This is great. The only thing that would have made it perfect is if you compared the dirty sounds back to back etc rather than breaking them up with the clean sounds in between so we didn’t have to try to remember what the other one had sounded like after listening to something totally different. Thanks for doing these !
It's crazy how I like the modern 57 only on the snare. Sm7 and 5b sound great on everything. My personal favorite was the 546, sounded almost like a ribbon on the acoustic guitar.
I'll admit I was listening to this with ear buds so I didn't hear any difference until the vocals. And wow, the sm5b really stood out to me. I would absolutely love for there to be a modern one made. Shure made magic in the 60s then never really made anything better.
Would be awesome to hear the snare tests with another section for bleed - another huge factor in choosing mics. Snare might sound great but the side rejection could cause other parts of the kit to sound horrible. Becomes a big factor when it goes through compressors etc.
The SM56 and SM57 have the same mic cartridge. The 57 was the handheld version of the 56. The last year of production for the SM56 was either 1987 or 1988.
I have no reason to believe you're wrong but every sm56 I've used has sounded better than every 57 I've used. _Especially_ on snare but also on any drum (toms, congas, cajohns etc) and also vocals. Sm56 on a snare always just sounds like a finished record.
i love everything tbh although the 546 and 57 uni stood out. the modern 57 sounds so... for a lack of a better word... "young" lol like idk i feel more optimistic while the others make me feel "stable" lol does that make any sense? haha
Thank you for doing this video. I was very interesting. Kinda blown away by the fact that I'd never heard of a SM5b and how good it sounds. Shame they're around $1000 these days. It was interesting to hear how similar some of these mics sound in this presentation. I did a similar test with the mics I have (545, 548, Unidyne III and stock 57), and the top end was very different on each of mine, although the Unidyne III and 57 were closer than I expected. Everything below around 1k is roughly the same. With the mics that I have, the 545 kinda blows the doors off of the others on snare. Like, it's different enough that a regular person would hear a difference. It was a bit more subtle here. Is your 545 an old one? Wonder what's up with all of that? Maybe my mics are screwed up or something.
All of the mic’s in this video are the vintage USA made versions! As for the tonal differences - in many cases old Shure dynamic’s need to be serviced. Their diaphgram’s can become dirty, as well as the top grills becoming pressed down onto the diaphragm which reduces frequency response. I service them if this is needed! Just check out the Repairs section of my website. Thanks for checking out the video!
@@colepicksvintage Thanks for the response! Making me wonder if my mics need some kinda servicing.....I have never had any of my dynamic mics looked at because I just assumed that's the way they were. Or maybe my 545 is a newer one, but not sure....I'll have to see if I can figure it out when I use it next. Also, I suppose that each mic has its own sound. Design tolerances and whatnot.
SM5b is amazing. Too bad it’s practically unobtainable. I wonder if the SM7b with the bright switch engaged would sound similar. The SM56 is somewhat close to the SM5b, closer than anything else. Interestingly, according to Shure, the SM56 and the modern SM57 have exactly the same frequency response. Seems pretty clear in this test that they sound completely different.
Frequency response and tone are not the same thing!! There's no way to represent tone of a mic on paper. I think of it being the difference between the shape of the wave in the air and the shape of the resulting electrical AC wave. And the shape of wave will vary with frequency!
This is great. The only thing that would have made it perfect is if you compared the dirty sounds back to back etc rather than breaking them up with the clean sounds in between so we didn’t have to try to remember what the other one had sounded like after listening to something totally different. Thanks for doing these !
I love how all of these sound on acoustic guitar. There little variations are gorgeous. I ❤️ Shure.
SM5b and 548 are great. I wish they would reissue them. Was surprised how much I like the SM56
The 5b is shockingly clear
It's crazy how I like the modern 57 only on the snare. Sm7 and 5b sound great on everything. My personal favorite was the 546, sounded almost like a ribbon on the acoustic guitar.
I'll admit I was listening to this with ear buds so I didn't hear any difference until the vocals. And wow, the sm5b really stood out to me. I would absolutely love for there to be a modern one made. Shure made magic in the 60s then never really made anything better.
I really liked 546 on acoustic, but sm56 on vocals is a killer!
Thanks for the video!
The 548 and 545 are so pleasant sounding
Would be awesome to hear the snare tests with another section for bleed - another huge factor in choosing mics. Snare might sound great but the side rejection could cause other parts of the kit to sound horrible. Becomes a big factor when it goes through compressors etc.
That amp sounds so good.
sm5B is magic
I am so excited to see this video
The SM56 and SM57 have the same mic cartridge. The 57 was the handheld version of the 56. The last year of production for the SM56 was either 1987 or 1988.
I have no reason to believe you're wrong but every sm56 I've used has sounded better than every 57 I've used. _Especially_ on snare but also on any drum (toms, congas, cajohns etc) and also vocals. Sm56 on a snare always just sounds like a finished record.
Awesome video man! God bless!!
i love everything tbh although the 546 and 57 uni stood out. the modern 57 sounds so... for a lack of a better word... "young" lol like idk i feel more optimistic while the others make me feel "stable" lol does that make any sense? haha
Thanks my bro
Thank you for doing this video. I was very interesting.
Kinda blown away by the fact that I'd never heard of a SM5b and how good it sounds. Shame they're around $1000 these days.
It was interesting to hear how similar some of these mics sound in this presentation. I did a similar test with the mics I have (545, 548, Unidyne III and stock 57), and the top end was very different on each of mine, although the Unidyne III and 57 were closer than I expected. Everything below around 1k is roughly the same.
With the mics that I have, the 545 kinda blows the doors off of the others on snare. Like, it's different enough that a regular person would hear a difference. It was a bit more subtle here. Is your 545 an old one?
Wonder what's up with all of that? Maybe my mics are screwed up or something.
All of the mic’s in this video are the vintage USA made versions! As for the tonal differences - in many cases old Shure dynamic’s need to be serviced. Their diaphgram’s can become dirty, as well as the top grills becoming pressed down onto the diaphragm which reduces frequency response. I service them if this is needed! Just check out the Repairs section of my website. Thanks for checking out the video!
@@colepicksvintage Thanks for the response!
Making me wonder if my mics need some kinda servicing.....I have never had any of my dynamic mics looked at because I just assumed that's the way they were. Or maybe my 545 is a newer one, but not sure....I'll have to see if I can figure it out when I use it next.
Also, I suppose that each mic has its own sound. Design tolerances and whatnot.
Would love to hear the difference between a SM53 and a SM54.
SM5b is amazing. Too bad it’s practically unobtainable. I wonder if the SM7b with the bright switch engaged would sound similar. The SM56 is somewhat close to the SM5b, closer than anything else. Interestingly, according to Shure, the SM56 and the modern SM57 have exactly the same frequency response. Seems pretty clear in this test that they sound completely different.
Frequency response and tone are not the same thing!! There's no way to represent tone of a mic on paper. I think of it being the difference between the shape of the wave in the air and the shape of the resulting electrical AC wave. And the shape of wave will vary with frequency!
Some where a close call, but... 545 on electric guitar, SM7 on acoustic guitar, SM57 on snare, SM5B on vocals
What electric guitar and what speaker is in that vox!!
It’s a Gretsch Penguin and the Vox has a Greenback!
Great guitar player!!!
God Damn u have an Altec im so jealous
545
I was never a fan of any of these mics really, even though I own a 545. They're all pretty decent on snare though.
546 best. Sinatra used one.