anyone do vox with sm57?

[mick thompson]

does anyone do vocals with a 57 and do they prefer it?

it just adds more high end or how do you find it reacts to your voice or the voices you record?

 

[greyskull]

great on backing vocals

 

[Torniojaws]

I think it's a good mic for heavy vocals when you don't have the SM7B. But as with all mics, it depends on the vocalist. What sounds good for one vocalist, can sound like shit for another.

 

[Joematthews]

I use it all the time on vocals... only cus I don't own an at3035... yet

Its better than the SM58 for studio vocals imho.

Joe

 

[ParsonsMatt]

I prefer the Audio Technica AT2020 for every kind of vocal. Sometimes I use the SM57 for low growls though.

 

[if6was9]

I use it all the time on vocals... only cus I don't own an at3035... yet

Its better than the SM58 for studio vocals imho.

Joe

There's a pretty negligible difference between a 57 and a 58, only real difference is the pop filter, one's ever so slightly treblier than the other.

 

[Joematthews]

There's a pretty negligible difference between a 57 and a 58, only real difference is the pop filter, one's ever so slightly treblier than the other.

The difference if enough to make it worth doing. I have tried you know

Joe

 

[Felix Neumann]

ACT OF RAGE´s "Gunman´s Poem" was recorded with the sm57 for the vocals. For loud lemmy-like vocals it´s the shit! I can recommend it.

Check the link above in my sig for listening. I have a soundclick player on my myspace page.

 

[The Unavoidable]

I have, and while it works just fine I would rather use my Studio Projects B1 which is about the same price. But it all depens on what kind of vibe you want. I feel that my growling vox needs the 'air' of the B1, and just end up sounding kinda thin on a 57.

 

[16S]

I have, and while it works just fine I would rather use my Studio Projects B1 which is about the same price. But it all depens on what kind of vibe you want. I feel that my growling vox needs the 'air' of the B1, and just end up sounding kinda thin on a 57.

I am thinking of getting a B1. I dont like what the 57 does with my death vocals. They become to trebley/breathy and not enough body.

Does the B1 give your vox more body?

 

[Soundlurker]

I prefer to use my B1 as well, but recently I had to record growls with an sm57 and it was quite ok.


16S, how are you positioned against the mic? I find that most of the times I get best results when the mouth is right at the level of the diaphragm and as close as possible without getting too much plausives.

 

[Metaltastic]

Gareth (XRatedDodo on here) has gotten some really cool results with the 57 as a vocal mic; requires a fair amount of eq (massive low-shelf cuts up to like 200 Hz) to get rid of excess bass/mud, but it can sound pretty decent once sliced and diced!

 

[The Unavoidable]

I am thinking of getting a B1. I dont like what the 57 does with my death vocals. They become to trebley/breathy and not enough body.

Does the B1 give your vox more body?

Yeah, I would definitly say that. It really seems just like there is more of everything. More lows, more highs, more "air" ya know?


But it also depends on your room. My B1 works great in my completely dead closet room which I normally use for vox recording, but there have been times where I've had to track in my huge stone-wall living room and then it really was mud-city. In that situation, the 57 worked out much better since it doesn't seem to pick up anything that isn't directly in front of it! But then again I also had more trouble fitting those vox into the mix.

Bottom line, yes I would recommend the B1.

 

[GarethSE]

Gareth (XRatedDodo on here) has gotten some really cool results with the 57 as a vocal mic; requires a fair amount of eq (massive low-shelf cuts up to like 200 Hz) to get rid of excess bass/mud, but it can sound pretty decent once sliced and diced!

I had a feeling you were gonna post something like that on this topic haha

And yeah, I find it usually needs a big fuck off mid scoop aswell, and I have to be careful as fuck with plosives. Huge amounts of compression. gClip and Elephant to boost the volume.
it's a stupid as fuck chain and more trouble than it's worth almost, but it gets some cool results in certain mixes.

oh and i do it handheld. i cover the gap between the capsule and the rest of the mix with my hand, so it's semi-cupped, which contributes to it sort of.

 

[abyssofdreams]

didn't Andy record Gossow with a SM57 on Doomsday?

 

[Jaymz]

Ive done it once for more of a QOTSA style song, worked out fine.

 

[Soundlurker]

My B1 works great in my completely dead closet room which I normally use for vox recording

Ha, I use mine in a dead sounding booth, too. It works great since the B1 has a slight boost in the hi-end.

 

[mick thompson]

and what would yall say about a 57 on live vocals? would it cut through the mix more? like...my vocalist is fine at screaming but when it comes to singing he just doesn't cut through the mix at all. i tell him to get right up close and personal with the mic for singing and it still doesn't cut through. i've ran through singing excercises and he certainly is forcing enough volume out for it to be picked up when he sings but could it be his vocal tonality? that its just lacking some mids or something?

or could comp'ing the shit outa the mic help to normalize everything. like bring down his screams and boost his singing.???

 

[GarethSE]

and what would yall say about a 57 on live vocals? would it cut through the mix more? like...my vocalist is fine at screaming but when it comes to singing he just doesn't cut through the mix at all. i tell him to get right up close and personal with the mic for singing and it still doesn't cut through. i've ran through singing excercises and he certainly is forcing enough volume out for it to be picked up when he sings but could it be his vocal tonality? that its just lacking some mids or something?

or could comp'ing the shit outa the mic help to normalize everything. like bring down his screams and boost his singing.???

seems all down to mic technique to me.
set the gain higher on the mic if his singing is quiet and scream further away from the mic, then move in close for singing.
compression can help too

 

[if6was9]

compression can help with live vox but it also increases the chance of feedback, so if you're already gonna be borderline feedback then don't compress.
I'm with thexrateddod on this- its a technique issue,