Recording vocals with an SM57 mic

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The old standy mic–the Shure SM57–is used in the studio and on stage. It’s quite a flexible mic that’s good in almost any live situation, except perhaps cymbals and kick drum. And it can be handy in the studio. It can even be enrolled, in a pinch, to record vocals. Here are some tips from a thread at the Home Recording BBS, where folks familiar with the 57 offer advice for getting a good vocal take:

The frequency response for the SM57 has a huge boost from 2k to about 10k so you will get close to a 10db boost in that range. Not that that is a bad thing, just keep it in mind, and use it to your advantage.

The person, the room, the speakers, even the preamp you use all depends on what kind of coloration happens to your original signal and whether you would benefit from EQ or not. Your best bet….get an SM57, plug it in and record. Then listen to find out what you like and don’t like.

Yes, depending on the voice and your recording chain, you can get a workable decent vocal sound with a 57.

So, the conclusion is that a 57 will work–if you want to make it work.