Surely you can't use an SM58 to record vocals...can you?
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- Опубліковано 29 тра 2024
- Sister article to this video - homemusiccreator.com/sm58
The Shure SM58 is primarily known as an excellent live mic. But it can also be used for recording vocals in your home studio, despite what some people may say!
Do you get nervous when recording vocals? Check out this article on the Home Music Creator website for advice:
homemusiccreator.com/nervous
Check out my EP Smile! where all the vocals were recorded with an SM58...
homemusiccreator.com/about
00:00 Intro
00:24 About the SM58
01:24 They say "Don't use SM58 for recording vocals"...
02:01 Use the SM58!
03:16 Record now! You don't need expensive equipment
04:59 Example of just doing it with cheap equipment
05:46 My EP made with SM58 for vocals
06:26 Get nervous recording vocals?
As someone that has recorded an entire album using only the SM58, both vocals and instruments,I'll say it's impeccable. If you can afford the highest quality equipment, go for it, but if you're a musician on a small budget, but the SM58. You can condense and produce to the sound you need in post. The 58 is the industry leader for a reason. At the end of the day, whatever you can afford, just create!
Fourteen years ago I used an SM58 to record the female voice over for an award winning Chinese animated film. I spent $14 for a pop filter and hung some moving blankets in a corner. I was so afraid they would think I was a fraud but we did the session and they wrote me a check. Use what you've got and get paid.
That’s so cool .
what is the name of the chinese film?
@@djleon3009 It was a trailer in English for the short film The Archer and the Suns.
so true..
"The quicker you start the better you're going to get at it" ❤️
567,000 music production UA-camrs won't tell you this fact. You're blessed Man, for real, you don't know to what extent you've helped people but I say to you that you're blessed cos for real you're. Stay blessed and keep winning, Legend.
I agree. I bought a condenser for like $450 because I thought better mic = better vocals. Then I kept having issues getting the dry takes to sound right (due to no acoustic treatment) and the SM58 fixed all my problems. Once I messed around with the EQ, compression, and reverb, it sounds just as good as that condenser. I use it on acoustic guitars as well. Such a great piece of inexpensive gear that can do it all.
I ditched my expensive mics for Shure SM57 and an SM58 - best decision. Look up Sufjan Stevens early albums for example of what is achievable.
I seem to recall reading an article where Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics was saying Annie Lennox used to record most of her vocals sitting in the control room holding a SM57 mic
Love this microphone. It fits my voice, and as others have said, post production EQ/compression is all you need on top of it. I've recorded an album with a popular condensor, and I thought it was too bright. I'm planning to do my next project all with the SM58.
Thank you. Wish I found this before investing in some other equipment because now I use Sm58 more anyway and it really does the job! I really hope more beginners will bump into your video and take your advice.
This video really helped me! Thank you for making this!
Very nice tutorial mate top class
Thank you thank you thank you! Very helpful information and inspirational as well
🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷👏🏻, Thank you for your device, amazing!
“Just do it!” I have this attitude always 😊thanks for the tips, i’ve just bought my shure si lets goooo
Thank youuuuuu.... you boosted my confidence. Much love !
I agree!!!
Thanks 😃😃
You convinced me. The video I was looking for. Thank you
Great video bro, I hope you make more soon 👍
Exactly the advice I was looking for! Hopefully I can try it now! 👍👍
You're welcome - best of luck!
Thank you so much for this I knew someone would understand🙏💜💜
I have a mic I bought from Radio Shack probably ten years ago that’s basically an SM58 clone. Sounds great. I used to record my cousin’s vocals all the time with it. When I finally bought a condenser mic I didn’t really much of a drastic difference. The Radio Shack mic was quieter too and didn’t pick up near as much room noise.
I love this! I have the expensive stuff and SM58's etc.. You are exactly right. I was doing a session last week and the piano player was singing and playing, the condenser was picking up the clacking of the piano keys, I switched him to a SM58 and the vocals sounded great! We left it with the SM58! It sounds Great! Thanks for this video!
Thank you for this. Could you get into more of How to use the mic for recording in terms of placement and proximity, particularly for vocals?
Luv u sir for your great information ✨💙
Thanks!!
Tnku so much for motivation sir
Most welcome!
Very inspiring
Thanks man.
thank you!
youre not wrong. thanks for this affirmation, man!
Luv Ur studio ... Well Done ✅👍👍👍. D
Nice G-tar collection ...
All t/ tones covered ... U right ,,, just start recording ... I've got a looper patched through my mix-er board ,,, any thing that goes to the board ... Thanks 👍👍👍. D.
powerful message in the video
Totaly agree! SM58 have great tone, better than any condenser that I bought under $200..If your room didn’t treat well, this microphone is a smart way and much better solution than using condenser mic which gives you a lot of noise and much extra work to dealth with it
Came for the mic stayed for the motivational words thanks
This what I wanted to hear ❤️
love my sm58!
Nice video
I bought this sm 58 like 2 years back to do music or UA-cam videos..
Finally I get into make it work 😂 so I'm looking for videos how to make it working.
So, confession… I have a decent pro studio. I have the big hot condenser mics & ribbon mic… however… if you truly know how to dial in a 58… it’s simply fantastic. I’ve used them in the studio for 20 years, yes… big condenser mics have a clarity & large image detail to what they capture… but for me, a 58 is like pulling out some great gritty goodness that sounds wonderful. Mutt Lange even uses a 58 in the studio for some stuff. Bono of U2 uses it for vocals in the studio & Michael Jackson used an SM7. It’s all about knowing how to dial in the best result. All mics have something different to offer, just like one guitar compared to another… a Les Paul isn’t a Strat, but a Strat isn’t a Les Paul… however both are perfect in their own respect & find their place in nearly every great song ever made. Truth is, if the world actually knew just how much the 58 is used even in major studio’s… it would probably freak most out.
Hey, I’ve been using a AKG usb mic, used it with my laptop and iPad running GarageBand or Cubasis, tonight I tried it with my new laptop running pro tools. I’m getting a sort of high pitched weird noise. Maybe I dropped it or something. I always found it to have a lot of static noise anyway and I think it’s time to upgrade so I’ve been researching today. I want to sell vocals on a website I’ve come across, and it seems the pro way to go is an audio interface (scrapping my weird sounding AKG usb) and upgrading to an XLR mic. I hope this solves my problem, so I’m thinking of getting the Scarlett solo and as I can’t afford another mic at the moment guess what I have? I have of course an sm58 from when I used to do clubs and it’s in good nick. That’s why I came across your video :) the sound quality when sending a dry vocal to someone that has purchased it, is gonna really matter. I’ve been hiding crappy quality in my own stuff for years, but selling my vocal on this website for money is gonna be a different b game. I gave you a like btw because you made me laugh 😂
Thanks this was a good video
This video is still valid 🔥🔥
He is right. I record in my macbook mic and edit it. Noone ever found out that it was a laptop mic behind my songs.
Thanks Paul! Exactly the video I was looking for after hours...(and hours)...(and hours) of searching. I live in the heart of Edinburgh city centre and because of street noise had to construct the most absurd claustrophobic cocoon vocal booth in a hall cupboard to be able to use my high quality condenser mic for vocals and block out street noise. Sure, vocals were great sonically. But crap in tone, emotionally. Because ahem, many duvets and pillows and blankets and towels were taped all around to really block all the city centre noise out...ya know...kind of like in star wars how "many Bothans died to bring us this information". It was so cramped and so horrible and so useless trying to sing meaningfully in that cupboard hell.
Finally thought, okay, no way round it, have to use a dynamic mic to be able to sing in the open airy living room with managable, erasable background street noise. But, ugh, loss of richness of vocals. What to do. What to do.
Been exploring all kinds of options. Main thing is...listening to your recordings I'm thinking, wow, you really can do studio work with a dynamic mic in noisier city centre locations. I'll be aiming for something better than an SM58, like maybe a Shure super 55 or maybe a Shure SM7B, but your songs sound great. I'm converted to the idea you really can use a dynamic mic okay in a studio application.
So thanks for not only discussing, but illustrating it.
By the way, amazing songs. Subscribing here and following on spotify.
I love my SM58. Slap a Shure A81WS windscreen on there and plosives are *impossible.* Incredible, indestructible mic.
The SM in SM58 literally stands for Studio Microphone which means that its designed primarily for a studio environment. It just so happened that it excelled as a live microphone aswell. There are libraries worth of albums with vocals recorded from it. Yet for some reason people say to not use it for recording? What are they smoking?
I'm always of a mind that you should have different microphones for different jobs as those microphones are specifically tailored to excel at those jobs. I am also of a mind that the SM58 can also do all those jobs more than good enough if not excel at them. So it pays well to have an SM58 in your mic cabinet even if you have the top of the line stuff already on hand.
I have done so much research and I honestly cannot find a better deal than the sm58. I’m looking for a dynamic microphone I can record punk music with and be really loud with. For the price, it’s the absolute best deal you can find probably ever. I have a budget of $300, and I am still going with the 58. And since I have leftover money to spend I can get a cloudlifter, a really good quality XLR cable and a bunch of studio foam to take my soundproofing even further. I don’t know how anyone could pass up on this tbh…
I really prefer Dynamic mic for my vocals
Sorry, but I must correct you on that. The "SM" actually stands for "Sado-Masochism." It's really meant to be a dungeon mic. ...That's why it's made so durable.
Well, when it was created in 1966, Shure designed it for that purpose but it soon became the go-to live mic of choice and not so much in the studio anymore after a while. But yeah, you can more than record an entire album with SM58s. I had a SM58 stolen from me and while I don't think it's the best dynamic mic out there, I want to get back 2 of them because they are great, reliable mics.
What audio interface would be nice to pair up w the sm58
Spot on
Presumably you take the pop shield off ,use a free standing one , put the mic at an angle , stand back a bit.create an environemnt without reflections . i was hoping he had his own technique , i used to record with a 58 years ago .it was good enough for what i was doing but it wasnt great.
An interesting (and well-known point of view) but that is not necessarily valid nowadays… first because you can have a decent condenser microphone for nearly the same price as a SM58, and yes you can clearly hear the difference between a Shure SM58 and a Rode NT1 especially for ballads, jazz or acoustic takes… I don't even pretend that one is better than the other, for example, if you recording hard rock, maybe the SM58 can be a better choice. So in my (not so) humble opinion, it is worth testing different mics even for home recording and at least to have 2 or 3 different mics. Different jobs, different voices, different mics!
Agree. I have SM58
Fun fact: The SM7 (Which uses the same capsule as the SM58) has been used for very popular music, including a lot of Michael Jackson's music
Same capsule, but not same sound nor, more importantly, same price
@fairy_tales_in_yoghourt_music the only difference between the sm58 and sm7b is the lack of transformer in the sm 7b and the 2 inch spacing between filter and capsule otherwise they are the same mic the transformer does color the sound with a peak just past 2k and a roll off on the low end but with eq you can actually dial the sm58 to sound exactly like the sm7b
Sir;
I hv an old KENWOOD DIGITAL 88 E ECHO MICROPHONE. It fell down once and lost its punch. 0.25 measure in the amplifier mix could need a 3.75 unit in here now. Can I ment it ? Can I hv the mics normal output Sirs ? A nice husky humming itself sounded awesome in the oldie prior the fall. Am sad. Don't want to throw it off. 😬
You are totally CORRECT.
Just RECORD NOW.
That's how I started in 1961.
And of course you can record vocals with a mic. like this.
And yes, the subtleties of a 4 thousand dollar mic. WILL get lost in the mix !
Bill P.
I find the friggin sm58 better in a way than the condenser in studio vocals, for the reason that they deliver a beefy body topped with a silky highs embroidered onto the beef, while the condenser sounds just hollow in comparison despite their 20khz high end etc. The only thing that I feel better than the sm58 is the beta 58a even silkier and with less hiss. I see also your message about singers though, I know my comment goes on a tangent. Thanks for vid!
I've been using my sm58 to record on my computer for 20 years. I only yesterday ordered my first condenser mic a pretty cheap one, Audio Technica AT2020. I just hate the lack of high end on the sm58.
The AT2020 is not a Neumann, but it is damn fine for the price.
@@leswright4108 I tested it out last week and it sounds amazing!
Chris Martin loves to use this thing live, connected to a neve 1073 500.
i used this to podcast (in studio or remote)
what audio interface do you pair this with? heard that it has insanely low sensitivity hence the low output volume when recording or speaking with it…
You'll definitely need a preamp, i bought a cheap 48, and it needs a little help to get some gain.
Do you think a windscreen is also better for singing??
thoughts about the SM 58 Beta A?
Witch micro have you used for your video ? Because I can see you habe actally not used the SM58… ;)
Absolutely agree with you.
I use condenser mic SF 910 it works great for me.
If someone has no talent voice no matter the price the mic is, it wil not sound good anyways.😊
Can you use the SM58 with an android phone, if so how?
My answer for the title before watch the video is:
Jacob Collier, amazing musician, he used this microphone for most of his covers and the quality is highly acceptable, his isn't the only one, also lot of musicians have recommended this device ton of times. Other good example could be Gustavo Ceratti, big musician from Argentina using this microphone in his concerts at the time he was alive.
Consider my opinion to keep looking for yours and make your own decision about of buy it or not.
Filtered is my favourite song from the EP...
Loved the dark...feel.. 🔥🔥🔥
I want to record vocals only .. I want a sm 58 . I have no money left right now. can i use it with out an audio interface .. can i use directly with my laptop??
No, it is xlr. Unless you have a laptop with an xlr slot(I don’t think that even if exist lol) you need an interface
No you will need an interface for this
Buy a yeti usb mic
I love my SM58, but you may find that not all audio interfaces have enough preamp gain to work with a dynamic mic like the SM58. Condenser mics tend to have a higher output level. For example, SM58 and SM7B are about -58 dBV/Pa, while AT4050 and MXL900 are -36 dBV/Pa. I think low-end audio interfaces are assuming most people will be using condenser mics.
For example, I have Behringer UMC204 (Behringer hate aside, it has two channels in, four out, and DIN MIDI in and out for under $100), and even with the preamps cranked it doesn't have enough gain for speech using an SM58. Might be OK for vocals, which tend to be louder than speech, but, not a lot of margin. You could buy something like a Cloud Lifter, but that kind of eliminates the budget advantage. (Not all vendors publish preamp gains, but the UMC204 seems to be 56 dB, Scarlett 2is spec says 56 dB, and MOTU M2 spec says 60 dB)
Rip I just found this after buying a Neumann TLM 104
I don't want to sound like a self righteous annoying person but you should really consider using the sm58 to record videos, it's much better sound quality than camera audio as you know and it'll just make the viewer experience much better. Very inspiring video btw and it seems like there's some good resources on your website
3:17 is the best part of this vid
He's right. But that minimalistic message comes from a guy with 6 guitars on his back ! 🙂
hit me - dirty loops uses it
Bono has recorded most of his U2 vocals with a handheld SM58. Sufjan Stevens did his first four records using nothing but SM57s; his first two records were done with a single SM57. So, with caveats, yes; you absolutely can, but I cant. The SM58 makes me sound like Willie Nelson, and not in the good way.
Get the vocals down with Sm58. Process it later. Perfect,do it quickly.
Sounds like a good way of working.
Bono only records vocals with shure beta 58
Great video thanks man, but my god, your guitars hanging over a radiator is giving me the fear.
NOT A NEE WORD ! Danny Eff-in Trump's already invented it! Brilliant vid here I'm "Nike" jus doon it! Cheers for the push mate!
Aye
I wanted one for my small studio project, but fuck me lol they're around 200$ , I'm gonna have to buy a damn at2020 instead
Honestly, if you intend to make music for release it ddoesn't cut it. The tone of something like a TLM 103 (or the holy grail u87-which isn;'t so holy) has a silky smoothe texture that the SM58 can't match. The 58 sounds harsh in the high mid range and cheap. However, for certain situations like trashy guitars and drums it's suitable and you might be abole to EQ it to sound decent if you have million dollar ears. It's a live and demo mic, someting I use it to record the back of amps sometimes.
Err…. Well it is a vocal mic? Used on countless records. Gary Numan for example. Trent Reznor used one for the downward spiral.
Yinzima lento🤕
Strange.... say "use the mic" and does not use the mic in the video xD
In the end, it is the artist’s creative expression and performance that is most critical to how it comes across and affects the listener emotionally and otherwise.
HOWEVER, the limitations of the SM series (e.g. 57, 58, 7B, etc) in terms of what it filters, mangles and limits in terms of voice/vocals is often a freaking shame when used by an artist with great tone, presence and/or range. While it can compliment some drum, vocal and other uses, if you want clarity, transparency and dimensional sound reflecting the actual performance, THIS IS NOT YOUR MIC!
We have put mic’s like the Earthwork’s SR40V in the place of people’s “go to” Shure mic’s for both live and studio, and NOT ONE PERSON HAS GONE BACK TO THE SHURE. You can make a great mic sound muted, constrained and comparatively flat like the Shure, but you cannot make a Shure sound like a great mic… once it’s stepped-on by a Shure, it has limited the performance.
Yeah, I would expect a $100 mic like 58 fail miserably to the SR40V beast.
wow dude a $750 mic sounds better than a $100 mic thanks for the insight
@@bantha4226 I understand your point, but the point I was making is that many studios and associated YT videos with a wide range of mics with even higher price disparities push the standard SM series mics as a top recommendation (not a fall-back), while recording into chains costing 25-100 times the mic’s price. To many long-time professionals, after getting a good performance, spending a few hundred on a mic provides a much better ROI than virtually anything else, assuming you are choosing the other components to at least not suck.
An SM has a purpose for some live situations, part of a cabinet mic’ing array and certain other limited situations. Unfortunately, many (like here) use and recommend them as a primary “go-to” mic, which is a damn shame, since generally the closer in the chain to the source the component is, the more it affects the result. As such, the SM winds-up irreparably messing-up too many recordings as it is.
There are so many better studio mic’s for pretty much anything, which start at around $75-125. There are hundreds of great videos offering support for those who are willing to do even a modicum of basic research and eval.
George Benson sang into a cheap microphone for years because he liked the sound 🤷♂️🎶🎶
The Falsettos in Sm58 Sounds Awful, That's why Matt Bellamy never used Sm58, I had an AKG D5 and Falsettos Sounds Perfect, so that's the Massive Difference for me!!
Just wanted to warn everyone. There seem to be a lot of counterfeit SM58 mics floating around so be Sure to buy from a reputable source.
Mojave MA D dynamic mic sounds much better. It costs about 160 dollars.