SM57 vs SM58 for vocals....

[cableguy]

Title sez it all. Which is your preference and why?

 

[Killed_by_Death]

SennHeiser E835S

Sennheiser e 835 - Live Performance Microphone - Vocal Stage Microphone

more transparent than either Shure, & higher sensitivity

 

[Jefenator]

I’ve worked with a guy who would sing up close to a 57 and damn near blow up the PA every time he pronounced the letter P.
Until human beings evolve to be intelligent enough to stop doing that, I vote 58.

 

[DrMole]

Either or?
Carrots
I have used 58 more than 57 for vocals though a soundman back in the day said my voice was better amplified through a 57.

When purchased an entire PA, monitor system circa 1989 I went with all EV ndym 7xx ( whichever was their " flagship" )

Now use AKG condenser and SM58s for live vocals keep the 57s for drums and instrument duties.

Lewitt LCT 440 for recording vocals.

 

[cableguy]

You're right, I forgot carrots......

 

[cableguy]

SennHeiser E835S

Sennheiser e 835 - Live Performance Microphone - Vocal Stage Microphone

View attachment 4107906

more transparent than either Shure, & higher sensitivity

I'll look more into this mic.

 

[Stevorebob]

I’m with KBD. Today, the Sennheisers are better bets.

 

[Bassman Spiff]

58s have been a standard for a very long time. That said, I MUCH prefer the Beta58a - which is an improved version of the SM58.

I have much more freedom of movement around the mic, and I think they sound as good (if not better) than the original.

 

[LBS-bass]

SM58 has been the industry standard for live vocals for decades, SM58 is a similar mic but it's not intended for vocals, so lacks the internal windscreen and ball. I know people who want to sing into a 57, but it never made any sense to me, we always used them for micing cabinets and whatnot.

That said, either will do but it's harder to avoid pops and such with the 57.

As far as personal preference, I have one of these:

C535 EB (discontinued) | Reference condenser vocal microphone

but lots of sound engineers don't want to deal with a condenser, so I always have an SM58 with me and usually that's what gets used.

 

[DrMole]

SM58 has been the industry standard for live vocals for decades, SM58 is a similar mic but it's not intended for vocals, so lacks the internal windscreen and ball. I know people who want to sing into a 57, but it never made any sense to me, we always used them for micing cabinets and whatnot.

That said, either will do but it's harder to avoid pops and such with the 57.

As far as personal preference, I have one of these:

C535 EB (discontinued) | Reference condenser vocal microphone

but lots of sound engineers don't want to deal with a condenser, so I always have an SM58 with me and usually that's what gets used.

That is the exact AKG I still use. Also a great mic for acoustic guitar, mandolin.

 

[TomB]

They are the same mic capsule, only the “packaging” is different. Of course that package can effect how you approach the mic and how you choose to use it. The 58 is usually the choice for vox.

 

[WillyW]

Senheiser 835 for the past 30ish years, I have an Audix OM7 for backup but have never needed a backup.

I kept meaning to pick up a shure, as I really liked the 57 beta, but never got around to it.

house mics never...

 

[Wasnex]

They are the same mic capsule, only the “packaging” is different. Of course that package can effect how you approach the mic and how you choose to use it. The 58 is usually the choice for vox.

Same capsule but differences in the head produce variances in the frequency response. Also as others have mentioned, SM57 does not have any pop filtering.

SM58

SM57

I own three SM58s but prefer to use other mics. I have felt this way since 1993, so carrots for me!

 

[LBS-bass]

SM58 has been the industry standard for live vocals for decades, SM58 is a similar mic

Sorry, this is why I need editing. Obviously I meant to say that the SM57 is a similar mic

 

[Pings Bass]

I’ve worked with a guy who would sing up close to a 57 and damn near blow up the PA every time he pronounced the letter P.
Until human beings evolve to be intelligent enough to stop doing that, I vote 58.

I used a 57 forever, but trained myself to back off on the Ps.

 

[electracoyote]

I prefer the pattern of a 57, and use one of these:

I also use the Betas in 58a and 57a more often.

 

[juancaminos]

Short answer is SM58 hands down.

I like the Sure 58 beta but needed a new mic "right now" twenty years ago and my local GC was out of stock. So I bought an Audix OM-6 and have used it exclusively since. Our lead singer uses a 20 year old wireless Sennheiser that is the bees knees! We recently rehearsed at a rented hall which was equipped with nothing but Sennheisers. They were great sounding for sure, I wish I knew the model number!

 

[farace]

SennHeiser E835S

Sennheiser e 835 - Live Performance Microphone - Vocal Stage Microphone

View attachment 4107906

more transparent than either Shure, & higher sensitivity

We have a couple Sennheiser 835s and an 845, and then we got a 935. My partner loves them; she says an SM58 requires her to “bark” into the mic. She also liked a Beyer when she had one of those (it was stolen).

 

[sawzalot]

The 57 and 58 have the same capsule and internals. The only difference is the 58’s ball and built in pop filter for plosives.

the 58 is cheap and ubiquitous but there are other mics out there to pick from depending on the application. For example, the SM-58 is better if using a wedge directly behind the mic; a beta 58 is better if there are wedges off to the side. Use the right mic for the job. There are tons of mics out there that excel at different things. Having said that, the SM58 does many things pretty well and is cheap and nearly indestructible.

 

[Toddcaster64]

There’s nothing wrong with an SM58, but the Senn 935 is a whole different ballgame. Relegated my SM58 to bring-it-along-as-a-spare status.