SM57 or SM58? There can be only 1!

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tonesponge

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If you could only have 1 mic in your home recording studio for recording vocals and micing guitar cabs (but not drums), which one would you choose? Why?

Does your answer change if you need to mic drums too, like a set of bongos?
 
The very first 'good' mic I ever bought was a 57. Used it for pretty much everything. Still use it for micing guitar cabs and occasionally live vocals.
 
I would pick the 58, it is better to sing into than the 57 and on a guitar cab you won't notice any big difference between the 58 and 57.

Alan.
 
I'd save more.

Either is useful for recording guitar cabs, and don't know on bongos but assume you'll get something usable, but I wouldn't really use either for recording vocals.

If I could only have one mic to do all those tasks, it wouldn't be a 57 or a 58...

I'd get an LDC and work on how to get a decent sound from the drums / cabs etc. and worry less about how to get a decent sound on vocals, which could be your issue with 57/58... but depends on all sorts of other factors, of course, such as style of music and vocals.
 
I was reading the question as if there choice was a 57 or 58, yes there are better mics to own 1 off for the studio, a sennheiser K3U with a ME80 or ME40 capsule is the mic I would want if I could not have any other mic. Sounds good on vocals, spoken word, acoustic guitars, drum overheads, etc etc.

However if I could only have 1 mic for recording and live on stage vocals, that could mic a guitar cab, drums, I would pick a SM58.

Remember only 1 mic in the world to do everything.

And yes the 58 will sound good for bongos.

Alan.
 
Aren't they essentially the same mic?
Basically if you unscrew the ball/windscreen off the SM 58 you end up with an SM 57.

If that's the case then I'd get the 58 so that with a simple removal of the windscreen I'd have a 57 too :)
 
My one stage/studio dynamic mic choice, in order of preference:

1) Beyer M88
2) Beyer M69
3) Beyer M201 (same preference as M69, but the foam windscreen is not as convenient onstage)
4) Beta 57, and buy a 58 grille
5) SM58

There are several other good dynamic mics, but they aren't as suited for the Roger Daltry treatment . . . EV has some Beta-equivalent mics (ND) that are probably also worth a go.
 
It would be a 58 because that's what I've got, I have used it for everything legal and even dunked it in a bucket of water and I like it for vocals and bass.
 
grimtraveller said:
It would be a 58 because that's what I've got, I have used it for everything legal and even dunked it in a bucket of water and I like it for vocals and bass.
Click to expand...

How is dunking a mic in a bucket of water "legal" GT?

I'm sure the House of Commons will have something to say about that... to whom should I report you? :laughings:
 
OK, it looks like most folks would pick the 58 of those two mics. Thanks for the suggestions on alternative dynamic mics.

I read somewhere that the 58 is voiced differently than the 57, in that it has a low end rolloff and high mid boost to optimize it for vocals. Anyway, I boiught a 58, but I was thinking of taking it back for a 57. I have a 57 in storage somewhere, but I can't find it right now.
 
I prefer the 57 ....... that ball windscreen on the 58 rolls off a little bit of the highs and I feel muffles the sounbd a tiny bit.

Having said that ........ they are the same mic with different screens so there's not a LOT of difference between them.
 
Armistice said:
How is dunking a mic in a bucket of water "legal" GT?

I'm sure the House of Commons will have something to say about that... to whom should I report you? :laughings:
Click to expand...

I learned this from the CIA. Stick that 58 in a bucket of H2O and you can get "ridiculous" information out of it {and justify yourself by calling it 'data' !}.
Right now, the House of commons seems more interested in, in, actually, I'm not sure what they're more intersted in, but whatever it is, it ain't my abuse of 58s so I can fly that info in under the radar......
 
I thought that the 57 had a high mid boost as well? It seems to on guitar tracks that I do. It colors the sound quite a bit but it sits in the mix well. I have only used a 58 on a guitar amp once but it had a very similar sound. I took the ball windscreen off of it.
 
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