Looking to buy instrument mike for outdoor gigs

[joni24]

Looking for recommendations on a decent instrument microphone for primarily outdoor gigs. It will be needed for 3 instruments to be interchanged throughout the gig: mandolin, banjo-uke and accordion. We currently have a choice of two (older) amps in our possession that it could be hooked up to: either a Crate KX50 (primarily keyboard amp) or a Trace Acoustic TA35CR. (Other band members have their own amps and mikes to add to this mix...)

The mikes I'm currently considering are a Shure SM57 (LC?), an AKG Perception 170 and an AT Pro 37, based on feedback I've gleaned on this site and others. Is there a clear winner among these 3, or are there others that I should look into as well?

2nd question: Which of the 2 amps above would be better suited for the above instruments plus a vocal mike? Thanks in advance for all the help you can give!

[fscotte]

Pro37 are nice.

[EdSherry]

I'm not familiar with the Crate amp. I'm assuming it has an XLR input. I have the Trace, which I like.

From what I can tell, it looks like both the AKG and the AT need phantom power. I would doubt that either of your amps supplies it, but you can check. if not, you'd need a separate phantom power source (or a small mixer that will supply it; see below).

There's a reason why the SM-57 has been the "go to" industry-standard mike for instrument amplification for over 30 years. Rugged, reliable, good sound, doesn't need phantom power.

If you want the amp to handle an instrument mike plus a vocal mike, that also needs to be dealt with. As I recall, the Trace Acoustic has an XLR and a 1/4" input, intended for a single mike and an instrument with a pickup (not a second mike). You might want to look into buying a small mini-mixer (I've been using a Mackie 1202 for years for small gigs) that supplies phantom power and gives you a line-out nto a decent-sounding acoustic amp. The XLR-to-1/4" adapters are an inadequate substitute (IMHO).

[almeriastrings]

Many ways you can do this...

Certainly the P170 and ATPRO37 both require +48v phantom power. A dynamic mic such as the venerable SM-57 does not.

A third option: use a self-powered condenser (back-electret) mic such at the Rode M3, Shure SM-94 or AKG C-1000. Of these, The SM-94 is particularly good on mandolin, with the M3 a close second. The new (latest) version of the C-1000 is an improvement over the earlier versions which I never liked too much... all these will run fine from an internal battery if regular phantom is not available.

As also suggested, adding a small, but good, mixer to your rig will widen your options and give you 'extras' such as independent channel gain, EQ, multiple inputs, etc. The only issue can be that some acoustic amps lack a line-level input to handle the mixer output... The KX-50 will handle line-level inputs so would be OK. Ideally, a balanced-line level input woulds be nice, but in this application, with the correct cable from mixer-amp it will be fine.

[joni24]

The XLR-to-1/4" adapters are an inadequate substitute (IMHO).

What are the main disadvantages of these adapters, in your opinion? And would a cable with XLR and 1/4" connectors be any better?

[joni24]

In looking at cables I've come across High-Z and Low-Z options but don't really know much about this topic. Supposedly "Hi-Z, or a high impedance cable is suited for ohms levels of 10,000 or more, while a Low-Z cable is best used for a level of 600 ohms or less.
Read more: http://www.ehow.com/info_12134582_hiz-vs-lowz-microphone-cable.html#ixzz34RHcrb2O". I haven't been able to find any information on ohms levels needed for the SM57 etc. Help!

[mandotim1955]

A vote here for the AKG Perception 170. It's not a Neumann, but for the money they are seriously good. Well built, and a lovely crisp, detailed sound. I use them all the time, and always with good results. The SM57 is very dated now, and the Beta57A is a much better dynamic mic option. Another dynamic possibility is the Audix i5, another nice mic for the money.

[fscotte]

What are the main disadvantages of these adapters, in your opinion? And would a cable with XLR and 1/4" connectors be any better?

There's absolutely no difference between the two, nor the cable they run in. XLR and 1/4 are just a means to send a signal down the line to the next connection. You could have 1/4 to xlr to 1/4 to xlr and have no issues. I've done it many times. The important thing is that your 1/4" connection are TRS and your mixer accepts TRS balanced inputs.

[almeriastrings]

The SM-57 is designed to best match low-impedance inputs and should be used with a balanced cable with XLR terminations. It has a fairly low output too (compared to a typical condenser), so a reasonable level of gain is required on that input. It (and most other dynamic mics) would normally be fine if the amp or mixer in question has an XLR 'microphone' input. If it only has a 1/4" jack input, this is unlikely to be suitable.

Yes, there are balanced TRS jacks, but these are typically intended for line-level, not mic level, sources and may not have sufficient gain (usually circa 20dB vs 50-60dB).

Should be noted that Shure still have the 'Unidyne 545' available, which is a dual impedance design, predating the current SM models. That said, I would not recommend it in this application.

One thing to watch out for with SM-57's is the huge number of outright fakes out there. Be very, very careful if buying one. Ebay is full of them. They look very convincing, even down to the packaging. I'd only ever buy new, and from a reputable pro dealer.

They may be dated... but they have their own sound and can be useful. Would not be my own no. 1 choice for mandolin, however. Lots of other options available.....

[almeriastrings]

One other thought... if you do a lot of outdoor stuff, wind-noise resistance is a big thing. In practice, you can often end up with an overall better result by using a vocal mic rather than an 'instrument' mic. This is mainly down to the basket design, as 'vocal' mics have generally better built-in screening than do instrument mics - where the diaphragm tends to be much more exposed and susceptible to buffeting by air currents. A good high-pass (<100Hz) filter can also help on the input stage, but mics with very exposed diaphragms can be a major pain outdoors. The foam-type 'windshields' are not wonderful at eliminating this. They can help a bit, however. A furry Rycote really does make a difference, but they are quite obtrusive visually. In windy situations, a standard 'vocal' designated mic can often be a good solution on instruments too. I often use Audix VX-5's, Neumann KMS-105's for this (condenser) or AKG D5's, EV 967's or Blue Microphones Encore 100's (dynamic) in those situations. These all have better-than-average wind resistance.

[Jim]

I really like SM 57 mikes for this purpose though as almeriastrings says, its output is low and it is designed for lo z inputs. I get around that with an art tube mp preamp which will let you convert the lo z to hi z and give you a significant power boost (and supply phantom power if you go with a mike that needs it). This setup allows me to run 2 mikes into an acoustic amp that has only a 1/4 inch input for instruments.