Hello Snare! 
by Jason Miller from Minneapolis, MN, September 2007
Music Background:  Engineer, Mixer

We all know how to get a great snare recording...stick a 57 on it and add a little 100Hz. Not anymore! The i5 is like a 57 with some booty! I just tried it on a snare in my last session and my suspicions were confirmed -it sounded incredible. My 57 has been demoted to the bottom of the snare (where it really shines). Do yourself a favor and buy one of these little guys...you will not regret it!

  Thinking about the old "standard"? Buy the i5 instead. 
by Alan Moon from Macon, GA USA, September 2006
Music Background:  Recording/Mixing Engineer, Producer, Live Sound Engineer

The i5 is a fantastic recording microphone for guitar amplifiers. I have found it to be sort of like using a Shure SM57 for the highs and a Sennheiser 421 for the lows, only with the i5 you don't have the phase issues plaguing you that would be present when using two mics. While it has sufficient presence, it doesn't come off as bitey.

Smooth without being dark, present without biting, and lots of body without spilling out of the spandex; all appropriate descriptors of this mic's character.

When using this mic on guitar amps in a live sound application, I have found it to work so much better than the SM57 when I am using a proper system. The bitey flavor of the 57 sometimes helps cut through the character of a cloudy old mixer when something more balanced just doesn't do it. Also, so much of live guitar sounds is so subjective to the system, the guitarist, their equipment, and tone (not to mention the rest of the band) that to report on any particular experience that I have had with this mic in a live setting in the short time I have owned it, just wouldn't be fair. My feeling is, that if all the variables aligned into a "perfect" live sound situation, then the i5 would be found to be "the perfect dynamic mic" for that situation.

Another MAJOR plus is the i5's build quality. Nothing about this mic says, "flimsy" or "this piece of plastic will split some day". It's a little monster built for the road and drunk drummers lacking proper aim.

Speaking of drummers... this really is one of the best mics to come along for snare drums. While Audix makes some of the best available dynamic tom mics as well, a handfull i5's can handle the job nicely.

To me, this mic is the new "standard" and it's only earned it's stature with me because it corrected the deficiencies of the old standard to sound and perform the way that it does. You won't be disappointed.

  Audix i5 is better than SM57 
by Clayton from St. Louis MO, July 2006
Music Background:  Student, recording and live engineer

I bought my Audix i5 a couple of months ago and have fallen in love with it. It is by no means my most expensive microphone, but it is one of my favorites, and is my best sounding dynamic insturment microphone. I have used it on live and recorded drums, acoustic guitar, guitar amps, bass amps, piano and vocals, and in every situation it has given me sound quality that will put any SM57 to shame. It's a great dynamic mike, and rejects most feedback, but is still not as good as my good condensers.

i5 
by Bog Larson from New York, April 2006

This mic works wonders for snare. Paired with a condenser mic, on guitar the i5 rules. ALlthough it really helps to have a 70hz, 80hz or 100hz rolloff on a preamp, this mic is beefy and the proximity effect is not subtle. If you aren't careful, you can get some bass buildup. So proximity effect aside, proper mic technique and a good preamp make this mic a real nice addition to my mic locker.

Audix i5 
by Anonymous from Byron Bay, January 2006

This mic is amazing. I have used it on vocals (female and Male), acoustic guitar, my mesa boogie F50. Gives me a great sound, all the time. On female vocals, I got this beatles like sound (live studio track), vintage like. Very smooth sounding.
This mic always seems to fit into the mix well, with anything I record with it. Assuming you know about compression and mic techinque, you can achieve awsome results with this dynamic mic.

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