Shure SM57 Microphone
The Shure SM57 is a high quality multi-purpose dynamic microphone that is almost universally acknowledged as one of the most versatile microphones available on the market. Its highly efficient cardioid pick-up pattern means that the SM57 will only pick up sound sources around the immediate vicinity of the microphone itself. In this way the nearest, and therefore the main sound source, gets accurately represented and amplified whilst the surrounding background noise is either reduced or removed.
The SM57 features a bright, clean sound and can be EQ’d to suit a wide frequency range and therefore is used both as a vocal microphone and more frequently as an close proximity microphone to “mike up” everything from guitar amps to brass and woodwind to drums and percussion.
Due to the versatile nature of this microphone it is deployed by virtually every professional sound re-enforcement company that gigs or tours with professional bands and musicians. During my younger years I remember setting up plenty of SM57 microphones during the time I spent as a roadie and sound engineer on the weekends that there were no gigs forthcoming.
Its final under-rated quality is the robustness of the build, Shure have designed a microphone with low handling noise and rugged and robust construction that can easily handle the riggers of the road. All of which means that the SM57 is going to serve you well for many, many years providing you treat it sensibly and with care.
So to summarise, this is a great all round microphone that has been acknowledged by the sound re-enforcement industry as one of the truly remarkable products that Shure have developed over the last 30 years. Don’t take my word for it, give your ears a treat and check it out …