SM 57: If you only had ONE MIC (To record your ENTIRE BAND!) 

Hey 👋. Yeah I know the video quality sucks. My first RU-vid video. Watch a current video. I promise the lighting is much better.

I was co-owner of a little 4 track studio in Brooklyn in the 70s. Among the things we purchased on our pooled charge cards were a half dozen SM57s and a couple of direct boxes. We chose the SM57s over SM58s because the 57s were 10 bucks cheaper than the 58s. We made some beautiful recordings in that studio with no other mics. I have many expensive mics these days (50 years later) and I sold my studio in Brooklyn in 1978 and moved to Florida, but I still have one of those SM57s from 50 years ago, and it's still an excellent mic.

Buy a Sm57 and a Scarlet 2i2. And you're basically everyones home studio

Definitely can't go wrong with the 57. Never underestimate that tool

I had two SM57s in my backpack when I was hitchhiking the U.S. I got a ride in Cheyenne, Wyoming from a guy delivering an RV somewhere east. He had already picked up a runaway Amish kid who told me he wanted to go into radio announcing. I got dropped off in Columbus, Ohio. When I checked my backpack, one of my SM57s was missing.

I've been in a band for 36 years and the best vocal mic I've ever used is an sm57.

Having mixed live sound for years I have a love for 57's. Bulletproof and they work on anything. Guitar and snare were two places that I always used them no matter what was available.

I’d like to see some videos on different mixes of the same tracks. Like a tutorial on making a mix more indie vs more pop sounding or rock sounds utilizing the same source material. And then maybe how you might record differently to achieve these types of sounds in the tracking phase.

Wow i love your vocal, kinda sounds like Lemmy! I too use SM57 for all my recordings, but that's more because it's the only one i can afford lol.

I used them on a whole drum kit before. Kick , snare , toms , and overheads (6 SM57's total). Actually got great results. It's a great mic.

i love how the lyrics pertain to the storyline. great vid.

Dude, what a great channel - nice laid back vibe that's perfect for demonstrating, and inspiring confidence. SM57... ha! I'm always surprised by how well it can work on voice.

Awesome video J! Watching this legit felt like a day in the studio with you. The SM57 is rad on everything. Keep the videos coming dude.

This was a very useful video for sure dude. What blew me away most was at the end of the video when you mentioned this was your 1st go at doing videos. I want to say with all honesty that I would have never guessed that in a million years. You are a natural, and I am sure with as much fun as it looked like you had... your going to do great on your video ventures in the future.

I just got the opportunity to open a studio in Philadelphia! We have been building it for a month now. Your videos are helping us so much!!! Thank you 🙏

😢 I'm ashamed... Time to order an SM57... Or maybe a few... Great video, looking forward to more!

Just a friggin work horse. Nice work guys!

Dude!! Great job!! Im totally a gear head but I have seen I suffer from fooling around with my gear more than I was concentrating on recording my actual music. You just gave me an eye opener. Thank you for posting this!! Look forward to seeing more of your videos again.

I just watched this video a year later and love it even more. Keeps my GAS in check. Thanks again!

Well you fucking should be sponsored by Shure because that is the best ad I ever did see.

Excellent video! I didn’t need the travel vlog music personally but a lot of aspiring engineers need to see this. Well done.

legendary microphone that still in production, thank u so much shure!

This is the voice of rock

My desert island mic is a senhieser 614 pencil condenser. Yes it requires phantom power but it sounds amazing on everything. It’s the flattest signal ever.

Awesome! Would also love to see a video like that with just the use of the AKG D190 - 'cause I felt in love with this mic recently.

Didn't expect to see Luke pop up in my youtube viewing!

Wow, great video, I did a video recording a basic drum 🥁 kit with 2 SM57s I was also very impressed by my results. With the digital age it's pretty simple to get fantastic recordings with very little today. Way better then using the old Tascam 4-trk cassette recorder. Those were cool but extremely limited options. 🤘

Wow I was waiting for the vocals and they sound great.

having recorded for 50 years (cough), I think this is the place for most people to start. You may not want to record a symphony orchestra on two am57's....would be a fun test. I doubt most people could not tell -except audiophiles. I have much more expensive capacitor mics and well, you get into like a (pick your brand...all good) AT4040 or whatever brand, and you are at your HOME studio, you have to deal with' the room noise. I like this video so much because its focuses on RECORDING...not equipment, very well done. Ok, If one of us was lucky enough to land in a big studio, like abbey road or Sunset Sound or whatever, well, let the engineers handle it. For us home studio people starting out, if you can't get something listenable with a SM57, do research and test before you "move up". The problem with any condenser mic is if your room is not prepared you pick up the A/C or heat in the vent or whatever. The song is the thing. I just recorded a fun song for a friend, i thought why bother with like RODE (I like RODE), with a SM57 (or SM58) less room noise. and can most people tell? NOPE. Now if i had a real female singer and this was going to be a demo, I'd prob use the RODE. but still....might not matter. THE Sennheiser 831's (i think) are really great too, more high end. like a Sennhesier 845 ect. if you watch NBC football games, they have moved over to those. Does it really matter for us? NO. Just a thought. My fave is the EV EV RE20, but thats only because critical listening. I remember in the 80 , i did a project with them. and afterwards i thought, hell, could of used a sm57/58 I wish you new recording people here the best! Remember Manufactures thing (rightly so) is to sell the latest and greatest..... But i ain't a SM57/8 "Is best"....I am just saying if you are just starting out....good starting point. Just a great video. I do think Shure 58/57's need a good preamp (like I have), but clearly on this video....its words great. Hey get a damn tom tom. LMAO LMAO LMAO. THANKS Bill

I don't own a 57 but have used them very often! And durable!! Our tailgait was down driving from one gig (local) but the mic case came out and smashed open on the highway. 2 of them got ran over and the other 3 were just tossed all over the highway and here's the deal.....I had to resolder ONE WIRE on one mic and they all still worked and sounded good!!! Definitely need to get another one of these bad boys!

I always been an equipment freak. The funny thing is, way back when I started playing with other musicians and starting up bands (ok, 1975 first band) I was new to the audio end of things and went with the standard. Everyone had an Sm58 and an Sm57. I fooled around with recording rehearsals and the 1st mic I found that did prety good was the 57's. I bought 2 of them back then. I still have 1 of those 2 today! It still works after years of abuse, storage, last min gig issues, etc. So as for dependability, it rocks. Strange how it still sits in my mic case just for emergencies. As for its sound quality, i think it is just working well. It will never replace a high-end recording mic, but it still sits in many a studio I recorded in, just in case.

Bump up the ISO on the camera. Beyond that, great video man.

What do you like to use the SM57 on?

I'm recording my vocals and guitar. And I already knew that this is a truly great mic, but this vid encouraged me to stick to 57 and 58. It was very helpful! :)

Sold me on the mic that’s for sure

Great video man. Loved it!

You have gotten so much better at video since this video! Also, love this mic!

what this is the first video - dude you are great! You inspired my musicly and video creation wise ;)

it was my only mic for many years and still my choice for live vocals

I just sang this past Saturday at a wedding with an sm57 it was a BEAST as usual love it!

Please make a video on mic placement! that is crucial to get the best from SM57!

Great video, SM57 is a mic legend

Great vid I also use a 57 for an overhead on my kit its an awsome mike very old school

Glad you made the point to talk about using DI for bass rather than try and put the mic on everything. I'm a bass singer, and the SM57/58 and other similar dynamics just don't work well with my voice (at the very least making it harder later on). That being said, the SM57 is great for just about everything else, though 😅

That is sooo eye opening.

How about recording an entire song with a sm57 knock-off (like Pyle pdmic78) Now that’s a challenge!

Great to see this “real world” type video to inspire people when most of what you see here can be intimidating and looks over the top expensive. I hope you do more videos, you are actually really good at it and the editing along with your personality flowed nicely and held my attention! That’s saying a lot if you knew me 😂 one suggestion is that the lighting on the parts where you are talking was way way better at the end. Make more videos 🙂

i am impressed

Facts! it is my favorite mic for vocals

love your video - from phillipines

Very nice! I almost always use a crotch/fat/wurst mic and am shocked how much use I get out of it. Also noticed the Dr Z Prescription. I have the Jr and just adore it! Super versatile and you don't see a ton of them out there. Great choice! And of course every time I multi mic guitars, I'm always surprised how often it ends up being just the 57 I use.

Love it! Great job!

I just love Your channel man!

Circa poster in the background. Niiice.

Excellent video

Super cool video! Very helpful. Suggestions: 1) I don't mind the dim motif, but when you are holding the mic up to show it, we can hardly see it. 2) backround music is too too loud over your speaking :-)

Love your content!

I agree sometimes too much gear is a problem..I dont have too much myself,,,okay I have enough for a singer songwriter, recording into logic, through clarett 2pre so I use my sm57 with a Cad mic to record my acoustic it really works. And the sm57 shall go on my bass next yup. id like to see a condenser vs a dynamic comparison why different mics are for different jobs....yah

The first Loose Fur record was recorded by Jim O'Rourke using SM57s for everything but the vocals!

drums sound great!

Great video. Helps me out a lot!

Nice.

Wow it sounded soooooo good with the guitar

Do the one mic thing with ALL OF THEM!!!

More like this!!!

Fire!! Totally!

I've never been a fan of the 57. I've used a lot of different mics for guitar recording, I found the fat head is great for rock, and Sennheiser's e609 for cleaner sounds. I do like how the 57 sounds on vocals though. Kind of a grungy sound.

Brilliant!

Great video, bro! I completely agree with the premise of the video and the possibilities of the SM57. I also appreciate the history of the mic. But, I've always disliked the SM57 and SM58. It's always been my opinion that you can get a much better-sounding microphone for the same price as either. But, that is just my opinion. I'm definitely not saying they are bad microphones and I'm not trying to be a hater. And, perhaps none of those other microphones would fit in all of those applications as well. So, my opinion is probably flawed. But, I am not limited to one microphone, so I do not own one. I also understand that this really has nothing to do with the video in general. Just sharing my thoughts.

Dude, that was great. Yeap, I have a question: do you use ribbon mics, if yes what for and how, please? thanks!

Awesome 😎 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

i came back here to see "how bad your video making skills were at the time" and Jesus... it's not even bad at all ! Happy your channel grows as much as it does :)

Fuck yeah man, I got one and some microphones I never heard of that crotch drum mic placement haha but I'm going to try it and record my music.

Nice song! 🎤 just 1

Apparently the drums on Van Halen's first album were all sm57s.

Would love to see this with an RE20. Super impressive. I feel like the vocal performance was great but could have maybe benefited from something else? Still sounds awesome though.

Sounded awesome! No really a fan but you could also employ the Dave Grohl drum recording technique. He will play separate takes like one with kick and snare then a second will just be the tom fills then a third for all the cymbals to keep the mic bleed. If you have the time and the room isn't treated that may be another way to get good drum recordings with one mic.

57 is the king

I recorded drums with 57 but it was 1,5m from the drumkit. I Got more kick and less snare. But it sounds good

You'd better be careful, or else the Nazgul might chase you down for this one mic that binds them all...

Bob Ross on sound!

How are these for live performances if you want one for an acoustic guitar? This would be a solo act by the way.

Haha great lyrics! Is that a Manley Slam in your rack :O

PS 1 mic test Sennheiser MD 421 ?

What kit is that? And what’s the color called? I absolutely love it.

I’m looking for a jack of all trade mic to do some upright piano, vocals and guitar. Had my eye on the 57 but don’t know if this is the way to go on a budget. Any thoughts please ?

you can also buy about 6 shure clones on amazon for the price of one now thanks to china!

Dude, the 'background' music in your video was way too 'foreground'. lol

If your recording space sucks, it's not going to sound as good as this.

I have a Scarlett 2i4. Would I need anything other than the SM57 for recording classical guitar and vocals? Is a preamp needed? I'm not a pro, I am just trying to record my own music in the best way possible.

What about recording a live band? It doesn’t sound to good by using only a phone. What do you recommend?

Still sounds better than a Joe Bonamassa song.

SM-58

what is the name of the intro music?

Can i get it for outdoor music record.. Such as near water side party time

lights....lights....anyone?

Which recorder do you use?

I disagree.I would recommend a Beyerdynamic M201. OK, it´s about 200.,- bucks, but it´s more than two times that good than the SM57.

7:55 Love the crotch mic! That's been my go-to for recording drums for 20 years. I have a Shure Unidyne 3 that's basically a 57. A great mic! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TKjIVQLQw4U.html

A guy at a music store today told me that Tom Petty used sm57s for everything for his whole career. Not sure if it’s true or not.