N00bish mic choice question

[somecallmejack]

hey guys,

Ive been getting together a small home recording set up on a shoe-string budget, & I need to get hold of a half decent mic for tracking vocals. At present, I can only really afford one decent mic. Now my first choice was an SM58, its reliable, its a vocal mic, Ive used them before. easy. But then I thought, well, if I get an SM 57, I can use it for tracking lots of different things, killing multiple birds with one stone, so to speak.

Im very much an amateur when it comes to recording, so my question is, what would be the better choice. Can I use an SM57 for vocals & have them not sound like poo? on the other hand could I use an SM 58 for say, mic'ing a guitar cab? Would it be better to get a vocal mic with a tailored frequency response, seeing as I can already record guitars & bass using DI? Or can I compromise & get a mic thats more of a Jack-of-all-trades?

any advice is appreciated.

- Jack

 

[Metaltastic]

They're pretty much the same mic except the 58 has an internal shockmount - I dunno how this affects the sound (if at all) but to be on the safe side I'd get the tried-and-true 57 and just use it with a pop filter for vox; the only advantage the 58 has is convenience, not sound! (if anything I'd think the 57 would sound better, but I doubt anyone could notice a difference tbh)

 

[jex]

Id go with the 57....but dont make the same mistake I did! I thought I was getting a deal on ebay when I purchased 2 "sm57" mics for $45 each. Needless to say, they are fake. Not really bad mics, but sound nothing like the real thing. Just buy from an authorized dealer.

 

[somecallmejack]

thanks Metaltastic I thought theyd sound pretty similar, but I didnt want to fork out £100 & then discover Id made the wrong choice. Ive just given back a 58 I borrowed from someone & what I was using as a pop shield for that was a sieve with a piar of tights stretched over it, it worked surprisingly well, but I think it may be time to invest in something a little more professional!

 

[jex]

Id go with the 57....but dont make the same mistake I did! I thought I was getting a deal on ebay when I purchased 2 new "sm57" mics for $45 each. Needless to say, they are fake. Not really bad mics, but sound nothing like the real thing. Just buy from an authorized dealer.

 

[Joematthews]

57 for sure... In my experience the sm57 is brighter then the sm58. It's nicer for guitar and vocals with a pop shield. The sm58 is designed for the stage not the studio IMHO.

Joe

 

[John_C]

the sm58 is fine for guitar cabs, just take off the pop shield. But i'd say go for the 57 if you're in the studio