Shure SM57 swivel head ? (why?)

  • Thread starter Thread starter clevodrummer
  • Start date Start date
C

clevodrummer

Tascammer
I recently purchased the famous shure sm57 microphone. The actual head of the microphone swivels 180 degrees. The manual makes note of it (breakage) but doesnt really explain its purpose.

whats up with that? Does it change anything when you swivel it. What the hell is it for??

I dont get it....anybody REALLY know its purpose and or what it effects.?


Thanks
 
Apparently this question is asked every few weeks, and I asked the same question in the "Microphones" thread back in late May.

It serves no purpose, it just moves. Thats it.
 
clevodrummer said:
I recently purchased the famous shure sm57 microphone. The actual head of the microphone swivels 180 degrees. The manual makes note of it (breakage) but doesnt really explain its purpose.

whats up with that? Does it change anything when you swivel it. What the hell is it for??

I dont get it....anybody REALLY know its purpose and or what it effects.?


Thanks
Click to expand...


It's just they way they're manufactured, the head spinning effects the sound in no way and the mic isn't broken. I've got a handful of them and they all spin.
 
i think a couple of the shure engineers pulled a "super cops" on us..........."hey, let's make it loose so it spins".
 
the funny thing is........when i got mine for the first time, i thought it was broken too. so i got some electrical tape and taped it so it didnt spin anymore.

its still taped up right now............ :D
 
I have no proof of this, but I suspect the rotating head has something to do with being able to rotate the Shure logo to be visible no matter how the mic body is oriented.

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
I have no proof of this, but I suspect the rotating head has something to do with being able to rotate the Shure logo to be visible no matter how the mic body is oriented.

G.
Click to expand...

Come on....that would be a shure thing to do though.

I bought one that didn't swivel at all. But the whole mic broke (bad wiring) so I think it wasn't new when I bought it from someone who said it was new. My other one swivels and its annoying.
 
funny i bought mine after i had my sm-58,so i wanted to take the grill off and i was spinning that thing for about 5 minutes until i realized that its swivel.Then i tried to pull on it but the head still didnt come off,so i left it alone :D
 
mitosis said:
Come on....that would be a shure thing to do though
Click to expand...
I admit it's a pretty thin theory that doesn't make a whole bucket of sense, but it's the only thing I'v been able to think of that makes at least a little bit of sense.

My thinking goes something like this:

A. The head rotates by design. It's not an accident or an oversight that it rotates; there is a reason.

B. The rotation apparently has zero effect upon the actual soinic performance of the mic. This is borne out not only by an examination of the design, which has no directional attributes to it whatsoever, but also by the fact that thousands of these mics are used every minute of the day around the worls with no regard given to the orientation of the mic itself or of the orientation of the screen head. it make no difference.

C. The only discernable difference the head rotation makes - that is to say the only asymmetry to it - is in the labling along its base.

D. A+B+C= The head was designed purposely to rotate in order to rotate the brand and model labling itself.

Lame, I know. But I'm open to any another ideas.

G.
 
bryank said:
the funny thing is........when i got mine for the first time, i thought it was broken too. so i got some electrical tape and taped it so it didnt spin anymore.

its still taped up right now............ :D
Click to expand...

So you are trying to turn it into an omni? And if you have no idea what I am talking about.... take off the tape for all of our safety. ;)

The head rotates by design. It's not an accident or an oversight that it rotates; there is a reason.
Click to expand...

My guess is that they save a nickle on every mic they make by cutting costs on the amount of plastic or cutting down assembly time or some other similar reason. As we know, engineering decisions aren't always a benefit to the end user as your logo theory also demonstrates.
 
Last edited:
I have a tendancy to unscrew the heads on mics. Just because I'm the sort of person that fiddles with stuff, I just kinda do it without thinking. I have also broken a few really really cheap mics (and I mean really really cheap) by spinning the head round, forgetting that would be twisting any wiring inside it, eventually the head unscrews, only to show that half the wiring has snapped or whatever.

But with the SM57 I can sit in spinning-the-head-on-the-mic heaven without breaking the damn thing. Its great. :D
 
bubbagump said:
So you are trying to turn it into an omni? And if you have no idea what I am talking about.... take off the tape for all of our safety. ;)
Click to expand...


but if the swivel has no effect on its sound or the way it works, then by taping it up so it DIDNT swivel should have no effect to it either...............

but i may be wrong.........i dunno...............
 
bryank said:
but if the swivel has no effect on its sound or the way it works, then by taping it up so it DIDNT swivel should have no effect to it either...............

but i may be wrong.........i dunno...............
Click to expand...

There are vents in the capsule that affect the mic's polar pattern. Taping up the head could cover some of these. :)
 
boingoman said:
There are vents in the capsule that affect the mic's polar pattern. Taping up the head could cover some of these. :)
Click to expand...

!!!!!!! oh!!!!!!! damn!!!!!! so thats what he meant by saying "making it a uni-directional mic" !!!!!!


im a dumb ass...............im takeing the tape off now........... :(
 
well, the fake ones don't spin.. thats how i knew i got screwed.. well i got my money back from the asshole on ebay, but still, he tried to screw me.

i think that maybe it spins so when you hit it with the drumstick, it just turns instead of breaking off... i dont know, thats my thought..
 
bryank said:
!!!!!!! oh!!!!!!! damn!!!!!! so thats what he meant by saying "making it a uni-directional mic" !!!!!!


im a dumb ass...............im takeing the tape off now........... :(
Click to expand...

It already is a uni-directional mic. Taping up the vents will make it an omni directional mic.

You hear the same phenomenon when someone mistakenly covers a microphone on stage with their hand, suddenly turning it into an omni and getting feedback as a result.
 
TragikRemix said:
i think that maybe it spins so when you hit it with the drumstick, it just turns instead of breaking off... i dont know, thats my thought..
Click to expand...

....or drop it, or smash it with the guitar amp, or shut it in the door, or any of the things that happen to 57's. That was my thought too.
 
As noted, the head of the mic goes round and round and round. That's not 180 degrees...it´s 360...720...and so on. The 180 degree swivel adapter is what you will use to attach your mic to a microphone stand, and it comes with the package.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top