e 609 or sm57

[snedley]

Thinking about trying E 609's on guitar cabs(based mostly on Nathan's comments) Anyone finding these much different than 57s?

[Chad]

The 609 Silver edition tends to bring out a lot more of the "fizz" on distorted guitar than a 57. I have no experience with it on clean sounds, but I have tried it several times on different cabinets, and it always sucks compared to a 57 on distorted sounds.

[pgk]

57
the de facto standard
can't argue with it
bland, yet sassy

the sm7 is really great as well

i just don't care for 609's, they accentuate some frequencies i don't like. personally, as a guitarist by trade i just don't like a mic that close to a speaker cab; i like to bring it out at least 3-4 inches. ymmv of course

if you get a chance try out an audix D-3 for electric guitar, a very underrated mic imo. it's a flat and nuetral sounding dynamic. no presence peak or excess proximity effect. just the ticket for some applications. i used one as my main live mic for about 7 years and always got compliments from the foh guys.

[drew]

that was the 409. which is what the 609 tries to copy but seems to fail.

[7rojo7]

i just don't like a mic that close to a speaker cab; i like to bring it out at least 3-4 inches.

2-57s, one on the coil the other at the edge of the cone at the same distance from the surface of the speaker, mix to taste: rock gtr.
3-4 inches won't make much diff.
1 foot starts, a yard cuts some bass and adds some room.
room mics start at 5 feet.
it depends on what gtr you're recording and what music it has to fit into.
I like 409s on toms, easier to place than 421s.
Haven't bought anything from sennheiser since they bought neumann. seems that their goals have changed.

[dreamaudio]

the 121 = best mic ever on guitar...so smooth, so sexy....


holy shit...a mouse just ran across the floor...not good...time to take out the traps.

[snedley]

Pretty unanimous negative on the old 609's then. The 121 ............I've heard it's great for guitar cabs...........what about acoustic guitar?

[joelgtrnut]

e609 Silver sucks.

but...

Old e609 (black) on guitars is awesome though IMO. I love the mid range on it and the hi end. A usually use it in conjunction with a 57, pick the better sounding mic for each song, then track.

I always throw a 421 on the cab too, but I've never actually like the way it sounded in the mix.

[Kyle Ashley]

I have the original MD409 and the e609 is not even close.
Definitely fizzy and cheap sounding in the highs. Sennheiser is releasing the new Evolution 906 that has 3 switchable modes, one of which supposedly captures the 409 tone more closely. I also used a pre silver 609 once, which was much better than the silver series with regards to lows and mids, but the highs were dulled compared to the 409.

A great live guitar sound can be had by using BOTH a 57 and an original MD409 and blending to taste.

[pgk]

the 121 = best mic ever on guitar...so smooth, so sexy....

yep. while the 57 is the undisputed standard the royer 121 is the greatest electric guitar mic i've ever used, hands down.

[thaddius13]

I aggree that it isn't as good as the 409. It is *different* than a 57. I would take a 57 over an e609 most times, just depends. I find the mic very useable for $100!

It is $100 bucks! Well worth a try.

Heck, they sometimes even rule the school for toms.

[dhughes]

I love the e609 silver and take it every time over SM57...once again proving how little I know.

e609 silver with a royer 121 works very well....

What you are seeing here is different ears and different tastes. As they love to say on these forums: Go try it and see what you think.

And my two cents: anytime someone says that something completely sucks - you might considering discounting their opinion....unless they are talking about those AKG C1000s

[dhughes]

Oh and we're talking about two different mics here. Some are talking about the e609 and some about the e609silver.

I've never tried the e609 but have heard a lot of bad talk about it.

[maskedman72]

id buy both. for the price you cant go wrong. plus its cool to have em in your locker anyhow.

[tubedude]

You guys are NUTS! The e609 silver, properly placed, kills the 57 damn near every time. Dont put it in the same place, though. It needs to come back some and away from the coil. The 57 is only fine if you have no other options!

[JohnnyTooLoud]

Originally posted by tubedude
You guys are NUTS! The e609 silver, properly placed, kills the 57 damn near every time. Dont put it in the same place, though. It needs to come back some and away from the coil. The 57 is only fine if you have no other options!

I also prefer the 609 silver over a 57 for gits.

I used to do a lot of live sound and the 57 was on every git cab for years but I never liked them in the studio. I try and try and try and it just never makes me happy.

Been using a 609s for over a year and dig it.

For leads I'll sometimes add an AT 4033 or 4040 a foot or two back from the cab. Can sound pretty big.

YMMV.

--Giovanni

[lucey]

Originally posted by joelgtrnut
e609 Silver sucks.
.

i totally disagree

609 silver was the best $100 I ever spent in the studio. great value. no it's not the 409 but it's close enough for rock and roll.

the 609s sounds great on guitar cabs, a compliment to older 57's in a mix as it's bright and thick, vs the hi-mid heavy and lean 57.



Hecho en Mexico, new 57s are not real 57s anyway, and they sound like shizzlets in comparison to a Unidyne III 57 or theolder models.

[esteso]

Yep, the e609 silver is fantastic. A nice foil to a 57 or a 421 IMO. What a great way to spend $100. I've only used it a few times and only on a Tele into a Princeton. If it just did that it would still be a great thing. (it may do somthing else.... don't know)

Michael Telle

[keiffer]

Originally posted by Chad
The 609 Silver edition tends to bring out a lot more of the "fizz" on distorted guitar than a 57... and it always sucks compared to a 57 on distorted sounds.

mic placement...

it's a wondeful complement to both a 57 and a 421.