Is Shure SM 58 good for recording vocals?
- Thread starter VidaK
- Start date
cakewalker
New member
As far as I know, if you have very good pre amps.. SM58 will be excellent choice.
But generally condensers are better choices because of the better frequency response at the higher end.
But generally condensers are better choices because of the better frequency response at the higher end.
SM58 is a great stage mic. as far as frequency response, i think it is adequate for vocal recording too.
sneezeeboy
New member
@ VidaK
Recording voice using SM58 is fine for live/demos/podcasts or semi-professional recordings. But condenser microphones are widely used in Pro voice recordings.
If you use SM58 for your vocal recordings, make sure the vocalist/singer is just close enough to the mic, and will not sway often while signing or move away from the microphone. Since SM58 is a dynamic mic, the sensitivity drops with distance.
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But the beauty of audio engineering is that: no one can stop you from recording voice using any kind of mic. Experiment, and if you can make the most out of it and make it sound good even if you used the oldest mic on earth. That's engineering.
Cheers!
Recording voice using SM58 is fine for live/demos/podcasts or semi-professional recordings. But condenser microphones are widely used in Pro voice recordings.
If you use SM58 for your vocal recordings, make sure the vocalist/singer is just close enough to the mic, and will not sway often while signing or move away from the microphone. Since SM58 is a dynamic mic, the sensitivity drops with distance.
----
But the beauty of audio engineering is that: no one can stop you from recording voice using any kind of mic. Experiment, and if you can make the most out of it and make it sound good even if you used the oldest mic on earth. That's engineering.
Cheers!
SM58 is a great mic. It's on so many records, for example Bono from U2 records his vocals using one. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1994_articles/mar94/u2robbieadams.html
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/jul97/flood_u2.html
I think it's actually better in a home studio than a condenser because it is less sensitive. That way you wont hear as much of the room (which is probably not treated properly). Also you wont hear the air con, neighbourhood kids, karung gooni man etc.
The other thing is that you wont find pro-studios using low end condensers, but they will all be using SM57's or SM58's. So if you update to better mics later on, your SM58 wont be redundant.
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/jul97/flood_u2.html
I think it's actually better in a home studio than a condenser because it is less sensitive. That way you wont hear as much of the room (which is probably not treated properly). Also you wont hear the air con, neighbourhood kids, karung gooni man etc.
The other thing is that you wont find pro-studios using low end condensers, but they will all be using SM57's or SM58's. So if you update to better mics later on, your SM58 wont be redundant.
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SM58 with its low-end roll off and cardoid pattern is ideal for home recording. like widdy has said, some singers actually prefers it to many more expensive mics. of course a condenser will out perform a dynamic but you have to fork out many times more for the so called better high end, incremental in my mind.
if you want to pick up room acoustic too, you can supplement your recording with an omni-direction mic like a shure vp64a. i have used the combination with good result.
the key is, try to experiment with different mics and there will be one or two that will suit your music style and vocal.
if you want to pick up room acoustic too, you can supplement your recording with an omni-direction mic like a shure vp64a. i have used the combination with good result.
the key is, try to experiment with different mics and there will be one or two that will suit your music style and vocal.
+1 to that!! there no rules in mics or miking techniques..
ikan
New member
Talking about professional recordings using dynamic mics instead of condensers, do check out the making of Metallica's Death Magnetic album and the latest Alice In Chains album on youtube. They use SM7B! 'Nuff said.
l0u5y
New member
The use of a microphone depends on the singer's voice itself and also the application. For metal songs, usually dynamic microphones are used because the singers are singing at very high spl. Condensers are not able to handle such high spl and might be damaged. Even if the condensers are used, the result might be too harsh.
