Should I buy an original SM57 or an immitation?

[chessparov]

The trick on the SM57's and 545's is that you have to be willing to
EQ the heck out of them (sometimes) to get an excellent vocal sound out of them-yet they are very forgiving.

The 545 have a formidable track record on selling millions of records too, on lead vocals like their fraternal twin, the SM57.
They were particulary popular in West Coast studios in the US as a staple vocal mic during the 1960's. (Beach Boys, etc.)

Chris

 

[DJL]

Who makes the best fake?

 

[Neil Ogilvie]

Buy a Sennheiser e835 or e845 instead of a SM57. I do have an SM57, but in any instance where I would use it I would usually prefer the sound of the Sennheiser.

Be brave - do something the crowd isn't!

 

[bgavin]

I didn't see any mention of the intended use..

Live performance (musicians kicking over your mics)?

Studio (musicians restrained from kicking over your mics)?

 

[Mark7]

I've never used a 57, but I've heard it often enough in live situations to have come to the conclusion that it (and the 58) is vastly over rated.

Get the imitation. It can't be that much worse.

Or, even better, save up a few more $s and buy a Beyerdynamic M201.

 

[chessrock]

Funny you mention Beyer . . . I suppose I'm a little tough on the 57 at times. But it seems that some of the Beyer mics, notably the M69, will tend to do more of the things I normally want a 57 to do, and with less effort.

The snare crack, the guitar crunch . . . there's just more of it there to begin with, and subsequently fewer DB's that I have to EQ-boost later on. Chessparov was pointing this out . . . very rarely do I track something with a 57 and say: "That's it. Done." I don't even say "it's close" that much, come to think of it.

It just always seems to need a lot more of this or a little less of that.

 

[mrface2112]

good call ned

<<Buy a Sennheiser e835 or e845 instead of a SM57. I do have an SM57, but in any instance where I would use it I would usually prefer the sound of the Sennheiser>>

i prefer the sound of the e835 to an sm58 for my voice, but one of our other singers just plain sounds better through an sm58. similarly i find the 545 better on the harmonica player's amp (blonde blues jr) b/c it's helps bring out the grittiness in the tone, and the e835 is more pleasing on the fender twin. the sp b1 blows both of them away in these applications, but it's not all that great for "live" situations.

all in all, very similar mics and i prefer the senns to the shures. but it never hurts to have a couple of each just in case. absolutely true you've gotta eq em more often than not, but that's true with just about every mic at one point or another in order to get it to sit right in the mix.

i'd really like to get my hands on some of these beyers y'all have been pimpin, but there don't ever seem to be too many of them in the used marketplace (prolly for a reason, eh? ;-) ).


wade