Huge thanks to UA-camr rdavidr for giving me the Pyle PDMIC78 used in this video. He does his own review of the mics here: ua-cam.com/video/cwPVFY1romk/v-deo.html
What a great vid. The Funkenwerk is so smooth and evenly representative of all frequencies in comparison to the other two. The Pyle seems to grab the first big crest and hold onto that frequency (more highs in the snare, more lows in the bass) Sloppy diaphragm design I imagine.
I know Im randomly asking but does anybody know of a tool to log back into an instagram account..? I was dumb lost my password. I would love any tips you can give me
I thought so, too, until the guitar cab, where there was a pretty significant difference. Too bad. I was hoping for a bargain for recording guitars, but i would now be paranoid about using it.
Yeah, it wasn't bad. I actually liked the others a lot better, and it's almost they sounded thicker and less detailed in the speed of the mic. For tone, yes the bright pyle was good, but I missed the rich mids of the stock 57.
Good video comparison. The Pyle didn't sound so bad for a ten dollar mic but I can imagine the clipping because of all the highs. The funk seemed like it had a tad more presence. Good video again.
I have the Pyle, I upgraded the internal wiring and it works great with my Scarlett. Would definitely recommend and will be buying a couple more for solid, affordable, general use mics.
The Pyle sounds good on it's own, but it's in a mix that the SM57 really shows its power. No wonder it has been the standard in the industry for so long.
I actually kinda like 57s as overheads in specific situations. They do a good rock sound, and that high-mid hump kinda evens cymbals out. I usually dip 5 kHz by like 3-5 dB at 2 Q and it sounds nice. But yeah! I thought the Pyle on kick was great! And I was surprised that the Funk 57 actually made a discernible difference on guitar. I'd actually pair the Funk 57 with the Pyle on guitar for a blend between bright/crunchy and thick mids. Thoroughly interesting.
I really liked the Pyle on snare. Seemed like it wouldn't need a bottom mic/trigger or much EQ, while the others would have needed something to enhance them
Great video! The pyle was shockingly good for the money. It sounds like it has a wider cardioid pattern than the 57, which was especially noticeable on the overhead track. I def preferred the Pyle on the snare, and kick which is crazy to me. On guitar and bass, it sounds like it would pair up really well with a ribbon mic, much the way a 57 is commonly used. On the guitar tracks, it also sounds to me like blending the pyle with the stock 57 could work really well. Thanks for the shootout!
Loved the Pyle best on the snare actually. But I liked the Funk57 on the bass cab and guitar cab. The stock 57 was just as I expected though, as it's a mic I use quite a bit.
Yes, I totally agree. Especially on the guitar cab, the more expensive mics sounded better, but on the drums -- particularly the snare -- the Pyle sounded as good as, if not better, than the other two. For $10. Wow!
To my ears, the stock 57 did GREAT on the guitar and bass tracks. Nice mid range and fine on low mids, but actually preferred the Pyle on the overhead and the kick, and the Funk57 on the Snare.
My thinking of the Pyle on the overheads was, I want to capture too much of that harsh highs and "swishyness" so I can blend it in later with a parallel track while the main track is eq'ing the worst of it out.
IMO pyle sounded really bad on the overheads because of the harsh high mids but it also made it really cool for kick. Combined with a LDC on the outside of the kick it could result in a really cool sound.
I typed out a comment about the pyle lacking a transformer, and how it would be interesting in a shootout against a transformerless 57 and as i was about to post it, you literally covered everything i was going to say at the end of the video xD Great work once again, Ryan!
The actual 57 does have a bunch more definition in the mid, so for guitars it'd be much better in the mix. I really do like the extra high end on the pyle for a snare
The Funk57 on the bass sounded pretty awesome, in my opinion. Pyle could be really useful on guitar, depending on the style of music. Nice video, dude. Keep up the amazing work!
I would love to hear the pyle and the others blended together. I really liked the scratchy highs of the pyle, and it could maybe complement the more beefy mids of the other two
Thanks for the comparison Ryan! To me it sounded like the Pyle and the 57 might complement each other pretty well if used together on a guitar amp. If you ever try it out let me know :)
I’m listening on earbuds currently, but the only significantly noticeable difference to me was on the guitar cabinets, the Pyle was much brighter and the other two 57’s captured more low end.
Nice comparison and a bit surprising to me too. I like the cheap Pyle way more than I expected. It makes the other two sound a bit muddy at times and shines for percussion. I'd like to hear the SM57 with the xformer removed for comparison. I did not hear a lot of clipping in the 78. Perhaps try a pad to clean it up and see what she looks like. Thanks for putting this info out there. Here's to keeping your mix damp but not soggy!
get one for yourself. they're nice to have around as backup mics. i have 2 57s and a bunch of other mics but if i need to mic up a bunch of stuff i tend to put the better mics on the stuff that will end up louder in the mix and then i'll put some pyle mics on the quieter stuff. i also duel mic my guitar cab with a 57 and a pyle mic in the fredman style when i'm doing higher gain stuff. works pretty well.
Cool video. I thought Pyle was ok on the snare, perfectly usable, but for a cheap clone I'd go with T-bone MB 75 (in Europe probably twice as expensive as Pyle, but still very cheap). I did some shootouts on voice and guitar cab with Shure and T-bone. Later when my Shure 57 died in an accident I decided not to replace it for vocals and just use t-bone. Few years earlier it would've been unthinkable for me but here we are.
Yeah Ryan! Thanks for the comparisons. I use the pyle every day. It is not as good as the sm57, and is not as durable. but it shines in a lot of places. i always thought of it as open sounding, but my novice ears can deceive me. They are also non balanced mics and need a slight mod to balance them. I've always liked the roundness the 57 has on the bottom end. I'm curious what the transformerless 57 would sound like in comparison as well. Thanks again for all your hard work
It was just re-soldering the pins. But if they're shipping balanced now, it's not an issue. Here's the link to the instructions i follow. ua-cam.com/video/KqkOUc5bcR0/v-deo.html.
Hi Ryan, first , great video again. Thanks. And i have a question. I have 2 stock 57 which i use for snare top and bottom. And was planning to buy buy 2 more for the side snare. Do you think, if i buy 2 Pyle PDMIC78, can use them under the snare, while using my 57s at the top? This saves good money. Do you think this works?
Yeah, I think that would work well. You get the thicker meat from the top mic, and the top end from the bottom. I would say try it. Or I can make a video about it if you give me some time.
The 78 sounded thinner and brighter. But the 57 definitely has more depth, detail, and punch than the Pyle. Thanks for this very well done comparison. Both are great mics!
Agree with diminishing returns point. On the drums and bass cab I was struggling to hear a difference between the stock and the funk. On the guitar cab though... that funk is the gravy between a decent guitar recording and the creme de la creme. I am very interested in hearing a shoot out between the pyle and a transformer-less stock (since that is a popular mod anyways). Great work as always, thank you Ryan!
Really surprised with the Pyle. Sounds great! Reminds me of an excerpt from Sylvia Massy’s book from a Matt Wallace interview where he talks about doing blind vocal mic shootouts and consistently picking an MXL 990 as the winner. Literally a $99 mic. People asked him “Oh dude, MXL 990? How’s it sound?” and Matt’s like “Sounds pretty good on the radio!” Cheap doesn’t always mean bad!
Creative Sound Lab it’s great. I picked one up years ago, great for vocals and acoustic guitar imo. I also have the 991, MXL’s pencil condenser. Sounds fantastic as well! Cheap mics... who’d have thought? lol
I guess it all depends on what your prefer in sound. How YOU want it to sound. I think I preferred the Pyle with the Bass and Guitar. I thought the Stock 57 was missing some of the bass harmonys I heard only in the Pyle. The Pyle, to my ear, made the bass sound more like the way I like to hear bass. I was actually really impressed. With the guitar I think the original 57 muddied up the guitar to much. The Pyle left it clear and I could hear the little pull offs you did much more clearly. The other issue is how im listening to your video. I have on a cheap pair of headphones. Someone else might be using some nice set of speakers. Others might be listening through their phone speaker. It will effect how they hear each mic. But thank you for the video sir. I appreciate the comparison. I hope you decided to do that "apples to apples" style video. Stay safe out there. ✌ 😊 ✝ ❤
Creative Sound Lab When I first started buying them, I read online that they come unbalanced and need a rewire, so I checked. Believe it or not I have got some wired correctly and some wired wrong. So now I just always replace the stock wire with a heavier gauge and better quality wire.
Maybe it's clipping but in a good way. I can totally see how I would use the Pyle. Ordered 4 of them right away. Looking forward to hear them with my cloudlifter...
Came to comments to see if anyone else agreed with this. The T58 had some extra definition in the guitar amp test that sounded really nice. Oddly, while I did like the Pyle for the drums, I thought the cymbals sounded a little blown out, and the bass test was super weak.
i like the funk57 on kick as compared to the others, also listening to the snare bleed etc. shows the added definition of the funk57. Have you ever tried a SM77, it has no transformer but a lighter aluminium voice coil.
I really liked the sound of the Pyle on the snare. Much clearer than the stock. There is a Stagg version on eBay for £17.99 here in the UK, I think I will give it a go. Cheers for the comparison Jolly
Best thing about the Pyle is you can use multiple mics in different spots on a cab then blend the different tracks together. Cone on-axis, edge off-axis, and behind the amp will get you a variety of tones that can be mixed together to emphasize different frequencies to a greater extent than just using three relatively similar mics.
Hey man, how did you get that great drum sound from the Pyle? I just picked up one and might get 3 more to use as a kick mic, snare mic, and 2 overheads. I've been experimenting with it for a while now and I just can't seem to get the beautiful sound that you and rdavidr got. I am very new to recording, as this is my first microphone. I am running the mic into a 4-channel mixer and out of the mixer via 3.5-usb into my not-so-good laptop with an online program (Soundtrap). Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
First of all, if you have a USB interface, plug it in directly into your motherboard's USB port, then check your connections, these mics sound best if you use native XLR, that junk cable they give you will sound bad because it is adapting XLR to TRS. After that check your levels, are your mics clipping? Are they distorted? Lowering the gain will help them sound better.
A good drum sound is having a well tuned kit to start with. Use a stereo set of overhead mics. Don’t get the mics too close to the drums. I use three fingers or about 2 inches as my distance off the rim of toms and snare. Finally try flipping polarity (Flip phase) to make sure when all mics are on, they don’t thin out the sound.
That's a fair shout; but even in a mix where I want some sources to sit in a narrow bandwidth, I tend to prefer the sound of a Sennheiser e835, or maybe a Shure SM7b. SM57s just always sound mushy and dull to me (except maybe pointed right at the cone of a guitar speaker).
The Hard Problem There's definitely better mics than the 57 for most application, but for $100, it's hard to beat. I've never loved how they sound on drums, but they're affordable.
I love the Pyles. Great high end. I prefer them over my stock 57's for snare and rack toms. They even work pretty good as overheads (I've done that too). Yeah , you're correct that they can get overloaded quickly if you aren't careful. It does bring up a great question , "why pay $100-200 , when you can pay $10-15?" Either way they are a good mic to have in the studio. But I don't know how they'd hold up on the road. The Funk 57's are good too (I have 2 myself). But , the funny thing is , I always tend to drop back to the Pyles. I just love that smooth , airy high end that they have , that I can't seem to achieve with the stock or funk 57's. Either way , all mics have their purposes. Great video.
Great thoughts here. Without a doubt, I think the Pyle would be useful to a mic locker. It is one more tool for the toolkit and at that price, why not? After all, the Pyle on a specific cab with a specific guitar may sound better than a SM57 on that same gear for a particular recording. Ten bucks, problem solved. And then there are personal tastes. I frequently do mic shootouts with an associate and while 90% of the time, we agree that mic #1 sounds 'better' than mics 2, 3, 4 and 5, 10% of the time we might choose drastically different mics. That is when I scratch my head and wonder what he hears that I don't or vice versa. I think in those 10% instances, it is the 'personal taste factor' that makes the difference. Maybe he has a better ear. Or perhaps it is a momentary lapse of reason on my part!
One advantage with the 57-style housing is the characteristics, you can really minimize leakage between mics when you record live. Sounds like the Pyle mic is transformerless. Do a comparison to the old Unidyne mic and also the low impedance input effect on the sound.
Great video! The SM57 is clearly better than the knock off. The SM57 is just one great mic! The Funkenwerk has extended frequency response particularly sounding better on kick. Really liked the stock 57 on bass cab, really punchy, could imagine it being mixed to a DI. On guitar cab and snare the Pyle is no match to both 57s.
I was very impressed with how the Pyle performed. It was clearly brighter, but it was the kind of bright you may actually switch out a mic to achieve, not the kind where it just sounds horrible. I thought it served better as an overhead (not that I would ever do that) because it brought out the nuances of the cymbals a little more. I'm sure the longevity of performance would be greatly diminished because of the price point, but honestly you could buy 5 or 6 of these things for the price of a stock 57.
What about the New 545sd do they have Vintage Spec Transformers or modern cheep-O’s? Or are they just a marketing gimmick with an impedance resistor circuit like a RadioShack branded Sure SM58s?
I've been using the Pyle on snare for years. However the 2 of the 3 units I own arrived phase reversed, and needed to be rewired. Also checkout the OSP DL330. My go-to touring guitar cab mic, most FOH engineers have said my "57" is has been the best sounding one they've heard.
Creative Sound Lab definitely worth looking into. I did shoot out roughly 2 years ago with the raw audio files for download, comparing multiple clones against the real thing, as well as other mics in the same price range. If you’re interested I’ll track down the link and post it.
pyle: kick (but need a speaker converted to mic to complete the picture) stock: snare, bass tab: overheads, guitar I would like to listen to the pyle bleed when used on toms, they sounded really good on toms in the other video but you played no cymbals. great video, thanks!
Thanks for sharing! Been looking a lot at mics and this video showed up XD Diminishing returns are definitely a thing, I noticed the most difference between the 57 and the Funken on the guitar cab, where I preferred the modded mic. My beat up old 57 might get one of those transformers >_>
All the videos I've watched comparing the SM-57 and the Pyle, I think the Pyle has always sounded so much better to me. Everyone doing the testing says the SM-57 sounds better. I wonder if that is because they paid more for the SM-57? I'm sure the 57 is built much better than the Pyle but still doesn't change the sound. Thanks for the great review.
I liked pyle on guitar amp and snare top!! The stock 57 done better as an OH mic, but we rather agree that a condenser mic is far more appropriate for the job. I liked the moded 57 on bass amp and I totally agree that the differences between 57 and moded 57 are quite unnoticed... Thanks for the video....
Great comparison. I kind of liked the Pyle on the snare. All around each mic on the kick was meh. The funk 57 sounded best on bass, and good ole 57 sounded best on guitars. I really enjoy your videos, and I think you stand out from most with your diy approach towards recording.
My take: Drums and Bass - The Pyle was really good here but the Funkenwerk was best. I'd say only if you have a lot of money laying around, the funkenwerk is definitely worth to use for drums (and bass if you'd use a 57 for that). The stock 57 is best on guitar by miles compared to the other two though. I think I should definitely buy some Pyle's after seeing this. Incredible results for such a cheap microphone!
For anyone interested in purchasing one of the Pyle 78s, I did a raw snare test on my channel. I was hugely shocked hearing how good the thing sounds right out of the box, especially for $12 AND with a cord! as CSL said, obviously there is a difference between the quality of sound and build between the 78 and the 57, and you’d likely never use them to produce a professional track, but they’re definitely 100% useable for drum videos, guitar amps, overheads as you can see here; they’re really dope little mics and 300% worth the price
I'm sure they could be used for pro material, but you have to be careful to place your bet unless you know they are good enough. It's just a sound and a variation. Your video is great btw.
To me, the Funk57 sounded like a nice blend between both the Stock57 and the Pyle. Like you said though, we start getting into diminished returns at x2 the price of a Stock57. It would be cheaper, with more tonal options, to just use the Pyle and the Stock57 in conjunction with each other and blend them manually rather than using the Funk57. Use a Wilkinson clip for micing the cabs and just run them both for overheads as well. On the individual drums, the difference isn't anything that a little EQ couldn't take care of. I don't think any of them sounded bad in any particular way and with the Pyle, it would come down to long-term physical durability. In a pinch, I doubt many people would even notice the difference.
The 57 is a decent all-rounder for sure and the differences were audible, but slight. Have you ever tried the Electro Voice Co4 for similar applications?
These are always interesting. I thought all three mics sounded good on the guitar, in different ways. Interesting point about the Pyle bring sans transformer- it is transparent and bright which can be great for that Stones-like rhythm sound that's crunchy but not a wall so much as a curtain. Maybe it distorted because it has low SPL capacity? BTW- I use a 545SD to get that sound reliably, and I think I learned that from you.
I totally agree with your assessment. I have pretty much stopped using a 57 on my snare drum though. It just doesn't give me what I am looking for even though it's a classic. I prefer the Audix i5. To me this is what I want. It just sounds good. Perhaps it is a little less transparent and sculpted, but in the end, that's the sound. 10 bucks for a Pyle. Super tight on a budget? Yeah, it would he fine. But 100 bucks for a 57. I paid that back in 1984! Did I pay list price then? Or are they just being made super cheap now? Still a hundred bucks!
Maybe it's because I'm watching this on the phone, but I really dig the sound of the Pyle on snare. For certain music genres, it would be a no-brainer for me.
The brightness level of Pyle is amazing as a person who really like Hi Freq that much... Brightness at close snare of Pyle is almost the same like close + OH mics for me, didnt need to add hi freq at post processing but maybe cut it a little bit...
My 2 cents: The Pyle is more midscooped, you can hear that most on the bass track, that´s why it sounds brighter and snappier on the snare and not as dense as the Shure or the Funkenwerk, and it´s definetly got more of an edge to it. Sounded great on snare and bass IMHO! The Stock SM57 is much more full bodied (more mids) than the pyle, but hasn´t got the bass or the highs at first glance (mid scoop). It´s overall a lot more detailed than the pyle, which sounded a little brittle. (You can hear that most as a OH) The Funkenwerk modded SM57, is really close to the Stock SM57, but it definetly has improved bass both in volume and firmness. That makes it a tiny bit darker at first glance though. If you´re interested in how other mics sound as a mono Overhead, please go check out our Drum Overhead Shootout, we compare 14 different mics there, and tell us what you think! :) Great Video as always Ryan! Keep it up! :) Cheers ~Moe (MachMaMecker-Recording)
With guitar: Funkenwerk was best, then standard SM57, then Funk57. But the takeaway for me is that I spent about 20 minutes repeating the sound of each to make this determination. It was very difficult to tell the difference, especially between the Funk57 and the standard SM57. I can't believe the Funk57 is that close to the others. Gotta love China for things like this!
I have a bunch of 57s to use, but my Pyle 57 isnt the worst mic on the bottom of a snare. It is what it is, but it still can find its place in a collection.
What surprised me was I actually liked the Pyle on the guitar cab quite a bit. It sounded more clear. Then again, I'm listening to this on my phone, so I could be wrong.
Great comparison, obviously the Pyle is far from the best mic, but I'm definitely impressed at what it can do especially that first guitar amping sounded real clean, eye opening would be interesting to see the Pyle with a transformer and the stock compared too.
Well, I have had long experience with a mixer that had global phantom power, so I'd be nervous of using a transformerless dynamic mic alongside condenser mics. The Pyle did seem nicer on some things but on those, the SM57 wasn't matching on gain so that is not exactly a fair test because, well Fletcher Munson. On other things though, the SM 57 seemed best and yet others the T58 maybe though that was very close. I think that the SM57 was between the other 2 and for that reason a better general choice if you are limited to 1 mic. A strength of the 57 is the bass roll-off which helps it reject excess low end sounds, giving it good isolation in a live band situation, I don't know about the other two mics in this regard. Also, 57 has low sensitivity so it's good for capturing loud sounds in close, another plus for isolation. However, it's not good on soft sounds nor at distance. It works well for me recording my quena & zampona in a untreated spare room. It also knocks off the transients. Again, I am not familiar withe the other 2 mics here so, I can't comment on that aspect for them. Personally, I know the 57 has a reputation for being a nice sounding reliable robust live instrument mic. One might prefer a condenser mic to capture more detail & capturing soft sounds. Basically horses for courses, but I went with the 57 because it's so well known with a reliable reputation & inexpensive. In terms of miking the snare, the SM57 roll-off rejects much of the low end. I think it is intended for use alongside a full drum kit where you really only want to enhance the upper snare detail to offset the rest of the kit. It's not intended to capture the full spare spectrum of the snare, adjusting gain to judiciously add the icing on the cake. If you want to faithfully capture full spectrum sounds, the 57 is not your mic, maybe go to a condenser for that. Being a cheapskate, I have used a pair of Yoga BM-26 mics inside an almost toy bongo for live performance & been really really impressed. I think they were around $30 each. These start rolling off below 200Hz and have a little peak around 5-6k. Some like to use them inside a kick drum, I don't know why you need to mic that, I usually want to but a blanket in the dam things. LOL
Pyle did good on guitar. More open sounding to me. Pyle won the OH too. Amazing. Id might get a few. Really an inexpensive alternative. Thx for the vid. 😁
When laying the mics on a bass amp, is there a general rule of thumb that differs from mic-ing a guitar amp? And have you ever tried putting a mic (on a bass amp) behind the speakers? I recorded once like that and we had some fun results with it.
For bass amps, a lot of different types of mics can work, but if using a RE20, I usually place it in the center of the speaker. Keep it close. My friend has a U67 that they use on a bass cab and it's placed about 8 inches out.
Very intredasting. The Pyle sounds great. If you want it to sound like a true 57 you could always eq out some of the upper stuff. I wonder how it takes SPL and physical abuse? Guess I'll have to buy one to find out. Good vid!
Huge thanks to UA-camr rdavidr for giving me the Pyle PDMIC78 used in this video. He does his own review of the mics here: ua-cam.com/video/cwPVFY1romk/v-deo.html
This is actually the vid that peaked my interest with this mic.
What a great vid. The Funkenwerk is so smooth and evenly representative of all frequencies in comparison to the other two. The Pyle seems to grab the first big crest and hold onto that frequency (more highs in the snare, more lows in the bass) Sloppy diaphragm design I imagine.
You're welcome. I gave him the idea for his vid. Yeah still salty.
Creative Sound Lab what guitar amp are you using? I imagine it’s a fender tweed style but not sure on the exact specks
I know Im randomly asking but does anybody know of a tool to log back into an instagram account..?
I was dumb lost my password. I would love any tips you can give me
Pyle didn’t sound bad
Nick Hill i bought 4 of em and i use them all the time
sean Williams I'd love to hear the Friedman technique with a couple of pyles
I agree. A bit edgy, a little hollow in the mids... but still useful. Different flavors for different projects
I thought so, too, until the guitar cab, where there was a pretty significant difference. Too bad. I was hoping for a bargain for recording guitars, but i would now be paranoid about using it.
I use the pyle for guitar cabs, it sounds like it clips the signal without actually clipping it. Unfortunately I can't afford anything more
Wow the pyle sounds pretty sweet with that added high end.. Also never thought a 57 style mic would sound so good as an overhead. And mono at that!
Yeah, it wasn't bad. I actually liked the others a lot better, and it's almost they sounded thicker and less detailed in the speed of the mic. For tone, yes the bright pyle was good, but I missed the rich mids of the stock 57.
Good video comparison. The Pyle didn't sound so bad for a ten dollar mic but I can imagine the clipping because of all the highs. The funk seemed like it had a tad more presence. Good video again.
I have the Pyle, I upgraded the internal wiring and it works great with my Scarlett. Would definitely recommend and will be buying a couple more for solid, affordable, general use mics.
The Pyle sounds good on it's own, but it's in a mix that the SM57 really shows its power. No wonder it has been the standard in the industry for so long.
I actually kinda like 57s as overheads in specific situations. They do a good rock sound, and that high-mid hump kinda evens cymbals out. I usually dip 5 kHz by like 3-5 dB at 2 Q and it sounds nice. But yeah! I thought the Pyle on kick was great! And I was surprised that the Funk 57 actually made a discernible difference on guitar. I'd actually pair the Funk 57 with the Pyle on guitar for a blend between bright/crunchy and thick mids. Thoroughly interesting.
Let’s hear the Pyle with the funken transformer in it
thought about that....
mr whetto
Came here to hear the SM57 left with two Pyle's in my cart for the mic cabinet!
I really liked the Pyle on snare. Seemed like it wouldn't need a bottom mic/trigger or much EQ, while the others would have needed something to enhance them
It was beautiful on the snare! Wow I’m blown away
Great video! The pyle was shockingly good for the money. It sounds like it has a wider cardioid pattern than the 57, which was especially noticeable on the overhead track. I def preferred the Pyle on the snare, and kick which is crazy to me. On guitar and bass, it sounds like it would pair up really well with a ribbon mic, much the way a 57 is commonly used. On the guitar tracks, it also sounds to me like blending the pyle with the stock 57 could work really well. Thanks for the shootout!
Loved the Pyle best on the snare actually. But I liked the Funk57 on the bass cab and guitar cab. The stock 57 was just as I expected though, as it's a mic I use quite a bit.
Yes, I totally agree. Especially on the guitar cab, the more expensive mics sounded better, but on the drums -- particularly the snare -- the Pyle sounded as good as, if not better, than the other two. For $10. Wow!
To my ears, the stock 57 did GREAT on the guitar and bass tracks. Nice mid range and fine on low mids, but actually preferred the Pyle on the overhead and the kick, and the Funk57 on the Snare.
Wow, I thought the Pyle was my last pick for overhead, but thought it had some use on Kick if you needed that high end.
My thinking of the Pyle on the overheads was, I want to capture too much of that harsh highs and "swishyness" so I can blend it in later with a parallel track while the main track is eq'ing the worst of it out.
Personally, I actually heard even a bit more resonant low end on the Pyle with kick, funny enough
IMO pyle sounded really bad on the overheads because of the harsh high mids but it also made it really cool for kick. Combined with a LDC on the outside of the kick it could result in a really cool sound.
Is it me or did that Pyle just sound best overall?
I'm with you.
It was certainly not worse. I did see another video where it was a lot worse. Not sure why.
Definitely like the Pyle the best especially on the snare, more clear and bright to my ears! Lol! Wow
I was feeling the same.
Maybe he used very low gain and gave a warm sound but if if its a knock off with high gain will distort
I typed out a comment about the pyle lacking a transformer, and how it would be interesting in a shootout against a transformerless 57 and as i was about to post it, you literally covered everything i was going to say at the end of the video xD
Great work once again, Ryan!
The actual 57 does have a bunch more definition in the mid, so for guitars it'd be much better in the mix. I really do like the extra high end on the pyle for a snare
Fantastic video as usual. Keep doing what you're doing, but don't be afraid of getting out there with experiments/ techniques.
The Funk57 on the bass sounded pretty awesome, in my opinion. Pyle could be really useful on guitar, depending on the style of music. Nice video, dude. Keep up the amazing work!
I would love to hear the pyle and the others blended together. I really liked the scratchy highs of the pyle, and it could maybe complement the more beefy mids of the other two
That Pyle... Pretty impressed for $10...
Awesome comparison! The mic comparisons of the Pyle 57 and Shure 57 are always interesting.
Thanks for the comparison Ryan! To me it sounded like the Pyle and the 57 might complement each other pretty well if used together on a guitar amp. If you ever try it out let me know :)
Tomas Niemistö yes I want to see a video of these two working together.
I’m listening on earbuds currently, but the only significantly noticeable difference to me was on the guitar cabinets, the Pyle was much brighter and the other two 57’s captured more low end.
Nice comparison and a bit surprising to me too. I like the cheap Pyle way more than I expected. It makes the other two sound a bit muddy at times and shines for percussion. I'd like to hear the SM57 with the xformer removed for comparison. I did not hear a lot of clipping in the 78. Perhaps try a pad to clean it up and see what she looks like.
Thanks for putting this info out there. Here's to keeping your mix damp but not soggy!
i'm surprised what that $10 mic could do
get one for yourself. they're nice to have around as backup mics. i have 2 57s and a bunch of other mics but if i need to mic up a bunch of stuff i tend to put the better mics on the stuff that will end up louder in the mix and then i'll put some pyle mics on the quieter stuff. i also duel mic my guitar cab with a 57 and a pyle mic in the fredman style when i'm doing higher gain stuff. works pretty well.
I just bought one literally ten minutes ago, wish me luck lol.
Cool video. I thought Pyle was ok on the snare, perfectly usable, but for a cheap clone I'd go with T-bone MB 75 (in Europe probably twice as expensive as Pyle, but still very cheap). I did some shootouts on voice and guitar cab with Shure and T-bone. Later when my Shure 57 died in an accident I decided not to replace it for vocals and just use t-bone. Few years earlier it would've been unthinkable for me but here we are.
I was surprised how much the Pyle was not terrible. Not the best but could still be useful.
Best demo editing ever! Brilliant!
I like the Pyle on snare. Like a lot. I am using KRK's, my opinion may be different if I was listening to it on NS10's.
Yeah perspective is everything.
Yeah Ryan! Thanks for the comparisons. I use the pyle every day. It is not as good as the sm57, and is not as durable. but it shines in a lot of places. i always thought of it as open sounding, but my novice ears can deceive me. They are also non balanced mics and need a slight mod to balance them. I've always liked the roundness the 57 has on the bottom end. I'm curious what the transformerless 57 would sound like in comparison as well. Thanks again for all your hard work
Aaron Bird They ship balanced these days
What mod do you do in order to balance them?
It was just re-soldering the pins. But if they're shipping balanced now, it's not an issue. Here's the link to the instructions i follow. ua-cam.com/video/KqkOUc5bcR0/v-deo.html.
wow! great video, man! very useful info. And that $10 mic can be useful!
Hi Ryan, first , great video again. Thanks. And i have a question. I have 2 stock 57 which i use for snare top and bottom. And was planning to buy buy 2 more for the side snare. Do you think, if i buy 2 Pyle PDMIC78, can use them under the snare, while using my 57s at the top? This saves good money. Do you think this works?
Yeah, I think that would work well. You get the thicker meat from the top mic, and the top end from the bottom. I would say try it. Or I can make a video about it if you give me some time.
Thanks for your answer. And yeah the video idea is great ;)
Thanks so much for this video, it's great to hear these microphones across the range of applications. 10/10!!
This is a first for me that I have seen somebody mic a kick drum with an sm57
I shouldn't like that Pyle more, but I do. I like it on everything more than the 57's. Weird. Thanks for the great vid!
The 78 sounded thinner and brighter. But the 57 definitely has more depth, detail, and punch than the Pyle.
Thanks for this very well done comparison. Both are great mics!
I thought the Pyle was OK on kick drum beater. That's about it I guess. A little bit bright/snappy works as a beater sound.
That bright & snappy makes a usable snare bottom mic too. Give it a try!
Agree with diminishing returns point. On the drums and bass cab I was struggling to hear a difference between the stock and the funk. On the guitar cab though... that funk is the gravy between a decent guitar recording and the creme de la creme. I am very interested in hearing a shoot out between the pyle and a transformer-less stock (since that is a popular mod anyways). Great work as always, thank you Ryan!
Really surprised with the Pyle. Sounds great! Reminds me of an excerpt from Sylvia Massy’s book from a Matt Wallace interview where he talks about doing blind vocal mic shootouts and consistently picking an MXL 990 as the winner. Literally a $99 mic. People asked him “Oh dude, MXL 990? How’s it sound?” and Matt’s like “Sounds pretty good on the radio!” Cheap doesn’t always mean bad!
Yeah I remember that page in the book. I'll need to check out that mic.
Creative Sound Lab it’s great. I picked one up years ago, great for vocals and acoustic guitar imo. I also have the 991, MXL’s pencil condenser. Sounds fantastic as well! Cheap mics... who’d have thought? lol
You’re doing amazing work for all of us. Thank you.
I guess it all depends on what your prefer in sound. How YOU want it to sound.
I think I preferred the Pyle with the Bass and Guitar.
I thought the Stock 57 was missing some of the bass harmonys I heard only in the Pyle.
The Pyle, to my ear, made the bass sound more like the way I like to hear bass. I was actually really impressed.
With the guitar I think the original 57 muddied up the guitar to much.
The Pyle left it clear and I could hear the little pull offs you did much more clearly.
The other issue is how im listening to your video. I have on a cheap pair of headphones. Someone else might be using some nice set of speakers. Others might be listening through their phone speaker. It will effect how they hear each mic.
But thank you for the video sir. I appreciate the comparison. I hope you decided to do that "apples to apples" style video.
Stay safe out there.
✌ 😊 ✝ ❤
I own a lot of those Pyle 78's. They're an insane deal, but I usually rewire them when I get them. Keep that in mind.
Andrew finley what exactly do you do to rewire them?
Creative Sound Lab When I first started buying them, I read online that they come unbalanced and need a rewire, so I checked. Believe it or not I have got some wired correctly and some wired wrong.
So now I just always replace the stock wire with a heavier gauge and better quality wire.
Maybe it's clipping but in a good way. I can totally see how I would use the Pyle. Ordered 4 of them right away. Looking forward to hear them with my cloudlifter...
Haha, you might not need the cloudlifter. They are kinda hot mics I think.
Like everyone else, I'm amazed at how well the Pyle sounded. ESPECIALLY on drums. I would totally use it as a snare mic.
Yeah really quite good. I'm always added highs to the snare
I like the Pyle mic for the drums and bass, but I think the modded SM57 takes the cake for guitar.
Came to comments to see if anyone else agreed with this. The T58 had some extra definition in the guitar amp test that sounded really nice. Oddly, while I did like the Pyle for the drums, I thought the cymbals sounded a little blown out, and the bass test was super weak.
i like the funk57 on kick as compared to the others, also listening to the snare bleed etc. shows the added definition of the funk57.
Have you ever tried a SM77, it has no transformer but a lighter aluminium voice coil.
I really liked the sound of the Pyle on the snare. Much clearer than the stock. There is a Stagg version on eBay for £17.99 here in the UK, I think I will give it a go.
Cheers for the comparison
Jolly
Nice comparaison and strait to the point!!
The pyle did pretty well as an overhead mic, might get one for that purpose
Best thing about the Pyle is you can use multiple mics in different spots on a cab then blend the different tracks together. Cone on-axis, edge off-axis, and behind the amp will get you a variety of tones that can be mixed together to emphasize different frequencies to a greater extent than just using three relatively similar mics.
Hey man, how did you get that great drum sound from the Pyle? I just picked up one and might get 3 more to use as a kick mic, snare mic, and 2 overheads. I've been experimenting with it for a while now and I just can't seem to get the beautiful sound that you and rdavidr got. I am very new to recording, as this is my first microphone. I am running the mic into a 4-channel mixer and out of the mixer via 3.5-usb into my not-so-good laptop with an online program (Soundtrap). Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
First of all, if you have a USB interface, plug it in directly into your motherboard's USB port, then check your connections, these mics sound best if you use native XLR, that junk cable they give you will sound bad because it is adapting XLR to TRS. After that check your levels, are your mics clipping? Are they distorted? Lowering the gain will help them sound better.
I have 2 Pyles and an AT2020 as an overhead and they sound really good combined, lots of low emd and balanced mids amd highs.
A good drum sound is having a well tuned kit to start with. Use a stereo set of overhead mics. Don’t get the mics too close to the drums. I use three fingers or about 2 inches as my distance off the rim of toms and snare. Finally try flipping polarity (Flip phase) to make sure when all mics are on, they don’t thin out the sound.
Today I learned I really don't like the SM57 (or copies of it). Thanks for saving me $100!
You might not like it in isolation, but many of these tones would be much better in a mix
That's a fair shout; but even in a mix where I want some sources to sit in a narrow bandwidth, I tend to prefer the sound of a Sennheiser e835, or maybe a Shure SM7b. SM57s just always sound mushy and dull to me (except maybe pointed right at the cone of a guitar speaker).
The Hard Problem There's definitely better mics than the 57 for most application, but for $100, it's hard to beat. I've never loved how they sound on drums, but they're affordable.
The Hard Problem. I think it is safe to say that an SM57 was used on your favorite recordings. Buzz Osborne uses one for live vocals.
Wow, I actually preferred the Pyle on the snare drum. I’m surprised! For that price, I’m going to buy a couple to have on hand. Great video!
I love the Pyles. Great high end. I prefer them over my stock 57's for snare and rack toms. They even work pretty good as overheads (I've done that too). Yeah , you're correct that they can get overloaded quickly if you aren't careful. It does bring up a great question , "why pay $100-200 , when you can pay $10-15?" Either way they are a good mic to have in the studio. But I don't know how they'd hold up on the road. The Funk 57's are good too (I have 2 myself). But , the funny thing is , I always tend to drop back to the Pyles. I just love that smooth , airy high end that they have , that I can't seem to achieve with the stock or funk 57's. Either way , all mics have their purposes. Great video.
Not gonna lie... That Pyle mic has a lot more clarity to it. I like that!
Great thoughts here. Without a doubt, I think the Pyle would be useful to a mic locker. It is one more tool for the toolkit and at that price, why not? After all, the Pyle on a specific cab with a specific guitar may sound better than a SM57 on that same gear for a particular recording. Ten bucks, problem solved. And then there are personal tastes. I frequently do mic shootouts with an associate and while 90% of the time, we agree that mic #1 sounds 'better' than mics 2, 3, 4 and 5, 10% of the time we might choose drastically different mics. That is when I scratch my head and wonder what he hears that I don't or vice versa. I think in those 10% instances, it is the 'personal taste factor' that makes the difference. Maybe he has a better ear. Or perhaps it is a momentary lapse of reason on my part!
One advantage with the 57-style housing is the characteristics, you can really minimize leakage between mics when you record live. Sounds like the Pyle mic is transformerless. Do a comparison to the old Unidyne mic and also the low impedance input effect on the sound.
wow great idea. I have a friend that has the sm77 and it sounds amazing. Is that the one or are you talking about a different smXX?
Great video! The SM57 is clearly better than the knock off. The SM57 is just one great mic! The Funkenwerk has extended frequency response particularly sounding better on kick. Really liked the stock 57 on bass cab, really punchy, could imagine it being mixed to a DI. On guitar cab and snare the Pyle is no match to both 57s.
Right, and glad you heard that stuff. Good ears.
Thanks! Really love your work!
I was very impressed with how the Pyle performed. It was clearly brighter, but it was the kind of bright you may actually switch out a mic to achieve, not the kind where it just sounds horrible. I thought it served better as an overhead (not that I would ever do that) because it brought out the nuances of the cymbals a little more. I'm sure the longevity of performance would be greatly diminished because of the price point, but honestly you could buy 5 or 6 of these things for the price of a stock 57.
That Pyle is insanely good for the price. Anyone looking to get started recording on a tight budget would do well to grab a couple of them.
I rather the stagg 57 copy, it's a little more expensive, but way cheaper to a shure and way better too
My buddy recording his guitar on his album with the Pyle and it sounds amazing.
What about the New 545sd do they have Vintage Spec Transformers or modern cheep-O’s? Or are they just a marketing gimmick with an impedance resistor circuit like a RadioShack branded Sure SM58s?
those pyle mics sounded surprisingly good
I've been using the Pyle on snare for years. However the 2 of the 3 units I own arrived phase reversed, and needed to be rewired.
Also checkout the OSP DL330. My go-to touring guitar cab mic, most FOH engineers have said my "57" is has been the best sounding one they've heard.
Interesting, they look to be about $50 or so. I'll have to check those out.
Creative Sound Lab definitely worth looking into. I did shoot out roughly 2 years ago with the raw audio files for download, comparing multiple clones against the real thing, as well as other mics in the same price range. If you’re interested I’ll track down the link and post it.
pyle: kick (but need a speaker converted to mic to complete the picture)
stock: snare, bass
tab: overheads, guitar
I would like to listen to the pyle bleed when used on toms, they sounded really good on toms in the other video but you played no cymbals. great video, thanks!
Damn, should have played the cymbals. Sorry!
@@creativesoundlab all good man, I'll may take my chances with them. cheers!
Please Revisit this Shoot out with a Stock Transformer-less 57 in the line up. Or maybe just Stock Pyle vs Tfm-lss Sure SM57.
Thanks for sharing! Been looking a lot at mics and this video showed up XD Diminishing returns are definitely a thing, I noticed the most difference between the 57 and the Funken on the guitar cab, where I preferred the modded mic. My beat up old 57 might get one of those transformers >_>
Wow that Funkenwork sounded sick on guitars! The mids were very sweet!
Yeah it's a nice mic for sure.
Yes but when are you going to be doing a demo on those luscious locks?
All the videos I've watched comparing the SM-57 and the Pyle, I think the Pyle has always sounded so much better to me. Everyone doing the testing says the SM-57 sounds better. I wonder if that is because they paid more for the SM-57? I'm sure the 57 is built much better than the Pyle but still doesn't change the sound. Thanks for the great review.
Funk57 on Bass and Guitar. Everything else the Stock57 was the winner for me. That Pyle mic was definitely ok and for $10 how can you go wrong?
I liked pyle on guitar amp and snare top!! The stock 57 done better as an OH mic, but we rather agree that a condenser mic is far more appropriate for the job. I liked the moded 57 on bass amp and I totally agree that the differences between 57 and moded 57 are quite unnoticed... Thanks for the video....
Right on man!
Great comparison. I kind of liked the Pyle on the snare. All around each mic on the kick was meh. The funk 57 sounded best on bass, and good ole 57 sounded best on guitars. I really enjoy your videos, and I think you stand out from most with your diy approach towards recording.
Thanks Patrick!
My take:
Drums and Bass - The Pyle was really good here but the Funkenwerk was best. I'd say only if you have a lot of money laying around, the funkenwerk is definitely worth to use for drums (and bass if you'd use a 57 for that).
The stock 57 is best on guitar by miles compared to the other two though.
I think I should definitely buy some Pyle's after seeing this. Incredible results for such a cheap microphone!
So, ...there you go.
It’s all about:
- proper gain staging
- a good musician
- nice sounding instruments
- and the room
For anyone interested in purchasing one of the Pyle 78s, I did a raw snare test on my channel. I was hugely shocked hearing how good the thing sounds right out of the box, especially for $12 AND with a cord!
as CSL said, obviously there is a difference between the quality of sound and build between the 78 and the 57, and you’d likely never use them to produce a professional track, but they’re definitely 100% useable for drum videos, guitar amps, overheads as you can see here; they’re really dope little mics and 300% worth the price
I'm sure they could be used for pro material, but you have to be careful to place your bet unless you know they are good enough. It's just a sound and a variation. Your video is great btw.
To me, the Funk57 sounded like a nice blend between both the Stock57 and the Pyle. Like you said though, we start getting into diminished returns at x2 the price of a Stock57. It would be cheaper, with more tonal options, to just use the Pyle and the Stock57 in conjunction with each other and blend them manually rather than using the Funk57. Use a Wilkinson clip for micing the cabs and just run them both for overheads as well. On the individual drums, the difference isn't anything that a little EQ couldn't take care of. I don't think any of them sounded bad in any particular way and with the Pyle, it would come down to long-term physical durability. In a pinch, I doubt many people would even notice the difference.
Great insight!
The 57 is a decent all-rounder for sure and the differences were audible, but slight. Have you ever tried the Electro Voice Co4 for similar applications?
I had never heard of that mic but seems to have a following. I might need to find one to try it out.
These are always interesting. I thought all three mics sounded good on the guitar, in different ways. Interesting point about the Pyle bring sans transformer- it is transparent and bright which can be great for that Stones-like rhythm sound that's crunchy but not a wall so much as a curtain. Maybe it distorted because it has low SPL capacity? BTW- I use a 545SD to get that sound reliably, and I think I learned that from you.
Impressed with the Pyle mics. But I still preferred the stock sm57 on all of the demos.
where and how to find more cheap audio gear copies like this Pyle??
I totally agree with your assessment. I have pretty much stopped using a 57 on my snare drum though. It just doesn't give me what I am looking for even though it's a classic. I prefer the Audix i5. To me this is what I want. It just sounds good. Perhaps it is a little less transparent and sculpted, but in the end, that's the sound.
10 bucks for a Pyle. Super tight on a budget? Yeah, it would he fine. But 100 bucks for a 57. I paid that back in 1984! Did I pay list price then? Or are they just being made super cheap now? Still a hundred bucks!
Super interesting!! Great vid!
The pyle with the transformer :)
Funkenwerk sounds wonderfully dark on bass.
Pyle was bright, obviously different on snare and guitar. I wonder what the spill's like?
Maybe it's because I'm watching this on the phone, but I really dig the sound of the Pyle on snare. For certain music genres, it would be a no-brainer for me.
Yeah it's really a pretty good sound. Might be worth throwing it next to the 57 if you have the extra channel or have a crazy drummer that hits mics.
But then; is the Pyle the same mic they sell as a Counterfeit SM57 on Amazon?
never thought I'd think the Pyle would sound the best to my ears out of the three, it makes the others sound more dull.
The brightness level of Pyle is amazing as a person who really like Hi Freq that much...
Brightness at close snare of Pyle is almost the same like close + OH mics for me, didnt need to add hi freq at post processing but maybe cut it a little bit...
My 2 cents:
The Pyle is more midscooped, you can hear that most on the bass track, that´s why it sounds brighter and snappier on the snare and not as dense as the Shure or the Funkenwerk, and it´s definetly got more of an edge to it. Sounded great on snare and bass IMHO!
The Stock SM57 is much more full bodied (more mids) than the pyle, but hasn´t got the bass or the highs at first glance (mid scoop). It´s overall a lot more detailed than the pyle, which sounded a little brittle. (You can hear that most as a OH)
The Funkenwerk modded SM57, is really close to the Stock SM57, but it definetly has improved bass both in volume and firmness. That makes it a tiny bit darker at first glance though.
If you´re interested in how other mics sound as a mono Overhead, please go check out our Drum Overhead Shootout, we compare 14 different mics there, and tell us what you think! :)
Great Video as always Ryan! Keep it up! :)
Cheers
~Moe (MachMaMecker-Recording)
Really great insight. One of the best comments so far with really good feedback on what each mic does!
With guitar: Funkenwerk was best, then standard SM57, then Funk57. But the takeaway for me is that I spent about 20 minutes repeating the sound of each to make this determination. It was very difficult to tell the difference, especially between the Funk57 and the standard SM57. I can't believe the Funk57 is that close to the others. Gotta love China for things like this!
I have a bunch of 57s to use, but my Pyle 57 isnt the worst mic on the bottom of a snare. It is what it is, but it still can find its place in a collection.
I’m going to order a Pyle to use an overhead, it was the best of the three for that application
What surprised me was I actually liked the Pyle on the guitar cab quite a bit. It sounded more clear. Then again, I'm listening to this on my phone, so I could be wrong.
Is it just me or does the Pyle on drums sound like 80's hip-hop? I really want to record some loops with it now.
Wow. Pyle did good. Only really noticeable on the guitar cab, but still a nice tone.
Yeah really not bad. The mids are lacking as I tried to take the highs out of the amp but still missed the mid push of the sm57.
Great comparison, obviously the Pyle is far from the best mic, but I'm definitely impressed at what it can do especially that first guitar amping sounded real clean, eye opening would be interesting to see the Pyle with a transformer and the stock compared too.
Well, I have had long experience with a mixer that had global phantom power, so I'd be nervous of using a transformerless dynamic mic alongside condenser mics. The Pyle did seem nicer on some things but on those, the SM57 wasn't matching on gain so that is not exactly a fair test because, well Fletcher Munson. On other things though, the SM 57 seemed best and yet others the T58 maybe though that was very close. I think that the SM57 was between the other 2 and for that reason a better general choice if you are limited to 1 mic. A strength of the 57 is the bass roll-off which helps it reject excess low end sounds, giving it good isolation in a live band situation, I don't know about the other two mics in this regard. Also, 57 has low sensitivity so it's good for capturing loud sounds in close, another plus for isolation. However, it's not good on soft sounds nor at distance. It works well for me recording my quena & zampona in a untreated spare room. It also knocks off the transients. Again, I am not familiar withe the other 2 mics here so, I can't comment on that aspect for them. Personally, I know the 57 has a reputation for being a nice sounding reliable robust live instrument mic. One might prefer a condenser mic to capture more detail & capturing soft sounds. Basically horses for courses, but I went with the 57 because it's so well known with a reliable reputation & inexpensive.
In terms of miking the snare, the SM57 roll-off rejects much of the low end. I think it is intended for use alongside a full drum kit where you really only want to enhance the upper snare detail to offset the rest of the kit. It's not intended to capture the full spare spectrum of the snare, adjusting gain to judiciously add the icing on the cake. If you want to faithfully capture full spectrum sounds, the 57 is not your mic, maybe go to a condenser for that.
Being a cheapskate, I have used a pair of Yoga BM-26 mics inside an almost toy bongo for live performance & been really really impressed. I think they were around $30 each. These start rolling off below 200Hz and have a little peak around 5-6k. Some like to use them inside a kick drum, I don't know why you need to mic that, I usually want to but a blanket in the dam things. LOL
don't you already have a transformerless sm57? I seem to remember one in your studio tour.
I did but I never liked the sound of it. Too bright. I put the transformer back in. These Pyle are nice to have so I can keep my 57s stock.
Pyle did good on guitar. More open sounding to me. Pyle won the OH too. Amazing. Id might get a few. Really an inexpensive alternative. Thx for the vid. 😁
How's the Pyle endurance-wise? it it durable like a real 57 or gonna break apart after you touch it?
When laying the mics on a bass amp, is there a general rule of thumb that differs from mic-ing a guitar amp?
And have you ever tried putting a mic (on a bass amp) behind the speakers? I recorded once like that and we had some fun results with it.
For bass amps, a lot of different types of mics can work, but if using a RE20, I usually place it in the center of the speaker. Keep it close. My friend has a U67 that they use on a bass cab and it's placed about 8 inches out.
Very intredasting. The Pyle sounds great. If you want it to sound like a true 57 you could always eq out some of the upper stuff. I wonder how it takes SPL and physical abuse? Guess I'll have to buy one to find out. Good vid!
could you fix the lack of mids on the Pyle with EQ?
Yes but at the cost of phase shift, which makes it harder for a mix to translate.