I've been trying to research what mics were used in the very early surf guitar recordings, without any luck. I know the Shure SM57 has been the go-to mic for guitars, but they did not come out until 1965. I am trying to find out what was used before (and possibly after) the venerable SM57 became available.

Any thoughts?

What I read ElctroVoice and Altecs were indeed quite common. Also RCA ribbons were used in the 50s and 60s. The bass on the The Astronauts’ debut album appears to be miked with one, looking at the back cover. Of course with an 8-pattern you’d have to be careful in a small and/or crowded room and engineers might switch to a cardioid pattern mic of some kind to avoid phase issues.

The Exotic Guitar of Kahuna Kawentzmann

You can get the boy out of the Keynes era, but you can’t get the Keynes era out of the boy.

Ribbon mics or any non cardioid mics were less of an issue because close-micing hadn't been developed - partially because engineers were worried about damaging amp capsules, but also number of mixer channels, and that usually everyone was playing live to mono with minimal overdubs - may have been instruments on 1 track, vocals on another and then mixed. So with a lot of these earlier albums (and in general) bleed was OK, and if a part ws too loud, the amp might be turned down or moved.

Had forgotten about the ribbon mics, and it's funny/good to see how ribbon mics have enjoyed a comeback, not only with AEA reissuing the old RCA designs, but with Royer and others bringing out new ones.

'65 Fender Tremolux, '74 Princeton; 77 Vibrolux Reverb; '81 Princeton Reverb
'65-66 Hilgen Basso Grande
Dr. Z MAZ 18 Jr. + 1x12 Cab
Various Telecasters and noise-making pedals
Farfisa Compact Duo

I found that close micing was the main culprit in not getting a sound like the old records. Very happy to record with condenser mics, maybe. A 57 style on the snare. Screens and positioning mics helps with bleed, but I like a bit of bleed. A vital ingredient in the soup of old recordings.

An SM57/Unidyne III would be best used for close-micing sources such as a snare or a guitar amp cabinet. As has been previously mentioned, not a lot of that was done back in the day. Ribbon mics were/are really a not-so-secret sauce; in a good room a good engineer can make them do just about anything better than any other type of mic. The figure-8 pattern is utilized for its extreme side rejection as well as its ability to capture the room sound and/or another element intentionally placed behind it. Unfortunately, the "good (big enough) room" aspect is what's most challenging for most home recordists (myself included) in capturing an accurate old school sound, even if they have the rest of the requisite gear and chops to use it.

psychonaut wrote:

Actually RCA 77dx have a selectable polar pattern, they can do Omni, figure 8, cardioid or hyper cardioid.
AEA are great mics, but are just as expensive as buying an original RCA.

that I didn't know - thanks!

While buying an original RCA is great, usually the ribbon motor is shot from age or poor handling as well as electrolytic caps. So you could buy an old one to rehab or get the AEA. I haven't bought either but I know that vintage ribbon mics there are more concerns than vintage dynamic or condenser mics.

'65 Fender Tremolux, '74 Princeton; 77 Vibrolux Reverb; '81 Princeton Reverb
'65-66 Hilgen Basso Grande
Dr. Z MAZ 18 Jr. + 1x12 Cab
Various Telecasters and noise-making pedals
Farfisa Compact Duo

I have three budget ribbon mics and love them all for home recording.
raylinds, it sounds like you went with a good choice for what you are seeking.
Let us know how it works out.

Cheers,
Jeff

http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic

Vince_Ray wrote:

Which is your favourite low budget ribbon mic Jeff? I'm looking for something to record vocals with at home
CrazyAces wrote:

My favorite is a discontinued model, a Nady RSM-2.I have used it for guitar tracks, drums and one or two vocals however I don't record vocals much at all so there may be a better choice. Back in the early 2000's when I got this mic a few of my friends that own pro studios (read: they know way more what they are doing than I do) borrowed this mic and instantly bought pairs of their own so, I guess it's pretty good sounding.
I've also had great success with a Nady RSM-5 (guitars and kick drum) and an MXL R40 (overhead and drums)

You can see the RSM-2 in the third post/picture down in this post, in front of my Supro Super amp. The mic looks vaguely RCA-77 ish. I'm actually recording "Thrown Away" on that setup.

https://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/22400/

Hope that helps,
Jeff

http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic

Last edited: Jun 03, 2020 10:11:27