Shure SM57 Microphones

Hiya!

Today we are going to take a look at the Shure SM57 microphone. It is not really a review, because it is one of the best-selling microphones in the world, and it sales speak for its quality.

The SM57 is a unidirectional low-impedance microphone that was introduced in 1965. It has an XLR connector with balanced output, to minimize unwanted noise and hum and a cardioid pickup pattern so it can isolate the target sound source and without picking up very much background noise. This microphone has a frequency response of 40 Hz to 15kHz, believe it or not.

SM stands for “Studio Microphone”, but I think that most of these are used in live performance situations. SM 57 microphones work very well for picking up drums, guitar amplifiers and wind instruments, but they are often use for vocals too. I mostly use mine for mic-ing guitar and bass amplifier cabinets, and drums on occasion.

They have a well-earned reputation for durability, and I have never seen one break.

If you do not have a Shure SM57, you need to buy one. They have a list price of $146, but you can buy them anywhere on the internet for $99. Be careful if you see a deal that looks too good to be true, as counterfeiters have stated knocking these out too.

Mahalo!