Shure SM57 vs Sennheiser e609 (with video comparison)

Hello and welcome to this week's article!

Today we are going to compare two schools of thought, the two most common and beloved dynamic microphones for electric guitar: the Shure SM57 and the Sennheiser e609; two industry standards in the same price range, super solid and capable of whitstanding huge sound pressures.

Those two microphones features a similar sound curve, meaning they are particularly receptive towards the midrange, which is very common and useful when microphoning a guitar speaker, especially in a live environment, but they have their own characteristics.
For our comparison we have microphoned the same cab (an Orange 2x12) through the same poweramp (a Marshall Jvm) exactly in the same position (straight towards the edge of the dustcap), in order to tell better the differences.

What we can hear is that while they are both mid rangey, the Shure has much more low-mid content and less high end, which is why it gets paired often in studio with other microphones that add some sparkle, while the Sennheiser is more scooped, slightly less musical but much more aggressive, which makes it more suitable for certain kinds of music or tunings.

It's interesting to notice also the interaction between the two microphones in the sample, when they are played together: they sort of complete each other, and this is one of the reasons why many albums are quad tracked with both microphones on both sides: because they sound fuller.

Which one to choose? We suggest you to download our free impulse pack and try for yourself, with your guitar and your music stile the one that sounds better!


Something about the video:

First you can hear the sample recorded with the SM57 on both sides, then one with the Sennheiser on both sides, then one with the Shure on the left side and the Sennheiser on the right one, and finally the same samples without drums and bass.

The impulse used is the one done by us, the free Trident pack (click here to download), and we used the impulse on the orange cab, pointing towards the edge of the dustcap.

Signal chain: Ltd MH-417 - Focusrite Saffire Pro14 - Ignite TSB-1 - Nick Crow 7170 - Ignite NadIR - Trident Impulse pack (no post eq used)

Let us know what do you think!


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