ORIGINAL: Sabbathack
I use a Shure SM57 to record all my vocals. I don't know (and would like any input) if its the best choice, but its all I have to work with. I use closed cans and alway record using them.
Can anyone tell me the Pros/Cons of using the SM57? I sing mostly in the genre of Metal/Punk (I'm no crooner ;) )
There is nothing at all wrong with using an SM57 to record vocals, or anything else for that matter. It's a great mic, probably the most widely-used mic ever made.
That said, it is not usually considered a go-to mic for vocals. The 57 tends to have a very up-front, in-your-face sound that might actually be perfect for some punk/metal styles. It also has a couple of characteristics that are different from what many people look for in a vocal mic. The 57 has a very tight polarity response and very good isolation. This makes it a great mic for miking drum kit pieces or live instruments where you want to minimize bleed from other sounds. However it also means that the source needs to stay relatively still in relation to the mic, which is not always a good thing for studio vocals. The SM57's tight focus and ballsy out-front sound may also be a little "closed-in" sounding for producers looking for a more open, expansive, ambient vocal sound. The SM57 also has a tendency to sound somewhat "recorded" for lack of a better term. Many highly-prized vocal mics sound big and shimmery and sparkly and realer than real, not at all "telephoned."
The SM57 slightly squashes and "boxes in" the sound, something like the difference between an electric guitar and an acoustic one. Whether that is a good thing or a bad one is totally relative. It is frequently desirable for aggressive, explosive sounds like snare drum and distorted guitars, and can be just the ticket for some kinds of vocals. It is a very accurate mic and one that tends to be easy to work with. The clarity and focus in the upper midrange fit right into a dense mix.
If you were to try one of the popular large-diaphragm mics, you would probably find the sound to be "realer" and more "hi-fi," as well as somewhat smoother and more expansive. The upper highs and lower lows would probably come out a little more. The sound would probably lose a certain amount of edginess or ballsiness, and might become a bit more difficult to fit into dense rock mix (e.g. maybe need more eq/compression). It might be a bit more forgiving in different positions, or when the singer's head moves around. It will probably pick up more of the ambient "room sound"/natural reverb which might be a good or bad thing, depending on your room. The sound would probably be a bit more intimate and detailed, and maybe a little more "dramatic" like a movie voice.
A lot of hard rock has been moving towards a lower-fi, more stage-like garage-rock sound in recent years. Interestingly, this can sometimes be a more challenging sound to pull off, because the "lo-fi" aspect is misleading. These records are not hissy or smudgy or tubby or amateurish, but very tight and punchy, just with that analog "edge" and a very "recorded" sound to them. Something like an SM57 would fit right in on such a production, especially into a slightly overloaded but high-quality preamp.
Everything is potentially useful in a studio. The best mic for a particular singer may change from day to day and from one song to another. The advantage of working in a well-equipped studio is not so much that their stuff is necessarily *better* than yours, but that they have more options and know how to match them to get the right sound. Most cooks have one or two or half a dozen really good recipes, that may be as good or better than anything you could get in a restaurant. But a professional chef is supposed to be able to cook anything, on demand, and to have the tools and ingredients available to keep a whole restaurant full of people happy every single night. She should know the chemistry and textures and bonding temperatures and mixing techniques and so on so that nothing ever comes out clumpy or gummy or tough or dry or over-seasoned or sour or with a funny aftertaste or whatever, even when cooking with all different ingredients and recipes.
In this respect, asking about the pros and cons of recording with an SM57 is a bit like asking about the pros and cons of garlic. Whether it is a good thing depends a lot on whether we are talking about salad dressing or ice cream toppings, but it is certainly a worthwhile ingredient to have on hand, even if it's not the most expensive one.
Cheers.