You're in the right place, fellow guitar gear nerd!
Hi, my name is John Browne . No, not that guy but this is my real name.
I'm a test engineer by trade and a passionate guitar gear nerd.
My mission statement: I want to make the videos I would liked to have seen when I was looking for gear. I have found that most amps, pedals, speakers or guitars sound pretty good in a given youtube demo but once you have it in your home with your other gear you might hear things you didn't hear before. Why? Because the demo(s) you heard lacked a reference for you to listen to. That's why (in most cases) I try to provide a reference for you to compare whatever I am demoing to.
I've got a bunch of experiments I want to do. You'll find them here sooner or later!
Пікірлер
This is a little offtopic, but what I've found out while recording every guitar speaker/cab in my setup: And it sounds like total nonsense, but if you put tape around the miced spot onto the grillcloth of the cabinet (like you do to remember where the mic goes), that can change the highend response of the recorded tone significantly. I encourage you to try it, just mark a spot with the tape, put the mic there and record. After that dont move the mic and just strip off the tape and record again. Just a little funfact I guess but it totally blew my mind lol
Funny you should say that. I just spoke to Nolly Getgood about this a week or two ago and he said the same thing. He sent some sound samples to me and I can tell you, it is not nonsense. It affects the high end noticeably.
Jacob's is my fav. It seems to dial's out a little more fizz. But, they're all pretty close.
Subtle differences. I liked the Mex Int 1 and 2 the most, closely followed by the Contemporary 1. Jacob however struck gold with his SM57, they both sound really great and smooth. Your's were a bit harsh. But in the end, it does not really matter too much. An SM57 is a SM57 is a SM57. But still curious to check later on at home in which category my SM57 falls. Awesome video, as usual!
Thanks, buddy!
ToJB here to bust my preconceptions like a sledgehammer through a ripe watermelon
Many years ago I recorded for an album and we tested 2 57's, the USA Uniyne lll was the clear winner vs. a regular 57, the sonic difference was obvious FWIW
Awesome video John!!! I've often noticed slight differerences in my SM57's in the studio, so now I know there might actually be some. But you're right, the consistency of production is quite astounding!! Thank you so much for taking the time to do that. All the best from Down Under 🤘
Thanks, Simon!
57s and v30 is my go to combo since well, forever. 20+ years
It's the dream team
A super patriot who wears american flag underware definitely started this bullshit 😂😂
LOL
Really appreciate the work and depth of detail you pour into these videos. Thanks to you, I learned I have one contemporary and one later Mexican SM57 with me here. Cheers from Texas! 🍻
Awesome! Thank you very much!
You hit another homerun with this comparison Mr. Browne! I could definitely hear a subtle, yet noticeable difference listening through my mini HiFi system. Nothing truly worlds apart, but more like different flavors of Vanilla Ice Cream: French Vanilla, Vanilla Bean, Old-Fashioned Vanilla, etc.... Listening while keeping my eyes away form the screen, except to check which ones caught my ear, my favorites in no particular order, were microphones B, D, F, H, I, J, M... I really listen for chunkiness and definition in the palm mutes and clarity for chords, overall saturation; also looking for more brilliance / sparkle in the high-end rather than noise. So hear me out on mic F, the broken one... I think that mic would be PERFECT for Black Metal & Black-Death tones, not just the Lo-Fi underground stuff but I've heard professionally produced releases from bands where they still roll off a lot of bass for a tight, cold and evil sounding mix! It could possibly work also for ultra-modern, super down-tuned stuff, I really do believe many players just don't take into account how much high-pass filter gets put on the guitars to make them fit in the mix, and a damaged SM-57 should give somewhat of a similar result, you could even take advantage of this by close-micing your speaker further away from the cone than normal to get a darker sound, that could be interesting to see you check this out Mr. Browne! That last blend between the broken / non-broken mics was really good too, that blend gets runner-up! P.S. - I would like to remind you about a comment I left regarding Shure manufacturing the Realistic brand of microphones for RadioShack, I do hope we can see a video on that rabbit hole somewhere down the line, not to mention the SM-57 copycats out there from Behringer & Pyle which I've seen in other comparisons with the real thing, and they sound just as good, albeit a little bit different sort of like vanilla with a touch of fudge or raspberry... Keep up the good work Mr. Browne! \m/ Your videos are an inspiration to always improve your ear for good tone!
Cheers! Thanks for the comment. I really like your analogies too. I also agree on the broken mic. I can see applications for it. I'm between two minds whether to leave it as it is or try and take the capsule apart and attempt to repair it. I remember your RadioShack mic comment too. Sounds cool and I'd love to look into it. At the same time, being in Europe, I've never even seen one and the chances of finding one or even several of those for a test is very slim. Looking into SM57 clones however, that might happen.
Been trying to find the serial number for v30 of that era early 2000s. Would you mind telling the serial of yours?
They don't really have serial numbers as such. You're looking for an alphanumerical date code consisting of two numbers (day of the month) and two letters (month and year). If you're looking for V30s from the years 2000 to 2003, look for speakers where the second letter is K (2000), L (2001), M (2002) or N (2003). For the years 2000 and 2001 the date code will most likely be a stamp on the outside of the speaker frame, for the years 2002 and 2003, the date code will most likely be printed on a white sticker on the magnet.
In the U.S. Shure did offer a version of the sm57 with a switch.
Oh cool! I did not know that. Thanks for filling in the gaps in my knowledge
I wonder how years of dust, spit, and other contamination contributes to the frequency response.
"Mojo"
Fuck yes, been waiting for this video. Have you tried the Shure SD 545? It's still made in the USA. *edit* ooops, now I'm at that point of the video :D
Love the 545SD. I have four of those for some reason...
@@TheOtherJohnBrowne IT'S NOT HOARDING WHEN IT'S COOL STUFF ;)
The contemporary SM57 sounded better than the old one haha
Tested 4 different SM57 recently too wirh a re-amped track and same mic position. The oldest sounded most open, aggressive with a higher output. But I found out, that wirh the older 57s, the foam in the grill is totally dried, crumbling and lets more sound through. After replacing the grill with a new one (17€ in Germany) it sounded just like my contemporary one. More balanced, less aggressive. So my conclusion, SM57 sound very alike, no matter from which built area. Its just the natural degradation of certain parts like the foam in the grille.
Had to replace a few of those on a couple of mics too. Getting the clip ring out and back in again takes some practice
Since the first time watching Johns V30 video, I've owned 5 different V30s including a 1993 that is unlike any other that I've heard*. Hoping my meagre supply of 4 SM57's will be enough once I've watched the whole vid! *The 93 was only used as a midrange driver in a weird PA setup. Darkest but most focused V30 I've ever heard and it's 16 not 8ohm which is a surprise. Might be willing to send it to you in the future (when I'm less poor from buying too many V30s (nothing to do with the Sg1820A I bought the other day))
Sounds really interesting. I wonder if that V30 got broken in to specific frequencies resulting in its different tonal character
Love it, it's been a fun journey man!
Yes it was!
Awesome, love these vids man, keep them coming please 🙏
I'm only getting started
Are all SM57s created equal? I'm not Shure.
Thank you for taking the time to gather all this information. I'm waiting to get my FIRST SM57 lol, and start the recordings! So nice to see your face brother, subscribing after a while watching your comparison videos.
Thanks, Kevin! I appreciate the comment!
Oh no not again! 😂
PREAMPS NEXT!!!
Excellent demo and info on these mics!!! I've done far less scientific comparisons myself and found little appreciable difference between the older mics and the newer ones. If some people want to spend a ton of cash on 57s that say U.S.A. on them good luck to them. I currently own four Mexican 57s and one U.S.A. 545 but have owned many 57s, PE54, and other Unidyne III mics over decades and I'd say just grab one and get to recording as there are plenty of other things that actually really matter that you should be thinking about like the quality of your sound source, where you place the mic exactly, and gain staging of your recording chain rather than worrying about tiny differences between different vintages of Unidyne III mics. I have heard a few 57s and 58s over the years that were clearly damaged and not working properly (usually a serious lack of low frequencies) so you do want be positive that the mic is working correctly but besides that don't sweat it.
Appreciate your comment and absolutely agree. I think I might sell at least one of my USA 57s
@@TheOtherJohnBrowne I'd say the only reason not to grab the cash right now for an old Unidyne is that the price on them could possibly go even go higher. I'll probably keep my U.S.A. 545 because I've had it for 30+ years now and the 545's don't bring as much as money as a 57 does anyway. The 545 is one of the few mics I have owned for that long (many have come and gone) so it does have that going for it too.
Wonderful! Thanks for making this. Btw, love the base tone 👌
Thanks man!
I liked the 57 the best.
To each his own, I guess
Very interesting! I have to admit though, that after normalizing I barely heard a difference - I would have never known (in all likelihood) that some little bit was missing in the contemporary mic if it wasn't pointed out explicitly (at least on these speakers)... Cheers and thanks a lot as always!
Zanthraxus! Thanks for sticking around since the beginning! I appreciate you!
Great test! I’m on crappy phone speakers this moment but look forward to hearing on monitors. I guess the insane man’s move would now be to cross check all capsules against select transformers to see what really makes the difference here. One thing I would like to know is the distortion charecteristics, i.e if any of the mics added more harmonics than others, as transformers are never 100% linear. Loved your setup. I did the same test with my mics (that you also tested) and I feel that my Unidyne III had more top than my other 57s. Your test kinda confirms it. I personally don’t love mine for rhythm, but it sounds good for overdubs.
Cheers, buddy! Thanks for the loaners! They'll be on their way home tomorrow
Every contemporary mic sounds different from each other. Some of them are more mid rangy, the others are brighter. However, they are generally pretty close. The same applies to the old ones as well. I think it's best to buy the new and cheaper ones and stick to them. The difference can easly be compensated with the tonestack of an amp or DSP.
And the six sigma award goes to... Shure, for the SM57!🎉
I can't express how awesome this comment is
Sea Sheppard! Represent! Awesome video, as always!
Thank you!
Nothing wrong with you , we all are special 😂😂😂Like and Love For the Content , for the algo , for you Bro ! Awesome vid 🤜🤛
Bro ❤️
Very interesting. It's really impressive how consistent they are across the decades. That said, in the A-B I actually preferred the smoother sounding contemporary mic.
Honestly, the consistency really surprised me too
Very cool video!
Just ordered 2 DV77s to put in my Mesa cab in an X pattern with the V30s..... cant wait!!
Great choice
what a cab? i have trad straight and also think to blend 2xdv77 in X pattern
@@Slava_Kovalenk0 Mesa Traditional 4x12
@jonathananthony1901 that's cool, if you don't forget, describe how result, I also want to change 2 v30s. I borrow from them
@Slava_Kovalenk0 absolutely! I'll post the results and differences I notice. The speakers should be here tomorrow, so I should have a chance to install them and give them a good play-through by Friday.
😁 ... rrrrrrrrr ..... i see in the background the Lichtlaerm Prometheus .... I hope I can get it when it is available again .... ahhh .. sorry .. apart of this amp very interesting
Gushing over sick amps is always appropriate
wow very cool comparrison on these mics. Thanks for sharing the video!
You're very welcome!
Nice. I call it the 5%. It's never night and day when you A/B things like studio grade cables, vintage mics etc. But when you have 15 things in a row in a signal that incrementally helps capacitance by 5% on each step THAT is what I enjoy/why I use Evidence lyric/forte etc cables, vintage wire in guitars etc. It's all about capacitance and metallurgy along with shielding/clean power. Newer copper etc can get watered down with pot metal without manufacturers even knowing about it. China dumping cheap metal on the UK' USA etc in the 90's started the ball rolling on sub par connections but the manufacturing tech is really catchup up despite corners being cut. I listened on earbuds but I'll come back and listen on my monitors. Great content.
Cheers!
Interesting! I actually preferred the contemporary, sounded ever so slightly more balanced.
Guitars = contemporary snare = old one or 545s for that little extra crack on top!
I'm genuinely amazed-bravo!
Skvělá práce, máte úplně stejný názor, jaký říkám i já, dokud mě zvuk nekope do uší, není co řešit a to, že se zvukově mírně liší, je díky mnoha faktorů. Stáří, používání hlasitosti zesilovačů, skladování nebo jen díky místům kde jsou bedny používány. Například venkovní stage, kde je přes noc chladno a vlhko, což musí nutně ovlivnit zvukové vlastnosti reproduktorů. Děkuji za ten test a přeji hodně zdraví i štěstí, Petr
Thank you!
I noticed very subtle differences but overall the Hagen sounds like the VH4 with the edges rounded off…if you’re a player you’ll know exactly what I mean, LOL! Great comparison video…no bs just the sound of 2 great amps
Some V-30’s just can’t be beat it seems while others need help perhaps 🤔 like when Chinese factory kept dishing them out with the wrong parts 🤣