SM57 vs Sm58

[fonzy]

So I've been reading around, and it seems that for the price, these two mics are pretty much the best. I just don't know which one to get.......

I'm recording a little (joke) C.D. with an old band mate in the summer that will be all acoustic and vocals. We are considering a possible drummer, maybe some bongos, but thats to be decided.

For that specific purpose, which of the two would be best suited for that job?

Now down the line, I will probably be using the mic for more distored electric guitar and vocals as well. All I have gathered is that for guitar, and snare drums? the 57 would suit me. I'm leaning towards that because when it's all laid out, I prefer to play guitar than sing. But saying that, I would also enjoy having semi-decently recorded vocals as well.

Any oppinions are appreciated.

Also....is it true that the 58 preforms almost identical to the 57 when the grill ball dealy is taken off? making it probably more superior?

[Vitriolic Rage]

The 58 is just a 57 with a grill ball/pop fiilter.
I'm not sure if the grill ball is removable though on a 58, so you'd be best off with a 57 if you're recording guitars as well as vocals

[shayne_122]

The 58 is just a 57 with a grill ball/pop fiilter.

I'm not sure that's true.

[gaz12369]

I'm not sure if the grill ball is removable though on a 58

It is, but im not sure if it sounds *exactly* the same as a 57, but for what you're doing, its not going to matter that much.

[fonzy]

If the 58 just has a pop filter, then could I not just make one for vocals?

Also, some friends are recomending a mixer as well, so I read around and found some reviews on the Behringer Eurorack UB802 Mixer, and it seems pretty basic enough to suit my needs, depending on if I need it........

I guess my question is, mixer or no mixer? pros/cons of having/not having one?

[Nicko_Shmicko]

The 58 is just a 57 with a grill ball/pop fiilter.
I'm not sure if the grill ball is removable though on a 58, so you'd be best off with a 57 if you're recording guitars as well as vocals
compare the specs of an sm57 and a 58 on the shure website, they are not the same mic.

[Seafroggys]

they are different

SM58s are primarily used for stage vocals, due to their hardiness and their cardoid pattern. They are not good for studio vocals, however.

SM57s are primarily used for guitar amps and snare drums, both live and in studio.

[kevbud187]

they are different

SM58s are primarily used for stage vocals, due to their hardiness and their cardoid pattern. They are not good for studio vocals, however.

SM57s are primarily used for guitar amps and snare drums, both live and in studio.

Word to that(I agree)

Also, SM58s are a great mic for tom-toms in the studio.

[Merkaba]

pretty much the same. I have two 58's....the grill is removable.

[diesel]

I would say get yourself the SM57 and a nylon pop filter. Shure made both mics with the exact same capsule, the difference is the body, and it is a huge difference. However, the SM58 was designed with an integral wind screen and became the live vocal standard. The SM57 has no foam windscreen built into it, and it moved to become the studio and stage standard for things like guitars, snares, toms and more. I personally use a SM57 for my own studio vocals because a cheep condesor sounds cheep, and a good condesor isn't in the budget. Just don't leave out a pop filter. With the open design of a SM57, you'll need it.

[kevbud187]

any cpndenser put through any accpetable micpre PWNS sm57 w/ pop filter

ANY DAY

[Aus_rock_god]

The 58 is just a 57 with a grill ball/pop fiilter.
I'm not sure if the grill ball is removable though on a 58, so you'd be best off with a 57 if you're recording guitars as well as vocals

*slap!*

No!

*slap slap slap*

57s are generally used for Guitar Amps, Bass Amps, Drumkits, anything that isn't vocals. They can be used for vocals as a last resort, but they don't have a pop filter, and aren't designed to be spat in.

58s are designed for vocals, and are the industry standard for vocal mics.

[Vitriolic Rage]

*slap!*

No!

*slap slap slap*

57s are generally used for Guitar Amps, Bass Amps, Drumkits, anything that isn't vocals. They can be used for vocals as a last resort, but they don't have a pop filter, and aren't designed to be spat in.

58s are designed for vocals, and are the industry standard for vocal mics.
I knew that.

[diesel]

Although I prefer a beta58 live, I still personally like the sound of the SM57 on my voice for recording (once again, a pop filter must be added to the SM57 when it's used on vocals). I also agree, a decent condensor through a decent mic-pre will sound better than the SM57, however, most decent condensors and decent mic-preamps, don't have decent price tags. In my case, the budget prevails to my live rig, so I make do in my studio.

[kevbud187]

the belief that a sm58 is a sn57 with a pop filter is completely false. They are honed for certain frequencys and pickup sound in a different pattern depending on the direction. They are completely different mics with completely different purposes. They are just both made by shure and look similar. Diesel - I understand your budget issues, but I recommened as soon as you have $200 or more to get a crappy condensor and a crappy micpre, because anything will sound better than what you have, trust me.

[diesel]

Hmmm, maybe I need to clarify a few things there. The Shure SM57 and SM58 both use the Unidyne III capsule (only slightly tweaked if memory serves me) the acoustic properties of the bodies create the sometimes huge difference in sound. I took this excerpt from Shure's website's solution database, and it's my basis here.


It is true the SM57 and SM 58 microphones are based on the same cartridge design. The main difference between them is in the grille design. The SM58 was designed for vocal application and it uses a separate grille with a very effective pop filter. The SM57 was designed as an instrument microphone where smaller grille size is preferred. In this application the pop and wind are not usually a concern. The SM57 uses an integral resonator/grille assembly, where grille is actually a part of the cartridge. These two grille designs place the diaphragm of the microphones in a different acoustical environment. First of all, the distance from the top of the grille to the diaphragm is significantly shorter on the SM57 compared to that of the SM58. This allows for closer sound pickup with even more pronounced proximity effect. Secondly, a different resonator/grille assembly design of the SM57 is responsible for its slightly higher output above 5 kHz.



I'd also like to mention that not every mic is right for every purpose in every case. I have ready access to a pair of AKG C-1000's that I could use, however, I still prefer the sound of the SM57 to my voice through my Mackie Onyx pre-amps at home (which is what I am limiting this to). It would also be worth mentioning here, that I'm also not a professional musician, I'm a live audio engineer, so even the best mic in the world isn't going to make me sound like a good singer.

I would actually caution against a cheap condensor (aka, Behringer) with a cheap pre-amp, all because of how key your microphone is to tone. A cheap rig at the end of the day, still sounds like a cheap rig.

[airborne50caliber]

Many people prefer the 57 for studio vocals because it hasn't got the pop grille and therefore attenuates less high frequencies (the grill is covered in foam inside). The grille is for live use, get the 57 and if you experiment with placing you won't get plosives, they aren't as common as in a condenser mic. If you get a studio pop shield.

I would actually caution against a cheap condensor (aka, Behringer) with a cheap pre-amp, all because of how key your microphone is to tone. A cheap rig at the end of the day, still sounds like a cheap rig.

Not always. A well engineered cheap mic can be good, behringer just have a bad foot on transducers. They just don't know. But their rack stuff / mixers are good. And you can't go wrong starting out with a couple of cheap behringer dynamics for onstage backing vocals. But once you get to condensers, a lot of stuff that is cheaper than behringer sounds much better.