Audix i-5

I have been a fan of Shure SM57s all my musical life (33 years). However, around two years ago, a soundman at church (who often does sound for my band) put me on to the Audix i-5; I worked with him one night and heard it for myself on snare. A few weeks later, I acquired a second hand example; now here's the surprise....

I bought my first Audix i-5 for use on snare and guitar cabinet, mainly as an alternative to my SM57s; but then one night, at a rehearsal, I set it up to sing through. My band does a fair bit of rock and I use my pharyngeal range almost exclusively. Using that system requires one to "compress" his voice, which I find pulls back the volume a little; but by using a "close-capsule" microphone (like the SM57) the singer can engage closer to the diaphragm; when I discovered this, I stopped using SM58s. When using the Audix as a vocal microphone, the "popping" problem, caused by proximity, can be avoided simply by high-passing the vocal somewhere in the 80 Hz region, maybe 100 Hz. Now, in this band, I use this microphone all of the time. I have occasionally switched to a '57 because the results are similar, but I find the Audix is more forgiving if I move off-axis.

So what about the comparison between the Audix and the Shure?

Many people have written about which they prefer and I think it's a pointless discussion. Both mics are great mics in the studio or for live. I think the Shure is the benchmark; and if we think of it that way, then the Audix has a gentle scoop when one A-Bs the two mics. Personally I like both mics and I wouldn't want to be without either type. After owning my first i-5 for a couple of months, I bought a brand-new one from Thomann, with some vouchers I needed to spend.

This weekend I recorded a vocalist and we did a text-book microphone shootout to find out which mic he should use for his lead vocal. We eventually plumped for a Rode condenser but the Audix wasn't far behind and it would have turned in a great result if it were the only mic available. That's quite amazing, since it's not considered a vocal mic for the studio by many people.

If you need an all-rounder, that's built to last a lifetime and you want an extra flavour on top of a '57, buy yourself an Audix i-5, you will not regret it; and rock vocalists might be in for an extra surprise. This would be a great starter mic for anyone into home recording because it will do everything.

Likely uses: guitar cab, bass cab and snare

Surprise uses: vocals, toms, acoustic guitar (close up)

I like: everything about this microphone

I do not like: there is nothing I do not like about it

Blew my mind. Way better sounding than in most comparisons I've seen online. Much deeper bass, much wider sound. I've always used it with my SM57 and together they form a monstrous sound, canceling each others fizz. Though the mic clip they sent with it can't hold the mic without tilting over... Other than that it looks bullet proof. Works amazing both on guitar and bass cabs. Also tried it on kick and it worked awesome for a demo. Output is a bit higher in level than an SM57, but not considerably. Smaller than SM57 so it can fit into tight spaces. I now use it as my main heavy guitar mic and use the SM57 as a way to cancel out fizz and to reinforce the low mids and mids. I'd chose it over an SM57 if I couldn't use both. Works well in a mix despite what some reviews said.