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  #1  
Old 01-22-2021, 11:37 AM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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Default The Presidential mic!

The mic at the Presidential podium is always the same: a Shure SM57 with an A81WS large windscreen if it is outdoors, a smaller A2WS if it is indoors.

The sound of an SM57 with the A81WS is almost identical to an SM7B, but with more gain due to the transformer in the 57.

This mic has remained a constant throughout.

If you are interested in that dual mic holder, shock mount, it costs more than mics:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/869949-REG

https://youtu.be/Y-hfcASemTs

Last edited by Kerbie; 01-22-2021 at 12:03 PM.
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Old 01-22-2021, 06:54 PM
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That's interesting! Why would that mount cost so much? Does it also string guitars for you?

And why would they be a 57s instead of 58s? I have both, but I've always thought of the 57 for instruments and 58 for voice.
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Old 01-22-2021, 07:09 PM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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I have both as well, as well as beta versions of each. I actually prefer the 57 with a foam windscreen to the 58. The mic element is the same, but the grill on the 58 has an effect on the sound that is slight but unflattering.

The 57 is remarkably similar to an SM7B when you use the large A81WS foam windscreen. I can't tell them apart other than the hotter signal from the 57 because of the transformer.

Last edited by lkingston; 01-22-2021 at 07:18 PM.
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Old 01-22-2021, 09:49 PM
FrankHudson FrankHudson is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lkingston View Post
I have both as well, as well as beta versions of each. I actually prefer the 57 with a foam windscreen to the 58. The mic element is the same, but the grill on the 58 has an effect on the sound that is slight but unflattering.

The 57 is remarkably similar to an SM7B when you use the large A81WS foam windscreen. I can't tell them apart other than the hotter signal from the 57 because of the transformer.
Not the President, but the Queen of Soul. If anyone has watched the recently released Amazing Grace church concert of Aretha Franklin from 1972 you'll see her using the SM7b and SM57's podium ancestor in the Shure line. Sounds pretty good, but then it is Aretha Franklin.
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Old 01-22-2021, 11:33 PM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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The winning entry for the NPR Tiny Desk Contest used a 57 on the lead vocal with no pop filter. On most people it would have been popping like crazy, but it gives you an idea of how good this mic can sound:

https://youtu.be/Ursri8GmlW4
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Old 01-23-2021, 07:46 AM
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Chris Squire of YES (R.I.P.) preferred an SM57 as his live vocal mic for his entire career.

Bob
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Old 01-23-2021, 03:40 PM
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You see Tom Petty used them a lot.
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Old 01-24-2021, 04:35 PM
shufflebeat shufflebeat is offline
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Without wishing to rain on anyone's parade, I'm hearing talk elsewhere that the Prez doesn't actually use a '57, rather the normal setup is a Schoeps capsule in a '57 body with another '57 for backup purposes. Is this common knowledge?

For the record I'm a keen '57 user and have four of my own of various vintages.
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Old 01-25-2021, 09:44 AM
MikeBmusic MikeBmusic is offline
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An SM57's sound is the same as a SM7B?? The frequency response charts certainly are not the same. The 7B also has low cut (bass roll off) and 'presence' (boost) switches.
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Old 01-25-2021, 10:50 AM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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What I said is that they are are very close at a distance of about 18 inches. Try it. You'll see.

Also, they are very similar up close if you put the A2WS on the 57.

An MV7 is also very similar to the SM7B if you replace the short MV7 windscreen with the longer SM7B windscreen.

I occasionally use the high pass filter on my SM7B, but usually I do that in post. I don't like the sound of of the SM7B presence peak.

I have all these mics by the way.
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Old 01-27-2021, 08:54 AM
MikeBmusic MikeBmusic is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lkingston View Post
What I said is that they are are very close at a distance of about 18 inches. Try it. You'll see.
Actually, no, you didn't say that in your OP! I would never expect to use an SM57 at 18" out, its just not that sensitive.
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Old 01-27-2021, 12:37 PM
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I'm surprised no one has wondered about the need for a dual mic setup. Let's see now, some possible reasons could be:
  • redundancy
  • better left-to-right head tilt coverage
  • stereophonic capture in cases where speaker is talking out both sides of the mouth at the same time
  • what else?
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Old 01-27-2021, 12:49 PM
RogerPease RogerPease is offline
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Double-speak? ;-D
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Old 01-27-2021, 12:53 PM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by James May View Post
I'm surprised no one has wondered about the need for a dual mic setup. Let's see now, some possible reasons could be:
  • redundancy
  • better left-to-right head tilt coverage
  • stereophonic capture in cases where speaker is talking out both sides of the mouth at the same time
  • what else?

One mic is a media feed, the other goes to the public address system. They can also be used for redundancy if one goes bad with a splitter, but in general, we are just hearing one of them.

Donald Trump used just one mic (with a splitter for media and PA) with a longer gooseneck for more proximity effect.

Biden is back to the traditional dual mic (separate media and PA) system.
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