lexdrummer said:
Shure 57 and 58's are two of the finest microphones available at any price. Beuty is, they have been made for so long that the price is reasonable now. But they are still two of the flattest response microphones with the best sound for the money. And if you want to get technical, their frequency response is tested and true with decades of proof behind them. And just for mention, they are THE most durable microphone you can buy too boot. Period.
Well... allow me to add a few comments to this statement:
I agree that they are two very good microphones, and rather durable. For live use, they are almost ubiquitous. For recording use they can be useful on some sources, depending on your style. Common use is as a snare mic, guitar amp mic or vocal mic on some voices, if you're not looking for a "polished" sound. They also commonly find some use on woodwinds. I'm sure they can be used elsewhere, but I would not use them as a first choice for e.g. acoustic guitar.
Saying they are "two of the finest mics available at any price..." is maybe a bit over the top, according to my own experience.
Also, they are definitely not flat at all! Not that you always want flat mics -- in most cases, the reason some mics are liked more than others is that they flatter the source in some way rather than being flat themselves (pun intended). Have a look here:
http://www.shure.com/images/response/fSM58_large.gif -- I wouldn't call that flat...
Hence, they are designed to have a mid range/precence boost, which, in the words of Shure (
www.shure.com) is "tuned to accentuate the warmth and clarity of lead and back-up vocals" with its "carefully contoured presence rise". Definitely not flat.
Also, there is virtually no high end. Lots of "presence", but no "air". Depending on what you're recording, that may be just fine -- but the difference to a LDC mic will be striking, since these tend to boost also the "air" areas that are absolutely missing with the SM57/58.
Of course this also means the risk of a SM57/58 sounding peaky or harsh is small. But they may sound "boxy" at times.
Are the SM57 and SM58 "equal"? For general purpose, I would recommend the SM57. The SM58 sounds even duller due to the ball -- which you can remove, of course, but then there is no diaphragm protection. And a separate pop-filter (even if made of an old coat hanger and nylon stockings) is normally a good idea anyway.
They are also not so sensitive, so they need lots of clean gain. In order to sound their best, they need a good preamp. Entry level, a DMP3 or some such would be fine for this purpose. VTB1 is probably also OK for this use. Using them with an inexpensive mixer does not achieve the best possible sound.
They have a pretty narrow pattern, so they pick up less room sound. This is usually good in untreated rooms with lots of background noise from the PC, etc.
They are normally used close range, so the proximity effect adds some of the otherwise missing bass (see the frequency response). Used as room mics or as a stereo pair... well, I would probably not start out with them for that purpose.
Are they a good starter mic? Maybe. Don't expect to be able to achieve a polished pop sound. But due to their low sensitivity and narrow pattern, they also help to isolate the source from the room in the typical crappy sounding home studio.
As the only mic you have? Well, they are pretty coloured, so I would personally recommend another mic in addition, with a different colouring. In the same price range,
the Studio Project B1 gets good recommendations here, and is also a good workhouse "do all" mic in the budget line. I think a SP B1 and a SM57 would make a good entry pair, combined with a DMP3. If you have a good sounding room, a Behringer ECM8000 may sound good. That one, being an omni SDC, is naturally flat, by the way. If you only go for one mic, I would personally want to start out with the SP B1 (not the Behringer B-1), but that is probably just me
Just for the record, I have both a SM58 and a SP B1 and some ECM8000 (plus a bunch of other, slightly more expensive, mics) in my "locker", so I have first hand evidence with all above, including the SM57. But my SM58 and similar dynamics (AKG) gets most use as live mics.
-- Per.