Shure SM58 or SM57

guitargirl7 said:
Armistice said:
If you have to buy one only, get the SM57 and start saving for a decent LD condenser for vocals.QUOTE]

One more question... Speaking of a more suitable mic for vocals/all around studio performance, what do you think of the blue spark? To cut to the chase, do you think it is worth my time and money to invest in the sm57, or is it smarter to just upgrade to the spark? *I know, a lot of questions, but I want to make sure I'm making the right choice!* thanks again,
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I'm not familiar with it I'm afraid. Others may be.

So here I am saying I've never successfully used a 57 on an acoustic guitar, and there's mjb a few posts back saying he's recorded an album with one, and I'm sure it sounds good... there are so many variables in this equation, and so much is possible, but you need to know how. It's the witch, not the wand....

You learn that by doing, so buy something - anything - and start, is my advice.

What we're all trying to stop you doing is buying something that you will have no use for in 6 months... so there are uses for both 57 and 58, but the 57 is more versatile in the studio, for my money. On the other hand, play live, then having your own 58 so you're not swapping spit with the support act is a good thing... :D
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witzendoz said:
Shure SM58 or SM57?

Come on, this questions is another form of spam. How many times must this be asked?
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To be honest, if I have a question, I have a right to ask it without being labeled as "spam". If you are upset with a post such as this, I'd suggest not reading it for your own sanity. Personally, I think the most stupid question is the one unasked.
 
Armistice said:
guitargirl7 said:
I'm not familiar with it I'm afraid. Others may be.

So here I am saying I've never successfully used a 57 on an acoustic guitar, and there's mjb a few posts back saying he's recorded an album with one, and I'm sure it sounds good... there are so many variables in this equation, and so much is possible, but you need to know how. It's the witch, not the wand....

You learn that by doing, so buy something - anything - and start, is my advice.

What we're all trying to stop you doing is buying something that you will have no use for in 6 months... so there are uses for both 57 and 58, but the 57 is more versatile in the studio, for my money. On the other hand, play live, then having your own 58 so you're not swapping spit with the support act is a good thing... :D
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haha, thank you for the wise words. I'll take them as I make my next purchase. :)
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guitargirl7 said:
If you are upset with a post such as this, I'd suggest not reading it for your own sanity. Personally, I think the most stupid question is the one unasked. If I have a question, I have a right to ask it without being labeled as "spam".
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Gee pushed a button there.

I was trying to point out that if you did a search and had a read of all the other SM57 or SM 58 threads, your questions would have already been answered.

OK Now my standard answer is: for the price everyone should have a SM58, even if it's for tracking a quick vocal, performing live, or micing up anything. It won't do the best job on all of these but it is possible to get a usable recording using a SM58. However, if you want to get a better recording of an acoustic guitar, for example, a SM58 or 57 won't do the best job, and the mic you get for the acoustic won't necessarily do the best job on your vocal. This is why studios have many mics. But again for the money everyone can use a sm58, and I stick by what I said earlier, why not pick up a second hand 58 and a second hand 57 and have both?

Blue spark? I don't have one but I bet it will offer more detail than a sm58 in the studio, good review here.

Alan.
 
If you're only going to have one, go for the SM57. It's the best compromise for the things you list (but get or make a pop screen for vocals).

The SM58's forte is live vocals in a loud situation with the mic really close to a singer's mouth. Although some people use them for recording, that's getting outside the SM58's comfort zone. The SM57, on the other hand, is a workhorse for almost anything. Is it ideal for most things? Nope. Definitely not. But it's usable for a whole range of things until gear acquisition syndrome kicks on and you buy lots of other mics--and even when you have a cupboard full of mics the SM57 will still come out sometimes.

However, having said all that, if I was only going to have a single mic, neither the SM57 or SM58 would be my first choice. It would be something like the sE X1 somebody else mentioned. I use condensers for 90% of my recordings--I find dynamics just too lacking in detail. However, others feel differently and consider condensers "too sensitive". You pays your money and makes your choice!
 
guitargirl7 said:
To be honest, if I have a question, I have a right to ask it without being labeled as "spam". If you are upset with a post such as this, I'd suggest not reading it for your own sanity. Personally, I think the most stupid question is the one unasked.
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Hey Al, you got served !
You go, "girl" !! :laughings:
 
Personally I'd go for the 57 over the 58 but truth be told, at your present level of knowledge you won't be able to tell any difference between the two.
Either will do for fine for live use.
For recording definitely the 57 as far as I'm concerned but this isn't a case of you wasting your money.
A 58 or 57 will always have some uses.

And just like you have a right to ask a question that's been answered in detail hundreds of times, someone else has the right to label it spam if that's what they feel it is.
Doesn't read like spam to me though ........ just reads like someone who doesn't want to spend any time looking at the literally hundreds of threads about sm57's versus 58's.
 
Lt. Bob said:
And just like you have a right to ask a question that's been answered in detail hundreds of times, someone else has the right to label it spam if that's what they feel it is.
Doesn't read like spam to me though ........ just reads like someone who doesn't want to spend any time looking at the literally hundreds of threads about sm57's versus 58's.
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couldn't tell if that was sarcastic or not?
 
Lt. Bob said:
And just like you have a right to ask a question that's been answered in detail hundreds of times, someone else has the right to label it spam if that's what they feel it is.
Doesn't read like spam to me though ........ just reads like someone who doesn't want to spend any time looking at the literally hundreds of threads about sm57's versus 58's.
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I don't know why people feel the need to enter a convo that I was having with someone else, but ok. For starters, this thread isn't insulting to anyone. It is a harmless question that I think was smart to ask, as it has been a few months since the last post clearly compared the two mics. Don't you think that opinions could very well change within that period of time? Actually, I've read many threads about this same topic in the Forum. With that being said, no situation is the same situation, and mine is clearly different from other criteria. If the fellow felt the complete need to respond as he did, he should've treated the situation like an adult, using a less insulting vocabulary. Basically, if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all. But it doesn’t really matter anymore; very childish.
I’m definitely not losing sleep over it, as I just bought the sm57 :)
 
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Bobbsy said:
If you're only going to have one, go for the SM57. It's the best compromise for the things you list (but get or make a pop screen for vocals).

The SM58's forte is live vocals in a loud situation with the mic really close to a singer's mouth. Although some people use them for recording, that's getting outside the SM58's comfort zone. The SM57, on the other hand, is a workhorse for almost anything. Is it ideal for most things? Nope. Definitely not. But it's usable for a whole range of things until gear acquisition syndrome kicks on and you buy lots of other mics--and even when you have a cupboard full of mics the SM57 will still come out sometimes.

However, having said all that, if I was only going to have a single mic, neither the SM57 or SM58 would be my first choice. It would be something like the sE X1 somebody else mentioned. I use condensers for 90% of my recordings--I find dynamics just too lacking in detail. However, others feel differently and consider condensers "too sensitive". You pays your money and makes your choice!
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Thanks for the awesome advice! I purchased the sm57 from guitar center last night, and got $15 off too. I bought a monster cable and the insurance to go with it. :)
 
You Know, my spam comment was only meant to be a bit of sarcasm, as this question had been asked so many times before. I was merely pointing out that if you searched the forum there will be the same questions and the same answers on another thread.

Sorry, I won't do it again.

sad_smiley.jpg
 
guitargirl7 said:
I don't know why people feel the need to enter a convo that I was having with someone else, but ok.
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Partly because it's our site, a public site where there are no private conversations {PMs fulfil that function}. If you think about it logically, if you were having a conversation with someone else and the forum protocol was that no one entered an on going conversation, the threads would be ever so short, the conversations would be incomplete, debate and disagreement would cease to exist and it would be the Stalinist, Maoist recording site of the web. Sadaam Gadaffi.com.
Witzendoz is one the true gents around here. He was simply having a laugh as is the wont of a number of characters round these parts.
People add to existing conversations. You gauge the use or uselessness of the contribution, but that's how forums work.
 
we live here ....... you're just visiting ....... LOL.

Don't take things so seriously and don't think that everyone is gonna clear out and have only one person sit down and focus on a question that's been asked a zillion times before.
Actually, often in these kinds of questions it's pretty common for several people to be downright prickly over the "why didn't you do a search" issue ...... so you have really been treated very well and politely.
So ask away and you'll get good answers and legitimate help ......... but don't expect to dictate what are acceptable ways to respond.
It'll be what it'll be and you just have to sift thru and figure out which responses are the most useful to you and ignore the ones that you decide aren't.
 
As everyone has mentioned, they are basically the same microphone. The main difference is that the SM57 doesn't have the built in wind shield ball so it works a little better for close positioning to amps... if you are doing vocals the SM58 is a better choice as that is what it was designed for and both are basically bullet proof and live stage tested.

There are a number of SM58 clones out there that are pretty decent and well made at about $35 with an on-off switch. I have a pair of those (and use them for recording guitar amps) and an SM58 I use for vocals (becasue it is higher quality). I bought mine to use with our PA, they work fine for recording.

My preference is to have a better mic for vocals (also it's nice to have the on-off switch well worth the $10 difference so you can cut it off on stage), I'll eventually get an SM57 for guitar amp recording but I don't see it as critical - also no need for the on-off switch for recording.
 
THe best Bang for your dollar!

The SM57 in my opinion is the superior microphone in a recording situation. The SM58 is pretty much a live singing mic for most purposes. I would suggest you get the SM57 and then also buy an ART Tube Pre Amp $29.00-$49.00 depending on where you buy it. The Pre Amp will be great for your vocal tracks! It also warms the signal coming from your microphone to the recording port.

These are the things I have recorded just this past week with an SM57
1. lead female vocal track
2.Group Hand Claps for a backing track
3.The electric guitars for a song
4.The Snare Drum for the Drum track

As you may see, these are 4 vastly different tracks with a wide range of frequencies. You can't go wrong with the SM57!!! Every single studio I have recorded in within the last 30 years had a SM57!!!
Good luck!
Musicmandrew
 
an SM57 for guitar amp recording is absolutely essential! Jimmy Page used it almost exclusively for Led Zep recordings, along with a large condenser mic about 2-3ft away from the amp to get the room ambiance.The SM58 doesn't have a "built in" wind shield. It screws on; take it off, and you will see the SM58 is the same shape as the SM57. Also, I hate to disagree, the on-off switch is not worth spending any extra money on. It's another function the mic has to perform and takes away from the mic focusing solely on it's main job. The SM58 is best suited for live vocals, not studio vocals.
 
musicmandrew said:
the on-off switch is not worth spending any extra money on. It's another function the mic has to perform and takes away from the mic focusing solely on it's main job. .
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doesn't affect the mic doing it's main job in any way whatsoever and doesn't take away from the mic doing it's job in the slightest. And it's not another function the mic has to do.
If you like having a switch on a mic then it's worth the money.
I like being able to turn my mic off on stage .... either I get the switch on the mic or I pay to have a cord with a switch.

If you don't ever use a switch then it's not worth the money but the idea that it takes away from the mic doing it's job is ludicrous.

Also I don't consider it an essential. Sure ..... Zep used one and so did many other big time recordings. But plenty of equally big time recordings didn't use one.
 
Lt. Bob said:
I like being able to turn my mic off on stage .... either I get the switch on the mic or I pay to have a cord with a switch.
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Is that because you don't want to be accidentally overheard talking about Bobbsy in between songs? :p
Good mic Bobbsy, now go use it and post up some clips!
 
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