SM57 vs Vintage Unidyne III 545 Model (Frequency Analysis)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ส.ค. 2024
- In this video I compare the frequency differences between a modern Shure SM57 and a Vintage Shure Unidyne III 545 Model.
Thanks for watching.
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Hey everyone! I have finally made a video on how to fit an XLR to a Shure unidyne III 545. th-cam.com/video/XXfcfyihFUs/w-d-xo.html
I think your comparison shows the mic differences in a very practical & useful way thank you. I gigged a Unidyne III 545 for years as a vocal mic and loved it. The Shure website says: "The SM57 (1965) and SM58 (1966) were based on the popular Unidyne® III 545 (1959) used for public address systems". Shure also said: "The primary difference between the SM57 and the SM58 is the grille design. The SM58 was designed for vocal applications, utilizing a ball grille that acts as an effective P-pop filter. The SM57 was designed primarily as an instrument microphone where a smaller grille size is preferred". I found that little extra presence of my Unidyne III 545 great on vocals and I never had significant problems with plosives, Rock on ...
I would really hate to split hairs, but IMO it's better to refer to the 545 as the 545 instead of the Unidyne III. I say this because the Unidyne III is the capsule used in various mics including the SM57, SM58, SM7, SM7B, and the 545 to name a few.
It sounds better too. 😉
Other than the 57 and 58, none of those mics use the same capsule. Unidyne III refers to the patented technology deployed in the design of the capsules, not a specific capsule. For instance, the 57 uses a copper voice coil and the 545 uses an aluminum voice coil. There are also other differences, including how the the capsules are tuned.
That's so wild! I love the 5-6khz brightness in the 545. I need one now!!!!!!
I love the 545. Especially the USA made 545's. I've had many. Currently I have 2 Pistol version (I might want to start a small TH-cam vlog with guests and I thought these will look cooler than the standard sm7b. 1 is completely original.
The other one I got a pistol body in a box with broken microphones. It was rusty but had all the internal electronics. So I cleaned and polished the body. Then used the cardridge from one of the best USA 545s I have. And now I need to fit the electronics in some kind of wax so they stay in place but otherwise it sounds very well. Perhaps better than the original pistol one.
I also just scored a 545L for €50. It has a smaller body with a cable out. Butterfield used one for his harmonica and I understand why. It's slightly smaller but it fits in your hand.
Digression:(I have a modern 520SX which is almost the standard for blues harp microphones. But the one I have is made in Mexico. So it's solid but I suspect a US one would be better (and certainly easier if you want to put it on a stand). But the possibility with that one to easy get overdrive because of the volume on the microphone. )
So I will keep buying and selling the 545s. But the special ones I will try to hold on too no matter how hard the financial state of affairs. That 545L will only be sold at a liquidation auction.
The SM57 is a good mic. But I feel that technology has caught up with it and you van buy better mics for less money. (You could say the same about the 545 but there I want a vintage sound and I don't buy the Mexican ones. I've never heard someone argue for a sm57 (or 58 for that matter) to get a vintage sound. A familiar sound sure. But if you want a modern microphone I'd look a bit further. (Though the near indestructible nature of them are a plus. After nuclear war. When Keith Richards is the only person living. He'll leave a message to any aliens that may come by on a reel to reel tape with a SM58.)
I have a unidyne II with a on/off switch I think it's late 60s. Sounds better than any other 57 I've used.
What you call the "presence peak" is actually the fundamental frequency. The presence peak would be that bump around 4-6khz. Could be as low as 1khz.
Very clear comparison! It's not a world of difference, less than I assumed, but overall I like the 545 more for the extra high end clarity, especially with the drums. All depends on what you'd want to use it for I suppose.
Thank you! yeah between the 545 and sm57 you can really cover a lot of ground and options :)
According to Shure, the capsule is identical in these mics. But the age of each mic might make a difference.. Shure still makes the 545. $149.00 US. I would love to see a side by side comparison of two brand new mics.
I was given a unidyne3 by the the dj at the hotel I worked at who played records for all the oldies. I've had it for nearly ten years now and have only just started using it to record guitar with and I'm annoyed at myself for not trying it out sooner.
Electric guitar?
The comparison using the graphs of the recordings in this way is... dubious. Would be better to place them in front of a linear monitor playing back pink noise instead
I own both, love both. Excellent dynamic workhorse mics.
I could listen to more buzz of the snare wires of the snare drum and more highs with the shure 545SD-LC
totally underrated microphone company
Excellent compare mate, thanks for taking the time to do this.
Thank you :) and thank you for taking the time to watch!
This is fantastic. I would love to see an acoustic test as I am on the fence about whether to go vintage and opt for the older copper over the newer aluminum wiring. Acoustic is my use case 100% of the time.
In my opinion on everything I've tried, the unidyne just sounds nicer to me. Although for an acoustic you may want to go for a condenser microphone as they are able to pick up quieter sound sources easier!
Great comparison. Thank you. From a listening perspective I did not hear a difference. It appears the 545SD is the sister to the SM57.
Astonishing. I can even hear a massive difference on my cheap mobile phone.
Maybe have your ears checked?
These mics DO NOT use the same capsule. The 57 has a copper voice coil and 545 has an aluminum voice coil. The capsules are tuned for different purposes. The 545 is a PA microphone designed for speech intelligibility while the 57 is a studio microphone designed for high fidelity vocal and music reproduction. Both are Unidyne III designs and share the same head basket. That’s where the similarities end.
The 545 sounds more "open sounding"
Hello, very interesting video thank you! Is it the 545 with the original Amphenol MC4M connector? How did you managed to convert it to an XLR Male output? Asking for a friend... thank you
honestly, i need that little adapter myself !!!
Here's a video on how to convert to a XLR th-cam.com/video/XXfcfyihFUs/w-d-xo.html
nicely done video - I've got 3 of each in my 30 mic collection, and I like them both of course and use them according to frequ. preferences and depending upon the instruments I want to record - gtx from the Lake of Constance ;-)
The Unidyne III sounds weird with the guitars. The initial attack on the notes sounds substantially brighter on the 545 than the SM57 but then it resolves into a warmer tonality than the SM57. I think the three low end peaks have something to do with that warmth while the more high end peak is responsible for that bright initial attack. The SM57 on the other hand sounds comparatively even than the 545.
warmth. Maybe the 545 was used by those artists and it had something to do with that sound.
Decent comparison, would have been neat to see a difference between some crunch and acoustic but it's all good.
El unidyne suena más brillante. ¿Ya no se fabrica?
you didn't want to use pink noise?
Sir, did you replace the inner foam pop filter on the 545 mic? I ask because these are always degraded and fall apart from old age. It is very important for sound quality on the 545 mic.
No I haven't, I'll look into it though! Thank you
@@ewanbennettproducer It's often overlooked when testing older mics. I'd be curious to see how the mic performs with fresh foam inside?
Those low end peaks are your room, almost certainly.
Hi! Are you using an amphenol / xlr adapter on the 545?
It certainly is
@@ewanbennettproducer Hey, would you care sharing a link / reference to this ? :) thanks !
@@lujemusic2507 hello, there is very little information on the adapter, my 545 came with the adapter already installed.
I have managed to mod my other 545's to now be 3 pin connectors, so I may make a video on how to do that.
@@ewanbennettproducer please do ! :) thanks a lot
I modded mine to a XLR. Quite easy. The white cable can be left out (High-Z) so, connect the others accordingly. The XLR i had as spare taken from a Beyer M260. I also changed the transformer by replacing it with a Oliver Achut T58. Best on snare. And a hint. The sound is not two but three dimensional, so the mics are quite different IMHO. The details are better defined than on a stock SM57.
Strange. My Unidynes has less highs and more lows :D
depends on impedance matching and your peramps
By most of them the foam under the grill is sticky and have a lot of influence on the sound. Most “new” sm57 have that problem even earlier. After 4 years or so the foam needs to be replaced
My 70's Shure Unidyne III 545, has 4 pins, not an XRL connection.
That's usually the case, I've made a video on how to convert to an XLR th-cam.com/video/XXfcfyihFUs/w-d-xo.html
@@ewanbennettproducer crees que se pueda comprar un xlr 3 pines no encuentro
Is it the same Shure 10a?
Recently got the 545s and what cable does it take?
Vintage 4 pin amphenol cable. Unless you mod it to to a standard xlr.
This is a made in Chinasm57?
If you didn't record both mics in the same place at the same time, comparing them is pointless. Unless you are capable of scientifically duplicating snare hits at the exact same angle, location and velocity, which of course you can't.
If you didn't leave a pointless comment on the video, no one would have asked you to do a better job. Unless you aren't capable of making a comparison video of your own, using the exact technique that you just explained. Which of course you aren't.
ciao sono abbastanza simili,ma il 545s x me leggermente superiore.grazie x il video
Grazie, sono contento che il video ti sia piaciuto.
545 is way nicer