SM58 for studio recording?

C

charleslee

New member
Hi,

I would like to know if anybody actually uses the Shure SM58 (or beta58) in the studio environment for vocal recording. And is it only for loud (ie. rock) kind of vocals because of the sensitivity of the dynamic mikes?

At the moment, I use the Rode NT2 for vocals. It goes through my dbx 386 mic-pre and sometimes through my board (SOUNDTRACS TOPAZ 32) so that I can adjust the fader "on-the-fly" if need to.

My recording room is not totally soundproof, so usually I would schedule important sessions late in the night because my studio is located on the ground floor of a 2 storey-shop-house, and movement upstairs can sometimes be heard via vibrations (low-freq rumble) from the floor from the second storey.

Therefore, I am wondering if I use a less sensitive mic, ie. non-condensers, will it be better? So that I do not have to work many late nights if I have MANY IMPORTANT recording sessions.

Thanks and Regards,
[Charles]
 
Some artists do use a SM58 for vocals. Bjork reportedly used it on her most recent album. But using it for any kind of music / vocalist, is not a good idea, of course. The vocal sound is (usually) the most important factor in the overall sound of your recordings. So it's the worst place for compromise.

Rumble shouldn't be such a problem when tracking vocals. Get a good shock mount and use a low cut if necessary.
 
If I'm not mistaken.... Michael Jackson used a 57, which we all know is pretty much the exact same mic to sing "Billy Jean" according to either Mix or Recording Magazine.
 
Michael Jackson used a Shure SM7, which is also a dynamic mic, but a much more expensive one.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers used an SM 57 vor vocals on Californication, according to their engineer. There was an interview in Sound on Sound, if I'm not mistaken.

The SM 7 and the SM 57 sound somewhat similar for all I know. Harvey would know better than me.
 
Hey Harvey: didn't you have an SM-7 that could be the one used by MJ on that album?

Here's a snippet from an interview about Achtung Baby on SOS:

"Bono's vocals were largely recorded with an SM58 and compressed with a Summit compressor. Adams: "Instead of using the Summit, what we did on several of the tracks on Achtung Baby was to record his vocals on tape with Dolby SR and play it back without Dolby SR. It tightens up the vocal sound and gives it more brightness and presence. It makes his voice sit really nicely in the mix and easier to balance."

They used them also as overheads
http://www.sospubs.co.uk/sos/1994_articles/mar94/u2robbieadams.html

Cheers, Andrés
 
woah!!!!

back up!!!!

they recorded with dolby and played back without???

so thats just like using a preset EQ. one that boosts highs in the "hiss range".

interesting.

it makes sense to use EQ if you use 57/58 cause of the response curve.


i think the sm7 is a very interesting piece. i think it lists for around 600$. there are dynamic mics that have "extended frequency response for a condenser like sound" but theyre all more expensive than the 57/58.

:)
 
I use a 58, but primarily for backing vocals.

If you want a strong vocal track, using a 58 is probably the long way towards getting there....in other words, it can be done, but it will be much more difficult...........

for example, i was doing vocals with a 58 for a while (let me add, that i'm nowhere near an expert recorder, but decent), having done the vocals with the 58, i thought they were ok, about a month later i got a marshall mxl 93v (condensor) and rerecorded the tracks..........the difference was night and day........what i thought was acceptable then, now seemed to be disgusting and intolerable......that being said, i still use the 58 for backing vocals because it gives a different flavor and more far off feal........

so, my point.........vocals (i've heard beck used a 58 for vocal recording) but it probably isn't the most suitable mic for 'most' people
 
........also, if you really want me to, i can post two versions of the same song that i have on nowhere radio so you can hear the difference..........same track, same settings (eq, compression, reverb), the old one with the 58 , the new one with the marshall...........the difference is suprisingly big............let me know if you want me to post them
 
When people use a SM58 for lead vocals in big studios, it's often not because of its specific sound but because singers are used to it and produce a better performance than with a LD condenser. There was a related thread on RAP, and some engineers reported using the old trick of giving the singer an SM58 while actually recording with an LD condenser a few feet away. Scott Dorsey, however, had an even cooler idea: he put an expensive mesurement microphone (omni) capsule into an SM 58 body. ;)
 
Charles, for many voices you can get excellent sound out of a
SM58. On my voice, however, the SM57 sounds a bit better due
to the slightly different frequency response.
An excellent "sleeper" is the Beyer Soundstar MKII dynamic which
usually sells for under $100 on e-bay and is better than a SM58 on my voice. Many singers (like Tom Petty) sound good on a Beta
57 or 58 (alas not the best choice on my voice).

Other choices might be the EV RE20, and the Sennheiser 421.
You could also try a used Sennheiser 441, they sell for under
$400 typically at e-bay.

Chris
 
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