Shure SM57

M MusicRadar Article · Oct 2022

With 22 mics in total in this guide, you might feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of options, but if you need a great dynamic microphone for guitars, drums, and other loud sources, you can't go wrong with the Shure SM57 . Every pro engineer has at least a few of these in their arsenal, and they're relatively cheap too.

So, that's why it's important to get something like a Shure SM57. It's a beautiful, easy-to-use dynamic microphone.

P Podcastage Bandrew Scott · reviewer · Jan 2023

If the SM57 were a microphone, it would sound like the M201 TG; that's what Steve Albini's old website said, so I wanted to put them back to back and see how they compare. In the end these are two classic / legendary microphones and you can make great recordings with either.

Like, there's a few different jobs that an SM57 just excels at in the studio. Like, the snare drum, for example. It is maybe my all-time favorite snare drum mic, and trust me, I have tried a lot of them.

P Podcastage Bandrew Scott · reviewer · Oct 2017

Today I review the microphone used in the white house and on stages around the world, the Shure SM57. This thing sounds great on electric guitar, and sounds great for spoken word once you add a pop filter. It also does an excellent job at background noise rejection.

However, I want to say in advance, I don't use the SM57 for vocals; I use it more for the studio, for snare drums, or for amplifiers, but not for vocals. Nevertheless, it is a very iconic microphone, a real industry standard, which you can use as a great reference.

L Linkedin Article · Aug 2026

The SM57 is rugged, does not require phantom power and can handle almost anything placed in front of it. The U 87 provides the detailed, full-range condenser sound needed for vocals, acoustic instruments, piano, drum overheads and room recording.

Uh whereas the SM57 I feel like would take EQ a lot better. Uh it's got a smoother top end to it.

G Guitar World Article · Feb 2021

✅ Buy if you want one of the very best mics out there: The Shure SM57 allows you to record at a variety of volumes without any loss of clarity.

So I switched to this one, the SM57, and my vocals immediately sounded better. I work through an API preamp and compressor, but the 57 always sounds good on my voice and I prefer it. And with the addition of a little wind protection, it gets rid of some of that high-pitched sibilance you might hear . And suddenly we get this nice warm sound of my vocals coming through that same 57th.

I like both, but I find the SM57 sounds a little better for most people's voices if you're speaking into a microphone.

The SM57 is the most useful microphone in my arsenal, even if it's not always my first choice. If I only have the SM57, I know the sound will be great, and I know it will be reliable day after day, night after night.

The Sure SM57. This is the mic that does anything and survives everything.

The SM57 is a great mic when studied.

If you look at the technical specifications of both, the SM57 and the SM58, they are almost identical. This one is designed more to be an instrument microphone, that's why it doesn't have a built-in windscreen. But you add this piece and that's it. So it's an excellent all-purpose microphone that would look good in anyone's collection.

Now, I have other mics in the studio, and I may get into the other mics that I use, but as far as the most durable, the most reliable, this SM57 is the mic to go to.

But personally, I quite like the sound characteristics of this SM57 because it tends to be bright compared to its sibling, the SM58. Also, for spoken word and podcasting, I think it's really great because it's shaped like a pencil microphone.

Anyway, why is the SH SM57 and 58 the most popular microphones of all time? Well, we talked about the build quality. The build quality on this microphone is absolutely next to none. It's incredible, and you can't say enough good things about it.

The SM57 is one of their best dynamic microphones as backed up by numerous years of use by ourselves and others around the net. There’s a reason you see those 4 or 5 star review all over music websites.