Shure SM57 LC

The SM57 by Shure is a classic live and studio workhorse microphone - no wonder pretty much every studio I've stepped in has had at least four or five of these!
It's a cardioid pattern mic with very strong off-axis rejection, a presence boost around 4 kHz, and a good-roll off in the lower frequencies which makes up for the proximity effect. Like its slightly younger brother the SM58, the 57 is almost indestructible, and almost every part is replaceable in case you do find a way to destroy something. If you find a Shure Unidyne, then this is an older model of essentially the same microphone.
The mic itself is very weighty and feels strong and robust, extremely well constructed. No lead but you get mic clip and carry pouch in the box!
This is a microphone which is suitable for all jobs. As mentioned in other reviews, it is widely used for drum kits and guitar amps etc., but as it was actually first designed for classical instruments, it can be used very effectively for acoustic instruments as well (tested on a harp and electro-acoustic guitars).
The sound of the SM57 up against an amplifier cabinet, such as a Marshall 4x12 or a Fender Bassman, is part of the classic sound of rock, and advanced modelling systems like the Roland VG-99 emulate a 57 up against a cabinet and at various distances, both on and off axis.
People often compare it to its brother the SM58 - but at least in my opinion the 57 has that bit more class when recording a multitude of sounds and I always prefer using it.

All in all, it's no wonder the SM57 is considered the industry standard workhorse microphone - can't go wrong with buying one (or two... or three ;) )! I've used 57s for longer than I care to admit, in various situations (both in the studio and live) and I've never been let down by one so I always highly recommend them!

I had to return this mic twice to Thomann because I had no idea of the normal (static electricity) noise level it produces. No information about that in the description here. Luckily the Shure customer support answered that question after receiving enough emails asking exactly the same.
[QUOTE]
"Customer: Is SM57 OK for vocals?

Shure: Yes, it can work very well on LOUD singers. But if you're looking for a vocal mic, you may want to look at a condenser microphone first.

Any type of dynamic mic, like the Shure SM57 or SM58, contains a voice coil that is very susceptible to picking up the hum field. Nothing can be added to these mics to control this.
Some dynamic mics like the Shure SM7B contain an internal hum-bucking coil that reduces hum pick-up. Reduces, not eliminates. Other dynamic mics, like the Shure Beta 58A, have more effective shielding around the voice coil that also reduces hum. ALL dynamic mics will pick up this hum field to some extent.
Condenser mics, like the Neumann or the Shure KSM mics do not have voice coils. These mics will perform much better in a hum field. But many of these mics have output transformers that, like a voice coil, will also pick up the hum.
If the hum field cannot be eliminated, stick with high-quality condenser mics with transformerless outputs. Shure KSM mics are condenser mics with transformerless outputs."

QUOTE]

Not knowing any of this, I bought the SM57 thinking I can also record quiet ambient singing with acceptable level of noise. I was so wrong.

Just like all single coil guitar pickups, the SM57 has a single coil diaphragm that serves as a receiver antenna picking up on all EMF from WiFi to electric wires and machines around creating constant buzzing noise having nothing to do with the normal high gain mic ambient hissing noise of other mics.

If you live in the city, your only option to keep this mic quiet is to EMF shield the room in a faraday cage and have no lights, computers, fans, air-conditioning, monitors, phones..etc around.
Maybe find a remote cave and leave the recording gear outside bringing in just the mic. It will be ideal environment for EMF buzzing noise free recording.

I hope this information helps someone like me, saves time and money to Thomann and so much unnecessary frustration to their customers.

On a final note, I can't recommend high enough the much better made in Germany Beyerdynamic M201G. It will cost you double, but it has an extra hum-cancelling coil providing much better noise control.

It is what it is, you stumble upon it everywhere and it used to be convenient for any occasion, but it's not the 80s anymore, it's got medium output, not great side and back rejection and bad off-axis colorartion (now I understand why everyone else has hi-hat issues) and its frequency responce is full of peaks and drops.
For me nowadays it should be considered as just a character mic if you want the sound of the '80s and '90s, nothing bad with that, but it's not that miraculous mic you hear about, at least not for today's standards.

For guitar cabs I prefer ribbon mics (SE electronics, even some T-bones occasionally) and for drums I went all Albini and the skies opened, now I use Oktava MK-12 mics on snare, toms and sometimes room, and the only dynamic mic I find useable is the Sontronics Solo, way quieter and cleaner bleed and a way more hi-fi mic.
Also for snare I've done some shootouts with an Audix i-5 and it was awesome, but I haven't tested what it does with a hi-hat behind it.

Bought this as my first ever "real" microphone for recording vocals and guitars.

The whole body is made of metal and has a hefty weight to it. It really feels solid and I even dropped it once already. It was like nothing happened. This thing should last a really long time.

As for the sound, I am using a Behringer UMC202HD and to get decent volume I need to have around 70% gain on it. Again, this is my first every dynamic microphone so I do not really have anything to compare it with though based off the reviews I have watched this seems to be pretty standard with this mic. Sound was clear and was accurate to my ears.

For around $100 I think this is the best dynamic mic that you can buy. It is a great all-arounder. Would highly recommend!