CompuServe Thread

Stan, Sorry to take so long to get back to you. But what a week its been. One dead Cadillac, two rebuilt SVHS decks, one rebuilt Toaster power supply, one crashed toaster hard drive (:( and a tremedous phone bill have prevented my timely response. By now you may have even purchased a mic. >>>Question: is the Shure SM57 the sorta entry level reasonable mike in their line ??<<<< Oh boy!!! Here we go!!!! (:> Its gonna be just exactly like everything else! But since you've had some experience in advising others in purchasing hardware/software, maybe you'll understand the can of worms you're getting into when chosing a mic! The SM57 isn't so much an "entry level" mic as one of their main line dynamic mics. Sort of an "if it ain't broke don't fix it" thing, same goes for the SM58. Lots of manufacturers, including Sure, have tried to improve on them with varying degrees of success, but if it ain't broke… BTW, the SM57 and SM58 sound very much alike. I believe very few people could actually tell them apart by only listening. However, the SM57 has a tighter pickup patter. I.E. The source would need to be a little closer to the mic to record the same volume on the 57 than the 58. Neither have stereo options that I've ever heard of. I don't know of any dynamic stereo mics in this price range. Most stereo mics are condensers, which require a battery or other power supply to charge the pickup element. Generally speaking, condensers aren't quite as rugged as dynamics. >>>[0] not hear the &*%$%^& camera mechanisms when I'm shooting quiet stuff [1] work reasonably well outdoors when shooting nature [2] work reasonably well indoors in groups of people (classrooms) [3] work reasonably well indoors when recording music (usually loud, blues or rock n roll)<<<< I'm not clear about your intended use. Are you looking for a mic to mount to your camera(s)? The 57 and 58s are designed for close to the sound source work. I.E. hand held vocalist, close miking of instruments. Although they will work for recording loud music, their may be better options for you. I don't believe that either has a wide enough pickup patter for camer mounted work, although they might be as good or better than some consumer cameras' mics. This is because they are very directional. They have whats called a cardiod pickup pattern. Real simply, that means they pick up sound from the front of the mic and reject sound comming from the back. (The pattern is sort of heart-shaped around the ball, thus a 'cardioid' pattern). This makes their use in a class room either good or bad (Hear (here) we go again!!!) If you want to interview one person and reject other ambient noise, its good! If you want to pick up a discussion of several people, its not so good. Better in that case to use an omnidirectional mic such as an Electro Voice 635. Which would be good for picking up nature sounds too! EV635s are used by hundreds of news gathering teams, and appear on presidential podiums as well! RE: Steve's comment, the 635 is bullet proof too! They used to have a commercial in which someone drove a 16 penny nail into a 2X4 with a 635, and then used it for the remainder of the commercial!!! You won't do that with a condenser! The 635 isn't too good for live sound, because it has very little feed back rejection (all omnis are this way). But for recording everything within earshot they're the way to go. Gee, you could write a book on this, couldn't you? I mean we haven't even gotten into the proximity effect of cardiods <SMILE>. The long and short of it is this: You will always turn out a better product when you can use the right tool for the job! IMHO, if you have to have only one mic, for both hand held and camera mounted work, find an Audio Technica dealer and ask Him/Her about a mic AT made to compete with a Sure SM81. I can't think of the model number off hand, I'll get back to you with it. It is a small diameter mic that should fit in most camera mounts. Its a condenser and requires a battery, but the batter is either a AA or AAA and fits inside the barrel. Although its a cardiod, it picks up more sound than an SM57 or SM58 at a longer distance. Handling noise probably will be higher than the 57/58 choice. The other hassle happens when the @#$#* battery dies on a shoot and you forgot to replace that spare. Batteries will last a long time though, something like 400 hours or so. Just long enough to lull you into the comfort zone, and then… oops dead! BTW a Sure SM 81 is an excellent mic for large areas, I've used them for choirs with excellent results, but about twice the dollars we've been discussing Another thought, do you know any of those blues players you're taping? They might lend you a mic now and again to try with your camera. Most good bands will have a 57/58 or other mfg. equivalent. The best way to learn is by doing. Okay.. Okay.. I'll ramble someplace else… good luck with your upcomming trip!