Yeah but I own a 57' and should have "spotted" it, could you include an acoustic guitar piece into the samples/examples next time ? they can really reveal what a mic is doing
I agree that it's weird 😅 I thunk the t bone is pretty good for the prics, but sm57 is superior, because it has a far broader dynamic range. My issue with the t bone mb 75 is it sounds a little too harsh and compressed. Other thant that it's fine for demo recordings if you are in a very tight budget, t bone is pretty cool, but I would rather use the SM57...
That little sucker ain't bad at all for a budget mic. I preferred the SM57 on the snare, but loved the TBone on the guitar. Crazy stuff! Nice breakdown.
Excactly what I thought. On guitars, TBone was far more brighter sounding and I prefer that, but for snare, original SM57 kinda sounded nicer. In general, you would be happy to record with any of these, no matter what instrument. Pricewise I would definitely get couple of TBones for home studio. (Or in "real" studio I would get good mix of these to record drums and guitars.)
I was once told that "...there is no such thing as a bad mic, they're all good. The question you have to answer is: good for what?" and I think this is a prime example of that theory. Thanks for sharing, Glenn.
Exactly! I even like to use cheapo RCA M58 knock offs and they have limited range especially mids, so works perfectly for overdriving vocals for a sweet crunchy older vibe. Or even those old little mics shure and sony made for those little portable reel to reel machines from the 50’s-70’s. I have a special Shure mic made specifically for thr Revere T-100 tube recorder that sounds sweeeeeet!! Never know how something works or sounds until you try!!
honestly they both sound pretty good, and the isolated guitar tracks it seems like the sm57 has more mid-to-low end, but the travel was definitely more defined on the T-bone and it seems like it had a flatter broader range overall, a blend of the two would be perfect. another great video Glenn
I think the issue was when the 57 was played in the mix the richness of the low mids were concealed, so we all prefered the T Bone for its highs, which cut through better. However in isolation the 57 has a silkier sound, which on its own i prefer. hmmm now i really dont know which one to get !
I got myself a T-bone and it definitely holds up. I got the results right on the previous video, but if it's so hard to tell the difference, there's a reason. It's more noticeable when you use them as snare mics, the main difference being that "dark/bright" sound. Thanks for your awesome show Glenn, that's all I gotta say
I'm pretty impressed... I've been saving for a few 57s (and also searching for something similar) and I have to admit I couldn't really tell the difference except on the snare (although had no idea which mic it was) being able to pick up a few T-bones for the price of one 57s might be a better option for me right now!! Glad you did this experiment Glenn may have swayed me so I can crack on with these new projects
I think this shows anyone can get into recording with the budget gear right now being brilliant compared to even say 12 years ago. And leading that is you, Glen, you fucking awesome dude teaching everyone how to record properly thanks for all the help appreciate it all and good luck to you.
I wasn't trying to play "who is who", I just wanted to see which ones I liked. Turns out I like the Shure for guitar and the T-Bone for drums. Neat :) I hope you do more videos of this style, Glenn. Very cool.
@@SpectreSoundStudios God is never wrong! Imma start turning MB75s into SM57s like water into wine! All jokes aside, nice shootout and I kinda fell in love again with my 57 but really liked the sound of the TBone, do you know if they ship to Venezuela? Thanks Mr Fucker or Fricker, keep em coming!
I preferred Mic A before, and I still do. At least within the context of a mix, it has more definition and just stands out more on both the guitar and the snare to me.
I thought A was the 57 because it seemed to respond like my 57 does when I used to mic and record my amp. Maybe the issue was my bad mic placement. lol
Totally. The A sounds exactly like my real 57 does, so it was quite surprising to hear the real 57 sound much darker here. Makes me even wonder if his 57 is somehow damaged, hehe :D
there's no way to know what your 57 sounds like compared to his. that's not how these tests work. it's about knowing what a 57 sounds like compared to other dynamic mics in general. does it generally have a lot of highs, lows, mids? so you'd have to compare your sm57 to your other dynamic mics, then use that info to assume that it would compare similarly to an unknown dynamic mic. That's the only way to guess right on a video like this. make sense? i knew that sm57's have a huge mid boost with less highs compared to other dynamic mics i've tested on the same source and placement. so i assumed they would have more mids and less highs than this new unknown mic too. there's a chance i could've been wrong, but in the case of the sm57 not a very big one, since it is very dramatic about what it picks up and doesn't.
I definitely liked the sound of the TBone, especially with the snares. With the guitars, it seemed more a matter of taste - they sounded crunchier, but for me with the snares, there was more definition to the attack to my ears. Thanks for doing this review.
Love your reviews not only with high-end Microphones but with lower price Microphones. I ordered myself 3 cc57‘s for my drums… Snare Tom and Floor Tom. Can’t can’t to get them hooked up.
TOTALLY thought the brighter mic was the 57 on guitar! Didn't make a big enough difference on the snare for me to really care but this T-bone might be a new addition to the mic locker
Thanks for comparing them as a blindfold test. Actually considered to get an SM57 since I already own MB75, but since I liked the MB75 in the mix it seems a bit pointless, got a few other mics to use together with the TBone too.
Love your content, didn’t really understand the wait for the conclusion to this video though. Maybe it was just me, I’d be curious how others felt. Regardless, always enjoy the videos. Cheers from Kitchener, Ontario!
I also just pickd the one ”better” in my opinion. But the difference was more obvious on guitar in my opinion. So it’s a good mic for many applications. Gonna go and buy couple of those. Valuable video, thanks. ✌🏼
I guess many guys listened via phone. When I first heard mic A I instantly told my friend it sounds like crap. No lows at all, can be heard on studio monitors. Great review!
Hey Gleen! Great Videos! I'm a proud owner of the mb75 for years. The sound diference it's just that, a diference. One is not better than the other in terms of sound. I know that you covered the pyle as well, but i would like to see a video from you comparing the 3 microphones.
What cab and speaker (and amp) are you using and how is the mic placed? Sorry if I missed that in the video. Reason for my question: I found a video on Martin Link's channel comparing the same two microphones and stunningly enough my verdict in his video is the complete opposite than in your videos. Here, the MB75 sound brighter and cuts through the mix more. In his video, it's the other way round. Wow. So I wonder if the cab/speaker makes all the difference. Differen resonance frequency can be a huge difference in sound. I'm currently only recording with IRs and a Torpedo Captor very happily, but I want to try miking a real cab. Can't decide which mic to buy after watching two different videos. Thank you so much for your content. One of the best heavy music channels on youtube. Edit: Listening on RCF Ayra 4 monitors
Hey Glenn, was the placement of the mics in front of the amps 100% the same? I found that moving even a few mm results in quite a different sound. Thanks for the great content. Cheers
Well, I'm sold. From the previous video, I remember saying I prefered Mic "A" without stating what I thought it was. I'll get a few TBone MB75's. The extra high end bite on the TBone will give that extra little bit I've been looking for to help pull muddy/sludgy guitars cut through the mix when I'm doing live shows. I switched to the Audix i5 on snare ages ago because I liked the extra bit of highs they gave over the SM57. I don't see me getting rid of my 6 Sm57's any time soon. I do see me getting a couple of these at the very least. Thanks!
I really had no idea which was which last week, all I knew was that I preffered the A on guitars, and the B on drums. I'm definitely going to get a T-Bone, and use it for random things, as you said for $30, you really can't lose. Edit: Well, it's priced at $30 and shipping costs $30 extra to the US. It's not that bad, but I think I would buy if I was already buying something else from Thomann.
I wouldn't doubt to use a couple of T-bones for snares and hi-hats. They would work nicely for jazz or club sets where you don't mic the whole drum set. It's awesome to have these affordable AND useable stuff nowadays.
Came back to check out these videos, and was surprised that I guessed wrong on both accounts. Wholly expected the TBone to be the darker of the two. Hoping to start equipping the studio I'm shooting to start, and thinking I'll be picking up a few of those!
I brought one of the Tbone MB75s earlier this year.I flicked it to a mate with a studio to compare to the SM57. He was very precise, same exact spot and angle / distance away on the speaker for each mic and recorded each. I've only heard the MB75 recording guitar amp, so I'm not prepared to call the snare drum test. But I reckon with the guitar the MB75 was the 'A" recording. There is a slight difference between the two. Neither good or bad. Just a little difference, so it adds another tool to the toolbox was my take on the MB75... Im waiting to see if my ears are up to the test Glenn. Cheers from NZ
I actually preferred the mic A in the blindfold video and I'm quite happy to find out it was the t bone, seeing as I'm a student with no cash. Living in Europe also means I pay less for transport, so double win.
Hey Glenn! Big fan of the show. My band has their first gig in November and we're planning on inviting 3 bands. One said yes but the others have yet to confirm. The one who said yes just asked about the percentage of ticket sales they would get and their time slot. They have played around my city. My band is the host and we are paying 75 dollars to the venue plus tip for the sound guy. Do you think we should even have a cover price and split it with all the bands or tell bands they should watch their own door? Thanks! Cheers from TEXAS.
Hey Glenn. Greetings from Bangalore, India. My question to you is, at what point to bands generally decide to have a Band Manager? How essential is it? Are they paid fixed amounts regularly or a percentage of the band's earnings? (Sorry if this topic has already been visited.) My band was formed 2 years ago. We've just released our first EP and are planning to record a full length album next year.
Hey Glenn: Great review and shoot out. You didn't offer a text reel in the vid, but I was able to tell which mic was which because of the very distinctive sound of the SM57 on the guitars. The TBone does have better capture in the top end , but it offers great clerity and I think a bit less low mid emphasis which the sm57 is famous for having. If you want that emphasis great, but I think for a nice flat response, the TBone MB75 does an exceedingly excellent job of providing a good flat source which you can process to your hearts content in post. . Better to capture a wider frequency spectrum and remove unwanted frequencies than try and add gain later on to emphasise frequencies that the mic doesn't capture well. I think the MB75 is a better recording microphone than the SM57. For live use, the SM57 offers that rounder sound and emphasis on the low mids which helps it to punch through a mix on guitar and drum sources. I think the TBone MB75 would also sound better than an SM57 on acoustic guitar as well given it's increased top end response. Nicely done and thanks for giving us a new excellent option on our favorite swiss army knife microphone :) I'm going to go buy a couple from Thomann Canada now just to have around for extra quality mics.
Glenn, you are right, everyone should grab one, so did i before your comparison. I thought, what could go wrong for 30 Bucks ? Already had a SM57 and wanted to try the Fredman Tecnique and for that, it is great.
Hey Glenn! Great video man! Love tests like this that just put snobs in their place! I was wondering if you have any experience with HB guitar strings? Just found out they have them! Unbelievable prices! Both coated and uncoated!
Just what I did think. Waited to see what was right since the last video. There is many cheap mics today that sounds good and can give the old classic a run. Great test, even if I hate to wait for the results.
Both sound good. Little difference in brightness around maybe 2k-3k. EQ to taste or blend the two mics together. I’d say it’s a great buy. Save a few bucks and get the same results
Damn, I used a MB75 based on this video for a long time and recently bought an SM57 because i want to broaden my portfolio for IR creation. Liked the MB75 in this video a lot more, but after having rhe SM57 here, coming different conclusions here. The MB75 is nice, but once I smacked the SM57 deadcenter on the TR speaker of my G12 vintage loaded Marshall 1960AV, it was like a true epiphany. SM57 all the way for me onward! SM57 has a super gnarly tone to it which was always what I had missing with the MB75. But - MB75 is a GREAT microphone for the price, still sounds great. We will still use them live, they are absolutely suffiicient for and also professional work, but for studio works, gotta revise my former stance of liking the MB75 more. SM57 is just "the sound," to me. Super generic, Boosted 5150 clone into a Marshall V30 cab with SM57, most boring tone on earth to most, but to me it's sonic heaven! Nonetheless, this video represents awesomely the differences between the two mics so thanks! I will do a video soon on showing the differences in my setup.
Amazing how many people think they know everything and can distinguish between two almost identical microphones in a recording on RU-vid that involves a load of equipment they're not familiar with.
I wasn't criticising the comparison, I was commenting on the people who arrogantly claimed that it was obvious which mic was which and got it wrong. Of course I could hear a difference but I couldn't be sure which mic was which, as they're both very similar. I like how in a discussion about musical equipment "Line 6 Spider" is used in the same way as "Nazi" or "Communist" are used in political discussions. I DISAGREE WITH YOU! LINE 6 SPIDER NAZI!!!
Jason - Quit what? My career? My job as a music teacher? My band? Music production? Everything I've worked for my entire life? Because I think that one microphone and another that is designed to be as similar as possible to said microphone are indeed quite similar?
Trilobite- why don't you go ahead and evolve arleady!? haha, just kidding. i basically agree with you. it definitely has more to do with product loyalty and popularity rather than people actually thinking about what the mic sounds like. i always think of sm57's as a filter that unnaturally guts lows and highs, and should be used accordingly. people just assume the one they like better is the popular one, expensive one, or best one. they don't ask themselves what the mic or gear actually does in a general comparison to other gear. it shows how much people do what other's are doing, without actually listening to the results or running any experiments of their own. another great opportunity for learning brought to you by Spectre Media Group! right mic for the right job. i knew immediately which mic was which, even though i don't use sm57's. i don't even own one. it's because i am familiar with them and don't like them. i suppose if a band insisted i use them, i would pick a couple up. maybe i'd get the t-bone instead! (probably would, haha). i think needing to tame the high end is a good trade for not having the same generic and artificial sounding midrange that everyone else has via 57's. but that's my personal artistic preference i guess. i prefer a flat condensor mic for distorted guitars. (of course, if a band specifically insisted on a standard modern metal radio tone, i would give it to them- after some discussions of course). i actually always recommend when people are demoing a mic, that they compare it to an sm57 just because it is so popular and people know what it sounds like. (but i guess they don't)! it's the only way to get an idea of the new item. gotta compare it to something old. every metal amp should be played next to a 5150, every speaker cabinet should be tested against a mesa rectifier oversized, every mic should be tested against an sm57, every speaker should be tested against a Vintage 30. just so we know which side of 'neutral' (or standard) a thing sounds. it's like a photo- there's gotta be something for scale.
Interesting, I had Mix A down as the 57. It's clear from the isolated tracks that the T-Bone has a slightly fizzy high end on the heavy guitar where the SM57 is a bit more rounded, but in the mix it sounds pretty good. I'll probably pick up a few T-Bones soon, seems like a good deal.
I love these blind fold tests; I didn't know which mic was which, all I knew was that I liked "Mic A" best. Pretty awesome that the mic I like better is a 1/3 of the price!
I personally preferred the t.bone for the open notes and the SM57 for the palm muted notes. Both of them sounded great though! And in the mix there’s very little separating them!
I've been "sneered" at for using inexpensive Behringer mics on guitar amps ... ha ... but they all love how my recordings sound . I've tried even real crappy , say "unworthy" mics on guitar amps with interesting results , so ... there ya go . No rules .. all fun .
I got FOOOLED. My only remorse is that I was fooled consistently. Maybe because the hyped high-end on the T-Bone made the instrument cut through more. One could definitely achieve really similar results with either of the mics
This is absolutely mind blowing. Glenn do you have any recommendations for cables that can just take a beating on the road? I'm not too concerned about price or even sound quality cuz I'm not gonna be recording with them.
I think both have their unique sound. It would be interesting to use one on left guitar and one on right guitar. Great as always, Glenn. Btw I've been recording a song of mine and it has a ton of clean guitars. Any chance for a Clean guitar recording and mixing tutorial? Or at least some tips? Thanks!
I've had both the t.bone and a couple of 57s, and for me the t.bone held up for about a year and a half but the shure mics are still working perfectly after 5-6 years of abuse. I think that is the main reason I would rather save up and buy the 57 over the t.bone. But I still think the t.bone is a great budget alternative!
I have a feeling a lot of the people guessing don't always know much about mics. This is something I am learning as well. Just don't make guesses if you're listening on a phone speaker.
Hey Glenn! I recently got the Shure Beta 91A, and my goodness does it pack a punch! Currently I'm working on pairing it with a Beta 52A (used for the low end), but I'm a bit lost whether I should treat the 52A as a subkick for EQing purposes or whatever there is to do. Whatcha recommend? Cheers from Cincinnati, Ohio
SM57: Sounds excellent, industry standard, lasts forever unless you literally burn it with a flamethrower. Costs $100 MB75: Sounds excellent, we don't know how long it'll last, it may also last forever since it looks quite identical. Costs $30 Hard to choose... Gibson Les Paul: Excellent guitar, , lasts forever unless you break it, used by a lot of great guitarists. New unit costs in between $2000 - infinite. ESP Eclipse: Excellent guitar, lasts forever unless you break it, used by a lot of great guitarists. New unit costs in between $1500 - $5000 Harley Benton SC 550: Excellent guitar, lasts forever unless you break it. New unit costs around $250-300 Harley Benton SC Custom: Excellent guitar, lasts forever unless you break it. New unit costs around $200-300 Very easy pick. But thank you Glenn again for your excellent videos, i already own an SM57 and i will surely get an MB75 as well for it's too cheap. Having another microphone for $30 just won't hurt and definitely it's a good idea to carry that around instead of an SM57 and since MB75 is brighter, dual tracking with both SM57 and MB75 will just sound better than just one 57. I am learning so much from you Glenn. Cheers and fuck you! Stay awesome dude!
That was a cool video Glenn! I think I’m pick up one of those T Bones and check it out. If you want to do another shoot out there’s another one called the Weymic WM57 on Amazon for $15. I wonder how that would stack up against the two of them. Cheers!
That Tbone sounds great on guitars. It seems like the extended ranges everyone is using in their tuning is really well served by the brighter sound of it. I kinda liked the SM57 on the snare a tiny bit better though. But as you said, 3 for the price of 1 is a damn good deal.
Prefered B, kinda wished it would have been the cheaper mic, though the difference isn't as much as the 57 vs the pyle. Though is it possible that the age/amount of usage of the mic could be a factor?
Hey Glenn, what is the main difference between a 57 and a 58 (other than the windscreen). I A/B’d them on guitar and couldn’t tell the difference. Could be interesting if you’d compare them in a future video
Hey Glenn, what is your opinoin on intentionally bad production? Good gear and production are good and all, but personally, I prefer lower, more raw production. It sounds much more natural and humanlike
Wow. The MB75 is actually brighter than the SM57. I would have guessed the other way around too because the SM57 is usually considered bright. I don't hear as much of a difference in the snare, but probably because of the narrower frequency range. I can see how having one or two is great in a pinch and it's nothing some EQ can't change. 🤘🏻
I like that I picked mic A, and I don't really feel like an idiot for it. I did like how it made that snare sound, and I'm definitely considering getting one now. Probably should listen to the mic on monitor's next time, rather then my studio cans.
HELL YES! I greatly preferred A and was hoping it was the cheaper mic so I can go buy a bunch of them! lol. I'll be ordering a T Bone or two soon then. I want to try blending one with my 57 on a cab and see how that turns outm Thanks, Glenn!
I wonder if trying different distances away from the cab would change the results for the guitar demo. I actually preferred how the Tbone sounded for guitar, but this depends on where the mic was placed and how that interacts with the guitar and amp. It may have just not been placed in the best spot to compliment the natural tones of the guitar and amp. I'd like to point out that in the very first clips played, I MUCH preffered mic B over mic A for what was being played, and that was the Shure
Like most people, I thought that mic B was the MB75 but from the start I thought it sounded better because the darker tone gave the guitar tone more "might". I'm surprised that it was actually the SM57. On drums though the MB75 gives the snare more kick.
Would buy one but the shipping to the US is currently more than the mic. I can find used 57s at local shops for around $50. Current price of an MB75 shipped to U.S. is €56.81 or about $65. Might be worth it if I ordered 4-5 of them.
Hey glen love your stuff. What's your opinion on using flat respond studio headphones for mixing when I can't get the "cheap" fibre stuff for acoustically treating my bedroom. Should i still save up to acoustically treat my room? Cheers and greetings from Suriname!
