vastly dissimilar, but what?s going into the mic choice you?re making and what have you used a lot over the years!?

Love the mag! Thanks for this awesome resource!

Ryan

What are you all using for snare and electric guitar cab?

[vsr600]

this isn't of course what I use on EVERY recording but mostly:
snare: beyerdynamic M201
cabs: Sennheiser MD421

[Randy]

snare- GXL 2200 on body, Shure Beta 57 across top

guitar cab- any one or combination of the following:
AKG c414
Sennheiser e906
Sennheiser MD 421
Beyer m260
TOMB Ribbon
CAD M179

[mjau]

Lately, I've really liked the combo of a beyer m69 and Blue Dragonfly for guitars. For clean guitars, I'll use my c414 or CAD M9 tube mic.

[TapeOpLarry]

Non SM57:

Audix i5
Shure Beta 57/56
Senn 421

etc....

[cgarges]

What do you consider standard arsenal for snare and amp cab?

Well, that would be a 57, but only when I'm recording standard music and only if they're using the standard snare and amp cabs.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[TapeOpLarry]

The idea of any "standards" in recording makes me ill in general. How about I use my fucking ears instead and make an educated choice about what to use based on my past experiences?

[mjau]

The idea of any "standards" in recording makes me ill in general. How about I use my fucking ears instead and make an educated choice about what to use based on my past experiences?

Sure, because you're experienced. But for those that aren't, that idea becomes a little less vomit-inducing.

[lyman]

The idea of any "standards" in recording makes me ill in general. How about I use my fucking ears instead and make an educated choice about what to use based on my past experiences?

Sure, because you're experienced. But for those that aren't, that idea becomes a little less vomit-inducing.

that's a good point. not everybody here is at the same point on the learning curve.

but on the other side of the coin, if you don't have the experience and wealth of knowledge then it's even LESS appropriate to only stick with "standards." Try different techniques, mics, equipment, etc. That's the only way you'll get the knowledge and experience and learn the strengths and weaknesses of your gear and methods. Blindly doing the same thing over and over again won't help you learn or become better at anything.

[ryan.c.ya]

It should be obvious to engineers and home recordists everywhere that every situation is different; for the love of god, if humidity can have such a drastic impact on tone certainly mike selection and placement will make its mark on a recording as well. Maybe you had to say that folks should be using their ears and experimenting and I hope most people know that. I guess I wanted to know the answer because it seems that a lot of folks look for these things when making equipment purchases. Does anyone have a definitive standard: NO! Use whatever you have, experiment, try something wacky?yes we get it! HOWEVER, when you want to know something: ask! That?s what this forum is (I hope). The folks with years of tracking under their belts are certainly going to have some good starting points for the newer people!

Thanks for the input!

Ryan