Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

M

ms1844

New member
Hi guys, I picked up an Shure SM57 and I'm new to recording. The mic isn't picking up signal and I was hoping anyone with experience or knowledge could help me get it working.

Signal: [amp -> SM57 mic -> cable (XLR to guitar cable) -> guitar interface (Behringer UCG102) -> garageband]

My Garageband input setting is the guitar interface and my output is my computer's output. I played my amp loud and the SM57 wouldn't pick up noise when I was recording, but however, if I tapped on the mic i got a super small signal.

I've tried messing the the input volume on the guitar interface and it still won't give me any signal.

Anyone that can help it would be extremely appreciated! (sorry ik this isn't really related to an amp forum but I figured you guys would be able to help)

Thanks
 
Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

Hi guys, I picked up an Shure SM57 and I'm new to recording. The mic isn't picking up signal and I was hoping anyone with experience or knowledge could help me get it working.

Signal: [amp -> SM57 mic -> cable (XLR to guitar cable) -> guitar interface (Behringer UCG102) -> garageband]

My Garageband input setting is the guitar interface and my output is my computer's output. I played my amp loud and the SM57 wouldn't pick up noise when I was recording, but however, if I tapped on the mic i got a super small signal.

I've tried messing the the input volume on the guitar interface and it still won't give me any signal.

Anyone that can help it would be extremely appreciated! (Is this a common thing people deal with? how do I fix this issue?)

Thanks
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

SM57s are built like brick ****houses. If anything, I'd bet the problem doesn't lie with the mic.

I would start troubleshooting with the Behringer piece. Try another mic that you know works.
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

how are you running the sm57 into the ucg102? the sm57 should have a balanced xlr cable (3 wires) and the ucg102 only has a 1/4" mono input (2 wires). id guess your xlr to guitar cable is the culprit but pretty sure the ucg102 is designed for you to plug the guitar straight in
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

LLL said:
SM57s are built like brick ****houses. If anything, I'd bet the problem doesn't lie with the mic.

I would start troubleshooting with the Behringer piece. Try another mic that you know works.
Click to expand...

Ok so I used a cable right into the interface from the guitar and I used a fake amp in garageband and was getting a regular style signal (so the interface works right?). Could the cable connecting the interface and the mic be the problem (its a 15 ft "Hosa HXS-015 REAN XLR3F to 1/4 inch TRS Pro Balanced Interconnect Cable)?
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

jeremy said:
how are you running the sm57 into the ucg102? the sm57 should have a balanced xlr cable (3 wires) and the ucg102 only has a 1/4" mono input (2 wires). id guess your xlr to guitar cable is the culprit but pretty sure the ucg102 is designed for you to plug the guitar straight in
Click to expand...

The cable that I'm connecting the "Hosa HXS-015 REAN XLR3F to 1/4 inch TRS Pro Balanced Interconnect Cable, 15 feet" I bought off of Amazon. That cable should work right?
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

depends on how the jack on the ucg102 is wired. try only putting the jack in half way so the tip and ring are making contact but not the sleeve. ideally youd want a xlr to 1/4" mono cable or adapter. and again, i believe the ucg102 is designed for a guitar to be plugged straight in rather than an mic'd amp
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

You need a SHURE low-to-high impedance transformer on the end of an XLR-XLR cable to make this work.

Shouldn't you be able to plug the guitar straight into the interface and bypass the amp and mic altogether?

Bill
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

jeremy said:
depends on how the jack on the ucg102 is wired. try only putting the jack in half way so the tip and ring are making contact but not the sleeve. ideally youd want a xlr to 1/4" mono cable or adapter. and again, i believe the ucg102 is designed for a guitar to be plugged straight in rather than an mic'd amp
Click to expand...

Isn't that what I bought though?
Would you recommend buying the correct cable you're talking about (please link one from amazon if poss) or should I buy one of those $100 Focusrite interfaces and buy an XLR to XLR cable?
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

At quick glance - you're trying to use an instrument level input on a device that doesn't provide any preamp gain that you could try to use with a microphone. It doesn't double as a microphone preamp/interface etc.
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

Davii said:
At quick glance - you're trying to use an instrument level input on a device that doesn't provide any preamp gain that you could try to use with a microphone. It doesn't double as a microphone preamp/interface etc.
Click to expand...

Is there any cable that could make it work to save money or would I need to get a Focusrite and an XLR-to-XLR cable?
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

Boogie Bill said:
You need a SHURE low-to-high impedance transformer on the end of an XLR-XLR cable to make this work.

Shouldn't you be able to plug the guitar straight into the interface and bypass the amp and mic altogether?

Bill
Click to expand...

How is that different than the cable I bought?
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

ms1844 said:
Is there any cable that could make it work to save money or would I need to get a Focusrite and an XLR-to-XLR cable?
Click to expand...

There might be convoluted ways of doing it, but ultimately, if you want to start micing things up (be that your amp, voice, or anything else), then you're better off looking at a suitable interface to do that.
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

What amp are you using?

Also, have you tried bypassing the mic and just going directly from the guitar to the interface? If not, try that and see if you get a signal.
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

That's the item.

Can you plug your mic and the cable you've been using into your guitar amplifier? Do you get sound out of it? (Be careful with your levels....guitar amps have a lot of top-end...it will screech like a banshee.) I'm pretty sure it won't have much output; the HOSA cable is useful in many situations, but it does not have a transformer.

I won't GUARANTEE that the mic to XLR-XLR to transformer to interface will work, but I'm 98% sure that it will improve the output.

Now whether it will actually sound good through your interface...I don't know. I'm doubtful; it's not designed for a vocal mic input.

Good luck.

Bill
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

Hey question, whats the point in the cable that I previously had? Like if it doesn't work that way then what's it good for?
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

AHA! I knew you were going to ask that! :)

I have a couple of these that I use to connect odd bits of PA rack gear I've collected over the years. One piece has XLR inputs and outputs. The next piece might be a budget piece that the designers didn't put XLRs in, but they did use 1/4" TRS jacks for "balanced line" operation. (Good for keeping things noise-free!) And then I might have to use the "reverse" cable to connect the next piece. From the gear's TRS OUT to a TRS-XLR cable, but this end is the opposite...it is like the end that fits into the mic.

Some Taylor ES guitars are wired with a TRS out.

My older Taylor 710CE has a Fishman STEREO Prefix Blend Preamp. So, common ground, plus mic out, plus the Under-Saddle Transducer. I can use a TRS-XLR reverse cable and then a Y-splitter adaptor to feed two separate channels of the PA. Now this gives me separate control over the tone and volume of the preamp's little built-in mic, and the UST in a separate channel. It is a complicated setup; time consuming, but when done right it gives me a very natural acoustic guitar tone...much better than I would get from the UST alone.

The XLR to TRS cable can be very handy as an adaptor cable, but it's not a "mainstream" cable in wide professional use. Its role is as an adaptor cable...a problem solver cable most often used to hook up non-standardized gear.

Throw it in a drawer, I can guarantee you will never, ever need it.

Throw it away, and within 10 days, you'll probably need to buy one!

Such is the way of the world, and life in pro audio. :(

That help?

Bill
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

Very helpful! Thank you so much for the responses and information. By chance are you like an audio engineer or something or do you just know this stuff?
 
Re: Shure SM57 Mic Won't Pick Up Any Sound! Please HELP!

PhD. from the School Of Hard Knocks.

Been doing music and guitar 50+ years...I learned things. I gig, have my own PA, even made a living from it for 12 years or so. I read a lot, and have an extensive library of how-to audio tomes.

I don't do a lot of home recording, though. I have an old DAW for working out tones and songs, but never done any computer stuff like ProTools or Garageband.

You may still find that you will get the best amp tones using software plug-ins, at least until you have a suite of studio gear, a shelf full of professional mics, racks of processors and the knowledge to use it. A PRO can take a modest set-up and make it sound great, but there are many wannabees that could use a $1,000,000 studio and come out with crap. Get the knowledge.

Bill
 
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