SM57's vocal hall of fame!

  • Thread starter Thread starter chessparov
  • Start date Start date
You mean the Hall & Oates example didn't wow you?!

Maybe we can get more specific on song titles then.
Got to get back to work now-should have some more examples soon.

Chris
 
Once I saw Oats riding a ten speed down main street in missoula montana early on a saturday morning. Very surreal.

Slackmaster 2000
 
Here are some specific entire albums or songs;

Madonna's Erotica album
Bjork's albums (she uses either Shure Beta 58, '58, or '57)
INXS "Kick" album (others I don't know yet?)
Most all Steve Tyler's vocals-although they are also tracked with
a shotgun condenser at the same time
Lenny Kravitz's "I Want To Fly Away" (other album cuts too)
Bruce Springsteen "Born In The USA" (same as above)
Nine Inch Nails "The fragile" (same as above)
Any Allman Brothers live recording on either a Unidyne III
or SM57 for Gregg

Chris

P.S. Paul Rodgers used the '57 on many of his tracks according
to Eddie Kramer.
John Lennon had a favorite cracked (!) '57 he used on many
recordings to add some grit per his producer/engineer.
Jagger uses a '57 or '58 for scratch vocals, many end up as
final tracks.
Ian Anderson for a number of past years has used the '57
as his main mike onstage and in the studio.
 
hello, im a newbie to this studio thing, i mean, music is my life and im just drowning into this studio recording, producing thing, so im willing to gain knowledge if u know what i mean hehee..

so, i read that the sm58 mic is for vocals and the sm57 is better for recording from amps, or drums and stuff and vocals as well..
correct?..

now.... reading this post i realised there are 'characteristics' and preferences and stuff that differs the 58 from the 57 (talking about vocals).... can anyone explain me, what are the most 'typical' differences?

well, i am about to buy a mic, its the first thing im buying to start making my home studio, i was about to buy the 58 becouse it was better for vocals, but after reading this post im kinda confused......... can anyone clear all this for me please?
for the record, i play punk-rock/hardcore music mostly and im totally into the 60/70's stuff, doors, led, pink floyd, and etc...

thx.
Marcos.
(wow, sorry for writing that much, and excuse me if i made any mistake, english is not my default english ;)
 
chessparov said:
O.K. here is a SM57 "secret" to getting better vocal recordings.
Go to www.sospubs.co.uk/search and enter "microphone makeover"
in the search field. You'll find an article by The Demo Doctor on how to
significantly enhance a SM57's or SM58's sound.

Personal settings for me are a 2db cut @ 150 Hz, 2 db cut @ 800Hz,
2 db boost @ 15 KHz on an Aphex 109 parametric EQ.
This can also be done in similar fashion on a mixer/portastudio too.

This can be done with any other decent (or better) dynamic microphone.
Try it! You may also like it. These settings vary from person to person,
however, the principle is the same.

Chris
Click to expand...

You shouldn't have to EQ a GOOD vocal microphone. Get an Audix Om5!!!! :)
 
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"You shouldn't have to EQ a GOOD microphone!"

Don't tell that to George Martin!
(then again he only had things like U47's and Telefunken 251's to deal with)

I'd certainly reach for a OM-5 over a SM58 onstage, however, in the
studio this is a "it depends" situation as to what kind of vocalist you've got,
and the style of the music being recorded IMHO.

There's a foam cap that Shure sells for about $10 to put on the SM57 for
live work. Contrary to popular belief, not everything has to have a ball
on it. This would make the SM57 more flexible than the SM58 for you.

Chris
 
I'm an old fart and an observer...in order to get a decent vocal you need a decent mic....the best mic, the most expensive mic no ...well unless maybe your just singing acapella and absolutely just want the most incredible recording of your voice... For main stream rock music any decent mic will do and I have chosen the SM57 many times though I do have an awesome ADK Berlin style that picks ups EVERYTHING... I decided on the 57 many years ago when I was buying my first gear in the 70's after watching the Monterey pop festival movie and see it's fraternal twin the sm56 (Same cartridge) used on every style of vocal imagined Janis, Jimi, Mama Cass damn...I was sold... It is the only mic I have used live ( when I had a choice) to this date.

If it's good enough for those icons and their vocals all sounded splendid, it's good enough ( Or a dozen other mics in the $100 range) for your home recording project especially just starting out...There are so many other details and nuances to get a good recording beyond the mic you use...Don't get sucked up into the minutia and marketing. GET RECORDING A SONG WELL DOWN FIRST with basic gear..Then you can go all boutique n shit. The tools to lay down a track have gotten so amazing since the 70's. To buy a 4 track tape set up with all the cords, tapes, echo plex , mic and maybe a few effects you were in way over $1000. Now $1000 will buy you an interface and a pc that will allow you unlimited tracks and a gazillion effects..the recording world is your oyster..LORDY!

BTW this thread is not the first thread on this subject there has to be at least a dozen threads here on it. BUT

It's always fun to hear members ( Like me) Pontificate on the subject.

Best takeaway for me here today was being introduced to Elliott Smith WTF? How did I miss out on this whackadoodle genius...OMG! I love this cat... Oh well down another rabbit hole I go...I'll never get this remodel done or ever get any more songs recorded. :laughings:
 
LOL at practice last Sunday the Boss looks at me and my mic and says well no wonder we can't hear you that mic is for instruments (because he doesn't know how to use his zippy zoomy mixer very well) I try to explain to him that yes it is used for micing instruments but, it is a totally awesome vocal mic. He thought I was whack. I went over and pushed a few buttons on the mixer and it was a miracle..it could be used for vocals too! ;)
 
Since my early days in bands, I have always reversed the names of the SM57 and SM58. I have no Idea why or when this got started.. maybe heard some shop talk hanging around bands in my early years when someone referred to the one with the ball screen as an SM57 - and I ran with it. All the vocal mics on stands for the front guys had ball screens so I thought they were the standard.
 
I still have the very first mic I bought in 74 - a Shure SM57, and I have still got it, but don't know which one it is - as the latest ones I have bought look exactly the same. I totally agree, it's a wonderful mic and works even on things that frankly, it should do badly!
 
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rob aylestone said:
I still have the very first mic I bought in 74 - a Shure SM57, and I have still got it, but don't know which one it is - as the latest ones I have bought look exactly the same. I totally agree, it's a wonderful mic and works even on things that frankly, it should do badly!
Click to expand...
Wow oddly enough it was @ 1974 when I bought mine and I still have it... and few more...

Here's a link to Shure's website where they speak of the Monterey Pop festival and the use of sm 56
 
The Shirelles - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"
The Beach Boys - "Surfin' Safari"
Elvis Presley - "That's All Right"
Buddy Holly - "Peggy Sue"
John Lennon - "(Just Like) Starting Over"
--
Jason Hook. Audio Enthusiast and Software Developer
Remove or Isolate Vocals from any Song ? https://www.UnMixIt.com/
 
The President of America could afford any microphones for the official podium. SM57s have done the job for a very long time now.
 
Whatever happened to chessparov? I liked him.

And resurrecting a 20 year old thread. TAE, is that a new record? :D
 
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