LDC vs dynamic vs ribbon

[ButchVig]

Originally Posted by mobius.media

Looking through the lists of gear you and your associated engineers use, I can't help but notice condensers (especially LDCs) galore, a few ribbons, and very few dynamics.

For example, while a classic dynamic pair for guitar/bass might be sm57/md421, I notice a greater tendency for u67 or r121 types.

You've also got LDCs on toms, and SDCs on snare. LDC on piano and acoustic.

The only example I've seen of a dynamic is inside the kick, or also on voice I know you used the sm7 with siamese dream.

This might all be total coincidence, but I as just wondering if it's a real trend and if there's any conscious preference or reasoning behind it.

Thanks for what may be the last time. It's been an honour and a priviledge having you share your experience and knowledge with us.

Rock on!

All three styles of mics sound different, and the engineers usually choose them depending on how they want to hear an instument...dynamics are usually more tight, with focused midrange and a bump in the high end, not a lot of deep bass...ribbons are softer sounding, usually have a roll off in the high end...LCDs usually have a very open top end. But there are no rules, I've used LCDs on kick drums, ribbons on snare drums and guitars, and dynamics on everything from acoustic to cymbals.
Recently I've been using Heil dynamics on guitars and drums, as well as the Telefunken M80 on snare. You can record an acoustic with a 57...if you have a nice sounding guitar, and the player is good, it's going to sound great. On the other hand, the most expensive mic in the world won't help a bad performance!