VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

[Jowillie]

Notice: I have been warned that I may suffer untold curses and hexes for revealing certain technical "secrets." But I have to know the truth.

I decided to drop in on an old engineering buddy who lives close by. (It was rumored that he was once one of the top audio technicians in Hollywood.) Carefully, I stepped down into the dark cellar that is his secret workshop (totally off-limits to all except for the chosen members of his inner sanctum). There by the dim green light of a 15W fluorescent light he stood over a cauldron of boiling water. "You've caught me," he said. "I was just boiling some microphones." Boiling microphones? "Yes. To soften the wax that holds the transformers." My shock must have been obvious. "I remove the transformers from the Shure SM57 and straight wire them back together," he smiled. "Old trick, new mic." He said it makes them sound more like the SM7.”
Now if you are not familiar with the SM57, it’s the mic the President uses. It cost less than $100 new. And there has to be thousands lying around from all of our old garage band days. It has been used as one of the standard stage-mics for years. It sounds adequate, but nothing special, especially for voiceover. But to sound like the SM7…for that little investment—we may be on to something.
There is lots of discussion on the internet about this conversion. There is even a gear company that sells its own transformer replacement for the SM57 and SM58 (Mercenary). But what I want to know is has anybody tried this? I know there are many here who really sound good using their Shure SM7b. I figure if this trick works, we may have a source for a similar sounding inexpensive back-up or road mic.
Let us know. Because I am still not sure my friend was not pulling my chain about “softening the wax.” But I am thinking about letting him boil a couple of SM58's.
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Wild Willie Edwards
www.hometowntvtoday.com
http://vomictest.blogspot.com

[Bruce]

If you find out, let me know. I bought an SM58 a while back, just to have something different, and it sounds muddy and bland compared to everything else. Wouldn't mind finding a way to "perk it up".

Thanks,

B
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VO-BB Member #31 Enlisted June, 2005

I'm not a Zoo, but over the years I've played one on radio/TV. .

[CarlWelden]

I always dig a good mad scientist story, thanks for sharing it.

Well, as a satisfied SM7B user, I for one am intrigued.
I repaired a 57 for a friend recently and noted all the gunk packed in the handle that keeps the transformer "glued-in" as it were.
Can't seem to recall seeing such wax fixatives on their older mics.
Have they always done this?

As you said, "a similar sounding inexpensive back-up or road mic" shure has appeal.
I could reduce my hardcase-enclosed road rig to a shaving kit pouch!

The final test would be to run some before and after recordings of the 57.
Follow that up with SM7 comparison mic shootout.
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Carl Welden
http://www.carlwelden.com
A Welden voice is a well-done voice
SKYPE ID: carlwelden42