[danbmil99]

Sm57 all the way for me. $150 condenser mic I got at Guitar Center was terrible.

As a back in the day old time recording engineer, I had access to Neumanns and AKG mics worth thousands of dollars. But 60% of the time, a sure 57 ended up sounding better.

[plussed_reader]

The capsule for the 57 & the 58 are the same; it's the shell that ultimately determines the rejection pattern of the thing.

[random_moonwalk]

Hi, sorry for hijacking. I'm a bedroom producer noob and I'm currently using an NT1-A for vocal stuff although I've recently been working with a female vocalist who's got a very strong (and pretty bright-sounding) voice. Would you recommend giving the Sm57 a go for this sort of thing?

[danbmil99]

Absolutely. Condenser mics often don't work well with the kind of voice you're describing. They end up sounding shrill and a bit clippy even if they don't officially hit the clip level.

Mics like the 57, or the old re20 that you used to see in studios have a warmer, analog sound that's more forgiving and softens the harshness that you can hear in condenser mics.

[random_moonwalk]

Awesome, thanks! I'm going to give this a go :)

[danbmil99]

But 100% agree on the pop filter. We used to use pantyhose over a wire hanger shaped like a disc. Now you can get one for 25 bucks