Does anyone hate the SM57?

K

King Louis

New member
Just wondered if anyone in the forum has known of anyone (or do themselves) hate the SM57?

Asking this because imp doing a research project on the SM57 and have interviewed engineers etc and everyone loves the mic and I can understand why.

But was wondering if anyone hates the mic, not due to not using the microphone, but has anyone used the mic alot and hated it??
It’s totally contradictory but can anyone help????????

Cheers
KL.
:confused:
 
I personally like the Shure SM57... but yes, there are other hr.com members who hate the SM57 too.
 
No. Nobody who has used one could credibly take that position.

The mic is good for some things and not so hot for others, but it is a classic. I'm quite sure mine will outlive me and I intend to stick around for a long while. They are versatile! An SM57 makes a great first mic because you will always have a use for it, and it will always deliver.
 
hate is a strong word. i know a few people who think that there are better choices for mics than an SM57. its mostly going to depend on what you're trying to record. personally i like the Sennheiser e609 better on guitar amps but the e609 is a little more difficult to position for snare drums.

i think the main advantage for the SM57 is its versatility. It can be used on many different sources. its also a very sturdy mic.

i like the SM57, just not on everything.
 
King Louis said:
Just wondered if anyone in the forum has known of anyone (or do themselves) hate the SM57?

Asking this because imp doing a research project on the SM57 and have interviewed engineers etc and everyone loves the mic and I can understand why.

But was wondering if anyone hates the mic, not due to not using the microphone, but has anyone used the mic alot and hated it??
It’s totally contradictory but can anyone help????????

Cheers
KL.
:confused:
Click to expand...

there's another guy on the board that posted exactly the same thing! I'd ask him.
 
I have seen several "sm57 bashing" threads on here before. Personally, I know there is almost always another mic out there that will do a better job, but none so cheap, durable, and all around useful. I love 57's and 58's:)
 
Don't hate 'em but for some things I think I need to try other mics. I've been using them on my toms recently, and there's a ton of bleed.
 
sometimes people hate things because everyone likes them and they just want to sepperate themselves from the masses. or they dont know what its for yet, i wouldent let someone elses opinions or issues get in my way of enjoying the benifit of having an inexpensive, durable, dependable great mic that has allways bene there for me when i had knowone else to talk to, i take them everyware with me, we have grown quite attached to one another, if someone hates it i will take it off there hands and give it a warm home forever
 
Everybody loves the SM57 but you have to understand WHY they love it. They love it because it is economical, durable, and predictable. They do not love it because it is the best sounding. But there will be occasions where economical, durable and predictable are higly prized qualities.
 
I'll bite.

I hate the SM57 because of this:

fSM57_large.gif


Actually that's not quite true. I do dislike the SM57 on most applications (snare chain being a notable exception). The reason I dislike it: the SM57 turns everything into midrange mush, in my experience. There's no bottom end.

Having said that, I'm recording into Smackie (24x8) preamps, and on some instruments (especially guitar and snare), most of my time has been spent with "smaller" models. The indie bands I record tend to have little combo guitar amps, and my Marshall 1960A 4x10 is certainly no 4x12 either. The small amps + speakers I work with just don't have a lot of bottom end to begin with. Slapping an SM57 on them makes 'em sound like mush. I've done "mic shootous" on my own guitar and drum tracks, and the SM57 loses to every other mic I've ever owned except Sennheiser stage mics (e835 / e845).

However I do sometimes find the SM57 handy to get some extra attack out of instruments, as long as it's properly teamed up with "good" mics (especially on kick, snare and bass).

So I don't completely hate it -- but even at only $50 USD each I do consider it a bit of a waste of money for me. For the 3 SM57s I own, I could have bought one much more versatile mic instead.

$0.02,

Johann

P.S. lots of respected folks disagree with me, and that's cool. Ultimately it's up to each person's ears to decide what sounds good and what doesn't. But I do think there's lots of room for level-headed debate on the subject of mics in general, and SM57s in particular! :)

P.P.S. Cool thread. :)
 
Theres a Steve Albini quote that I pretty much agree with "If you can't find a microphone this will do I guess"
Not completely useless but way fuckin over rated.
 
i dont hate it but i do grow tired of looking at it sometimes...i find the sm57 to be like my pinky toe....its there, it works and i move on. however if i didnt have it then I'd probably miss it
 
Part of the reason they're loved by various top AE's is that they respond to EQ excellently. For example, you can get a credible vocal recording any
singer (who's worth recording:)), by good placement and EQing (as necessary).

Am biased because that strong coloration of the SM57 blends well on my voice.

They aren't as highly thought of typically with homereccers who are running them through budget pre's or mixers. If you use a RNP (on up), they'll be a noticable improvement normally. This is due to the SM57 being fussy regarding how different pre's match it in terms of "loading".

There are many recordings where AE's and "audiophile" types wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a '57 and a U47!

For home recording, there are other dynamics that are more forgiving as to which pre is used. That's why IMHO these could be better choices to start with.

Chris
 
The sound of certain vocals on an SM57 can be "exciting" sounding, I love the SM57 on snare, it can be a good guitar cab mic...sounds versatile enough to me.

That being said I really don't reach for it on anything but snare though anymore. As someone mentioned earlier, I think all newbies should pick up at least one because it will have uses in any collection.

It's a great live sound mic too though, you can mic up a whole drum kit with those things and make it work. Hard to say that about any other dynamic mic in its price range.

War
 
Hate the SM57?- No. Love it?- No. For me, the SM57 is sort of the mic of last resort. As noted above, it takes well to EQ, so if nothing is working, you put up a 57 and the EQ it later to get the best sound you can. It is not my first choice for anything in the studio, including snare, where I prefer AKG D770, AKG D690, AKG D320B, Shure SM-7, or a C414. It is, however, one of my first choices for live brass/sax. I think of it as a "brassy" mic. It's also a good reference point for trouble shooting, because any engineer with half a clue knows what it sounds like.-Richie
 
ah, i've been thinking the same thing today,
was writing some stuff for my website (spam spam :cool: ) and suddenly i stopped writing (yeah, with pen and paper) and thought:
"wait, can i write....everyone likes the SM57 ?"

i changed it into: "most people like the 57"
i'm not talking about LOVE here, thats what i do with my girlfriend,

but i do have to say: the 57 looks great, its even sexy, sounds nice on most stuff,
don't think anyone will ever laugh at you cause you say you're using 57's,
and just imagine./. vocals, elec guitars, drums.... what about using them as a room mic or even as overheads (just for the fk of it) ? i put mine in every possible position and let it do every task you can imagine :rolleyes: (yeah, every )
and i always kinda liked the result,
there's BETTER mics out there, definately, but GOD do i like them !
 
You're right that it looks great. The straight-up all-black thing works for me ... man this is a sad conversation now ... :eek:
 
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