Do you use dynamics mics instead of the usual suspects?

I just did an SM7b in hi hats yesterday 😂

Depends on the session. loud rock band, sure, acoustic music, probably not other than ribbons. Ribbons on both, everything.

I have never been one to make gear choices based on type, it’s always been about the sound a mic or anything else brings. So He’ll yeah I’ll grab a dynamic for just about anything if I feel it’s going to contribute to the tone I’m chasing.

I’ll admit that having started out with few if any condensers in a world filled with EV variable D dynamics I was like a kid in a candy store when I found myself in studios filled with condensers. The thing was I realized how much those EV’s I ran from where one of the signature things behind the tone of many of my favorite recordings. I just had to spend more time embracing them and learning what they were capable of.

For the most part with a few exceptions old dynamics are cheap because they lack the sex appeal of the big boys. Take some risks, you can build one hell of a collection of dynamics and have quite the tonal pallet. Even he more expensive Dynamics (441, D19 and D12) are bargains compared to what the classic LDC’s or ribbons run.

Love them. When through a phase where they were my best mics, better than my AT condensers. I had M88TG, PL20, MD441, SM7B.

For voice, it's very very tricky to get the right one for the right singer. But the SM7B seems to work more often than the others, so it's my choice for that.

MD441 is "good on everything." It really is, just stick it somewhere. Stick it you know where, LOL.

M88TG for me is my Low End microphone. I love it on kicks and bass amps. Really excels in those positions.

PL20, or RE20, was a little more specific. I do miss it. Fantastic bass cabinet sound, "OK" on vocals. Surprisingly good on acoustic guitar. MD441 wins the acoustic guitar shootout though. It's the best dynamic out of these for that, IMO.

I also have a huge pile of handheld 100 dollar dynamic mics, they are "fun." Lately it's the 545 SD that goes on my Marshall 4x12. The SM57 gets handheld vocal duties, for when I don't want to stand in front of the condenser mic I use.

old EV are useful on so many sources. They are "special." Sometimes they die of old age and it's sad, they have to be disposed.

SE V7 and V7X are sort of the new hotness, they "work on anything" sort of like an SM57 does, but with a subtle difference in tone. In practice, I don't use them all the time, just have so many. They are great on snare drum specifically.

EV CO4 is my "secret cheap mic" for toms and sometimes guitar sounds.

I almost always use a large dynamic on bass drum and floor tom. ND868, e906. Or the M88TG previously mentioned. Or the subkick I made. D112 always on floor toms. M88TG and MD441 are also brilliant on toms, but "expensive." I try not to worry too much about the toms. You can get nutty trying to arrange tom mics from the 1,000,000s of things out there.

So yeah, love them. Also love every other kind of microphone.

I’ve been on a real dynamic spree the past 6 months, slowed only by a loss of income due to the pandemic. Particularly I like the different shades of color you can get on snare or amps with various choices. It takes a bit longer to set up a session but if you have the time it’s creative and enlightening. Yesterday I was recording a clean electric guitar track and settled on an old EV DO54–gave me everything I wanted to hear and nothing that I didn’t. A big plus is that aside from a handful of pricy collectibles like the RE15 most can be had very cheaply if you hunt around.

I feel so bougie using mainly ribbons and condensers lately, after so many years of running a dynamic mic R&R studio. : )

Have said it so many times: I'd rather make a record with a dozen 635A's than a dozen SM57's.

If Shure hadn’t paid my rent so often I would agree with this, in fact I once asked my landlord if he could change my Apt # to SM57😎

I would not recommend a basic Focusrite to anybody for anything except possibly a paperwight. Not heavy enough for a doorstop. The mic pres suck (even on the new ones, but not nearly as much as the old ones), they use the lowest quality Chinese caps available - which leads to noise problems when they get leaky - and their circuit board quality and layout is on a par with very early Behringer. Actually the layout is probably worse - some of the early Behringers stole their layout directly from the original gear they were ripping off.

I stand corrected then!... +- 3db!
Chris

I don't have any old 545 SD. I tried to buy one but it was false advertisement.

Now I own two "Mexico" 545 SD. One with a black sticker around the headbasket, the other with a silver sticker.

They sound slightly different to one another. One has a little more bass, the other one a little more treble, or something like that. There's one that I prefer with a big muff pedal, the silver label one. Pretty subtle stuff though.

I'd still like to get an old one here eventually. I have a spot in my flight case for a few more.

I don't like either one for voice. The SM57 reigns supreme in that application.

Haven't tried them on snare drum yet.