SM57 for vocal

[dnl88]

A quick question, can you use an sm57 for vocal recording or will it sound alot differant to an sm58?

 

[Ronan]

A quick question, can you use an sm57 for vocal recording or will it sound alot differant to an sm58?

SM57 can be a very good mic for vocal in some applications. Maodonna did a whole album where all the lead vox are a 57 and I beleive Paul Rogers from Bad Comapny always used a 57, and I have used a 57 with several vocalists with good results.

 

[gumplunger]

Just use whatever sounds best to your ears, whatever's in the budget, and whatever the vocalist feels most comfortable with.

 

[Farview]

A 57 and a 58 have the same inards, the only difference is the ball on the 58. They don't sound that different.

 

[chessparov]

The SM57 is somewhat clearer sounding than the SM58.
The SM58, however, is handy for vocalists who are prone to "popping" their "P's".

In any event, it's a good idea to also use a pop screen when recording.

Chris

 

[sile2001]

As has already been mentioned, the two mics are very very similar to each other, with really the only difference being the windscreen on the 58. It really depends entirely upon the style of voice, their mic technique, and what they want the final result to be.

They aren't exactly the same as the regular SM mics, but in all the recordings I have done, I always prefer the tone of my Beta 57 over my Beta 58. The 58 makes my voice seem too muffled, like it's taking out some of the high or mid range frequencies.

On the other hand, a vocalist friend of mine has an overabundance of high frequencies in his voice, and the 58 handles it better.

As much as possible, just play with the different combinations and see what works and what doesn't.

 

[gumplunger]

I personally like the 58 better for vocals, just because I feel comfortable with it, which increases the quality of the performance. Gives me that live feeling, even if it's just me in the room. However, I like to use the 57 for just about everything else.

 

[talontsiawd]

I use a sm 57 for vocals. When making my decision I read that the sm 57 is good for speaking (ie, not singing). Since i do strictly hip hop, i decided it was the way to go. It give a cleaner and deeper tone than my friends beta sm 57. I also got it to use to record live intruments for sampling. I actually hated it at first. After i got a shure windscreen specifically designed for it (i don't know the part number but it is easy to find) it sounded a whole lot better. I was useing a univeral windscreen and it wasn't thick enough. I got crazy pops, windnoise, etc. Now it sounds great.

 

[Bowisc]

I worked with a local artist on his demo.

We tried about 13 mics on his voice... ranging from Marshall MXL up to a Neuman U87ai.

We ended up with an SM-57 (through Great River NV) on 80% of the tracks. Stunning.

 

[Warhead]

The 57 can be very crunchy on certain singers, but when it hits it hits. I've had decent success with them as well on vocals.

War