I wouldn’t go as far to say I hate SM57s, but I have learned lately that I don’t love, bright bombastic microphones - at least not in 2023.
The thing about the 57 is its a product of a recording era when that presence was valuable because of the fashion for ever more clarity. I can distinctly recall buying albums in the early 80s where the sound was noticeably becoming more aggressive and snare drums more distinctive. I recall judging the quality of the recording almost entirely on how the snare sat in the mix. I was 10 ok!

Anyway, today I think with modern studio technology it’s actually easier to make records that have less presence and more low end.

I don’t know if I’d use an old akg d202 on a snare for fear of it getting obliterated, but a mic like this, in a digital world, with its unhyped, less excited presence does sit down in the mix without having to do as much eq.

They are excellent sleeper alternatives for guitar amps, but it’s getting harder to find them still with the bass chamber intact.

if you think the sm-57 is bad, try a sm-7...

...and you'll gladly go back your sm-57/58!

I just used 3 of them to mic toms last night. Sounded great.

I guess another man's trash... I like the SM7 better than those, very dark and smooth. Has Shure ever even made a bad mic?

That’s another way of saying “the M201 has a tighter pickup pattern”. It’s your choice if that’s a good thing, or a bad thing….!

I've heard it said that 'if you can't make an SM57 on a snare sound good then something else is the problem'.

I agree it's not all that beautiful a mic, but I think there are far more important factors imo - i.e. the source material.

If I had a hammer, I wouldn’t need an SM-57.

Yeah, an SM57 won't ruin your recording, it's just that I usually prefer other mics where one would put an SM57.

Yeah, an SM57 won't ruin your recording, it's just that I usually prefer other mics where one would put an SM57.

An engineer friend of mine working in jazz and Improvised Music had the opportunity to record Bill Frisell as part of a particular project. He took the opportunity to ask what mic he would prefer on his amp:

"I usually just like an SM57. Sometimes people put other mics on there but I find they capture more of the bits I don't like"

If it's good enough for Bill...


(Having said that though, I'm really digging my tbone modded ribbons on my guitar, but I can't play like Bill so...)

Looks to me more like some kind of SDC

Percy Sledge used a sledge hammer

Just like his Sister.

Accepting donations of 57’s ?

I'd say it depends on whether you want to capture the sound of the amp, or the artist's impression of what the amp ought to sound like when mic'd up.

Often, those are the same thing, but it sounds like you've found a situation where they're not.

Chris

True, although isn't that what the SM57 does well? Not so much as capturing the full sound of the amp, but capturing something that is more likely to sit well in a mix (be that live or recorded).

57's with a preamp with proper impedance is no problem. They were designed for a pre that is much lower impedance than a typical modern pre. My ISA'S have switchable impedance and it makes a big difference

No i play drums and i wouldn't use anything else just right for my taste i do understand you dont like them i know alot of dudes that hate them.

My SM57 is like a Ronco product - set it and forget it. It may never be the best mic for a given source but it works fine on most things. It is easy to use - place it, plug it in, and set the volume. So for convenience, it gets use. I do not keep it in a box in my mic locker - I keep it on a shelf within arms reach. For me it is just a tool and sometimes what makes a tool most useful is that it provides convenience.

I have used it on Snare, Hat, Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Vocals, various Percussion Instruments and probably other sources that I cannot remember.

Another mic that gets similar use in my studio is the EV RE20. However that one is stored in a case.

:-)

My band recorded at Electrical Audio a couple months ago. My drums were surrounded by exotic and wonderful mics from the studio's well-stocked locker. With practically any mic you could want available to choose from, guess what the engineer put on my snare? That's right, our good friend the 57, and it sounded great.

I'm surprised they used a 57. Albini always spoke poorly of them. I did a snare shootout today and the transformerless 57 and ATM23he killed.

Albini wasn't running this session, it was a staff engineer, Another thing we used that Albini spoke poorly of was Pro Tools.

We must repeat!

We Are DEVO!

Cheeter 57

Yeah, Steve wasn't a fan of either...

The 57 had a crimson audio white mod. The mod turns the 57 to an active dynamic- it basically adds about 6db of gain to a transformerless 57.

While I do not hate it, I do not have one in my studio. I prefer other dynamic microphones. That said, it must be pretty good in many situations.

No transformer opens up the sound, right?

Hate them? I love them. They make me feel relatively smart and competent.

Yeah clearer upper mid punchier

Yeah, I have one that has the transformer removed and a little white band of text warning about "no phantom power". You can open up the pres a bit more too on snare top, which is nice.