GUITAR CAB MIC SHOOTOUT! Sweetwater Gear Fest 2023
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- Опубліковано 7 лип 2023
- SWEETWATER GEARFEST 2023! Rhett, Pete, and Sean tried a wide range of dynamic, ribbon, and condenser mics on a Marshall cab with clean, mid-gain, and high gain tones...
For info on the mics in this video:
SHURE SM57: sweetwater.sjv.io/JzmjRe
SHURE 545: sweetwater.sjv.io/ZQymY0
SENNHEISER 421: sweetwater.sjv.io/XYXrWy
ROYER R-121: sweetwater.sjv.io/zN20Rx
BEYERDYNAMIC M160: sweetwater.sjv.io/nL2AgR
SHURE 313: sweetwater.sjv.io/9gJ994
AUDIO TECHNICA 4050: sweetwater.sjv.io/k0okQ0
SOYUZ 1973: sweetwater.sjv.io/AWEAkK
Got GAS? Check out all the cool gear and sweet deals from my pals at Sweetwater (Affiliate): imp.i114863.net/Zg0RQ
MID GAIN CLIPS:
SM57: 04:50
545: 05:21
421: 05:47
121: 06:17
M160 06:52
313: 07:37
4050: 08:17
1973: 08:44
CLEAN:
SM57: 09:06
545: 09:31
421: 09:58
121: 10:24
M160: 10:49
313: 11:15
4050: 11:40
1973: 12:06
HIGH GAIN:
SM57: 12:33
545: 12:57
421: 13:20
121: 13:43
M160: 14:06
313: 14:29
4050: 14:53
1973: 15:16
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We are profoundly honored to have our microphone featured among such amazing options, and humbled by the outcome. So stoked to see this as we are all fans of your work too, Pete!
I’ve been blown away by the 1973 on guitar amps, it’s going to be living there for a while for me! Preferred it on these shootouts too!
Great mic! Is this 1973 the standard condenser version or the FET one?
The 4050 really is a beautifully balanced sound. Everything is there… the most “in the room” of the bunch to my ears. Great vid Pete.
that was killer, love this kind of stuff thanks pete! very impressed by the soyuz! i use an m160 with either a sm57 or md421, sometimes all 3 at once lol. recently got a beyer m88 which sounds great too.
This video is going in the library of videos I watch multiple times and come back to time and again. Appreciate the work it took to do this.
Wow, the 1973 and 4050 blew me away. Every condenser I've used on a cab sounds bright, these two sound so balanced and natural. And the difference between the 421 and 57 was dramatic as well. Ribbons were great as well. Great video.
I've had the same experience. I've never liked condenser mics on electric guitar in the past because they've tended to reproduce a top end I don't want to hear. In particular I remember an engineer teaming up a '57 with a Shure ....I think it was a KSM32? To me that was a bright/harsh combination. The 1973 and 4050 didn't sound like that at all!
545 and Soyuz surprised
Glad to see that the Soyuz was so highly thought of because on Pete’s parts it was my favorite. And then I thought it sounded most balanced on the clean tones and among the best of the high gain. No other mic excelled at all three like the Soyuz. Very impressed
AFter watching this I have many thoughts!! haha The obvious one to me is we can see why the Shure SM57 is arguably the most popular go-to mic for guitar cabs. It just works on guitar, and you can tell even beforehand that it would require the least fiddling around with in a mix. I also like the SM545, which I had never heard before. Almost like a 57 but with a little more low end. The Soyuz was REALLY good too. WHat was most surprising to me is how the high gain stuff was so revealing in its own lane, and how I would probably have different mic choices when recording high gain, than if I were recording low and mid gain tracks. Excellent clip!
Great comparison; it make sense to blend a 57 with a 121 which give you the flexibility to balance the lows and the highs easily; but for a single mic setup, the Soyuz or AT 4050 sound really good!!
Yeah that 121 on its own is pure mud.
PETE, sorry Late Feedback 😲 Loved the Intire Run of These Mic's! Great place to Start for anyone needing to Mic a Cab. I Agree I now need a Soyuz! More $ Out Because of Pete Thorn 😁But not without Good Reason!! Hang tight on the Road and See U soon My Brother and Music-In-Law 🤘🎸🤠
Thank you Pete, I love your work and your channel!!👍👍
To my ear, the SOYUZ 1973 had the most balanced sound. It was similar to combining the 57 and the 121.
Precisely
Thanks for the thorough test and the kind words! If you ever want to come by our place in Koreatown and check out the rest of our mics (and maybe some Korean food...)), please let me know (Kenny Lyon; US manager of Soyuz Microphones).
The 57 had bite, the Royer body. The 4050 had both. Mixing a dynamic and ribbon to taste if you have both seems like the most flexible option, but a single condenser microphone might be a good alternative option if you're looking for both body and bite.
Kinda surprised you didn't include the Sennheiser e609 and e906 since they are dedicated cab mics.
When I got there that day, these are the Mike’s that they had put together for me and we had limited time, so I went with it. Was nice though, because I never would’ve chosen 545 or the Soyuz so I learned something by letting them pick the microphones.
I wished you had put an Austrian Audio 818 in front of the amp - that is a mic I consider buying. Loved the Soyuz and the 545 most!
4050 sounds great!
Great video! Love the classic royer + 57 combo, really liked the 4050 and the 1973.
4050 king
Thanks for showing the chat replay. Some channels don't replay the chat. Keep rocking 🤘🤖
That Soyuz may be the best guitar cab mic I've ever heard
Fantastic idea! Well done Pete
A pleasant video! Congratulations about it! Great video, great information, very good 👏👏👏👏👏
It’s so nice to see and hear some appreciation for cabs and mics in this new ago of recording with OX boxes and such
Loved this shootout. Soyuz really surprised me too! Getting one soon!
If I ever mic my cabs ill reference this video for sure. Very tight playing and riff Pete!
this is GREAT! so fun to bounce back and forth and compare mics.
You are an amazing guitarist Pete. Thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge!🙏
Thanks so much for doing this, Pete! This was an extremely helpful video for better understanding how to use these mics. I was most impressed by the 4050, as you said, it has everything in it. If I were to have to pic one mic of the bunch, that would be it without question.
Thanks Pete for crushing it in your “down time!” My dad (a weekend drummer decades ago) HAD the Shure 545. It is one of the standouts from your vid.
Loved this video
I’m glad!!
Man i love the Royer sound. Darker. Sounds great on its own.
Oh, suddenly a 545 moved to the top of my next mic list.
Dude, Pete! , thank you so much for this video ! The daw I use has these same mics that I can cycle through while using the vst amp simulator. This is a awesome watch !
Great Episode Pete, really informative and precise! Thanks for all your amazing contributions, hope you have a great tour!!
Thank you!
I love that Beyer M160
Also!!! Do try AEA KU5A ribbon really, really killer!
Great video Pete… I have to say the 1973 was surprisingly awesome. I like the 545 and the AT as well. Thank you! I’ll be adding to my mic locker now 😢
That was the best comparison video I have seen....SOYUZ 1973 kills it too.
Great shootout. Very usable indeed. I'd like to add that I see a lot of engineers (these days) putting all the mics (including condensers) right against the cabinet, but back in the good 'ol 70/80's wall of sound days, we'd place a 57 right on the cabinet, a 421 off the cabinet a foot or so (to let it breath), and usually a u67/87 out a ways passed that (doing some tinkering to check for phase) and then blend those three for a very full image of the cabinet sound. Of course turning it up a bit (a lot) was always the way. I've actually corrected a few sessions on this and the result was always applauded with a couple "hell yeh's". Also, I see younger guys making the mistake of using condensers and ribbons on very loud cabinets and actually wind up causing distortion from the mics capsules. In fact, I talked to one recently that pretty much destroyed a vintage ribbon mic this way. And, Also...If you aren't really "turnin' it up!!" you probably aren't getting the full tone of the amp or the cabinet. I was wondering just where the volume "1-11" the amp was set. Thanks for the demo. Thanks!
Soyuz brought the vibe; I'd just as happily mic up an amp with the 545 though; that one really shined to me for the price to quality ratio
How have I not watched this video yet!??
This is cool, thanks Pete! Good to hear the different mics on the same guitar parts. I have a question about the Shure 313 -- Shure says it has a "Bi-directional polar pattern" (figure of 8?) but the two patterns have different frequency responses -- which side of the figure8 did you use?
Amazing the 545. My fav: 545, 57, 4050 and 1973. Im a 1 mic guy so this ones give me all the freq that i need.
Great demo at a cool place! I wish you would have done the Sennheiser e906 I just ordered 4 for the studio. I chose 906 for the bright switch and because they hang in front of the cabinet with no mic stand required. 😎
Yep great live mic too
PT the king of cool
I would have loved to hear the Heil PR30 in this line up
I wonder how the Sennheiser e906 or e609 would sound in comparison? Would have like to have heard that shoot out for the Budget conscious. Great video still.
I want a laser pointer thingy!😀
The Sennheiser e835 doesn't get enough mention for guitar cabs. I've spent this year really going through a lot of different mics and the 835 is a total sleeper! It's mix-ready....fat low end without being boomy or boxy and a lift in presence where guitars need it. Mids are mildly subdued, but still articulate---neither honky or boxy. No need for EQ on the master bus (save any EQ for your drums and vocals). I literally mean MIX-READY! That's the 835.
I also really enjoy my PR-30 and 421-U5 because they both (also) have a fast transient response, and are fat while still sounding really articulate...particularly in the low-midrange. Low power chords are clean and defined (almost wiry?), instead of being marshmallowy and a bit dull like with a 57. The 421 in general is probably my favorite mic of all time. That sound is something I can never get out of my head.
The MD 421 is one of my favorite sounding microphones on guitar cabs.
Thanks Pete and Sweetwater!! Pete what amp were you using for the rock stuff? Re-issue or Handwired Marshall?
The beyer m160, audio technica 4050 and soyuz 1973 are all fantastic. I use a Shure 565 reissue and a ribbon mic I made. Might have to look at the bayer, maybe the soyuz. Great video.
So nice to see some good old inanez RG in action
Great Vid! I’m interested, why didn’t you put an e906 in there? Thanks, please keep the Good Stuff common’. Cheers from Salem, Ohio.
Thanks.
Will the Protools session be make available for download like Sweetwater has done in the past?
For those of us that sit in the cheap seats, you can do a similar exorcise with IR libraries that model different speakers, cabs, mics, and mic placements. My preference changed according to the playing volume, so that's another factor to consider. That said the Soyuz might be the best "all rounder".
Loved that Soyuz!
Hey Pete, do you think a mic like that would work in a live setting? Or would it pick up to much from surrounding instruments? Sorry for my novice questions, just looking for a alternative to the 57.
Any processing on the m160? It always had too much proximity effect for me and I swapped for the m260, which I also use as a hi-hat mic.
The 160, although the control room we’re saying it was a little weird, it was most like early AC/DC to my ears!
hahahahahahaah it totally makes sense Soyuz 1973 is a fantastic mic. shure 545 too ,
actually the best sure to me is 548 to mic guitar cabs.
Random question for the masses. What is that mic clip that is holding the AT4050 at 8:28? I have one of these mics but only have the big shockmount which makes it tough to get it up against the grill cloth. Thanks!
The beyer m160 sounds so good.
Audio Technica ATM63HE. My hidden gem !
The 4050 and the M160 stand-out and are amazing mics. Didn't care for the Royer unless you want to add some thump (as in no bass part). Good work Pete.
My favorites have always been the MD 421, SM57, AT4050, and R121. Always loved the SM58, AT4050, and WA87 for the vocals (idk if I will ever get the chance to use the Neumann in this lifetime lol) the samples of all the mics sound great!!!
Although I've been hearing great things about the M160 and the SM545
The 545 gets close to a SHURE Unidyne 3 SM57, so I'm very interested. I been hunting for a Unidyne 3 for years and years with no luck. I did some recordings many years ago and I did a shootout between a regular 57 and a Unidyne 3 and the difference was subtle but clear; sweeter, warmer so that was my choice. I blended it with a 421 for a solid mix. I'm not crazy 'bout the highs on the 421 but the bottom is great!!
I want to star record my cabinet, mostly at home and a few gigs. Which is the best choice for a beginner? Under maybe 300/400 usd/eur?
Thanks a lot.
Thanks for this vid. If I had to pick one, it'd be the Soyuz 1973.
Great video Pete. You are the consummate candy eating original pro guitarist and expert studio review meister,
got two 545 in the mail. 55 bucks each. crazy good
The 1973 and 545 are the standouts to me here. I've never actually owned
a 57 because I have a 58, but I'm very tempted to get a 545.
The 313 and 4050 are a big no-thanks; I'd definitely be having to EQ way too
much for the tones I like. Both have far too much of those 'build-up' low mids
that muddy up a track.
The one mic missing from the lineup that I currently consider my favorite for
guitar; KM84.
1973 for the win
I bought the beta 57 and it has a tamed top end it's great you should try one not too expensive.
57, 421, and 4050
Royer 121 sounds best 8” back aimed at center of speaker.
I LOVE these comparisons. Interestingly my least favourite was the Beyer M160 which is a mic I've enjoyed in the past. Definitely feel that the 545 is a mic I'd prefer over a 57 in most applications. Soyuz was really cool as was the 4050. I'd still love a R121...
wow that Soyuz sounded amazing. well impressed, also well annoyed because I know myself well enough to know ill go on a GS binge for one now.
Fantastic video as always Pete! I reckon the ribbon mics would have more presence if they were right on the dust cap…what do you think?
Also here’s some time stamps for Pete’s clips:
4:51 SM57
5:30 Shure 545
5:48 Sennheiser 421
6:17 Royer 121
6:54 Beyer M160
7:38 Shure 313
8:17 Audio Technica 4050
8:44 Soyuz 1973
I actually put the timestamps down in the video description, but thanks for posting again! Yes, for sure, the ribbons can benefit from being right in the middle, and even then generally, I’d like to add a little bit EQ to just left them a bit in the top end
The 1973 seemed to have a best of both worlds thing happening. Very impressed. I love 121's and have used on a lot but it must have been that early adoption by guys like Micheal Wagener that sent them off and running in that defacto cab mic status but personally, I preferred the M160. AT4050, well I am biased as I used a pair in the studio I worked in for 3yrs and they are just good on anything.
Whether it's Mics, Cabs, Speakers, Pickups, Guitars, Strings, etc., it's all EQ/Frequency Response. Good video, and also helpful to those of us who use Modelers. Thanks
Good choices, Pete. That Soyuz 1973 is an awesome mic and very versatile. The SM545 was the only mic of the lot that had that Malcolm Young thing on the low E, from go. When you struck that first note it nearly made that Les Paul sound like a Gretsch 6131. THAT is interesting. You didn't mention it but I believe you were thinking it, about playing around with the 545's ability to spoof guitar responses. I've had mixed results with 56s, Eddie had to have been playing into a perfect signal chain with lots of highs CUT. Landee is tha man, and did some funky sht, so I will never believe that that went straight into a 1970s board's pre. Anyway, that 545 might be a better mic than the 56, it definitely sounds more balanced.
Soyuz
If I had to pick up just one it would be the AT4050. If I could have two I would also pick the 545.
Soyus 1973 for crunch, Beyer m160 for clean, Senhieser 421 for dirty. IMO
What speakers in the cab?
Very cool video. I’m no audiophile, and I don’t really trust my ears when it comes to recording, but I really hear the differences here
I now understand better why the 57 and 121 are often paired
That said if I had to pick just one I would probably go with the beyer or Soyuz and maybe the AT 4050
I also like the shure 545 better than a 57 for a single mic solution
Great video
sm 57 and audio tec 4050 have my vote.
That’s been what I’ve been using for quite a while now! I like them both and they are great blended
So glad you got the 1973. The 4050 is also very balanced, but the 1973 adds a certain liveliness. Maybe the diaphragm is looser, thinner or lighter, and the resonator is used to reduce the harshness from the stronger vibration? Can't wait to hear it on your next demo. I also liked the 545 better than the 57. The 421 was my least fav. The proximity effect is way too strong with the 121 up that close.
I'd take the Audio Technica 4050. That one does it for me. Has it all as far as I'm concerned.
What cab was that going through?
4050 Have Mercy! Soyuz was interesting!
Yeah, the 4050 is one of my favorites for a long time now
should've used the back of the R121?
Pete what type of speakers are in the Marshall 4x12 cab?
G12H30 55hz
Thanks pete!Do you think they sound better then V30s or some other Celestion speakers?
I think it is almost impossible to watch any guitar UA-camr without hearing the word Sweetwater anymore. Nonetheless Pete is awesome
Well, the reality is, they’ve been a good partner. I I love smaller, independent stores as well, and there will always be a place for them but it’s hard to deny that Sweetwater, does a great job, they get you the gear that you need, when you need it and if you need customer service, it’s excellent. 🤷🏻♂️ I think it’s possible to dig Sweetwater and smaller shops as well.
545 seemed to have a little top end roll off ?
313 did sound fat like a Slash tone to me….🤘🏼
Killer vid
m160
SM57+Royer121
SM57 still the winner
It certainly does its thing and it’s a great thing.