sm57 Vs sm58

Ok sorry about that, don't worry about replying. I decided a simple google search ('sm57 Vs sm58' if ur interested) could give me some answers and i got plenty. People who worked for shure said on these forums that the 57 and the 58 are EXACTLY the same mic, only they have different wind shield thingys. Which pretty much means that if you unscrew the top of a 58 you have a 57 Also the frequency response of the 57 is 40-15000 and the 58 is 50-15000 which sounds like it is not the same mic, but anyway.. As i would put a highpass on guitars above that frequncy range anyway, the difference doesnt matter. I suppose i would get a slightly different sound when micing my bass but im happy with the sound i got atm so no dramas.

The SM57 & SM58 have the same guts. The only difference is the design of the grill. Both will work equally well for vocal or instruments although the SM57's grill design allows for it to be placed closer to the source which may, or may not, be important to you. I use SM57's here in my studio for both instrumental miking and vocals.

I'll chime in- the '57 and the '58 are indeed the same mic. I use '57s a LOT. 3 on the drums, one on each guitar amp. the '58s are our 'gig/rehearsal' mics, for recording i use a LDC.

yup.

But you need to be careful.... removing the grill and windscreen from the 58, (unless they've changed the design), leaves the diaphragm of the mic open and unprotected. It's pretty vulnerable to damage at that point.


I really don't think you are going to hear much of a difference, if any at all, mici'ing a guitar amp with a 57 or a 58 anyway.

They are both very coomon "go to" mics in most studios for this application. One over the other isn't going to be a drastic difference. What will make a difference, in either mic, is the placement of the mic(s) on the amp.

What amp are you using primarily? speaker sizes? Number of speakers? Closed or open backed? Room size?



D.

I record everything with a 100 watt MG100DFX Marshall amp. Closed back with a 12 inch speaker. I also have a closed back ashton (60watt??) AEA60. It's got two 10 inch (i think..) speakers. Never tried recording the ashton. Its MUCH brighter than the marshall. I might try running my guitars through both amps amd micing both and see what sounds i get. There is plenty of ways to play around with it all!

I also usually run my guitars through a Zoom GFX5 FX Pedal. Reverb is all turned off everywhere of course.

As for micing the bass, i have tried direct recording before and didnt like the sound of it. Im not sure if i tried running it through the amp first though or if i went straight into the US-122. It sounds crap just straight into the 122. I might put abit more experimentation into it. Also i have only ever miced the bass with the behringer b1. I think i'll give the 58 a go cause i have a feeling the dynamic mic may sound abit better that the condensor in this situation, ill just have to try it and see. I dont use much of the bass higher frequency string/pluck sound in my songs. I usually put a lowpass on my bass. Ill have a go getting it right in the mix, but sometimes i do like to use the bass pluck sound. In one song i actually made a second copy of the bass, gave it a high pass filter, then panned that plucky bass sound to the right and used it as if it were a guitar. Sounded really good i thought. So keeping those high frequencies can be handy. better to cut those highs than boost them to get them back.

The SM58's and 57's are practically the same microphone. The 57 is more directional mainly because of its physical design. I think you would get good results from both mics to be honest although i prefer condensors for miking amps and so on. I find that if placed correctly they can produce a much fuller and round sound.

keith