One SM-57 or Six Clones?

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Drone
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One SM-57 or Six Clones?

Post by Drone » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:06 pm

Actually more like three clones and $50 for something else.

Given I have no desire to expand to a professional operation, am I better off getting one 57, or getting three of the clones and maybe a cheap condenser?
The previous statement is from a guy who records his own, and other projects for fun. No money is made.

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Post by kslight » Wed Mar 25, 2015 7:28 pm

Buy used, save even more on name brand?

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Post by Drone » Wed Mar 25, 2015 8:06 pm

I'd you are lucky someone will be selling a 57 for $75 round here. They hold their value and it's also $75 for a new capsule. Three clones for $50, that will only see studio living and little abuse might be a better deal.
The previous statement is from a guy who records his own, and other projects for fun. No money is made.

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Post by kslight » Wed Mar 25, 2015 9:00 pm

Eh..I don't know maybe that's space taxes or something on Uranus...but I can buy a 57 in good shape any day of the week for $50-60 at most and never known otherwise... No reason to buy a new capsule, I've never met a 57 that needed it...

If you are sure though that a "clone" or several is a better value, then buy that and report back. I really don't think a 57 is at all expensive nor would I take a truckload of no name "clones" in exchange for a few good mics I can trust..


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Post by Gregg Juke » Wed Mar 25, 2015 9:48 pm

Yeah, depends on the "clones" (and what that means to you and them), and who makes them...

I don't have any 57 clones, but I've got a handful of Carvin C68s (their answer to the 58 ), and they are very decent and useable dynamic mikes. Others I have heard-- not so much.

On a related side-note, watch out for the counterfeit (fake) 57s, reported here and elsewhere.

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Post by Drone » Thu Mar 26, 2015 6:09 am

kslight wrote:Eh..I don't know maybe that's space taxes or something on Uranus...but I can buy a 57 in good shape any day of the week for $50-60 at most and never known otherwise... No reason to buy a new capsule, I've never met a 57 that needed it...
Maybe it's a Midwest thing about being tight with their money, Illinoisians make Scotsmen look like big spenders.

I have that '57 that needs a new capsule, the owner left me it and got a new one rather than repair it.

It's a balance, a 57 should last a lifetime, but it's one mic. There are people on here maybe buy a fresh one every couple of months, my budget not so much :D

If I was needing a mic, to throw in a bag and take around the country, I'd get the 57 no contest, but for less arduous work, I think I might risk a clone long as the sound is usable, y'know.
The previous statement is from a guy who records his own, and other projects for fun. No money is made.

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Post by kslight » Thu Mar 26, 2015 8:10 am

Well I am smack in the Midwest also...

It all depends on your goals. While I am no microphone elitist, in my world i would rather have one decent microphone than half a dozen "usable" ones, unless I needed to record with 6 mics at once...but then again if I was so constricted by my budget that I couldn't buy a 57, I probably wouldn't have the equipment to record 6 simultaneous tracks either...

I don't think anyone buys a 57 every few months, most people buy them for life. My friend has a pair of 57s that he bought new when he built his studio in the early 70s, and they've been used every day (on drunmers, no less!) since.

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Post by Drone » Thu Mar 26, 2015 8:30 am

I forget who it was, one of the interviewees in Tape Op talked about using a fresh 57 to record snare, because after a while they are stretched out.

8 channel interface $50
Soundcraft 500 $500
PC - Free / recycled

Other stuff I get for repairs, etc.
The previous statement is from a guy who records his own, and other projects for fun. No money is made.

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Post by sound for sandwiches » Thu Mar 26, 2015 1:51 pm

My only experience with "clone" sm57 mics was in a live situation, not studio, but the difference in sound between them and a real 57 were night and day. I don't remember what brand but the guy who bought them was bragging about how cheap they were for "the same thing, just made in china". They were tinny, with an awful hi-mid peak that caused feedback at modest levels that wouldn't be a problem with the real thing. I would steer clear unless you can hear before you buy and confirm they sound right. And if you find a cheap equivalent that sounds as good as the real thing, let us know!

David, also smack in the midwest

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Post by The Scum » Thu Mar 26, 2015 2:05 pm

Does Shure still have a reasonably liberal repair/exchange policy?

At one time, you could send in dead 57 and a modest sum (was it $25? $35?), and they'd effectively send you back a brand new one.

If so, a real 57 is entry into the "57's for life" program.
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Post by sound for sandwiches » Thu Mar 26, 2015 2:14 pm

It's now $55 flat fee to repair an SM57, with return shipping included. still a bargain if you can scrounge up a few dead ones for free. Stuff as many as you can into a USPS small flat rate box, and send them out for less than $6...

http://cdn.shure.com/uploaded_file/uplo ... e_List.pdf

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Post by Drone » Thu Mar 26, 2015 2:25 pm

I wonder how complete they have to be. I have one with the blown capsule sans XLR and transformer, basically capsule and empty body, is it like craftsman, where you show them a bit of wrench and they give you a whole new one?
The previous statement is from a guy who records his own, and other projects for fun. No money is made.

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Post by Gregg Juke » Thu Mar 26, 2015 7:24 pm

Hmmm. I have a 58 housing (absolutely nothing inside)...

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Post by Recording Engineer » Fri Mar 27, 2015 12:01 am

Probably the best use for a 58 is as a prop anyhow... For the life of me, I've never understood how they've become a standard... Can't say I've ever had a positive experience with them on any level! A mic that is truly unusable for me, unless I take the windscreen ball off, essentially making it a 57! If it's going to be a 58, it better be a Beta!

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Post by Gregg Juke » Fri Mar 27, 2015 7:12 am

Huh. You and Drumsound should start a club. Or a cable show.

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Gregg Juke
Nocturnal Productions Music Group
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http://MightyNoStars.com

"He's about to learn the most important lesson in the music business-- 'Never trust people in the music business.' "

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