Shure SM57 Cardioid Dynamic Microphone

Legendary Shure quality!
No microphone locker is complete without a generous selection of SM57's. Great for live-sound or studio recording, it is one of the most popular mics in the world for faithfully capturing audio from any vocal- or instrument-source. You can trust Shure's legendary reputation to deliver professional results on all of your audio projects.

The most popular snare mic ever
The SM57 is a dynamic microphone that can handle the highest Sound Pressure Levels (SPL) without distortion. As a result, it is often picked first for high-volume instrument sources. Countless hit recordings feature an SM-57 on the top snare head, with a second SM-57 run out-of-phase on the bottom. This technique will give you a fat, snappy tone with plenty of stick-crack and snare-buzz. You can blend the two mics in the mix to get just the right back-beat for your song.

Perfect for high-volume amplifiers
Guitar amplifiers are another SM-57-friendly sound source. It takes some major gain to overdrive a high-wattage tube amp. In fact, recording studios will often isolate a half-stack because recording-volumes can be painful to the ears. Your SM-57 can handle it, though. Close-mic one of the 12-inch speakers and you'll get a clear, precise guitar tone that will cut through any mix. You'll bring the energy of a live performance to your recorded guitar tracks, for a much more accurate interpretation of your music.

Custom-tuned frequency response
While snare drums and guitar cabinets are two of its strengths, the SM-57 has a custom-tuned frequency response from 40Hz - 15KHz to reproduce any sound source with professional quality. Tapered bass roll-off from around 750Hz removes the boominess from vocals and instruments alike, with a ruler-flat response up to 3kHz. Enhanced definition up around the 6- to 10-kHz range brings brilliance and clarity to upper harmonics, adding sparkle to the top of your mix. It's hard to believe how something so simple as the proper microphone can have such a positive impact on your final product, but one listen to the SM-57 and you'll be a believer.

Cardioid pickup pattern
Today's multitrack recording techniques often rely on good separation between recorded tracks. If one instrument is bleeding over onto another's track, it can be difficult to mix the two properly. The SM-57 uses a cardioid pickup pattern to focus on a specific sound source. Audio from outside the pickup pattern is rejected for clean, isolated studio recordings. The unidirectional pattern is also beneficial in a live-sound setting. You have more freedom in mic positioning, letting you boost microphone gain much higher without worrying about feedback. Don't be surprised when other sound techs start asking you for tips. Tell them you were born with magic ears.

Durable and reliable
Professional sound quality is only part of the story. The SM-57's rock-solid reliability is just as impressive. After all, what good is a "go-to" microphone if it's not ready when "gone-to"? The die-cast steel casing protects internal components from damage, with Shure's patented internal shockmount to reduce mechanical noise caused by handling or room-vibration. A polycarbonate grille shields the stainless steel dynamic element from the rough treatment typically inflicted upon a touring microphone. Gig after gig, session after session, you can count on your SM57 to perform just like the first time you plug it in.

The drop test and the President
As with all mics in the SM series, the -57 has passed Shure's now-famous drop test. The prototype was dropped ten times from a height of ten feet with no loss of performance. Hopefully your mics won't suffer that kind of torture, but isn't it nice to know they can? For further proof of its reliability, look no further than the White House. A slim, unobtrusive SM-57 has perched atop the Presidential podium for more than thirty years, delivering the goods with workhorse-consistency. The next time you bump into the leader of the free world, you can tell him you use the same microphone. He's sure to be impressed.

What can you say about the Shure SM57 It is a tool found in the workbench of every sound engineer, both for live and studio applications. There's simply no question: it's a "must-have" mic.

The SM57 is a cardioid (unidirectional) dynamic microphone with a contoured frequency response of 40 to 15,000 Hz, perfect for clean reproduction of vocals and instruments. But the SM57 is most renowned in the music industry as the standard microphone of choice for snare drums and guitar amplifiers. Go to any stage or studio and you're likely to find SM57s pointing at the amps and snare.

By the way, the '57 has been proudly standing on the podium of the US President for over 30 years, so you can add patriotism to its outstanding attributes! This mic is also known to take a beating and come back for more, so tell your roadie Rocco to have a ball! Its outstanding performance, legendary reliability, and diversity of application make this "workhorse" the choice of performers, producers, and sound engineers the world over.

Technical Info

Type: Dynamic

Frequency Response: 40 to 15,000 Hz (see Figure 2)

Polar Pattern: Unidirectional (cardioid), rotationally symmetrical about
microphone axis, uniform with frequency 3-pin professional audio connector (male XLR type)

Case: Dark gray, enamel-painted, die-cast steel with a polycarbonate
grille and a stainless steel screen.

Dimensions: 32 x 157 x 23mm (1-1/4 x 6-3/16 x 29/32 in.)

Swivel Adapter: Positive-action, break-resistant, adjustable through 180 degrees,
with standard 5/8 in.-27 thread

Net Weight (without cable): 284 g (10 oz.)

Furnished Accessories: Swivel Adapter, Storage Bag

Recommended over and over again as a first mic, used over and over again on stage and in studios, the SM57 is a standard on drums and amps; plus it's great on vocals and just about anything else it's aimed at.