Shure SM57 or SM58??

Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

I got one better. I hesitate to say anything, cause I would rather people not know about this mic. If you have a 49v phantom hookup, then purchase the Studio Projects B-1 Condenser Microphone. It is leaps and bounds above the 57 and 58, yet it only cost $10 more than the 57, and is equal in price with the 58. The best all around mic considering price. I have Audix, Audio Techna, Rhodes, but this mic out preforms all previously mentioned. Flat fequency response. Why would you want anything else. It handles feedback beautifully. Add a nice Tube Preamp, maybe Presonus, and you have yourself a home studio. Well, almost. It's an awesome mic. Look in to it, it's worth the while. If I had to choose between the 57 or 58, I would go with the 58, although the 57 will give you an awesome sound from an amp. The 57 is fairly one dimensional IMO, but I have heard of some getting good results from experimenting. That's truely the only way you will find out what suites you.
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

For unamplified instruments and vocals- yes. For miking a cab, no.

B1 is supposed to be quite nice though- would be killer for acoustic guitar. Isn't the c1 supposedly so closely voiced to a u87 that it's almost impossible to tell them apart? I'm actually interested in getting one of those so I can run it in stereo with my 87.

Bottom line- studio projects= unbeatable value as far as condensors are concerned. Supposed to have an awesome preamp for the cash too.
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

I have the C-1, love it. More depth than the B-1, but less highs. Very, very smooth. I got outstanding results miking up my Marshall with the B-1. I don't use much distortion though. We use two guitars in our band, one acoustic, one electric, always going. It was very full, but as well, it was being run through a tube preamp and optical compressor. That might have made a difference.
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

I use a Peavey PVM22. It is a Hyper Cardoid like a Beta58, but priced lower than a regular 58. I've used it for vocals and for cabinet miking. Wider Frequency response and low handling moise due to the rubberized coating on the outside.

Trevor
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

Start with the 58. It is a great mic and you got a good deal on it. The difference for simple home recordings is going to be negligible. You'll learn how to use it and gain experiance with miking things up and then you can get a few more mics as you expand your knowledge.

The Studio Projects mics are indeed excellent mics and they do market the C1 as their U87 but a/b'd in the studio I am sure the U87 takes it. I'd rather have a nice old U87 than my C1 anyday, that isn't a knock ont he C1 though.
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

SM57 for instruments, SM58 for vocals.

But, very strangely, Hetfield was using a SM57 for vocals on the black album.
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

I've used a couple of Nueman's, but never really caught on to the whole craze. They do make excellent microphones, no one could question that, but I found both to be overly sensitive. I enjoy the Rhodes NT-1, but I would have to go with the C-1 as my preference of choice. Actually, two C-1's to be correct. IMHO, stereo is the only way to go. I also enjoy the B-1 for acoustic guitar, especially dreadnaughts. These microphones truely excell with a quality preamp. I have used the 57 for vocals, and in theory, one could get by for it. It's hard though, once you have heard the difference between a dynamic microphone and a condenser microphone. Am I right? I'm not knocking dynamic microphones. I always have two 57's at all times. Condensers are.....TRUE.....that's a great word.
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

Hey D.A., I have used one of their 8 channel mic preamps. It is a quality product. It is true to the dynamics of your instrument or microphone, and produces little, if any internal hum.
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

Wattage said:
The Studio Projects mics are indeed excellent mics and they do market the C1 as their U87 but a/b'd in the studio I am sure the U87 takes it. I'd rather have a nice old U87 than my C1 anyday, that isn't a knock ont he C1 though.
Click to expand...

In the studio maybe but maybe not so much through my ghetto berry tube pre :laugh2:

I swear, this hobby is too expensive. There's always something I need to buy.

On a side note- I've always just thought of dynamics and condensors as serving different purposes. For recording vocals or acoustic anything I'll always opt for the condensor but for milking a cab a good dynamic will pick up all the right frequencies with a nice punch and without the danger of being damaged(would you put a $2000 nuemann in front of a cranked halfstack?).
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

Hmm....I'm not sure....I suppose it's a difference of opinion. I'm not sure what gene our band would fall into. It's different, that's for sure, but nothing too extreme. We always have two guitars running, either being two acoustics, or one electric, one acoustic. I use a Tech 21 Double Drive which achieves an incredible light/moderate overdriven tone. 70's type, with modern spin. Anyways, when recording I usually keep levels pretty low. If need be, I run everything through a Sonic Maximizer. If I am recording a dry distortion (no FX) then I tend to go with two 57's. C-1 is my choice for clean electric, not bad on distortion either. I use the B-1 if I am recording a wet distortion (FX) signal. It just seems to really accenuate the characteristics of such FX's as Chorus, Flange, ect. Overall, the 57 is the best of choices for miking up cabinets.
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

Presonus has a tube preamp out for $90 or so. It has phantom 48, bass cut, phase out, level cut. Can be used as a dry signal, or wet (tube saturation). It has one XLR, one input. I have the Blue Tube preamp, which is the same thing, except it has two inputs. I would definately consider this product to be worth every penny. Recordings without tube saturation seem a bit dull. Be sure to use a quality tube, but if on a budget, which I am most of the time, go with a Grooves Tube 12AX7. I would actually buy 2 or 3, being as tubes can vary, especially with large manufactuers.
 
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Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

FWIW they used an SM57 for Johnny's vocals on teh Sex Pistols Never Mind The Bollocks album.

I didn't have too much luck with the Presonus tube pre's they tended to make everything overly bright and thin when I used them. I wanted them to warm up the sound a bit but no luck, I just run the C1 straight into my Tascam and loop it with a small ART tube compressor which seems to do the job pretty well.
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

I've been using a 57 through a presonus TubePre for my vocal chain almost exclusively, as of late. And this is over a U87, At 4050, & my avalon 2022.
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

remingtonbo2001 said:
I got one better. I hesitate to say anything, cause I would rather people not know about this mic. If you have a 49v phantom hookup, then purchase the Studio Projects B-1 Condenser Microphone. It is leaps and bounds above the 57 and 58, yet it only cost $10 more than the 57, and is equal in price with the 58. The best all around mic considering price. I have Audix, Audio Techna, Rhodes, but this mic out preforms all previously mentioned. Flat fequency response. Why would you want anything else. It handles feedback beautifully. Add a nice Tube Preamp, maybe Presonus, and you have yourself a home studio. Well, almost. It's an awesome mic. Look in to it, it's worth the while. If I had to choose between the 57 or 58, I would go with the 58, although the 57 will give you an awesome sound from an amp. The 57 is fairly one dimensional IMO, but I have heard of some getting good results from experimenting. That's truely the only way you will find out what suites you.
Click to expand...


Plenty of people already know about the studio projects series so you really aren't stumbling upon anything new. I have owned a B-1 for a while now. I really don't know why you would say its above a 57 though. It still sounds like a condenser and the 57 sounds like a dynamic. If I want to get rid of the more clinical sound of a condenser no condenser not even the B-1 is going to help me with that. Thats why you use a 57! So both are incomparible IMO yet at the top of their game in terms value of condensers and dynamics. Now if you want to talk the Audix I-5 vs. the 57 now that would make for a good discussion.
 
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Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

These are the frequency responses of the SM58 and the SM57 straight off the Shure website. As you can see they are different and not "essentially the same mic" as everyone here has claimed. You cannot screw off the ball end of an SM58 and make it an SM57, nor can you screw on the end of an SM57 onto an SM58 as the ends of an SM57 do not screw off. Keep the 58, it's a phenomenol mic and buy a 57 later on. But be informed, even Shure (the manufacturer) puts the SM58 in their vocal mic category and the SM57 in the instrument mic category...they do these things for a reason.

The SM57 is rated at 150 ohms (310 ohms actually) and the SM58 is rated at 150 ohms (300 actually). The SM57 is a dynamic microphone, but the SM58 is a dynamic microphone with a moving coil which translates as the SM57 can handle a higher SPL than the SM58 without distortion, which is why the SM57 is better for guitar amps and snare drums (and other percussion).

I hope this helps.

fSM58_large.gif


fSM57_large.gif
 
Re: Shure SM57 or SM58??

vinterland said:
Plenty of people already know about the studio projects series so you really aren't stumbling upon anything new. I have owned a B-1 for a while now. I really don't know why you would say its above a 57 though. It still sounds like a condenser and the 57 sounds like a dynamic. If I want to get rid of the more clinical sound of a condenser no condenser not even the B-1 is going to help me with that. Thats why you use a 57! So both are incomparible IMO yet at the top of their game in terms value of condensers and dynamics. Now if you want to talk the Audix-5 vs. the 57 now that would make for a good discussion.
Click to expand...

*i5 :)
 
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