I think they're great drum room mics. I also love them on toms, not sure why they sound so good on toms, but they do.

I haven't tried them on much more aside from what I mentioned and vocals, but probably will put them on guitar cab soon.

I love them.

I use mine primarily for mic'ing acoustic guitars. It's more "neutral" than my C1's and works well as either a sound hole mic, or an accent mic - facing about the 12th fret at about a 45 degree angle. I often find it gives me a tad more flexibility at mix time than the C1's for guitar. I've also used it for female vox when the C1 proved too harsh or sibilant (the B3's also work well for this I've found).

Overall, it's been a versatile mic for me and worked in situations where my C1's or B3's didn't quite fit.

I have used those for OHs and not had a prob. I would humbly suggest either moving the mics away 6-12" or checking your gain structure. Doc

Originally posted by Doc@BeefyTreats.com:
I have used those for OHs and not had a prob. I would humbly suggest either moving the mics away 6-12" or checking your gain structure. Doc

Assume I am a complete dumbass.

Help me understand gain structure. I run the mics into an Aardvark Q10 with phantom power. I have phantom power on and the trim in my control panel set to the lowest level. (choices are Mic 2, Mic 1, Line... with line being the lowest gain.)

If I understand your suggestion, I already have my gain stucture in check.

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Jim

Its possible to use the B1 any time your C3 is coming in too hyped in the 5 - 7khz range. The B1 just has a little flatter response. It needs a db pad to be more useful, (B3) but I've gotten some nice tones from it. So far I've been able to get some good sounds using it on a kick drum (although I prefer the C3 there), on a guitar amp, on acoustic guitar and on vocals. I often set it up as a double mic with something else and then listen to see what sits better in the mix. I've been pleasantly surprised at how many times the B1 fit the bill.

Jdier,
I won't assume your are a dumbass, but will run through this. It does not sound like you are giving the mic too much gain at the Q10 mic pre, which leads me to believe you could benefit from inline pads before the mic pre- Shure makes some that come recommended. Are you inserting to a piece of outboard gear at all? Could be distorting at the outboard gear. Doc

The SP B1 is a drummer's dream for mic'ing rack and floor toms. If you have a few AKG D414's around you won't need the B1's for that, but for those of us that don't have or can readily afford that kind of mics, the B1 is a real trooper and comes through very admirably. I suppose it would be good for overheads, although I tend to think towards small diaphram condensers as overheads. It will probably work on kick drums, but not too close. I'd worry about damaging it from the pressure coming out of the sound hole or open face of the kick. It seems to be good with most acoustic instruments.
-Jeff

I use mine on my B3... No, not Studio Project...Hammond B3. I have a 1956 sweetheart of a B3 and the B1's do very well. I actually use three of them. Two high, and one low.

SPAM WARNING
Alan Hyatt owns Studio Projects so whatever he says about his mics should not be listened to as he has no opinion and has not had any recording experience in his last 25 years of recording.....

That was just to keep the lurkers at bay... :c:

Alan,
I for one, am very glad that you have chosen to spend your time here. I understand the concerns of manufactures as I have had the opportunity to e mail or converse with many in the course of my duties as RO Reviews Editor. Believe me, this new position has opened my eyes to a lot of things and I have become much more sensitive to the fact that manufactures can sustain considerable damage by exposing themselves to public scrutiny, as you have here at RO. So for this, your willingness to stick your neck out on the chopping block, I would like to say in behalf of all the members of RO, thank you for allowing us all to have the chance to give you some input on your future products, for spending your valuable time with us, for making affordable products that are actually good enough to use and lastly for the support you have afforded Stephen Paul in the realization of his dream, the releasing of his new mic.. Please don’t let a few “spoilers” ruin the party for the rest of us.. Kurt

As a newbie, I made a budget based purchase of a pair of SP B1s about six months ago and have found that, as I get used to them, I am using them more in live situations to mic acoustic music. It's a remarkably versatile mic and seems to have a decent amount of signal rejection from the rear. It's controllable on a live stage.

Originally posted by Treeline:
As a newbie, I made a budget based purchase of a pair of SP B1s about six months ago and have found that, as I get used to them, I am using them more in live situations to mic acoustic music. It's a remarkably versatile mic and seems to have a decent amount of signal rejection from the rear. It's controllable on a live stage.

Funny you say that because the Allman Brothers Band use the TB1's live on on the Tympani's. Johnny Lange's band uses them to mic amps. So yeah, live works too.... Glad you have had success using them live as well. :cool:

Hey Alan, where can I order a pair of matched B3's...Hammond B3's that is! I have always wanted a B3 in my band!

By the way, I can hear the B1's recording a B3 in my head. Bet its a very nice match. Got any sound samples?