Shure SM57- the most versatile mic on the planet

Another music industry standard brought to us by Shure is the SM57 microphone. With a price tag of a hundred US dollars on the average, this mic is very cheap compared to what it can do at par with other microphones maybe ten times its price.

A proven workhorse of recording studios around the world, the Shure SM57 is one of the most versatile mic you can find being able to record almost anything! It can be used for vocals, as guitar amp mic, acoustic guitar, drums, maybe anything that produces sound. The Shure SM57 is also great in capturing ultra loud sound sources like distorted guitars and drums. In fact, you could hear the Shure SM57 on literally thousands and thousands of recordings made.

Similar in some ways to the Shure SM58, the SM57 is also a dynamic mic that does need phantom power unlike its more expensive condenser mic counterparts. Although the two mics are nearly identical in nature, the SM58's round wind-pop screen makes it ideal for vocals. The SM57 does not have this so one would need to be very near to be able to sing properly with it, but it is perfect in catching a directional sound due to the nature of its top. From personal experience, comparing both mics with vocals, the SM58 produce more low and low-mid frequencies while the SM57 proved excellent on mid-high ranges which is why a lot of people who speak in public prefer it, due to the clarity.  For mic'ing drums, I use SM57 on the snare top and bottom,  as well as toms 1 & 2 and the hi-hats, then SM58 for the low tom and a dedicated kick drum mic. If needed some condensers for the overheads. A majority of rappers also prefer the Shure SM57.

Simply put, like the SM58, the Shure SM57 is a tool any sound engineer or studio musician should have. There was a time when I was in a situation to record with limited gear, I used only one SM57 to record the bongos, tambourine, shaker, acoustic guitar, snare (brush), main vocals and a group of 4 singers doing harmony back-ups! Yes one mic was all I needed and it went like a breeze and the final mix was approved without revisions. The money was also good for that project. I wonder what they'd say if they only knew I only used one SM57 mic, an old laptop (using its own factory stock soundcard) and a lot of guts... hahaha

***A Gizmo Guerilla Music Gear Review