Notice how the hi-hat bleed got worse as you moved to the right side of the snare drum. Those mics were pointed at the hi-hats, the left mics had the hats in the null point. Not a super accurate comparison.
@@rockboy360Off axis rejection should be a factor when deciding a snare mic, it certainly is for me anyway. I want the mic that is going to reduce bleed the most, so that when I'm dialling in my snare or boosting it, I'm isolating my source and reducing my effects on the rest of the kit as much as possible. From that perspective it's not the best comparison.
Very cool compare. The SM57 just always works and most of the others are in the same camp of sound with slight variations. To my ears -- the two that differentiate themselves in terms of sound from the SM57 are the DPA 2011C and the DM20 -- both in a good way. The DM20's been on my wish list for a while,...the DPA 2011C is now on it too.
The 57 is the obvious choice but personally I’ve started using an Audix D4. It sounds virtually the same but is only 1/3 of the size.fits much nicer in my setup than a 57
Using a 12" snare, I was looking for a tiny but good, something that it's almost invisible but give you a nice sound. And that's the Earthworks DM 20! I am really happy for the decision I made.
The Telefunken m80 and m81 are gonna be sought after in 20 years, mark my words lol. I use the m81 for guitar cabs, I basically do little to no eq in post anymore cause its so accurate to the in room sound. Its a secret weapon, and I definitely recommend it to anyone curious about them.
I hate to say it. But that’s because it’s what we’re used to. Honestly that DPA sounds the best of all of them, and has the best bleed sound/rejection…
My biggest gripe with the industry standard snare mics is the form factor. While they all sound good at picking up a snare, the challenge is in how well they can reject the hi hat. All of the mics in this video have the xlr cable coming out the back which makes it hard to position the hi hat right in the null of the polar pattern. my favorite go-to snare mics are side address, like the Shure Beta 181/C.
You can use an " home made " angled xlr , sometimes it can help, for the floor tom too, when the ride cymbal is too close ........in fact.....where you want!😂
I really like these videos. Nick is such an incredibly underrated drummer but also a really really good and knowledgable presenter for these types of videos.
Modern mics sound better to me....SM57 is a classic but a lot new brands has good gear, too. I prefer beyerdynamic 201TG It sounds great on snare. But amazing to listen the new beyerdynamic I51 its great. I bought from Sweetwater this product last year and it's amazing ❤️❤️🇨🇴❤️
I always use audix or sure. Sometimes tho I will throw up a pencil condenser tapped to the normal Mic with capsules lines up for extra top end. Works great. All what u want.
Great video! I've used the 57 for years, so of course that'll always be the go to mic.. Lately I've been using the Slate Digital M2 as well. Think I may have to get me one of those Audix i5's. For me that one really stood out.
After hearing the off-axis response of the SM-57 and the bleed it got from the hats, I've concluded my own SM-57 is broken and I need to buy a new one.
There's a huge problem with counterfeit SM-57s if you buy them from sketchy places, from a 3rd party seller on a major retail platform, used, or ebay. I bought a couple of unrealistically priced ones once as a test, expecting them to be counterfeit (they were). But they looked and felt really legit. Even the packaging and included accessories were spot on. They're very convincing up until you plug them in. One sounded like crap and one didn't even work at all. Always be sure to buy them from reputable sources that buy directly from Shure (like Sweetwater, of course) to make sure you're getting a real one.
I have several of those mics, sm57, m80, e604, but also others like two vintage Unidyne III and a couple of Avantone, I usually record with the two UnidyneIII or the M80. the DPA left me surprised, I want it
I agree for me the DPA sounds great too, but for the price of one DPA you can maybe buy 6or 8 SM 57, wich can be ok in a studio but less in a rental company.
I’m curious way you guys chose the 604 from Sennheiser instead of the more expensive 904 or the microphone they market for snares, 609/906. Do you prefer the sound of the 604 over those other microphones?
At first a well tuned drum kit played by a good drummer, after you have a lot of possibilities, depending the kind of music. AND YOUR BUDGET! I don't like to much the mic kits from the same brand, for me if ihad the choice , i would start with a LEWITT 640 REX FOR THE KICK! AND THE OTHER ONES?... HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU HAVE?GOOD LUCK !
Only mic that is better than the sm57 for snare is the SE V7X. Just because of bleed polar patterns is tighter and has a bit more frequency range almost condenser type but in a dynamic. You can't go wrong with any of these that Beyerdynamic is so great as well! The go to for almost the whole world is the sm57 lol
I really like your videos, but sorry, the hihat bleed can not be judged in this video, because every close mic is at a different distance and angle to the cymbal, which can effect the bleed.
Honestly you guys should have put the Beta98a/c as a snare mic option because I use them on all three of my DW design series toms but occasionally when I break the kit down I’ll free up the mic placement and try it on the snare and you don’t notice any bleed, super direct, TIGHT snare sound from a Beta98 mic, they’re phantom powered, y’all should review that one or check it out anyways, I love them. My kit mic configuration is Beta 52 - kick 57 or 98 on snare 3 98’s on toms and then two sm81s for my overheads. Hands down, the BEST
The Beta98a/c is a really legit choice indeed. Not very expensive but a bit pricier than e604, SM57, i5 etc. Apart from nice tone and nice useful amount of stick attack, it's so easy to fit into the desired position, wich is something way overlooked.
Why not it's a good kit exçept for me the beta 52. On kick we forget that this mîke has something like 35 old and if you make an À/B test with a Lewitt Rex 640 or sennheiser 902 or the AKG D 12 vr you will be sùrprîsed,
Anyone else come to videos like this, hear the SM57 first, and go "yep, that'll work", with little interest in hearing any of the others ? It's all tedium after that.
Why include the SM 57 when the Beta 56/57 sound so much better?? The Beta series is superior in every way to the older SM series, so much so that the continued existence of the SM series is baffling. I haven't touched an SM for anything in over 20 years. And why the Sennheiser e604 instead of the e904?? Again, it's so much better that the e604 shouldn't even be considered. I'll agree the Audix D series is excellent on drums, but as they are less versatile for other sources than the Shure Beta or Sennheiser evolution series, I hesitate to recommend them to people who need mics that can cover a wide variety of sources. The Shure and Sennheiser mics are therefore my first choices for most purposes.
