beyerdynamic M 201

I bought this mic because I wanted to see if the mighty SM57 can ever be replaced in front of a guitar cabinet. Or in my case inside the Silent Sister Isocab. This is not bad at all. In fact I ended up installing both mics to be able to blend the tone as I please. It is darker or shall I say warmer than the 57, kinda has a ribbon flavor. I think it does translate low end better and if you spend some time to install the mics correctly (meaning in phase, same distance from membrane) you get spectacular results when you blend the mics. By its own it is too warm for my taste, I would have to eq the amp differently but I like 57 too much as it is so I will stick with the blending for the time being. This is a mic that should be in your arsenal if you are serious about recording electric guitar properly.

This mic looks like a condenser but it's a dynamic/moving-coil type. It *sounds* flat yet the response graph shows something of a presence boost like an SM57, though less pronounced. This mic sounds great on snare if you need an alternative; since it doesn't sound as present and cutting you will hear more of the mids and lows giving you a very full snare sound. If your snare drum is bright this may be helpful. Its specialties are snare, guitar amps, toms, hi-hats and anything you need to mic up close to reduce stage spill on a noisy stage.
The tight hyper-cardioid pattern is the most useful feature. Used on snare you can almost eliminate bleed from the hi-hats. On a loud stage it will help isolate each source from stage spill, and it's very effective.
Personally I love the sound of this mic, through careful positioning you can get the result you need eg. by controlling proximity effect with distance. But if you're used to the brightness of an SM57 or e906 it's quite different on guitar amps. It responds really well to EQ so you can tailor it easily, and that fantastic tight pattern means a cleaner sound.
This great little mic is a versatile tool that an experienced technician can use to get top results, but get ready to hear the difference between common cheap mics and a genuine pro classic!

The mic is well packed, well manufactured and stylish. It looks and feels very professional.

I have been using the Beyerdynamic M201TG as snare mic in my studio. Being a hypercardioid mic the M201TG has tight polar pattern meaning it won't catch other sound sources from the sides. This is a major problem when recording snare drums - the hihat usually leaks too much to snare track. The M201TG sorts that problem out better than the usual Shure SM57. It sounds also brighter without being harsh. I haven't spotted any exaggerated frequencies or sound problems. It just gives a good pro sound and with carefull mic placement no eq is needed. There is no hum or any noise. Its small size is a big plus!

If you want a better mic than the SM 57 with just bit more money, get this one!