Hi,

Everyone seems devided when it comes down to this mic.
Some Worship it
( http://www.prosoundweb.com/recording/mi ... r/mics.php )
Others hate it (the electrical microphone section describes it as a ' Piece of shit dynamic mic').

Why is this? (opinions are never this devided for other microphones, i believe)


I myself have had good results with it (although at present i do not own one) on some guitar-amps turned way up. Right now i would use another mic for that job though.

Cheers,

cstof

I think if you have 80$ and can only buy one, brand new microphone, the 57 wont break easy and can also be used on a variety of sounds. But in the realm of nice mics, especially in comparison to condenser and ribbon mics that aren't going to get broken in a nice studio, they suck, and should always be avoided when making a recording. Is that pretty much the issue here?

Djanes1,

Well i'm more surprised about the whole discussion about this microphone.
The opinions on it seem very extreme.
I know people who have great microphones, yet praise the 57 too.

I have my own opinion about this microphone. (I too always prefer a good ribbon mic over the SM 57!)

I was just wondereing whether anyone knows why people seem to feel different about this microphone ( is it a sort of 'cult status'? inversed snobism? i dunno)

thx

cstof

from what i've read on this site and in forum i understand the deabte as such: sm57's are disliked for the same reason i dislike mackie, microsoft, etc. 1)despite everyone's popular belief, this product is NOT the only one to satisfy the given demand and 2)with a little bit of research, and not believing all the marketing garbage, you might find a much better but less known product to serve your needs better.

I think a lot of people are "taught" that it's "...the most versitle recording tool." So they except it as a good mic. as far as I'm concerned, it's completely useless. If a 57 is the only thing you already have (and you got it for free), you don't have the internet, and/or a job to make more money and buy another mic, then it will do. Otherwise, in my opinion, cheap chinese import condensers are better for 80$.

The only real test is your own ear.

Chris,

I agree.
It's a mystery to me that at 90% of the gigs i go to, i see an sm58 for vocals and an sm57 for everything else.
+
Do you mean that people are 'taught' that it's a good mic in recording schools?

thx,

cstof

i think a distinction should be made between live and recording situtations. why you see them on stages? 'cause they're dynamic mics and cheap, and can take a beating; thats why. as for recording - a small diaphram dynamic mic will give you different results than a ribbon mic or condenser - it's comparing apples to oranges. if you want to compare the 57 to other small diaphram dynamics and you come to the conlusion that, compared to the others, the 57 is bad, fine. but in my limited experience it's a fine mic for what it is. people just bash it cause it's so popular.

stephensolo,

of course, you're right. You can't compare the two situations (live and studio).
and
Yes, it is cheap and it can take a beating.
Yet, there are other options for live microphones.
I know quite a few people who prefer to take their own mikes to gigs for the amplification of their instrument.
My comparison (sm57 vs ribbon) was made for a specific application (the recording of guitar-amps).

cheers,

cstof

Well i don't think it should necessarily be compared to other small diaphram dynamic mics. That's like saying that blue/green algae doesn't taste bad when compared to other sea plants.
You have to compare application. if all i had was $80 for a mic, and it was to be for recording purposes, I would not buy an SM57. Not because it's really popular. But because I don't think it sounds good. Compared to other dynamic mics, or compared to blue/green algae.
If all I had was $80 for a mic, and it was for live vocals, I probably would get a 57 (or 58 ) because I have a tendency to knock over my mic stand and I'm positive it won't break. (i.e. it has nothing to do with how it sounds)
I can't speak for anyone else, but the reason i no longer have an SM57 was because I have zero use for it.

Funnily enough, I just had two people come check out my little studio. They asked me what kind of mics I had. So I went down the list, and added "I have a couple of 57s lying around, in case somebody gets pissed and wants to throw something."

They are staple live mics, and that's about it. They are also toted for their ability to capture guitars in a recording situation (this piece of nonsense actually came from a recording "teacher." Although it wasn't THE microphone class instructor).