Best Microphones for Metal Guitar 

3:09 sm57 3:33 sm58 3:58 sennheiser e906 4:28 Neumann TLM193 4:58 Ehrlund ehr-e 5:24 TSM MT84 5:47 Beyerdynamic M160

Could you maka a second part of this video, showing these differences in the mix?

SM58 and M160 sounds best. I am surprised that SM58 did better job than SM57!

I appreciate you including that detail about the Neumann 193 being used to record Chaosphere.

But.. What about all of them at once!? Ultimate metalness....

Thanks for the video!! Grabbed a sm58 last week getting ready to use it. This helped me out.

This Royer knock-off was pretty good. Probably a good idea to blend it with a 57. I wish you had a 421 in this test as well. Great video!

Thank you alot for taking your time to do a QUALITY review of the most common microphones! In general I belieave that most people ignore to try record with an SM58 only because of the fact that "it is a microphone designed for vocalists" I was actually aware of that the SM58 sounded good on guitars before, but never really used it. But because of this video I might try it out more when bands comming to my studio. It really felt like the midrange was much more present compared to the SM57 ( wich is important if you want a thick sound in the mix ). Once again, thank you Ola for this video & keep them comming! // Cheers from Finland

Great Video! I'm a Shure fan for life!

Great video! Speaker shoot out next? V30, G12t-75, Both creambacks and the k-100's! maybe celestion could even send them to ya!

Shure SM58 on guitar cabs sounds amazing! Removing the grill from the mic gives you the chance to place the mic even better facing the cabinet imo. Great test Ola!

glad to find a fellow SM58 fan.i thought I was the only one in the whole wide world using a 58 to record amp's,so happy that u agree that it's great for electric guitars :)

Thanks for your work!

Excellent comparison!

I really like SM57. Amazing sound !

Hi, Ola! I have been really impressed when I heard the sound of your rhythm-guitar track miked with Beyerdynamic M160 - it really sounds well-balanced in terms of frequency distribution and yet crunchy and tight! Beyerdynamic RULES!! Bthw, thanks for your video - it`s really helpful! Waiting to watch another microphone test with other mikes included in that trial!

Great test! Thanks for making these videos :)

Fantastic video Ola! I've been GASing for an Ehrlund ever since I encountered them in Gothenburg a while ago.

Great video !! 58 for me as well !! Might be cool to do a video to see what mic pairs work well together !!

Ehrlund microphones are fantastic. Good pick!

I use an SM58 and I'm very happy with the results.

I was actually blown away by how great the Beyer sounded. Unlucky me I live in an apartment so a cab isn't possible for me. -Sadface- I am considering a Torpedo Live however as you recommended in a previous video Ola, och det ska du ha tack för! Keep banging!

from my own research especially with the shures. the 58 is an old school mic rugged and indestructible. the 57 is similar but more used because of its more clarity. also since micing amps is more so popular at gigs you need a mic thats going to last. Ribbons etc wont last the road. so 57 are so popular. they just work.there is also a seinheisser e-367 something i forgot which really stacks up and has an even clearer tone. but a great view of them all and their dynamics. Im glad our golden ears say similar on these products. interesting.

If i can't use post EQ, definitely choose the E906. Sounds more "ready" than any other. But the SM57, SM58 and the M160 its very cool too!

Thanks for the vid. I've literally put sm57 on everything inculding vocals, so will be nice to get some alternative.

SM58 (1st) and the M160 (2nd) hands down. I thought the Ehrland caught way too much room. Cool video.

Another great video Ola! Interesting to hear the SM57 and SM58 back to back. I've always thought of the SM58 primarily as a vocal mic but goes to show it's extremely versatile...Loving the channel, keep it up.

Very usefull vid ! thanks

SM57 for me, the 58 was good also but just a little more flat sounding then the 57, for example to me it sounded like I could hear the pick's articulation when it hits the strings it was more of a pronounced attack, a clearer attack, Precision maybe is the word. they all sounded great though my personal favorite was the SM57. Thanks for another awesome video man! Time to go learn about what this whole reamping thing is all about!

Great video.

Would have loved to hear an SM7b in there.. Great job Ola! Shared Btw, happy birth day!

In my opinion a good option is a mix between tge SM57 and TLM. The best of both worlds.

i would also choose the sm58, sounds really great, it has the high end of the sm57 which is great to cut through the mix but all the other frequencies sound a lot richer than with th sm57

Senheiser e906 my fav

Interesting that you would choose the SM58. I can hear it in this particular instance. Anyway, thanks for the vid. Great as always!!!!!

I go with the SM57, because it really captures the sound of the cab in front my face when the speaker is level to my ear. With the a boost around 6Khz-9Khz, it can be easily EQed down to give you more of an honest sound. It wont help if you have bad tones in the room tho. Must have good tone from the source first and let it captures it. My go to position for neutral sound: 4cm away, near cap edge. :)

I love you Ola. Just that

I got an m160 a few months backs and love it. I put it about a foot away to let it breathe and let the low end bloom and I blend it with either a 421 or SM7b. I'm playing more open, doom metal though.

For my ears, it sounds like if you were to mix the SM58 and the Ehrlund, you could get a really mean tone that has the cut in a mix you want, but with a good low response that isn't too bassy. Great vid, Ola

Thanks man, great stuff. I really liked the beyerdynamic m160, really full sound. I have an sm57, pretty standard I guess. So ya, really interesting. Thanks again.

That is a great way to remember where you put the mic when you record. Some tape. I might use some if I ever record with a mic.

oh and i would also love to see these microphones compared in the full mix

SM57 & SM58 were great. The Neumann sounded cool too

Thanks dude, I was just buzzing y-tube for a decent mike for a 7string. I am playing a 7 string with a Helix and a Roland R8 and just want to put a pair of mikes on the stereo outs through a darn good stereo pair of full range 15" PA speaks in a monitor. I was thinking 57s but now I think 58s may be the better choice

Cool video!

Hey a quick tip, try a Sennheiser MD421 15• from the Shure SM57 on axis. ( Position like this |\ )You can record both via Aux Input and then merging into the guitar rec track. Mix it up with the 57 at 0db and the 421 at -4-8db - the 421 is gonna give that chunk that the 57 just doesn’t have. (mind the phase in some cases) It works wonders and it’s a cheap and simple setup.

I would go with the shures, and the beyer. Personal favourite is the sm58. :)

The Electro Voice Raven Blue is also a fantastic mic for guitar amp.

Ola, nice test! For my personal taste, I think that a combination of TSM MT84 and SM57 would be my favorite for metal guitars! I really liked the sound of MT84, what a mic!

I want to hear the combinations of the dynamic and condensers!

Gotta get me a M160, great Video Ola!

...this video is gold...

I'll have to agree with you, I was changing strings whilst listening to you, and my head snapped around when you played the beyerdynamic. So unexpected.

Would've liked to see a hear a few combinations as well.

I really liked the Neumann and the M160. Either of those with the SM58 would sound dope in a mix.

My choice, so far, is I mix a SM57 and an E609. I get the highs and mids where I like them without having to mess with the mix.

The 57 sounds really great like always.

I'd like to try mixing the SM57 with the M160, pretty sure that may sound great

Hi Ola! Between all the microphones you showed I would choose the SM57 and the Neumann; I didn't like so much the Erlund, it sounded to me a bit nasal

An Heil PR30 would be interesting in comparison to those. Fluff uses it a lot and Glenn Fricker from Spectre also mentioned it.

how can i get this melody out of my brain now?

I really like the TLM193

I'm not worried about mics since I've had an SM58 for awhile, but what I'm really looking for are low to the ground and easily positionable mic stands for when you have a 2x12. Similar to what he might have towards the beginning of the video.

I'd like to hear them all in a mix!

8 years later and still my go to for a reminder of mic tones when I'm considering dropping stupid money on mics 🤘

Sennheiser MD421 is also a very good one!

Ola i have shure sm57 and sennheiser e609 but, the best for me is a combination of sm57 and the Neumann

The 160 is just the best of everything. I just love a ribbon mic the best.

Good vid! But maybe the same again in a mix so the comparison is closer to the end situation?

It would be a cool experiment to take these and pan one mic left another mic right and see what combo really compliments each other in a mix

I like how after you said the SM58 was the microphone you would recommend, right after on the top right it said "suggested: get SM58 from Amazon." Metal, I like the Englund mic too! I spelled it like that on purpose because you made that mic your own. Great video, Ola. Question though. When I record I don't use a microphone, I just run straight into my phones jack on my POD Pro... Am I doing this wrong or should I mic my cab to get a better sound?

Hey Ola! Have you tried some of the cheaper mics such as the SE X1? I have used them for tracking guitar (rhythm and lead) and they sound awesome straight away and even better with some EQ and a compressor! Would love to see a video on something like that!

I would have liked to have heard them in a mix as well, personally. It's difficult for me to tell if I'll like the mic tone just by hearing it alone. Just a personal request for next time, Ola!

I was hopping to see a mix between a condensor and dynamic.

excelente trabajo y una notable evolución al momento de hacer reviews, admiro mucho tu esfuerzo y lo de los "really nice colors" es todo un detalle, neumann rules!

I would liked hearing the classic MD421 too, I guess its character is closer to your TMS Royer copy than other ones, right? otherwise, sm57 and m160 wow !

As far as I know, the SM58 has a peak in the 3kHZ area for vocal clarity, that's why you perceive more mids on it, thus, more clarity (compared to SM57). Cheers.

Does anyone know where we can buy the tsm mt82?

i love to combine my sm 57 off axis with my e609 at the cone....very little fizz, but still punchy and percussive when palm muting

Great video dood \m/

I like the E906, sounds like my 609. Think they're basically the same for the most part.

Just got a sm57 and scarlet 2i2 today.

SM58 for me!

sm57 sm7b are my Favorit mics 😆

I use both the sm57 and the e906 at different distances. It just works for me. I have been very impressed with the simplicity of the e906 as placement is easy based on design. Great review again

Holy shit, you got a zen Tour! I would love you to demo it!

A week ago I experimented a little bit with the microphones for a future live show and tried out the sm58 (without a grill). It worked amazing and helped my guitar to find it's place in the mix. Before that I often used a e906, but together with the rest of the band it often was harder to perceive. The great thing about this is that almost every venue we will be playing in the future will probably have this microphone so I don't even have to buy myself one :D

Ola, how loud do you record in this demo? I have an sm57 as well but I have a hard time getting satisfying results How loud do you recommend pushing the amps? Thanks!

wow, surprised at that outcome .. a dynamic mic, especially the SM58 that is so commonly used by vocalists \m/

My 2 cents in this matter why the SM sound different its because of the heavy use, the capsule inside the microphone wears out. As you listen here they sound bad neither of them, but i will choose the his 58 over the 57.

Fucking awesome video! I really love the m160! It would be nice if you could make a second part blending 2 or 3 mics together! This is the trick when recording metal guitars with my Mesa Boogie Mark III

Everyone knows the best mic/setup for recording guitar is a Fisher Price cassette recorder, placed inside of a trash can, out in the cold, bitter, soul crushing darkness of the Norwegian forests at exactly midnight... in the name of Santa Clause. Come on Ola, get with it man!

Christ, that ehrlund sounds like a jar of angry bees plugged into an HM-2.

So Antelope, Apogee or Universal Audio? If you could make a video comparing those would be NUTS

I know bass is not your thing but what about micing up a bass sound. Which mic is best for a good overall bass tone?

the beyer m160 and the SM58 sounded the best to me

What i wanna know is OLA, from YOUR perspective which one sounds most accurately like the sound/color of the amp.. This is a good comparison between eachother but no comparison of the accuracy of the microphone which you'd just have to tell us in your opinion which is the most spot on accurate zero'd on mixer cause all we'll ever hear is a recording.

Ola can you do another one of these videos??? Plz

SM58 for me. But, I'd love to hear it mixed with the Nuemann

sm85 is good sound! olas amp is brutal!