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An addendum here, I really wish for some better lows when I use the e609 by itself. Usually I am pressed for time and would prefer also putting on a Ribbon mic in addition to the e609, a couple of feet back. It seems the times I am tweaking the most is when a 57 is in the scenario.

An aside, most of the time, I am putting the guitar through an Akai/Roberts tube pre that is modded with Jensen I/O transformers.

Uncle Ovipositor wrote:I pulled the transformer out of one of my SM57s, and am liking it more on distorted guitar. It's less honky, more flat. I tend to have a lot of character in the distortion in the mids, so for me this is a good thing. If you're going for something very bright it might not be the way to go, since any 57 is going to lack detail there.

Something to think about.

tell me more about this mod... and is it easy to reverse?

h8 m0dems wrote:tell me more about this mod... and is it easy to reverse?

There was an article in tape-op a year or two ago suggesting this mod - check their archives and you should be able to find it. Basically, there's a cheap transformer embedded in a heapin' wad of goo in the body of the mic, and to get rid of it you disconnect the capsule and jack, then drop it in a pot of boiling water until the goo falls out. Rewire and stitch back up and you have an SM57 with a different character. It's still not a great capsule, but it's got its moments, and without the transformer in there it has a different character. I definitely like it more on guitar cabs this way.

The downside is that the strength of the signal goes down a lot and you need a good preamp to bring it back up. Small price.

Obviously it's not easy to reverse. You probably could if you wanted to put in a lot of effort. But, I mean, it's an SM57. If you mod it, it's not going to sound worse, and if you really dislike it buy another.

I was always under the impression that the e609 was intended for live sound. It works pretty well under those circumstances...I will definitely grab one for guitars if it's available. I think it's a noticeable improvement over SM57's, but that doesn't mean much in most club environments...

It's also useful for the topside of percussion (tabula, etc.)...good rejection and articulate mids.

Never recorded with it.

the e609 is a fine dynamic mic for recording or live sound regarding loud distorted gtrs and rack toms. as a stand alone, i think better mics exist. having a good player and a good signal path will make a difference. this applies to sm57 (with and without a transformer), an sm7, a 421, a royer 121, a shiny box 23 L , an AEA r84, an AT pro37, AKG 414 (or most high handling spl LDC mics) even an AKG D112. the better and easier to mix gtr tracks i get are with 2 mics or more if i can afford the inputs. lately a dynamic, a sdc, and a ribbon on the cab(s). i feel that if you are asking: if an e609 kicks more ass over a shure 57, that is up to you. the 57 is cardiod, the 609 is supercardiod, and that might be useful. make what you have work!

n.

Someone mentioned the old school gold 409...IMO, way cooler than the newer e609, although the e609 is great for live use. also, 414s are great on guitar cabs. if you do go with the dreaded 57, augment it with something else (i've used akg c1000s for this), hopefully a condensor of some kind, and blend the 2 signals to taste. experiment with distances off the speaker so you don't get phase silliness when you go to mix.

best of luck

My 609 silvers almost always win over a 57.....and when mixing live I've been using both the 609 and the 57 on a Marshall 4x12 with a nice JCM800....they compliment each other very well....the 609 is much darker then the 57 no doubt with less of the sizzily garbage that I normally low pass out of a Marshall anyway...at least in a live setting I can't use 57's at all anymore by themselves. To harsh and weird midrange for live distorted guitars......this month at least.

hiredgeeek wrote: and a good signal path will make a difference. this applies to sm57

I revisited the sm57 after some substantial preamp upgrades, and removing the transformer...and actually found it to be usable for the first time. On many instances I prefer the moded 57 on heavy guitars over a 201.

Speaking of transformers and sm57's, has anyone tried this: http://www.mercenary.com/tatrmosmands.html

Can anyone elaborate on the differences in the MD412 vintages? There's the MKI, the MKII, and creamy-looking Senn/Telefunken one, which I have never used. I have been meaning to pick up a pair of 421s recently and have forgotten which vintage I used in the past.