mic's

IMO....a SM57 sounds good on just about everything. However if you use a quality pre amp on any of your mics, you should hear BIG , BIG changes in the quality of sound that you get out of the SM57 or which ever mic you try.
If you have a multitrack to record on (8 track recorder) try recording the instrument in question on 2 different tracks.
One track is miked w/ the 57 and the other w/ the C1000.
Listen back to it, also get a friend or 2 to listen and see if they hear the difference in quality.
Bottom line....if you want killer recordings, mics are only a starting point----------------preamps will take the sonic quality to a new BOLD level that is only possible with pre-amps
FYI--I have only one pre at this point. It retails for $1000
It sells for around $600- $700. And I got it at a going out of business sale at a local music store for under $350.
What a deal!!!!!!!!!!!
Best of luck!!!!! :D
FYI--my pre is a Mindprint Envoice and uses 1, 12AX7A tube

"90% of rock music can be recorded with two Shure SM57's"
A quote from Mitch Easter.

Chris

The 57 has a frequency response between roughly 40 and 15kHz, the C1000 between 30 and 20kHz. You'll get more detail out of the C1000, just depends on what kind of overall sound you want. I recorded a 4 piece section a few months ago with two C1000's, X/Y configuration at about 4-6 feet (1.5-2m) in a semi live room for a motown style project. They worked just fine. If you're close micing in the bell of a solo horn, the 57 will be a little more forgiving in terms of not overloading the pre on any agressive spots, since it's not as sensitive as the 1000.

i c.

wots a preamp? wot do they do? and how is it of use to me?

mic

put a 57 in front of what you want to record and see if you like it. if you don't like it then you just answered your own question.

wots a preamp? wot do they do? and how is it of use to me?

Wow.....sometimes I get the feeling that people don't even look around the site a little before they start posting..... :roll:

A preamp is used to bring up the signal coming from your microphone to a more usable level. If you have plugged a mic into a mixing board you were plugging it into the preamp, but just didn't know it. Many folks buy stand alone "outboard" pres to upgrade the sound.

Germanking wrote: i c.

wots a preamp? wot do they do? and how is it of use to me?

Please don't think I'm being rude when I say this, but if you don't know what a preamp is...I doubt you've been doing much recording. A preamp is what the other end of the mic cable plugs into (not the end plugged into the mic).