SM-57 Volume Question

Warren

Was trying to record with my SM-57 yesterday, but it was very soft compared to the SM-58 I was using for vocals. Is this normal? Does the 57 require more pre-amp?

TomCat

Warren wrote: Was trying to record with my SM-57 yesterday, but it was very soft compared to the SM-58 I was using for vocals. Is this normal? Does the 57 require more pre-amp?

The 57 and 58 have absolutely identical capsules and electronics so either the 57 is faulty or you changed something (like a cable perhaps)

Did you do a direct A/B with the same setup?

Warren

TomCat wrote:
The 57 and 58 have absolutely identical capsules and electronics so either the 57 is faulty or you changed something (like a cable perhaps)

Did you do a direct A/B with the same setup?

Didn't change anything, same cable directly into the audio interface, same track with same settings. That's a bit annoying, since the mic is relatively new. I'll take it back to Marshall in that case.

TomCat

Is the tone of the 57 different to the 58. If it is both softer and thinner sounding then the likely culprit is a wire that has come loose on the XLR connector at the base of the mic and the line is now unbalanced and one legged...there will also likely be hum on the mic as well.

If it is just a broken wire then that's an easy fix. If it is the capsule then replacement is the best option.

Warren

TomCat wrote: Is the tone of the 57 different to the 58. If it is both softer and thinner sounding then the likely culprit is a wire that has come loose on the XLR connector at the base of the mic and the line is now unbalanced and one legged...there will also likely be hum on the mic as well.

If it is just a broken wire then that's an easy fix. If it is the capsule then replacement is the best option.

Thanks!

Tough to tell if the mic sounds any different, but there isn't any hum, it's just really soft.

At practice and at gigs I have to crank the pre-amp on the desk to get the sound to come through, once it does I think it sounds OK but it's hard to tell since I haven't really done any careful testing.