Sm57 Poll

[chessparov]

IIRC the AE John Leckie's posts (sic?) who worked with John Lennon would have more info.

BTW Brian Wilson used the Shure 545 ('57 forerunner) on many Beach Boy's cuts as his personal vocal mic.
Usually the Neumann U47 (or RCA 77 ribbon) on the group's vocal harmonies.

Chris

 

[dgatwood]

IIRC the AE John Leckie's posts (sic?) who worked with John Lennon would have more info.

BTW Brian Wilson used the Shure 545 ('57 forerunner) on many Beach Boy's cuts as his personal vocal mic.
Usually the Neumann U47 (or RCA 77 ribbon) on the group's vocal harmonies.

Chris

I wouldn't compare the 545 to the modern 57, though. AFAICT, the earliest 57/58 mics were close to the 545/565, but they've changed a good bit over the years. In particular, the modern, Mexico-made version of the product is generally considered to be of lesser quality than the older U.S. versions.

 

[pinkieandtherev]

I like 'em...they're tough and have decent sound. They are a live sound workhorse staple. I particularly recommend them to people who record AND play live. A lot of your studio condensers won't stand up to heavy stage use.

 

[mikgag]

All I know is people will be using them long after we're all dead.


And they sound great on MY snare.

 

[jasonbmerrill]

personally, i think the mic sounds HORRRIBLE. the only reason it's popular, is because it was better than a lot of options when it came out, established an "industry standard" title, and when it was time to move on, people stuck to their guns. i think it's recommended to beginners often, because it's one of the few, all around mics. that sounds, well "ok" on almost anything. you can mic vox, kick, snare, guitar, anything...and it won't sound terrible.


did any of that make sense?

crystal clear!

 

[AndrewClaycomb]

I now have 5 of them. I've been very happy using them on snare. SM57 on top and a beta57 on the bottom. I recently got an Audix i5 and tried that on top, and I really didn't get the tone I wanted. The i5 got a tone that was sort of a mix between the shure mics on top and bottom all by itself. Too warm with little crack.

I may try the beta on top and the i5 on bottom. The beta hands down gets used more the the regular SM57 because it sounds brighter.

The other time I use the 57s is when I'm doing a "live" recording in the studio. They're dependable and easy to position to get a good sound on guitar amps. They also work very well for scratch takes on basically anything.

Sure there are better mics for given tasks but the 57s will always work if needed, or if you're unsure of what else to use.

 

[fender1234]

The sm57 is like this.If it works,it works.If it dont ,it dont.Sometimes the sm 57 fits what you need.It usally works well on a lead guitar amp that you are having trouble getting it to come out in the mix.I had this problem just the other day.I was having problems getting the guitar to come out clear in the mix.The mix sounded crowded.I tried other mics,and as soon as I put the sm57 in front of the amp,you knew it was it.So the sm 57 is its own mic.When the sm57 fits a certain situation,there is no replacement.

 

[stevieb]

Not gonna wade thru three pages of post, so if this has been said, sue me...

The SM58 may not be the best mic, even within it's class. But, it being the industry standard (which it truly is,) means that when using it, you are in familiar territory, either due to your own experience, or that of others. Thus, you spend less time figuring out the particulars of whatever mic you are using, and more time moving ahead on the project.

And THAT, my friends, is worth a lot, especially when the clock is running.

 

[expatCanuck]

my SM57 just got a facelift ...

... in the form of a new preamp.

A used Symetrix SX202 just replaced my mobilePre
(which worked adequately with condensers, but not so well with the SM57 ... )

For its maiden voyage, I tracked vocals through the Symetrix (with gain at about 2 o'clock) into a Delta44, thence to Audacity:

Sounds one heck of a lot nicer than through the mobilePre.

I just love cheap & effective.

- Richard
oldWithoutMoney.com

 

[jaz49]

... in the form of a new preamp.

A used Symetrix SX202 just replaced my mobilePre
(which worked adequately with condensers, but not so well with the SM57 ... )

For its maiden voyage, I tracked vocals through the Symetrix (with gain at about 2 o'clock) into a Delta44, thence to Audacity:

Sounds one heck of a lot nicer than through the mobilePre.

I just love cheap & effective.

- Richard
oldWithoutMoney.com

Sounds better than I expected a $99 dynamic mic to sound. I expected worse. Did you use any processing...reverb, eq, etc.? I would still prefer to use a decent condenser in the studio, but if all you can afford is $99 maybe it's not as bad a choice as I thought it would be....but not used through a cheap preamp, as your experience(among others) proves.

 

[expatCanuck]

Sounds better than I expected a $99 dynamic mic to sound. ... Did you use any processing...reverb, eq, etc.?

No processing. Set up a click track, recorded the main vocal,
then the harmony. Sang into the mic from about 1.5 feet
(being careful not to 'pop').

And, to my ear, the SM57 is better suited to my voice that the comparably-priced AT2020 condenser I also have (and prefer for acoustic guitar).

I'm delighted with the SM57/SX202 combination.
(And think it's a shame that Symetrix no longer seems
to manufacture mic preamps.)

 

[soundchaser59]

Personally, I think this mic is complete shit. I can't understand why people like it, and why it is recommended to beginners...

If it is better than ANY other mic at all, then it cant be "complete shit"....... that would be the Audix i5 that is at the bottom of the respect poll for me.

 

[dodgeaspen]

I have used the 57 on drums and the sound is very good. I have been told this mic is awesome on guitar cabs but I haven't tried it yet.

 

[guitar486]

SM57 modded with TAB Funkenwerk transformer = paradaise for guitar amps and snares.

Great mic.

 

[hmmm]

For what it is and the price I think it's a great mic. I've used it in the studio and live, there are better mics out there though, but it's a good versatile mic.

 

[ibleedburgundy]

I've never had any problems with my 57s and I think I've gotten some pretty good sounds out of them, particularly on guitar amps and drums.

There are some applications where I would not use them, classical guitar being one of them.

 

[eMixEngine]

I love 57's, especially on electric guitars. I've used lots of other mics but always come back to 57s on electrics, they just sound right! The strangest use of 57s in the studio for me would have to be drum room mics. A pair of 57s actually sound pretty cool placed up high about 5 feet away from the kit, go figure!

 

[Steenamaroo]

it's probably been said already, but a lot of people say they're shit,and a lot say they're great....

it'd be interesting to know what you're all plugging these 57s into??

 

[darrin_h2000]

Preamps

I say if its good enough for the president...its good enough for you...go ahead buy that Neumann...if you want the terrorists to win.

 

[JRSIV]

To me, the standards we all hear about: NS-10's, U87's, LA-2A's and the SM57,etc... are just what has worked for most people. They aren't necessarily going to work for all of us and all of our different ears and tastes. I love what the 57's do on snare drums, and for me, on my Strat/Bassman rig the mic is the only way to go. The presence peak, somewhat "snarky" quality is ideal for electrics.