Because I'm buying drum mic's soon, and I don't know if I can cut the $500 its going to cost to cover all my drums.
But quality is #1. If they are WAY better, then I'll wait. If they are just slightly better, then I'll go with the PG's.
Comments
Shure doesn't make any bad microphones. There are still folks u
Shure doesn't make any bad microphones. There are still folks using UniDyn III's. Think about that for a moment. Their microphones are all designed to have a similar sonic signature. There really won't be any difference in frequency response that will affect you or your drum sound. It still comes down to good placement, proper gain staging and you'll get that classic drum sound.
If you want an appreciably different sound,? Then go with a different manufacturer. You may want to get those bargain Chinese/Russian condenser microphones with pads. I did a rock-and-roll recording recently at a friend of mine's studio for his band. He's got a number of those that only cost him $50 each. I told him to screw on the -20 DB pads and it sounded killer! Of course I was using my API 3124's. I know I put down those cheap condenser microphones but loaded into a good preamp, made a huge difference. And instead of using a standard issue "bass drum microphone" I threw a Crown PZM on his carpeted living room floor in front of the bass drum which had a full head without a whole sliced into it. And a Sennheiser MD421 on the snare. Without any equalization, it already sounds Mastered and comes off every bit as punchy and loud as any high dollar recording. And to boot, we monitored the raw tracks through his TASCAM 2600 crappy analog console. The equalizers are so horrible, I don't use them. So, it ain't all the microphones, I'm tracking. I'm teaching. He's learning. He's the guitarist. So, if you have a lot of drums and want that different kind of sound, go for a bag full of those cheapies. Just make sure you get pads for them.
I think I have to start posting examples so people know what I'm talking about?
Ms. Remy Ann David
If you buy the SM57s you will own them for as long as you are do
If you buy the SM57s you will own them for as long as you are doing music. (Even if you decide you like other mics better for particular applications.) If you buy the PG57s you will eventually sell them and buy something better.
I agree that the difference between the sound of a PG and an SM is probably way down the list of factors in the quality of the recordings you will be doing in the near term. The PGs will probably sound fine. But it just seems like such a penny wise - pound foolish choice. We're talking about a $40 difference for a mic that you will own for decades.
I admit that this might be an irrational prejudice on my part. But I've walked into too many live venues, seen the PG58s on the stage, and just known without looking that every piece of equipment in the PA - right down to the cables and mic stands - was going to be second rate (at best).
The PG's are not nearly as tough as the SM's are, either. That's
The PG's are not nearly as tough as the SM's are, either. That's probably not a big deal to a drummer :) ...I've never seen a PG mic that, after a few months' of useage, looked like it was worth a crap. The windscreens were coming undone at the base, the PG52 wouldn't hold position, the XLR connections would be loose. You gets what you pays for,amigo...
I can fix you up with some recordings of PG58s if you want. The
I can fix you up with some recordings of PG58s if you want.
Then someone else can probably show you some SM58 samples and it's assumable that the difference between PG58 and SM58 will be the same as PG57 and SM57.
Also check the Shure site, look for their PDF's and compare frequency responses.