SM81 on distorted guitars!

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:18 pm

Why doesn't anyone talk about using SM81's on distorted guitars? They sound so good in that application! Especially when paired with a ribbon mic or some other darker mic. Sure they are a little on the bright side, but there isn't a hashy, brittle high end. There's just some really nice detail there. The last few sessions I've done I've used the sm81 paired with a ribbon on guitar and the clients and I all loved the sound. Try it out if you have one!

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:27 pm

Really no one's into this? Oh well, I still stand by my suggestion.

Gregg Juke · Post by **Gregg Juke** » Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:00 pm

Bret, you're driving up the price of SM81s...

GJ

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:11 pm

HA! The one I bought I got for pretty cheap. Maybe I should keep this to myself....

kslight · Post by **kslight** » Thu Jun 27, 2013 4:47 pm

Its not that I'm not into it, more that I just don't have an SM81 to try it with.

ott0bot · Post by **ott0bot** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 12:33 am

ott0bot · Post by **ott0bot** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 12:34 am

I'm generally a fan of sdc's on distorted guitars, as long as they aren't too bright. Oktava mc012's are one of the fist mics I put up and they never let me down. I don't own an 81, but have used them live a ton for horns and overheads. they sound fantastic on saxaphone and trombone. great mic.

Jim Williams · Post by **Jim Williams** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:25 am

There are two or three versions of SM81's out there, it's been out since the 1980's. It's an electrit capsule design, not a true condenser. Original versions were discrete but without a gate leak resistor, it used the stray capacitance. Adding a 1 gig reistor from the gate to ground does help.

The newer versions are all surface mount with metal oxide resistors and mono ceramic signal caps, not a good sonic choice.

My experience goes back to the 1980's. These are a good choice for live sound, overheads are a common use.

In the studio I found them having some issues. They lack "reach" over about 6' away. Top end details fall off quickly. They also overload easily, even with the pad. I found they couldn't be used to close mic loud sources, they clip on snare drums and loud cabs. 1 to 6 feet seems to be their operational range.

Me, I'll take a 460B or 451 any day of the week over the Shure.
YMMV.

norton · Post by **norton** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:02 am

I can see it... All the sm81's i have experience with have been too bright for my tastes in the overhead department. But they do have a cool thing going on in the high mids that I can see really working well with dist guitars.

Thanks for the tip!

I've been digging a particularly bight beyer m500 on crunchy guitars. Also too bright for overheads.....

I see the beginnings of a pattern.

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:43 pm

The one I have is definitely from the 80's. It's funny about saying it's not useful on loud cabs or snares because thats pretty much all I've been using it on, ha! On snare the last few sessions I've used a revox m3500 on the top and the sm81 on the bottom and it's the best snare sounds I've ever gotten. I do wanna try it on overhead but my Audio Technica ATM450's have been killing it on that application.

I've tried the Oktava mk012 on distorted guitar with mixed results. Sometimes it's great sometimes it's meh. But man I'm tell ya a nice ribbon and the sm81 blended in, both mics pulled back 8-12inch from the speaker, it sounds just like what the amp in the room sounds like. It's great!

kayagum · Post by **kayagum** » Wed Jul 03, 2013 8:17 am

Sounds similar (in principle, if not sonically) to Andy Hong using an AKG C1000s on guitar cabs. If you need/want it to cut through the mix, I can see using it.

permanent hearing damage · Post by **permanent hearing damage** » Fri Jul 05, 2013 7:30 am

hmmm.. i'm curious to give this a shot. i have had an unused sm81 sitting at my studio for a good while now. though i must say i'm rarely into condensers on electric guitars. i've had good luck with SM98s and 4033s in the past, though. and i've almost always got a ribbon on there of some kind

Nick Sevilla · Post by **Nick Sevilla** » Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:14 pm

Shhhhhh...... don't tell anyone...

I also use them on hihats...

{sneaks out}

KennyLusk · Post by **KennyLusk** » Sat Jul 06, 2013 8:20 am

I can totally see the 81 being used on amps. A studio I recorded at a few times used them in their reverb chamber for reamping and they were great. I can't believe how they handle such high SPL's so gracefully.

My favorite SDC for micing amps is Scott Helmke's "Alice" mic for the crazy aggressive mids that mic gives you.

cale w · Post by **cale w** » Sun Jul 07, 2013 12:50 am

Lately I've been putting a 421 and an AT Pro37 in coincidence in front of a guitar amp. When I'm too lazy to get up and change mics between guitar parts, a varying blend of the two makes a nice surrogate for proper engineering.

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SM81 on distorted guitars!

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