Topic: SM57?

[buddyboy101]

Has anyone used a SHure SM57 to record a concert?  Are they any good for concert recordings?

Thanks!

[BradM]

A buddy of mine used an SM58 (which is very similar an SM57; in particular, they're both dynamic mics) to record Grand Theft Bus once:

http://www.archive.org/details/gtb2005-09-16.shnf

and it doesn't sound too bad. If it was all I had access to, I'd use it.

Aloha,
Brad

[BayTaynt3d]

Better have a freakin' great preamp, LOL!

[PH]

57's and 58's are identical, save the built in windscreen/pop filter on the 58.
I don't think you would make a very listenable recording using either as your stereo pair.
They are dynamic and need a tremendous amount of gain to work properly.
It's always worth a shot, but there are much better options out there in the same price range.

You can pick up a used pair of Studio Project C4's for $200-300 and these will blow away many mics in higher price ranges.
Other options are the Church Audio mics you see around here, same price range and much better for live taping.

The old reliable Shure SM57 is a workhorse, especially on stage and with many studios. They are the GOTO mic for snare drum.
Great for other apps like banjo, electric guitar amps, etc.....

Bottom line, great mic, not for live taping.
Cheers, Phil

[stevetoney]

The old reliable Shure SM57 is a workhorse, especially on stage and with many studios.

Bottom line, great mic, not for live taping.

This is interesting and timely because of course over the last couple months, I've dove head first into this subject and now whenever I watch a music video, I find myself zooming in mentally on the microphones and trying to see if I recognize anything that they use on-stage.

So, these Shure's that have been around since dirt are like $100 mics???  That's interesting because I just assumed that everything used on-stage to produce good sound would be very high dollar stuff.

Not to get into a long discussion, but being new to this whole subject, why is it that a $100 dynamic microphone works so well that it can be used for on-stage audio or even in the studio, yet in order to get good live music recordings, we need to get into mics that cost so much more? 

I suppose it has to do with the ability of the mic to pick up all audio frequencies with a flat response spectrum, whereas maybe the SM57 is accurate in the vocal range of frequencies, but falls off in performance at other frequencies?

[PH]

That's a complicated question.....

I would say that 57's are probably used on stage in the USA more than any other mic.
They are very flat and neutral sounding and have great transient response and a sort of natural compression inherent in dynamic mics.
Very resistant to feedback and can take lots of eq and still sound good, that makes a winner for stage use.

I do sound for mainly acoustic bands and I own four 57's and usually use those on stage for the instrument mics. I know what they sound like, what they can withstand, and am comfortable with them. It really depends on the situation. In a nice sounding room where the stage mics and PA are a greater distance from each other, you can get away with using condensors, like in the studio.
They are so much more volatile in a live setting, that's it's tough to use them unless the situation is right. In a bar, forget it. Go with a 57.

People use them in studios all the time, for all sorts of apps. Even vocals! I'm amazed at what a value the 57 is, you almost can't break them either. They just stop sounding as good as they used to and that means it's time for a new one. It's going to sound just like the last one. Less than $100. Hard to beat.
In the studio, it's quiet and there is no PA or stage monitors, so you can use any mic without worry of feedback. So, the better the mic, the better the sound.
On stage, you can only achieve a certain level of sound with the gear you are using, so adding a $10k vintage U47 to use live would be a waste of money since you aren't really going to hear the nuances of such a fantastic mic.

Hope that made sense......Phil

[stirinthesauce]

You get more "bang for your buck" with dynamics that's for sure.  You use different tools for different applications.  For close micing in a live situation, you would want to go with varying dynamics.  In the studio, you want to go with condensors.  Dynamics handle very loud spl's, much more so than condensors.  They are also rugged which is a must onstage where often times the care of mics is lackluster.  Of course they aren't as sensitive nor as detailed as a condensor.

some reading on the subject:

http://www.soundcraft.com/extra_product_pages/mixing_guide/03-mixingtechniques/index.html

[BayTaynt3d]

Not to mention that this all helps prevent feedback onstage. That said, they surely ain't for audience recording no doubt. Speaking of "zooming in on mics" when watching TV and whatnot, you know what show on TV uses some KILLER micing techniques and mics? Breakfast with the Arts. Whoever's doing their sound does some killer setups with some killer mics.

[Church-Audio]

Has anyone used a SHure SM57 to record a concert?  Are they any good for concert recordings?

Thanks!

I actually did hear a good recording done with a pair of 57's once it was a choir recording. But I suspect there was allot of post eq, compression, and talent to make them sound good. And like the other people have said you need one hell of a good preamp. The 57 is not a very sensitive microphone and requires allot of gain for a recording application of a distant source. But for close up of a snare drum or a guitar amp or a rack tom, they are hard to beat. Not exactly my favorite mic but its a workhorse. The thing to remember about a 57 vs a 58 is the polar pattern is very different on the two mics the 57 has a very narrow polar pattern, because of the "phase plug" on the end of the mic the plastic thing. This changes the directional characteristics and makes it a very tight cardioid vs the 58 a very wide cardioid.

[Krispy D]

I run sound in a blues club in manchester CT and besides a couple of oktava Mk012's I use only SM57's and SM58's (and a Beta A52 for the kick).  I bring 2 of the condesors, 1 of the Beta A52's, 5 SM58's, and 10 SM57's.  This is overkill by the way, I almost never max out my mics.   This all you need for good quality live music.  57's are perfect for amp cabinets, horns, snare, toms, etc.  And 58's are the only mic I use for vocals.  throw the beta in the kick and a couple of overhead condensors (usually with 10db pads (it's a small room)) and your good to go.  you will see almost the exact same thing from tiny bars with no budget to huge amphitheaters and stage gigs.  Way under 2k in mics is getting off so cheap for pro level results!

[Gizby]

The school I work for does a couple of shows a week. Here's a list of the mics we use:

(6) Shure SM57 = ~$100 (snare, toms, guitar amps)
(5) Shure SM58 = ~$100 (vocals)
(2) Shure SM81 = ~$350 (hat, ride)
(1) AKG D112 = ~$200 (bass amp mic)
(1) Shure BETA 52A = ~$190 (kick drum mic)
(1) Sennheiser 421 = ~$350 (floor tom)

The Shures make up the majority of the micing. We rarely use any outside/higher quality mics (only for the larger shows), and we are consistently able to put on a very good sound show (the acoustics are a whole other issue). Having used the board enough, I can only agree that the 57s require a fair amount of gain. I wouldn't want to try running them on my UA-5.

[cshepherd]

I learned how to tape with 57's.  I used to tape our weekly jam sessions with two sm57's straight into my Panasonic SV3800 that I bought for DAT trading and cloning.  The meters were barely registering but the sound was actually pretty good...it exceeded my rookie expectations anyway.  We tried recording the Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies twice with sm57's>DA-P1.  Both SCW recordings sounded almost identical...total crap.   We bought the 184's later that month.

I think the Audix D series mics sound much better around the stage for just a llittle more money.

Chris

[goodcooker]

....and you can run over it with a truck and it will still perform.........

the thing that makes it so perfect for onstage miking and unsuitable for aud/stereo pair recording is it's limited frequency response 100Hz - 14kHz....not suitable for audience/distance recording...but great off axis on a big MesaBoogie cabinet