Shure SM57

Shure SM57 - The only microphone that can claim the title of “The Industry Standard”. There is not one music venue or recording studio that doesn’t have one, and if they don’t, they should. The mic is low priced - new for around $90. It is super durable. And I’ve even heard of people using it as a hammer in desperate situations.

The SM57 is a bright and clean sounding dynamic microphone. It has a cardioid polar pattern, which helps isolate the main sound source from unwanted noise. And has a frequency range from 40 - 15,000 Hz.

When I first started recording all I had were two SM57s, and they fulfilled all my needs. I used them for everything - stereo recording, drum over heads, snare, bass drums, toms, guitar and bass cabinets, acoustic guitar, cello, vocals, hand percussion, sax, trumpet – the list is endless. It has never done me wrong.

Drums - Almost every studio I’ve been to, the engineer instinctively points an SM57 at the top of the snare of a drum kit. It sounds good, can easily handle the unintentional wallops from a stray swing at the snare, and its fast and easy to get that professional sound. I prefer to use my Audix D4s on my toms, but I only have two. If I have a drummer with more than two toms then I’ll pull out my three SM57s for use on the toms. There is no compromise in sound quality, just a little different color. The bass drum is fine to record with a SM57; I had to use an SM57 for a long time before I got a dedicated bass drum microphone like the AKG D112. In some situations I prefer the SM57 to the D112 on the bass drum. I think the sound is more natural and tight.

Vocals - it does great with vocals. Both Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty sing out of an SM57. It’s not my first choice for recording vocals, but it will do just fine. If I’m going for a gritty, live, or raw sound I’ll usually go with an SM57 rather than a condenser. In live situations there is no reason to not use an SM57.

If there’s only one mic to be bought, it is the SM57. Durable, easy, well priced, and sounds good. - Adam