will someone explain the difference (sm57&58)

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notbradsohner

Compression Addict
im looking for kind of an all around mic, and i have heard nothing but good reviews for the shure line.

my question is, what is the difference in the 57 and the 58. Different applications? which is the most versitile?
 
58 - 57 = 1......... :eek:

The difference is the 58 is "one louder"...... :p
 
Seriously though.....

....There is a slight difference in response due to the grill/windscreen on the 58, but the 57 & 58 have the SAME capsule.

Pop the top off a 58 and you essentially have a 57.
 
like blue bear said....

For what it's worth, It seems like the 57's are more likely seen in studios micing instruments and drums and such and 58's are more likely seen being used as vocal mics in live situations.
 
The 58 is better on vox because of the windscreen, which reduces sibilence and 'plosives by a huge amount when compared to the 57. The 57, on the other hand, displays more of a pronounced proximity effect- i would assume due to the fact that the diaphragm is closer to the grill of the mic.

Buy a 58 and unscrew the windscreen to record guitar amps , or buy a 57 and use a pop filter if you want to record vocals. ;^)
-just being silly-

I CAN tell you that in my studio I have NO 58s and over a half dozen 57s. In general, 58s are used for live vocals and not much in the studio. You will see 57s in the studio on amps, toms, snares .......
 
With all due respect to the last poster, the SM57 is more transparent sounding, even with Shure's own foam windscreen for it vs. the SM58.

A reasonable way to go then is to get the SM57 + foam windscreen (for live use).

A strong pro AE can whip up a high quality vocal from a
SM57 with most any singer BTW. As Fletcher has said,
"...rarely genius, but they never suck".

SM57's have been used on MANY hit recordings on the lead vocal.
In order to perform at the highest level, however, they do better with a high level mic pre-as with any dynamic microphone.

Also check out its fraternal twin, the Shure 545 series,
which are brighter sounding.

Chris
 
Chess
I do agree there is a subtle diff tween the two....You call the 57 "more transparent" - I think of the 57 as warmer (to be kind).

I am also not gonna pick the fly s%#t out of the pepper when a newbie wants to know the diff tween the two. Yes, i've used em for vocals, even in the studio, but in general practice, that is not the first choice.

in the end, i'd much rather have a 57 than a 58 - bottom line
 
Guido (and anyone else), have you had much luck minimizing
sibilance by pointing a SM57 or SM58 sideways?

Seems to do the trick for me, and I like the "softer" sound better too on my voice vs. singing straight down the barrel.

Only recently having a deeper appreciation of how sensitive these
Shure microphones are to better placement BTW.

Chris
 
I tend to do that to some degree with all my vocal mics anymore- just as a matter of course. cuts down on plosives too.
 
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