Dumb question about SM57

  • Thread starter Thread starter thebigcheese
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thebigcheese

thebigcheese

"Hi, I'm in Delaware."
Can I just buy a replacement ball for an SM58 and use it on a 57? I need a good live vocal mic, something that sounds like a 57/58 and has the pop filter thing on it, and since I've already got a 57, it would be nice if I could just stick a ball on it.
 
Shure makes a windscreen for the 57. It's not a ball though, if that makes a difference. I'm not sure if a 58 ball will fit a 57.
 
You don't need the silly ball, just sing into the thing. People have been doing it for many years, and not a single singer or SM57 has blown up.-Richie
 
Richard Monroe said:
You don't need the silly ball, just sing into the thing. People have been doing it for many years, and not a single singer or SM57 has blown up.-Richie
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It's not that. I was doing a show recently and figured since it was just us playing, I'd use my MXL V67g, but when we sing into it, the plosives make the limiter kick in at weird times. So I want something with something to stop that, which is why I need a ball or a windscreen, and as far as I know, the 57 doesn't have that built in. If I was doing it in the studio, I wouldn't bother.
 
thebigcheese said:
It's not that. I was doing a show recently and figured since it was just us playing, I'd use my MXL V67g, but when we sing into it, the plosives make the limiter kick in at weird times. So I want something with something to stop that, which is why I need a ball or a windscreen, and as far as I know, the 57 doesn't have that built in. If I was doing it in the studio, I wouldn't bother.
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I'm confused. You want a pop filter for an SM57 because you had plosives with the MXL V67G at a show?? The two mics are totally different. The 57 is much less susceptible to plosives and transients and other stage nuisances. I don't think I've ever seen anyone use an LDC at a gig before. I'm willing to bet you can use the 57 as-is and not have a problem. Well, unless you're doing something out of the ordinary...

It's been a long time since I've done live sound, so maybe things have changed.
 
go ahead and sing your heart out into that 57. it worked for tom petty and a million others so it will work fine for you.

although if you must you can find an sm57 windscreen here.

windscreen
 
Chili said:
That's hilarious... well, once I figured out how to use the link. :o
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Yeah yeah, I found it myself on the Shure web site, thank you very much. I didn't ask for your antagonizing. I just wanted to know if the 58's ball could be used on the 57, which is a feature not advertised anywhere. I said from the beginning it was a dumb question.

I used the LDC on stage because it sounds good on his voice and it was just going to be us using it, so I knew he wouldn't trash it. I didn't anticipate the plosives though, and I didn't realize that a 57 is less prone to those. I have recorded vocals with it before and it seemed to me to still be prone to plosives, especially since some of our songs involve some yelling/loud singing. I'm not so concerned about hearing the plosives as much as I am concerned about them triggering the limiter, which ends up sounding really bad. But I can try it and see, I guess.
 
thebigcheese said:
Yeah yeah, I found it myself on the Shure web site, thank you very much. I didn't ask for your antagonizing.
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it's cool. there is lots of info on mics and their applications here. a few well placed searches will reveal a wealth of knowledge. i'd suggest you pay special attention to anything posted by harvey gerst.

its pretty basic knowledge that condensors are much more sensitive than dynamics, which is of course the reason why you will rarely see a condensor used for much in a live situation, especially for high volume situations.
 
thebigcheese said:
Yeah yeah, I found it myself on the Shure web site, thank you very much. I didn't ask for your antagonizing. I just wanted to know if the 58's ball could be used on the 57, which is a feature not advertised anywhere. I said from the beginning it was a dumb question..
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Nah, don't take it personally. :) I thought it was a funny concept. As a moderator, I peruse the boards way more than I should and come across a lot of posts where I wish I had a link like that.

I am surprised you took an LDC on stage. What kind of music are you doing?
 
It was second skin's antagonizing, not yours, Chili. I just didn't feel like switching which post I was replying to. Sorry about that.

@second skin: I don't appreciate your condescension. I know a fair amount about recording--in fact, part of my degree is in the topic--so I know the "common knowledge" things. However, most people will also tell you that there isn't one "right" way to use any mic, or any piece of equipment, for that matter. As my recordings should demonstrate, I generally know my way around my gear. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. Also, I don't have a lot of money and almost all of my mics are condensers, so my options are rather limited. It was either that, the 57 (which I stuck on his guitar amp b/c I anticipated it being rather loud), or my D6 (which needed to go in my kick).

@Chili: We do mostly generic rock/alternative stuff. Most of the stuff we played is available for listen on our web site in my sig, if you're curious. I know it's not "normal" to use an LDC on stage, and normally I would've just used the 57, but since I knew it was going to just be us, I figured I might as well use the one that sounds better. It worked out alright for the most part, but those plosives were obnoxious. You can hear the results in the super secret section of my web site, www.techniciansband.com/RelayLive. You'll have to forgive the generally poor performance, though. We're just starting out and still get a little nervous on stage.
 
i bet you could cure some of that popping with just better mic technique. sing with your nose into the mic so that your breath is just below the mic. nobody cares about plosives at live show anyway. you shouldn't care too much about it.
 
greyharmonix said:
i bet you could cure some of that popping with just better mic technique. sing with your nose into the mic so that your breath is just below the mic. nobody cares about plosives at live show anyway. you shouldn't care too much about it.
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I'll suggest that to the vocalist. I guess it just bugs me that the limiter kicks in like crazy when the plosives hit, and it kinda wrecks the recordings I made. Oh well, it wasn't a very good performance anyway.
 
That's interesting, because I've been singing into 57's and 58's for years (not usually by choice, as I wouldn't personally select either one of them for a main vocal mic), and I've never found the 57 any more prone to popping than the 58. Maybe a wind screen will help- you can buy them for about $5.00 at Guitar Center. Unfortunately, the best solution is for the vocalist to learn how to sing without popping the mic. This requires changing your diction, so that you soften every P. Oh God, this means the vocalist has to think! This, of course, will not work for vocalists who swallow mics or pills.- Richie
 
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