Anthony Flack wrote:But you SHOULD be able to drive a 57. I've never used a Scarlett, but... really?If you have to max the gain for electric and sax then something is amiss. I could totally see it being the case for acoustic and hand percussion though for semi-quiet players...To the OP: you have to get an SM57 really close to the sound source. Like less than 3 inches depending on the volume of the source. People put these right up nearly against guitar amps and human mouths.

I have an 18i20 and it s fine with an sm57. - sm7b without anything else will probably get close or max out the gain depending on your source. Make sure you don t have a pad engaged

Tommy wrote:To the OP: you have to get an SM57 really close to the sound source. Like less than 3 inches depending on the volume of the source. People put these right up nearly against guitar amps and human mouths.And drums and saxophone bells. Even though the 57 is not the favoured high-SPL dynamic mic of folks around here, a lot of music that people love was recorded with 57s, so pure shite is what you make of it.

57's are kinda better suited for loud sources. Certainly no good for acoustic guitar, for instance. This is not a Scarlett issue.....I own the 2i4 and 18i20. A preamp will help, though.

I've got the Scarlett and a semi cheap MXL condenser and i've used it a ton to record vocals and acoustic guitar. I don't remember having a problem with the preamps. I'm sure a Sytek would show me how shitty mine sound, but what are we talking about here? Demos, practice, fucking around?That being said, I'd probably get the most expensive Audio Technica condenser my budget would allow. You can get a really good one on Reverb for $200-250

There's certainly mics around that make sounding good easier. I haven't used a 57 on a guitar cab for quite some time either, since I have a few other options now. But still, plenty of records that are better than anything I'll ever make were recorded with them.

deadfate wrote:numberthirty wrote:deadfate wrote:To use a condenser with the tascam dp01, i have to buy a preamp or just a +48 power supply ?n.c. wrote:the focusrite has phantom.If I'm guessing correctly, I believe deadfate is tracking on the dp01 and using the Focusrite to mix.Exactly. I will need a preamp with phantom or just a power supply? It is normal that the shure sm57 has a really low volume? I need to cranck a lot the gain on the tascam and, when I use it, on the focusrite.Can't you use the Focusrite as a preamp and then run its 1/4" out to the DP01? Re: the quiet SM57, I assume you're using an XLR to 1/4" adapter. This is probably why the signal is so low. Run through the Focusrite if you're tracking on the DP01. And get a condenser.

Anthony Flack wrote:Tommy wrote:To the OP: you have to get an SM57 really close to the sound source. Like less than 3 inches depending on the volume of the source. People put these right up nearly against guitar amps and human mouths.And drums and saxophone bells. Even though the 57 is not the favoured high-SPL dynamic mic of folks around here, a lot of music that people love was recorded with 57s, so pure shite is what you make of it.I still like it for snare. Less for guitar amps than I used to.

If you need a few mics on a budget, a nice compliment/alternative to a 57 is any of the weird old Electro Voice mics. Basically anything with an RE in the model number for under/around $100 is probably going to sound cool on a guitar amp, snare, toms. 635a is cool and stuffed into every pawn shop and church that you'll ever find, only catch is it's omni which might effect your plans for separation. I'd look at old CAD condensers for something else usable on the cheap.