Mic for cab : Sennheiser e906 or Shure SM57

Re: Mic for cab : Sennheiser e906 or Shure SM57

I do have a 57 and a I5 and i prefer the I5 by far to the 57.. the 57 more often than not sounds harsh to me on heavy distorted guitars.. I5 has a bit more low mid growl to it that i like and because of its scooped mids it sounds overall a bit less harsh altho doesnt cut trough the mix as much as the 57 because of this. I use 57 on snares tho to great results, band mate of mine has managed to get surprising results on a acoustic guitar with it altho he did do some post recording processing of the signal..

On a side note of the sennheisers.. i just visited their web site and i notice that the 609 isnt on there anymore.. instead you find a 606.. is this the same model or did they discontinue the 609 and replaced it with the 606? The 609 has mixed reviews often people saying it sucks compared to other mics like the I5 or its older predecessor the 409 which the 609 is "suppose" to be modeled after.. ive heard some clips of A/B'ing between both and they do definitely sound different. The 906 seems like an all around better choice to the 609 since you have a 3 option selector switch that kinda makes the mic into 3 diferent mics and seems like a cool feature for live use. I guess it all depends on what you play and what gear you use because ive heared some 609 miced marshalls played with humbucker equiped guitars that sounded freakin cool but with strats they seemed a bit harsh. 906 has less of that harshness and sounds rounder overall but with the filter switch you can get into 609 bright territory or roll it off and get a bit more of the smoother and darker sounding 409.. your not gonna nail those mics exactly but you get closer to it which makes the 906 more versatile.. imo either way the 609 or 906 sounds better than a 57 on guitar cabs but i would stil use a 57 for other applications like snare drums or toms but then for those something like a MD421 U5 will outperform the 57 hands down.. wich btw is also an exelent and my favorite mic for guitar cabs.. but its more pricey..
 
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Re: Mic for cab : Sennheiser e906 or Shure SM57

I like the e906... if not only for convenience! Just drape it over!
I've never done a side by side, but I've never been disappointed in the tone of the e906. If anything it may be a little smoother... meaning closer to a SM58 in tone. Look at the specs... If the SM57 is to upper mids.

Actually, that's kind of an odd answer. A 57 and a 58 are the same basic mic with nearly identical freq response. The only significant difference is that a 57's outer capsule is designed for more off axis rejection. The difference in FR is inaudible, so its odd to say that a 906(compared to a 57) is "a little smoother... meaning closer to a SM58 in tone". It just isn't valid. The technical difference in FR is that the 57 actually has a hair more around 2hz, which is a likely inaudible difference in a mix. Not sure where you got the idea that there was a difference between a 57 and a 58 in "smoothness". That's just not accurate.
 
Re: Mic for cab : Sennheiser e906 or Shure SM57

Is the e906 basically the same mic / capsule as the e609, just with the hi-pass filter and whatever the other switch is added?

No. Not the same mic. They are similar designs but with different valued components and noticeably different Frequency response. If you want to do less EQing, spend the extra $$ and get the 906. I have 609s, 906s, 57s and more. The 906 sounds more like the amp with less tweaking to do. I only use the others on amps when I run out of 906s. There are a few people online who would tell you they are the same, but they are usually people who couldn't afford the upgrade and want to believe theirs is just as good. Its worth the money to get the 906. Once a few months back, Sennheiser ran a special deal with Sweetwater and MF where they sold the 906 at almost half price($99) for a few weeks. Its rare, but if you can catch them doing that again you should snag as many of them you can get.
 
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Re: Mic for cab : Sennheiser e906 or Shure SM57

I was wondering about the Sennheiser mics vs the Shure 57 & 58
Thanks for the clarification
I have went with speaker emulating outputs on the head and on the cabinet
In order to avoid having to mic the cabinets

Thanks though it did answer a bunch of my questions

The switch on the 906
How does that work
Does it just change the mics eq curve?
 
Re: Mic for cab : Sennheiser e906 or Shure SM57

I was wondering about the Sennheiser mics vs the Shure 57 & 58
Thanks for the clarification
I have went with speaker emulating outputs on the head and on the cabinet
In order to avoid having to mic the cabinets

Thanks though it did answer a bunch of my questions

The switch on the 906
How does that work
Does it just change the mics eq curve?

AFAIK the switch changes the high end response.

The bright setting sounds very similar an e609 or SM57, but I wouldn't say it's exactly the same. My favorite setting on the 906 is the middle or flat setting which is 80-90% of MD421U5 tone for half the price. The dark setting is supposed to be similar to the MD409 used by David Gilmour and others, but I've never seen one in person so take that with a grain of salt. Either way the e906 is a great sounding microphone and the one I'd pick every time if I had to use just a single mic for guitar going forward.
 
Re: Mic for cab : Sennheiser e906 or Shure SM57

I was wondering about the Sennheiser mics vs the Shure 57 & 58
Thanks for the clarification
I have went with speaker emulating outputs on the head and on the cabinet
In order to avoid having to mic the cabinets

Thanks though it did answer a bunch of my questions

The switch on the 906
How does that work
Does it just change the mics eq curve?

57 and 58 are almost identical with regards to element/cartridge and electronics (except if 58 has a switch) . -it's the grill and pop filter foam that is the difference -due to your ability to get very close to the sound source of a 57 -the 57 can get a wider range of tone options.

although honestly -most quality professional EV and Shure dynamic cardiod mics in the 30mm category can get most all the same mic sounds with careful adjustment of the proximity to the source.
 
Re: Mic for cab : Sennheiser e906 or Shure SM57

I find it totally depends on the player. My other guitarist can park a 57 in front of his amp and he sounds great on recordings. My amps, not so much. I recently switched to a 609 for myself and I've been much happier with my recorded tone since.
 
Re: Mic for cab : Sennheiser e906 or Shure SM57

It really doesnt matter. Both are good options. Focus on playing well and entertaining the audience instead.
 
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