The 57 has a special character that makes it easy to recognize in the comparison. I switched to the V7x for a more natural tone. Thanks for all the tests !
A very well-made and entertaining video of your versus series. It was really fun! For me the Beyerdynamic was the clear winner, and it was easy to distinguish mic A and B. But what I also realised is how familiar the SM57 sounds to me.
Thank you very much. I agree the difference between the two is night and day, and the SM57 is very familiar because we have heard it on so many recordings. It's that go to in the studio.
I picked the M201TG every time, especially on the acoustic guitar. And I know very little about mics, but even to a novice it just generally sounded better.
Thank you for listening Dave. This is great news because you're fine tuning and developing more critical listening. You're going to learn to hate so much audio all over the world it becomes a personal hell, but it's also very rewarding. Haha.
We used to use the M201TGs at the 1st radio station (MFR) I worked at. Pick one up from ebay recently for use when traveling on holiday to do voiceover work. For voiceover use it's a perfect fit for my voice. Can't believe how good it is!! I'm using a Klark Teknik CT1 with it to boost the level, there little bit of noise, but nothing that RX8 can't fix. Top review fella!
I remember the 57 being marketed as the instrument version of the 58 to help things cut through the mix, live is perfect for all those folk instruments, percussion, etc., and then those peaky mikes are great for pushing treble onto tape to help lower hiss later on.... yea, a bit peaky on some sources in the digital realm. personally I love smooth sounding mikes. trebles is there, but not poking me in the eyes... love this channel!
I‘m a great fan of the M201 TG. Good on everything, fantastic for spoken word. But what I really love is using it on string instruments (violin, cello etc.). Especially if you have to record in a less perfect environment. And: great channel, really enjoy watching it!
I guessed correctly, but man I had a harder time than I thought I would. I'm surprised how similar these two mics are on voice, though they both clearly their distinctives. Great comparison, as always.
I have both of these mics. The SM57 with the TAB mod improved it quite a bit imo. Less fizzy and tad more low end. I now prefer that on amps and use the beyer on snare, both can work well on a similar instrument
I truly could not distinguish between the mics on spoken word. I agree with all your assessments. For electric guitar, the Shure provides a "stage ready" sound without needing much EQ, but also is limiting for any sort of recording. For acoustic guitar, the Beyer provides so much more clarity and high-frequency detail, it isn't even a comparison! As a musician who has used both mics, I sold the Shure and kept the Beyer.
What a superb video. Surely this is Peak Reviewing, an excellent standard that makes other channels looks like a joke. For me I would pick the SM57 for instruments, for singing/talking the M201 TG is the winner imo but still the SM57 would likely suit some voices more than others because all microphones have that potential ace card to play.
This is a fun comparison, but a bit artificial. Cuz these mics are not competitors (for most peoples' use cases). A bit like comparing a low end Jeep and a Porsche 911: Each have some very compelling qualities, both will get you where you're going, but folks are not cross-shopping them. Let's be glad both exist, and reach for the one that suits our purpose and our budget. This was a great exposition of each one's qualities - P.C-age is always a fun view.
Thanks for this comparison. Happy user of two 201 for years. Luckily, they are cheaper in Germany😅 Honestly, a SM57 works in almost any use case. But the 201 is a touch nicer.
Hi hello! Do you already have a SONY C-80? Its sound reminds me a lot of Lewitt (440 or FLEX) and a bit of KSM32. But he is much more sensitive than both named. Will you test him? 🙃
The two mics sounded almost exactly the same tonally on my speakers, but there was a little coarseness to Mic A, which remained evident the second time through. Mic B was the winner
I loved the intro. Good to see the weirdness hasn't left the channel! Also, I'm a great fan of the M201, for all the reasons stated. It sounds much better than many "Broadcast" microphones. PS: Why you're wearing two watches?
I wonder what the Frequency Response of the SM57 would be with the A81WS on - would it flatten out that boosted top end just the right amount? Did they design it that way specifically with a top-end boost to pair with that windscreen?
I sometimes use a 57 for vocals with the A81WS and it definitely changes/improves the sound. It's not night and day but it definitely helps on most voices. Another thing to check out is Julian Krauss has an EQ setting schedule that mimics the SM7b's sound. I like it a lot, but it's a bit dark for my taste so I don't cut the upper frequencies quite as much and I end up with an improved result for my uses & taste.
Went Definitely with Option A. (voice) When i heard the price gap O.O No wonder i liked A. (vocal) Bias disclosure: I was hoping i picked the under-dog, sort of speak; but, in the end i liked the Bayer by a LONG shot. I love the the blind A/B tests coming from you Bandrew
Great video as always man! Do you mind if hit you with a noob question? Maybe something you can answer on your second channel or as a short… if you like…Regarding the gain in general, should that be adjusted in the physical microphone first, then the one in the windows sound panel? This has been driving me nuts 🌰 ! I have read leaving windows volume at 100% and just move the mic (physical) gain knob until you reach a healthy level. (Or interface mic gain) But I’m not fully convinced. I have also search on RU-vid about this topic and nothing. I have also tried 50% for both and I don’t seem to hear any change. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I know that Macs don’t have this problems…but any help would be great! Thanks. Ps: much love from Spain 🇪🇸 people that know English love you here! 😂
fucking subscribed, great logic and vibe, all the years scrolling music tech vids n only just found ya, this vid just highlighted that I think my ears are a bit bored of 57s, ok don't kill me they're great but my ear can hear them so distinctly in any comparisons n its highlighted that slight harshness im constantly battling with in my mixes, 57s on gtrs, 57 on snares top n bot, 57 on acoustic, just too much 57 tone generally in my mixes, this vid just made a light bulb go off in my cranium, thanks man, respect, Leon
As always, entertaining to those of us who care about this stuff. I listened at work on my sub-par work headphones. I couldn't hear $200 worth of difference, so I'd go SM57 all day. As someone said below, do we really think that most live audiences who are chugging barley bevs can tell a bit of difference? Save yer sheckles, Friends!
I liked the Sm57 in the blind test way more on my dt1990s. funnily enough I thought it was the beyerdynamic at first 😅 Again shows that the sm57 is just a classic :)
I've been using the sm57 to Mike my conga drums and my bongo drums when playing out live for years and they've worked great. Please tell me if you have tested the m201 TG on congas and bongos and how you think it compares?
I'd suggest listening to some music that you love and know well before listening to the comparisons. Kind of as a baseline before listening to the mics.
Thanks so much Steve. I wish I did too because that would be very helpful. I just don't have the ability to do that at this time. Maybe one day I'll be able to. That'd be awesome.
A Definitely felt like it had Beyerdynamic's signature sound. and B had the Crushed Mid that I don't like of the 57. When I say crushed, I don't mean quiet, it's plenty loud but just always felt like it lacked definition to me. All audio mumboumbo words and feel, but that's how I describe it haha.
I could not tell a significant difference in sound between the two, but I can tell a big difference in the price! Therefore. I would hands down buy the Shure over the M201 TG.
There's a simple mod to improve the sound of an SM57 - putting a resistor (680 ohms is about the correct value) across its output pins 2 and 3. This has the effect of damping some of the HF resonances and smoothing that aggressive HF boost boost. I think the mic was originally designed for transformer inputs, which also tame it in a similar way.
I liked A better listening on my Apple MacBook pro speakers which can be unforgiving in the sense that they obviously just highlight mostly the mids and some highs. M201 for the win
As a die-hard SM57 hater on guitar cabs, I instantly recognized it on your voice in the blind test and I hate it as much. It just has all the high mids and highs that I do not enjoy.
Sm57 is great if you do live sound in the 80isch and you need to be obnoxiously loud on a small PA. otherwise 201TG on everything. Have still 4x sm57 in my 100+ live mic case, if they’ve been used 10 times in the last 23 years it would have been a lot. So if anyone wants to trade
201TG won it all IMO. I have heard tho that the sm57 needs a high quality preamp (with transformers maybe? and its picky to which impedance it sees from the preamp, if I understood it correctly) to really come to life so it would have been cool if you tried that out with the mics aswell. Thanks for the test!
@DarkTrap Music I was reading up a bit on the sm57 the last couple of days due to me having 3 of them and I want to give the best chance to deliver the goods. What I meant to say was that they seem to be pretty demanding on the preamp (whatever that means). Not necessarily highest quality stuff, just they are picky at what preamp they work good with (for example impedance). They also need a bit more gain than usually with mics. Search for sm57 and preamp or something if you're interested and see if you find similar info, maybe not?
I think what they mean is it, the 57 tends to sound best through a 600 ohm input impedance which isn't possible with your standard interface preamp but is typically included on more expensive outboard preamps.
@@OssianOtt I feel like this type of "advice" from ppl is just to sell preamps. Your mic positioning and placement in a room will matter more than a "high end" pre. There are no magic bullets in audio, no special keys. Mixing and recording and such are just like learning an instrument. You gotta do it a lot and suck at it for a while before you get "good", whatever that means. By the time you're "good" you don't care anymore. Your concern then is "how the hell do i make money doing this so I can justify all the time and money I've already dumped into it??" lol.. A 57 will always be a 57 no matter how much money you throw at it. If you only have 57s, that's cool, just pay lots of attention to distance, direction and angle, also different spots in your space. But keep doing research and try to eventually get 1 or 2 other mics so you can learn the differences mics can make. The sE V7 and V7x anf other sE mics too, AKG Perception mics, Studio Projects mics, Tascam TM-80, Behringer C2 pair (value king matched pair for drum overheads, but not much else, there's some good comparison vids on yt). I caution against low end MXL and CAD products. There's a lot of good cheap mics, you don't need a $1000 pre or a neumanns or anything. I read that Steve Albini recommended the Audio Technica Pro 37 as the best mic under $200.00, though the story of the recommendation was from like 20 years ago. Its a good little mic though and pretty different from a 57. And check out "recording hacks" for microphone information. It's a really great resource. And i don't mean to diss 57s or mic preamps, i like a 57 for what it is and i think mic pres are juicy, lol.. But the best place to start is to build a little selection of mics.
All a person needs is a preamp with a decent about of gain, or if push comes to shove, buy an inexpensive Chinese knockoff "cloud lifter". Then you'll have to counter the plosions.
Those myths about the SM57 exist for one reason. The SM57 is a poor microphone. Nothing can help it be more than it is. Don’t believe any of that nonsense.
I love how the SM57 brings so much presence to my dialogue and handles pretty big ups and downs in loudness, but the inherent sibilance and harshness kills it for me. I'm looking for something that makes me feel the same way while monitoring but without the harshness, so I'm hoping that the M201 will be my daily driver mic.
@@Podcastage hehe, I didn't like it actually. It was one of the more disappointing ones for sure. Not sure why it sounded bad for me! At the end of this current mic odyssey, I found that the RE20 was the best. Never had a chance to try out an RE27N/D. But I've had a CAD e100Sx from before all this. I tried it out again and I think it sounds good! I think after all this I just learned better technique and trained my ear a bit. Next two or three I want to try are the Rode NT1, AT2035 and AT4033.
I was surprised how similar these were and was expecting the M201 to capture more voice volume at 2 feet, it being hypercardioid. Not sure it's worth the price difference. I was mulling getting the 201 for spoken voice as I'm looking for something flat and unhyped for an edgy voice. Not so sure anymore.
I am very surprised you did not mention anything about the biggest difference between these two mics. SM57 is a single coil while M201TG is a humbucker. That translate into EMF hum picking noise sucker vs quiet as a mouse pro tool. The choice is all yours. Sold my two SM57 and got them replaced with Beyerdynamic M201TG. What a difference!
I would think the biggest difference is the sound quality of them. But that's a very great point that you mention though that I hadn't even considered. Thank you for pointing out that the M201 is hum bucking while the SM57 is not.
The 57 has that big ol 5k-6k presence peak that you either like on a particular source or not. This is why some people love them on a guitar cab or a snare drum and sometimes other things while others jusy hate the mic altogether. I also think some people just like to hate the 57 because it's kind of cool to hate the mic. The Beyer M201 has a lot smoother rise and isn't as boosted in that high presence range like the 57 is but you will pay dearly for that with a pricetag that is triple the cost of the $99 SM57. If the Beyer is out of your budget then the 57 can still get great recordings, a little eq cut in that 5k-6k range can do wonders if you have a source that the 57's presence boost doesn't flatter. Both mics are studio standards, if you can afford it buy them both but if you can only afford the 57 then just learn it well, understand how it works exactly, and you can compensate for it quite a bit. The 57 basically has a big proximity boost, a substantial presence boost, and rolls off in the high frequencies, all of these things can be adjusted for with eq if needed.
People only listen with their eyes, They see a microphone and make judges based on the looks, the brand and all of that. Using mic A and Mic B really makes sure people listen with their ears, not eyes. Oh also, Check out the Lewitt MTP440DM which is another competitor to the Shure sm57
They sounded extremely similar to me. But in the blind test I thought mic B had a bit better clarity on the high end. So, I'm surprising myself and saying the SM57 sounds better for half the price. At least, on your voice, for spoken word. For the solo electric, the SM57 was noticeably better. For the mix, I couldn't tell. For the acoustic, the M201 sounded better; the SM57 just sounded kind of "dead" or something. Like I was only hearing the strings, and not the body, if that makes any sense. Singing: No preference.
The SM57 has more lower treble, which a lot of people associate with "clarity". But if you listen with a good enough monitoring system, the SM57's treble sounds grainy or "cardboard-y", whereas the M201 is buttery-smooth. You can EQ the 201 to sound just as present as the 57, but you can't EQ the 57 to sound as smooth as the 201.
I'd almost never use either of those mics on voice, spoken or sung, or acoustic guitar; for me this kind of dynamic mic shines on snares (wish you'd given us an A/B with these 2 on a snare) and guitar amps. and, going by what I hear here, I prefer the 57 . . . yes it can be overpronounced on the upper mids on guitar amps, but that can be cured with mic placement (just move the mic off-cone to taste). In live applications where mics have to be tough to survive, the 57 is such a versatile proven industry standard that I'm happy to stick with it. the lower price doesn't hurt either
I would love to be able to provide drum samples, but I do not own any drums, and given current recording locations, I am limited in what kind of sounds I can demo. Very interesting insight though, and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
After a trombone recording session, and comparisons between SM57, SM58 and m201tg, I found out that with this particular instrument the SM58 and the m201tg are identical. I'm blown away with the fact that a China made SM58 (cost 100 euros) sounds the same with a German made m201tg (cost 230 euros). The SM57 felt a little thin compared to the full and warm sound of the other two.
That's why I include the tests so you can make that determination for yourself. Glad you've found which one you like better for that application. The 57 is used on electric for a reason.
I don't make these videos to denigrate anyone, I make them so people can find the right mic for their application. Sounds like you've found the right mic for your use.
Oh no... you alright man? You need to post a video apologizing to the sm57 and comparing it to a neewer so it can look like a polished god tier mic again.
I feel like the SM57 is such a workhorse in live situations that people think it'll be a great studio resource too, though I dunno how accurate that really is.
People absolutely adore the SM57 and use it on everything in the studio, so it seems like it does work quite well there. I'd just go M201 if I had the option.
Really goes to show how situational mic choice is. I didn't like the M201 as much as the 57 on the cab, but both were usable. The M201 sounded great on acoustic, but the 57 was awful. On vocals I didn't like either mic for differing reasons.
The sm57 would sounds pretty good, if it sounded better than a pyle pdmic78... But, like, it doesn't. Also Shure doesn't know how to make them anymore, because the sm57 I just bought picks up 60hz interference due to body grounding issues, yo.
