Aw I should’ve read the description - thank you for explaining your setup further there, too many channels don’t bother to go into such detail as you

Sr25 much more best compressor, Dragon fly more punchy. Thanks ❤

Great vid. Gets right to the point, seamless comparisons, excellent drumming/tuning. I'm surprised by how good those Hummingbirds sound! (edit mixed up my animals)

@schmargle

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Yeah, since posting this, I've sold the Earthworks mics and I rely most frequently on the Hummingbirds. In fact, I now own four of them. They are really great, especially for the price.

I own the Earthworks mics, and I just ordered the Blue Hummingbird (a pair). I like the Earthworks mics, but I think that as far as a mix-ready solution, they are not perfect. The noise floor is a bit higher than I would like, and they lack the "high-end sparkle" that I am accustomed to in a mixed drum kit. However, the fast transient response makes them very punchy and enjoyable to listen to! In your shootout, I would prefer the Hummingbirds over a pair of SR25s for mix ready overhead mics. I did like the Dragonflies, but I felt that they would need some additional sculpting with EQ to make the a perfect, mix-ready solution as well. They certainly had nice low-end extension, but I feel that it may not be necessary once a kick mic is added. Just my two cents. I really enjoyed all of your videos about the Hummingbird, though! Thanks for doing these!

@schmargle

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I totally agree. I do like the Dragonfly mics and have used them for overheads for about 10-15 years. I often use a compressor on the drum bus and then add EQ (no matter which mics I use), and they can sound great, especially for jazz or more sparse arrangements, where you can have more full-bodied cymbals. (I also use them for vocals and acoustic instruments.) But yes, the Hummingbird mics are totally mix-ready. And when you compare the Dragonfly and Hummingbird mics, the Hummingbird sounds pretty great, and a little more exciting right out of the box. I wound up selling my Earthworks mics-not only do they lack high-end sparkle, they also lack the low end that I wanted for toms. I like to capture as much of the kit with overheads as I can. Anyway, enjoy the Hummingbirds. I now have four and love them.

love that lil fill @1:27 btw :)

Nice job, well executed. I don't often have a strong opinion in shootouts like this... but I closed my eyes and listened and clearly preferred the Dragonflies with your setup/room etc.- more in the direction of a ribbon mic vibe. The extra high end of the other two did not make things sound better to me. I liked the earthworks the least in this application.

@schmargle

4 жыл бұрын

Interesting! Yeah, I have loved the Dragonfly mics for overheads for years, but when I hear them next to the others, they sound dull. But I totally agree that they're more ribbon-y in comparison. The Dragonfly and Hummingbird mics will definitely stay in the mic locker, but I have to figure out whether I should keep the Earthworks mics.

I'm trying to find demos of the earthworks sr25 on guitar Cabs for high gain.. But very little luck. A guy named fluff has a demo, but he mixes it with the sm57, and doesn't show it separately. I'm interested in it since it supposedly has no proximity effect, is very flat, and has very good off axis rejection. The sm57 has a lot of proximity effect, changes the sound of the cab a lot, and at lower volumes, picks up too much lick noise in the room (for demos I need to record somewhat quietly... But I'd like to make some of those takes keepers).

@schmargle

3 жыл бұрын

I wish I had a decent-sized cabinet to run that test for you. I only have a modern Fender Champ. But I can tell you a few more things about the SR25. I would say it does not have much of a proximity effect-definitely less than some other mics, including the Dragonfly, for example. I've tried the SR25 on vocals, acoustic guitar, and various other drums (like the kick drum), and not a whole lot more happens with the low end as I move closer to the source. There is definitely a sweet spot-I like the SR25 better when it is closer to the acoustic guitar, for example. But I don't really think it's due to a proximity effect. HOWEVER, there is definitely a drop off of low end as you move away from your source. And if you Google a frequency chart for that mic, you'll see that. For me, that's a bummer when trying to use a pair of them for drum overheads. I like to get a picture of the whole kit, but as overheads, they really focus mainly on the cymbals and the attack of the drums. I would definitely say that it's a very flat response. And again, that might be OK, but honestly, I kind of like some color, as long as it's the right color. When comparing with a mic like the Hummingbird, it's tough not to like the Hummingbird because there's a bump in the high end. After using the Earthworks mics for a while, I find that I want to EQ them a bit-mainly boosting a little low and cutting a little in the mid. Off-axis rejection: definitely. Especially compared with a larger diaphragm mic, I find that the Earthworks definitely has a tighter pattern. Not exactly sure how it compares with the SM57 in that regard. I have tested the SR25 on my snare right next to the SM57, and I definitely liked the SR25 better. I was mixing the two mics together then realized I could just leave out the SM57, and I'd be perfectly happy. The SR25 has a crisper high end (I always have to boost the SM57 high end) and a great attack. The one drawback is that the hi hat is louder. I'm not sure if that's due to less rejection than the SM57 or just greater sensitivity to those high frequencies. Let me know if you want me to try a SM57 vs. SR25 comparison on something, and I'll post something. I just don't really have a decent-sized cabinet.

@XChristianNoirX

3 жыл бұрын

@@schmargle thanks a bunch for all the info! There was something in the site about the s25 sounding better at a 90% angle than many other mics on axis, dead on.. So perhaps the pattern is wider than the 57, but might have a better rejection behind it? My main issue is behind.. Standing behind the 57, at reasonably low living room volume, I get a lot of sound from my guitar/pick bleeding through, even standing 6 feet from the amp. I think a good way to test it is using one's voice, around the front, side, and back of the mic. Another thing would be just putting it on a a stand, and clicking drum sticks together around the mic to determine what's going on... Maybe it just needs different placement from where you'd normally place a 57? Room reflections could also be a factor I suppose.. Maybe for drums etc, but at least with a guitar cab, it would be pointing into the cab itself, so I don't know if it would be as big of an issue. As far as having to add low end, I always have to remove low end, so maybe this is a good mic for my needs... There just needs to be more demos out there! All you drum guys have a few videos out there, while the guitar stuff is pretty thin!

@schmargle

3 жыл бұрын

@@XChristianNoirX One reason to use the SR25 at an angle: you avoid wind noise (plosives). When I've tried it on my kick drum, I definitely need to angle it or I hear too much PFFT. I'll investigate the off-axis stuff (SR25 vs. SM57) this weekend and let you know what I find.

@schmargle

3 жыл бұрын

Christian Noir See if this helps. Looking at the waveforms, off-axis rejection seems about the same for the two mics. But it sounds to me like the SR25 does a bit better job. For this recording, there’s no EQ or compression, just a little limiting to catch a few peaks when the mics are pointed directly at the guitar. kzread.info/dash/bejne/Y2dso9KuZaSqqKg.html

@XChristianNoirX

3 жыл бұрын

@@schmargle I think the sr25 is supposed to use the wind screen and some kind of pad kit that you can get for it when using it in kick drum... IIRC