Shure SM57 Instrument/Vocal Mic  

The structure of this mic is great.  It is heavey duty and can withstand just about anything.

This mic is a good mic for the price range it comes in.  It is a step above most mics that are built for the same reason.  As far as recording guitar cabs and drums it is a good mic.  It does not have the greatest range.  If you are trying to capture highs, you need to use this mic in conjunction with another mic.  If you like a thicker sound from your amp recordings, this might do well by its self.  I bought mine because everyone has one.  I am happy with it but it is not an end all to your mic quest.  Just another in a line up.  Not that god for vocals.

Here's the deal.  The head of the mics are loose.  Loose components  make noise.  I was very disapointed to find that out personally.  I  don't understand the popularity..?  It doesn't make common sense at  all.  DON'T BUY!

I purchased them for micing amps and drums.  They will be replaced ASAP!

It's only feature is to sound awesome and potentially be used as a weapon.

They're youtube videos of this mic taking multiple shot gun blasts and still working after they plug it in.

Worth every penny.

This mic is standard in every major recording studio.  Mainly used for guitars, snare, and sometimes vocals.  In fact, I heard rumors Deftones recorded an entire album with just SM57's.  It's one of those mics you'll never get rid of.  Another alternative and very common in recording studios for the same price is the Sennheiser e609.

  This microphone definitely lives up to it's legendary name. I purchased my mic and it came with the sm57, a carrying bag, and an xlr cable as expected. I use this microphone mainly to record my electric guitar for my youtube videos.  My set up is a Line 6 SpiderIII 75 Watt, with a Mexican Standard Telecaster. I mic the amp up with only one of these mics and it sounds great. I get great real solid tone from recording with this thing. I use Mixcraft for the youtube videos I make because it is cheap and runs well on my laptop. This mic is also incredibly durable. Definitely a sure buy, for the price you can't go wrong.

I've been seriously recording music for the last 7 years...and     tinkering around with recording on old 4 tracks for many years before     before that. I purchased a pair of SM57's to use on snare since I've     read so many times that the SM57 was used to record snare on so many     classic albums. Somehow, against all odds, I've managed to never use a     SM57 in my lifetime. I used SM58's for live vocals many times (I never     cared for the muddyness) and the beta58 which was not a match for my     vocals at all. Because of these experiences, I never really wanted to     buy Shure microphones. The only other Shure mic that I own is an SM7     which is an absolutely fantastic mic in every regard. Anyway back to the     SM57...it arrived in the mail...I hooked it up to a very clear, neutral,     and natural pre (focusrite isa) so I could just hear the response of     the mic....I tried some vocals first...WOW!!!! I recognized the classic     sound immediately from old albums. The SM57 rolls off the unusable lows but retains warmth, it has an unbelievably SMOOTH and musical midrange, and the     highs are smooth and present without making your ears feel like they are     being stabbed by large daggers (like every cheap chinese condenser I've     ever heard). Honestly, the SM57 fits my vocals better than the majority of the far more expensive mics that I own.     I'm not knocking Neumann because they obviously make fantastic     microphones, but I'd rather use the SM57 for vocals than my TLM103. Does     it matter that the specs on the SM57 are less impressive the     TLM103...nope....it only matters how the mic handles the task that you     throw at it. The SM57 chops off more lows and highs, but it sure does     sound good doing it. Next I grabbed an old Gibson Southern Jumbo     acoustic and started strumming away....the mic was 12 to 18 inches away     and pointed in the vacinity of the 12th fret.....again, I immediately     recognized this sound from classic albums....it's a very nice, smooth     and forgiving midrangy sound that sits really well in a dense mix. If i     was going to fingerpick, I'd prefer the Neumann, but the SM57 does a     suprisingly respectable job on that as well. I can't wait to try these on snare and guitar amps where they have the most proven track record. In closing, I am absolutly     shocked at how great this mic is! I'm even more shocked that it only     costs 99 bucks. I finally get why some people are so into Shure     microphones. If I could go back in time, I should have purchased this as     my first microphone (actually I should have gotten a pair of them). A     person could record a whole album with just SM57's and it would sound     darn good. Anyway, if you're just starting out, BUY THIS MIC!!!!!! It is     far better than a condenser if you are working in an untreated space     because it has a tight cardiod pattern that rejects most room noise and     other problems. If you have a cheap preamp and are having trouble     getting enough gain to this mic (or even if you're not), buy a     Cloudlifter by Cloud Microphones, it useds phantom power to generate up     to 25 db of super clean FET pre-preamplification...that gives any old     dynamic or ribbon mics     low noise and high gain and interfaces them     perfectly with modern recording systems. If you're thinking (just as I     was a week ago) that this mic is far too comman and old to sound as good     as some people say...You are wrong...just buy one...They are built like tanks to boot. Good Luck and     Happy Recording. I wish I would have read this review 15 years ago:)