Is Shure sm57 good for vocals
Daniel Johnson
Published Apr 01, 2026
The Shure SM57 is good for recording acoustic guitar and vocals for several reasons. The Shure SM57 boasts a wide frequency response, the ability to keep noise to a minimum and handle high-pressure levels, making the Shure SM57 a great choice for capturing vocals and acoustic guitar.
Is SM57 mic good for vocals?
The SM57 Can Be Used on Studio Vocals. … You can definitely record excellent-sounding vocals with an SM57 if you know what you’re doing. In some cases, an SM57 might even give you better results than a LDC microphone costing 20x more.
What is a Shure SM57 good for?
It has an extremely effective cardioid pickup pattern which isolates the main sound source while minimizing background noise. In the studio, it is excellent for recording drums, guitar, and woodwinds. For musical instruments or vocals, the SM57 is a consistent choice of professional performers.
Can you use a Shure SM57 for live vocals?
Utility Microphones for Live Sound. The Shure SM57 and SM58 can be used for almost any situation. While they are slightly different, the 57 can be used for vocals and the 58 can be used on instruments and amps.Which Shure mic is best for vocals?
For most people, we’d recommend the Shure SM58 dynamic microphone. Arguably one of the most popular Shure microphones of all time, this model has been in production since 1966. Primarily used as a vocal mic, this unit needs a USB interface or portable recorder to function as a recording mic due to its XLR output.
What is better for vocals SM57 or SM58?
As far as the frequency response goes, it’s almost identical to the SM57; It has a slight boost in the presence frequencies which simply helps bring out some clarity in the vocals. However, the grille difference does affect this a bit and gives the SM57 a slightly higher boost than the SM58.
Is SM57 a condenser mic?
Dynamic microphones like the Shure SM57 and Shure SM58 are legendary for not only their good sound quality, but also for the amount of abuse they can withstand. … Dynamic microphones don’t require their own power supply like condenser microphones.
Is SM57 good for acoustic guitar?
The Shure SM57 is a very capable microphone for recording an acoustic guitar. Its ability to eliminate unwanted noise make it a good choice to capture the acoustic guitar’s clarity and detail. Condenser microphones are the best option for acoustic guitar, but with care an SM57 can work well.Is SM57 same as SM58?
The SM58 was designed for vocal applications, and therefore uses a ball grille with built in pop filter to eliminate plosives. … The SM57 is designed as an instrument microphone, where a smaller grille size is more practical and plosives are less of a concern.
Can I use SM57 for podcast?The Shure SM57 is a tough, durable microphone. This makes it useful for podcasters who do a lot of recording on location. If you’re often heading to events and conferences with a bag full of audio equipment, then you won’t have to worry about your SM57 getting broken or damaged.
Article first time published onWhy is my SM57 so quiet?
The reason your SM57 is quiet is because it is not a high output microphone (sensitivity is about -57dB) and you do not have an adequate preamp in your system.
Does SM57 require phantom power?
Phantom power is a way to provide power to microphones that require electricity to operate, typically condensers. On the other hand, dynamic mics—the ubiquitous Shure SM57 and SM58, for example—do not require power. … One complication with phantom power is that there are multiple standards for voltage levels.
Will phantom power damage an SM57?
The SM57 is a dynamic microphone. A professional, balanced, dynamic microphone will not be damaged by phantom power. It will “ignore” it.
Which type of mic is best for vocals?
In my experience, and most musicians and sound engineers’ experience, the best microphone type for live vocals is a cardioid dynamic microphone. It’s preferred if this microphone also has a boost in the presence range of its frequency response as well as a low and high-end roll-off.
What mic does Billie Eilish use?
Audio-Technica AT2020 Cardioid Condenser Microphone.
What mic does Beyonce use?
Beyonce’s Sennheiser SKM 5000 wireless mike with a Neumann KK 105-S capsule helped her powerful performance.
Is SM57 balanced?
Microphones That Output Balanced Audio Signals If a microphone has an XLR output connector, it outputs balanced audio. For example, the Shure SM57 dynamic and Rode NT1-A condenser microphones (pictured below) output balanced audio via XLR.
Is a condenser mic better for vocals?
Condenser microphones are best used to capture vocals and high frequencies. They are also the preferred type of microphone for most studio applications. … Because of the thin diaphragm and increased sensitivity, condenser mics are often used to pick up delicate sounds.
Is SM57 small diaphragm?
The small diaphragm condenser fills out the high frequencies and detail missing from a lone SM57. This is useful in both near-field and far-field situations, for example, close mic-ing a drum, or in an overhead situation.
Which Shure microphone is best?
- 1 Shure SM7B Cardioid Dynamic Microphone – Best Vocal Dynamic Shure Microphone. …
- 2 Shure SM-57 Cardioid Dynamic Instrument Microphone – Most Versatile Shure Microphone. …
- 3 Shure 55SH Series II Iconic Unidyne Dynamic Vocal Microphone – Best Vintage Looking Shure Microphone.
Can you put a SM57 grille on a SM58?
In the middle, another 58 with the ball removed, and on the right, an SM57. They are not the compatible. The SM58 attaches the ball the same way one does with any other microphone, with a threaded portion milled into the front of the body. The 57 has a spring clip hidden under the label sticker.
Which is better condenser or dynamic mic?
The difference between a dynamic and a condenser microphone is a dynamic microphone is better for capturing loud, strong sounds (drums or loud vocals), particularly in a live setting, whereas a condenser microphone is used to capture more delicate sounds and higher frequencies (studio vocals for example), particularly …
What is better than a Shure SM58?
Sound Quality The Sennheiser microphone has a wider frequency response. This is about the range of sounds by the measure of frequency that a microphone can pick up. So, with its wider response, this microphone would be able to pick up both low-ends, as well as high-ends better than the Shure SM58.
Is Shure 58 A dynamic mic?
The Shure SM58 is a dynamic cardioid microphone.
Is the Shure SM7B good for singing?
Like the famed Elvis microphone, the Shure SM7B is a dynamic mic with a cardioid polar pattern. … Its specialization makes it a great pick for podcasters, announcers, and singers because sounds directly in front of the microphone are clearly registered while off-axis noise is ignored.
What polar pattern does a Shure sm57 have?
With a uniform cardioid pattern and a pneumatic shock mount system, you get a whole lot of tone without the handling or background noise.
Is Shure SM58 good for podcasting?
Shure SM58 The Shure SM58 is a dynamic microphone with a cardioid polar pattern, meaning it is great for noise reduction. The SM58 has a brightened mid-range and bass roll-off which gives you the crisp, clear vocals you want in a podcast recording.
Does the SM57 need a preamp?
The SM57 is one of those dynamic mics that needs a good amount of amplification so an external inline or outboard preamp is recommended, especially if the preamps in your audio interface, mixer or field recorder aren’t the strongest.
Why is my Shure mv7 so quiet?
The reason that the Shure SM7B is so quiet is due to its output level. The output level of a microphone is essentially the default volume of the audio it captures. Most recording engineers and audio enthusiasts would agree that ideally, the recording volume of a microphone should be somewhere between -20dB and -5dB.
How do I get the best sound out of my SM57?
First, try placing the mike straight on but NOT at the middle of the speaker cone. Try it between to center and edge. Also try adding a little bit more distance to the mike from the speaker; another trick is to use both a mike on the cabinet and a DI or line out and mix the sounds.
Does the Shure SM57 use a battery?
Batteries are not needed. Do you find this helpful? No. You to plug a XLR cable and it will power the mic.