Joe_L
1718 posts
Feb 10, 2012
8:48 PM
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Some of the feedback that I received on the previous installment was quite interesting including:
"It would be better if you didn't announce what mic you were playing and obscured them so bias couldn't enter in.
"If you hadn't said which was which I don't think many players could tell the difference."
"Joe is playing through a Tweed Champ clone. Like other small amps it adds a lot of its own breakup and color, which tends to make mics sound more alike... Played through a bigger amp you will hear the differences more."
"However to create a test to get people to choose which mic they think sounds best, or indeed to identify a particular element. The only real way to do that is to perform a blind test."
I decided to heed the advice that I was given.
The second round is audio only. That way, no one could see the microphones. (You'll have to trust my honesty and integrity.)
In this round, I used a Super Sonny. It's a bigger amp. There were no changes to the volume or tone settings when I changed microphones.
I set up a Zoom H2 about 15 feet away from the amp.
I tried to play the same thing each time and the same thing from the first test.
The microphones tested are a:
Shure Controlled Magnetic (99A86) in a vintage JT-30 shell.
Shure Controlled Magnetic (99A86) in a Hohner Blues Blaster shell.
Shure 520D with a Mexican made element.
Shure 520DX with the modern dynamic element.
Clip of Microphone #1
Clip of Microphone #2
Clip of Microphone #3
Clip of Microphone #4
What do you think? Which microphone is which?
Here's the blog entry. Shure Green Bullet Demo - Round Two"
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by on Feb 10, 2012 8:51 PM
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7LimitJI
601 posts
Feb 11, 2012
2:08 AM
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Again,there is not a lot in it !
One and two have more upper frequencies.
Three and four roll the upper off.
1/ 520DX
2/ 520D
3/ CM Jt-30
4/ CM BluesBlaster
My fav is mic 3 as it sounds a bit smoother and richer.
Telling the shells was a guess,as they are basically the same.
I have approx 13 different harp mics. Shure,Astatic,Turner,Aiwa,Beyer,ThunderHarp, CM's,CR, dynamics and crystals.
They all have subtle or not so subtle differences.
For a real dirty amp, I'll use a mic with more treble to help the amp cut.
Vice versa for cleaner sounding amp.
One week ,my fav is the CR, the next its a Shure crystal R7, the next its a PE33 element in a 707 shell, the next......etc,etc
Another interesting test. Thanks Joe :o)
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The Pentatonics Reverbnation
Youtube
"Why don't you leave some holes when you play, and maybe some music will fall out".
"It's music,not just complicated noise".
Last Edited by on Feb 11, 2012 2:17 AM
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Kingley
1772 posts
Feb 11, 2012
4:37 AM
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Thanks for the test Joe. It'll be interesting to see how close we get to being right. As 7LimitJI says, there's very little in it. The first two samples are slightly more trebly to my ear.
My guess would be:
1 - 520DX
2 - 520D
3 - CM in JT30
4 - CM in Blues Blaster
I agree with 7LimitJI (Cameron?) mic 3 is my favourite too. The 99A86 is my favourite element. I prefer it in general over most CR's I've tried.
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Joe_L
1719 posts
Feb 11, 2012
11:56 AM
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Man, I thought shorter clips would be better than longer ones. I didn't think people would want to sit through longer clips. I know that I would tend to tune out, if the clips were longer in length.
I'll post the actual answers in a couple of days.
My favorite changes about as often as I change socks, which is frequently.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
Last Edited by on Feb 11, 2012 1:08 PM
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Kingley
1779 posts
Feb 12, 2012
12:07 AM
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Joe - Are you going to put us out of our misery then and tell us which was which?
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Joe_L
1721 posts
Feb 12, 2012
9:30 AM
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Since, you're in misery, I'll make you wait longer..,
Just kidding. Here you go.
1. 520D
2. 520DX
3. CM in Blues Blaster
4. CM in JT30
I use #3 the most, but I can live with any of them. I've used each of them for months at a time as my primary mic.
I went through a period in time where I was plugging the 520DX into everything amplification device I could find. While it isn't the best mic that I own, it's quite usable. I never seemed to have the problems that many seem to have with it.
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The Blues Photo Gallery
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Kingley
1782 posts
Feb 12, 2012
10:27 AM
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Hahaha! So we got them wrong!
I agree with you Joe, I could live with any of those mics too. It's always the player that makes the biggest difference. These days mics and amps don't bother me as much as they used to, as over the years my skills have developed slightly.
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mr_so&so
496 posts
Feb 14, 2012
10:38 AM
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Again, Joe, thanks for this. I did guess the 520DX correctly, since I assumed it would sound "worst", and I liked #4 best. But indeed there is not a lot in it, which was educational in itself.
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LittleBubba
183 posts
Feb 14, 2012
11:15 AM
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It's been noted before, but a "given" in all this is that some mics mate up to some amps better than others, so it is possible to plug a great mic into a great amp and have less than desirable results.
I know that many of the guys here have their favorite little setups for different type gigs, as do I.
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