All user reviews for the Shure SM57

The Shure SM57 is a directional cardiod dynamic microphone. It is an all around microphone, and every studio you ever visit will have one, if not twelve of these. It has been a studio staple since it's introduction. It's been used by US presidents to deliver speeches for nearly thirty years. This microphone is applicable to everything from live sound, to miking drums, to screaming vocals. The '57 can take a lot of punishment, but I would recommend it for the studio, due to it's short, grill design, which is perfect for studio use. It may not sound as good as a Condenser mic, but it's far more useful, and cheaper. Many classic recordings have been made with these. It's a dependable microphone, with a classic sound at a great price.

OVERALL OPINION

The greatest thing about this mic is it's versatility. You can use it for almost anything, with an acceptable sound. It has a good frequency response, and getting close gives it a small boost in the low end that can be used to your advantage in many situations. I love the way this mic sounds, as it is incredibly dependable and usable in practically any situation you can imagine. If you have the cash, pick up one of these, or 4. These are an industry staple for a reason, and the backbone of many great albums. These can take a lot of sonic punishment, but still inflect a quiet acoustic performance in a smaller setting. The consistency in sound is astonishing. These mics are a PERFECT first mic. The only drawback is that it does not operate on phantom power, and you must crank your preamp, which in cheaper equipment could result in some hum. However, this mic is worth every penny, and you'll always want to have one around.

I actually purchased the Shure SM 57 mic from a local music store called KB Music a few years back. I just wanted a good quality mic that I could used with no stand or pop filter at home just to record a few light demo vocals and save them for when I was at the real studio. The shure SM 57 did just that without any problems. I probably could have got a lot better quality with it if It was stationary on a stand and had a pop filter on it. I haven’t had any “live” experiences with this mic yet and probably wont. I just did a few some demos and even played some piano chords while recording my vocals at the same time. Of course with just one mic it didn’t sound great taking in the vocals and piano but I could definitely create something and record it into cool edit pro and shoot it to my ipod so I could listen to it and see how it would sound before I invest money into real studio time.


OVERALL OPINION

One thing I love the most about the mic is how accurate it was with my voice. I did no eq to the vocals at all and the low end was pretty warm and hi’s weren’t over the top. Everything seemed to be pretty neat and clean. I have even recorder my friend who is a singer on it and it picked her high pitches up great. And keep in mind I had no stand and no pop filter on it. So it was great with just pretty raw sound. The price point of it is what makes it so great to me, to be able to invest that little money and get that quality cant be beat. But Shure’s mics are always good , I think I purchased it off the name brand alone. If it would have cost 50 dollars more I probably still would have got it over some other name brands.

Straight black, all metal, SM-57 Shure microphone. Standard issue in just about every recording studio on the planet, next to the SM-58. I've been using it for vocals as well as mic'ing my bass cabinets or even my upright when I'm playing with Ribbons: www.myspace.com/ribbonsmakemusic.

I got it a long time ago from Pianos 'n' Stuff in Blawnox, PA, in their used department. I needed a microphone, so I got this one, since it was a good brand name, and a fairly standard microphone. It was only $29.99 there, so I was pretty happy.

<a href="https://www.nstuffmusic.com">https://www.nstuffmusic.com</a>

Even beat up and stomped on (and this microphone certainly has been, long before I got my hands on it), it still puts out some really sweet tones when you sing or play through it. It's very dry, but still has a warmth that it adds to the sound, not unlike a ribbon mic might. No distortion, no static, and overall, no problems with it whatsoever.

I have no qualms. Sure the grill is dented, but that's merely cosmetic.

I'm pretty sure if it's survived whatever put those dents in the grill and all the scratches all over it and still puts out sound comparable to a brand new SM-57 (and it does, believe me!), then I'm pretty sure I could chuck it into the Grand Canyon, go down, pick it up, and play a show with it right then. Nothing short of dynamite will hurt this thing.

Fantastic piece of gear. For under $100, I can't think of anything better.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Straight black, all metal, SM-57 Shure microphone. Standard issue in just about every recording studio on the planet, next to the SM-58. I've been using it for vocals as well as mic'ing my bass cabinets or even my upright when I'm playing with Ribbons: www.myspace.com/ribbonsmakemusic.

I got it a long time ago from Pianos 'n' Stuff in Blawnox, PA, in their used department. I needed a microphone, so I got this one, since it was a good brand name, and a fairly standard microphone. It was only $29.99 there, so I was pretty happy.

<a href="https://www.nstuffmusic.com">https://www.nstuffmusic.com</a>

Even beat up and stomped on (and this microphone certainly has been, long before I got my hands on it), it still puts out some really sweet tones when you sing or play through it. It's very dry, but still has a warmth that it adds to the sound, not unlike a ribbon mic might. No distortion, no static, and overall, no problems with it whatsoever.

I have no qualms. Sure the grill is dented, but that's merely cosmetic.

I'm pretty sure if it's survived whatever put those dents in the grill and all the scratches all over it and still puts out sound comparable to a brand new SM-57 (and it does, believe me!), then I'm pretty sure I could chuck it into the Grand Canyon, go down, pick it up, and play a show with it right then. Nothing short of dynamite will hurt this thing.

Fantastic piece of gear. For under $100, I can't think of anything better.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This is Shure's do it all mic. Often used for micing amps for recording or live settings.

I originally purchased this mic for micing my Crate acoustic guitar amplifier through the PA system in live settings. I didn't do much research before making the purchase, I felt like this was one of those mics that is the industry standard for a reason, much like its brother the SM-58. I picked it up at a local music store for $90.

<a href="www.bpmmusic.com">www.bpmmusic.com</a>

This mic is all good. The size and shape are great, it makes it easy to get the mic directly in front of the speaker you are micing. The best part of this mic is that you get to hear what is actually coming from the speaker. The 57 doesn't have any kind of frequency bump like a 58 does. The 57 is not known for a vocal mic but I like how it sounds with someone who has a Bassey voice. It definitely lets your voice come through as it is. If you are used to the low frequency bump and warm sound of a 58, this is not the vocal mic for you.

I still haven't come across something that I don't like about this mic. There are others I prefer for some things but they don't have a $90 price tag.

I have dropped it several times and transported it without packing it the way I should and it still works like a champ. Built to last and very durable.

Overall, you won't find a more versatile mic for $100 or less. It is great both in the studio and in a live setting. They are built to last forever and don't take much fiddling with, just plug them in and find out where you want to put it.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

It's black, made of metal, and has lots of scratches now! Anyway, I've been playing for about 30 years on and off and am in and out of it. Funny how life gets in the way sometime. I'm into classic rock, metal, hard rock, country as far as playing goes, and just about anything else as far as listening goes. I'm not currently in a band, but have been throughout the years.

I bought this unit for about $80 online several years ago. I was looking for something to mic my guitar amp or drums with, and a microphone that I thought I might be able to use for vocals as well.

I like the solid build and the trusty frequency response curve. The unit is built like a brick shithouse and takes some serious abuse over the years and keeps on ticking. Mine is so scratched up I should have said it was silver instead of black. It works every time and is consistent. I'm sure I'll have it for years to come as well, as long as I don't drop it in a toilet or something and screw the electronics, I'm pretty sure it's indestructable.

About the only thing I don't like about this mic is the frequency response and the sensitivity. While I think it's a good dynamic mic for limited frequency range work, like a guitar amp or micing a kick drum for instance, I don't like how it sounds with vocals. It's sort of dull and lifeless and doesn't capture some of the nuances of the sound. Now many of you may be saying that I shouldn't be using a dynamic mic to record vocals anyway, but that's your opinion. Regardless, it's not something I would use the SM-57 for in the future based on my experience.

As I mentioned earlier it's built very solid and it seems pretty much indestructable. Very few things in my gig bags have lasted as long as this and taken as much abuse. Shure builds the best mics in the business in my opinion and my SM-58 rocks about the same.

Overall, I couldn't be happier. I didn't over pay for this, it's extremely high quality, and as long as you don't use the SM-57 for an application it wasn't designed for, you'll love it. I sure do.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought my SM-57 through Musicians Friend for around $80 because I had experience using them from undergrad work in telecommunications. On the first day, the teacher came in said "This is an SM-57." He held up the mic and then THREW it against the concrete floor. He then plugged it in and it worked flawlessly. You can literally pound in nails with this mic. And on top of everything else, they have superb response qualities. For anyone going on the road or recording at home, I give my full and whole-hearted recommendation to the Shure SM-57.

Built like a tank. Great frequency response. Resonable price tag.

Nothing.

Bulletproof.

If you need a mic for vocals or guitar or just about darn near anything else, buy this microphone.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

This is a dynamic microphone; utilization includes live and studio settings.

OVERALL OPINION

The famous Shure 57...there is a serious love/hate on this microphone. I've been on both sides of the pendulum, so here's my experiences...
It seems that every major guitar tone in the studio and live applications use the 57. World famous mic that one has to have...and even better, it's actually affordable! After decades of using dozens of other mics, I decided to buy (2) of these mics.
First impression was awful! couldn't get a decent sound in my home recording setup...I'm not sure if my ears were used to condensers & ribbons, but this mic presented a 0/10 for me. Back into the case they went; I assumed they could be useful for live band or drum tom mics or whatever so I kept them. As time went on, every gig I played- from crappy bars to 1200 seat theater, the 57 was put right up on my amp grille. I returned to my studio to try the mics again.
This time I had quality preamps. Instead of lo/mid level pieces, i actually had a Universal Audio 6176 to plug into...with proper placement, I realized that the 57 did indeed have that familiar magic sound- a desired hi pass to eliminate the rumble, a lo pass to avoid the piercing highs, and a mid frequency that loved guitars. I was suddenly hooked! Finding the sweet spot was a chore- I don't have a separate engineer and a control booth; I have 1 large room and work the mic with my headphones blasting, searching endlessly for the sweet spot. Dead center is a horrible sound- unfortunately most live engineers stick it right there on a gig-YUCK. Right where the center meets the cone is a good spot to shoot for- too much cone is too warm, too much center is to bright, but somewhere in between lies the SPOT. Once the spot is located, I grab another 57 and put it right next to it in perfect parallel. Both mics right up as close to the grill as possible. Molting these 2 mics together yields a perfect rock/metal tone for guitarists.

Time went on and I needed to sell of my 6176...bought another, then needed to sell that too, lol. I'm now using an inexpensive GAP73 & an 11R for my mic pres- humble and inexpensive, yet more than serviceable preamps. I realized that the 57 still sounds great, but huge attention to placement is the key. It can easily turn to crap mud or piercing highs, but find the sweet spot and it is golden.

Overall- great bang for your buck! Getting a pro-proven piece of gear for under $100 is extraordinary. I didn't go much into it, but these mics can sound killer on snare top (awesome application!), snare bottom, toms, vocals, you name it, it will do the job....and it will take a beating! I love that these are so cost effective, I can leave them setup for recording and just leave them there day after day. i wouldn't dare do that with an expensive ribbon or condenser, but with the 57, I'm like set it and forget it. Once I find my sound, it stays there for months!

Microphone Type: Dynamic
Polar Pattern: Cardioid
Frequency Response: 40Hz-15kHz
Impedance: 150 ohms
Includes clip, XLR cable tie and bag.

OVERALL OPINION

I've used nearly all the studio go-to mics for guitar cabs, and I keep coming back to the SM57. The e609 sounds great for lower gain, but lacks aggressiveness for higher gain applications, the 57 does it all. The Sennheiser MD421 is a great cab mic, but is also 4 times the price - And at that price, it's certainly not $300 better. The Royer ribbons sound AMAZING, but not something I'd use as a standalone sound - Pair it with a 57 and you're golden.

These mics are the most popular dynamic mics on the planet for a reason, they can literally do anything, and sound great doing it! Guitar cabs, toms, snare, vocals - If you can put a mic in front of it, it'll probably sound pretty good with this one. It might not excel as well as other mics at certain applications, but where you'd normally use a dynamic mic, in order to find something "better" you're looking at spending MUCH more money. The 57 works amazingly well with nearly any preamp you pair it with, thus you can make great tracks on a cheap $100 interface, and in a $1 million recording studio with it.

The SM57 is a workhorse in the studio and live. Every musician should own at least one.

What kind of microphone? I generally used my mics for a little while, I do not hesitate to experiment. This mic is very bine his work, it's a classic and I think it is part of the microphone that we must have in its fleet.

What technology? it is a dynamic cardioid.

OVERALL OPINION

How long you use it? for 6 or 7 months
What is so special that you love the most, least? manufacturing and sound, at least I do not know. nothing?

Did you tried many other models before buying it? no, I wanted to have. this micro

How would you rate the quality / price? very good.

With experience, you do again this choice? absolutely.