The SM57 is one great sound option for snare drum and versatile as well: Because it never deeply sucks on other instruments!
You cannot say that about many mics...

During the last 12 years, I´ve exchanged every single mic on my drumset.
I started with dynamic mics on all shells and condensers for overheads and hihat.

I bought new overheads, hihat mics. Then I became more and more dissatisfied with my kick mike and the tom mics.
A very strong urge emerged to replace them with alternatives that I had spotted to be perfect for my personal taste.

It was only some months ago, when I realized that I´m now using the cheapest mike of them all (and the only dynamic one) on the most important drum: The SM57 on snaredrum(s).
And: I´m totally satisfied with it.



In this video you can hear the SM57 on every snaredrum
(14": maple, birch, steel, eucalyptus / 13": bronze / 12": cherry/maple)
except for the 10" one where I´m using a Beyer M201.

The snare EQ was OFF except for the birch and bronze model where I boosted the fundamental a bit due to mic placement.

I´ve chosen the "Ampex" version of this video, because the "mastering" sounds better than the fullscreen version...

Well I am sure as you all know the sm57 is another workhorse microphone. Used by just about any studio artist/engineer you have ever met and good reason for it. This is a dynamic mic that sounds great. On top of all that it is priced so cheaply there is no reason to not have one.
I have used this mic on snares, guitar and bass amps, cajon, and even acoustic guitar. You can have this mic on the snare and even if the drummer smashes it, it will still work . Also, if you have a preamp with enough gain or a loud singer this microphone can do wonders on vocals. I have found that I really like the sound on raspy rap vocals and higher pitched female vocals.
Overall I would say every studio needs at least a couple of these microphones for all these uses as above and I am sure you could find even more. I only have two at the moment but will definitely pick up at least two more as I find myself needing more than two and since you can pick them up at $100 or less it is seriously a no brainer. I would say the only people who complain about a microphone like this clearly have a lot more money than any of us reading this review!!

The Shure SM57 is a marvel of the modern world whose roots lay in the deepest of irony. According to Wikipedia Ernie Seeler, one of Shure's early engineers, whose work on the Unidyne III led to the microphone the entire music world knows and loves was an avid lover of classical music and despised rock and roll. Yet after rigorous "torture-testing" of the Unidyne III the SM57 was born, a mic that has stood the tests of time as the greatest "rock and roll" microphone of all time.

I have to rate the SM57 higher than most of the other reviewers because I love this microphone and I truly enjoy tracking my vocals with it. It just fits my voice. Not to mention snare, top and bottom! Although I have to be honest.. I prefer Audix's i5 for close micing my Fender Twin. I've also had success with it on kick drum as an accompaniment to my Audix D6 (sculpting out the 57's lows) and on acoustic guitar.

Something magical happens in the upper mids of the Shure SM57 and SM58. It smooths things out in just the right spots and brings a perfect touch of clarity to others and blends it all together in that "just right" mix.

Thank you Ernie Seeler. Your genius has allowed countless generations of rock musicians to pursue their craft with excellence and affordability.

This is a must have for any recording studio. I have used on several sound sources including vocals, snare drum, saxophone, acoustic guitars, amplifier cabs and more. My main application for the mic is tracking the top of the snare drum.

THE SOUND:
Is reliable. You always know what you are going to get. It’s not the main microphone you have to have in your studio because there are better microphones out there, but its one of those microphones you can’t have missing from your arsenal of microphones.
I’ve used on vocals to get a different color on my vocals, the same with guitar cabs.

DURABILITY:
This is what I love about this microphone. I have dropped this microphone several times. Almost every time a drummer hits it with a drum stick. The black finish is fading but the sound stays the same. I have only seen one SM57 stop working because of a wiring issue.

QUALITY:
For a $100.00 microphone you can’t miss on this. For anyone starting out, after you get your first condenser microphone and you Mic Pre, this should be your next microphone. I have seen these microphones sell used for as low as $50.00. worth the purchase.

So now all I have to say is this is a must have in starting any studio set up.

It's durable, reliable and gives you classic 57 sound.

I've used mostly on snares, but have used on guitars cabs, percussion, and vocals.

Now enter me in the UA Apollo Drawing!

This is one of the first mics I ever used...good place to start. 20 years later I still can deny it as one of the classics. Most manufacturers of dynamics mics mimic this or try to beat it...for a reason. If stuff doesnt sound good with this mic...try something else!
Do your preamp shootout with this one and find out the truth.

Do we really need to do this? People saying many mics sound better on this and that, yah, they do. But this mic IS an invaluable tool that everyone needs in there box/locker/gym bag. I have 3 and 2 Unidynes.

sm57 labeled "Unidyne III sm57 made in usa". This is the model Eric Johnson swears by along with many top producers and recording engineers.

myth say:
the new ones do not sound as good!

anyway...
its just another dynamic microphone, some people use it even for brushing their teeth-

some people claim that the new SM57's sound worse than the old ones,
USA pre 1985 vs. Mexico

problem was that Shure suffered a few years with non-authorized clones made in China.

...
some people tweak/modify the sm57/58
remove the transformer.
some add cappacitors to block the DC, remove DC.
old SM57 have dual low impedance.

SM stands for Studio Microphone, as the original market for all Shure SM mics were TV, radio, and recording studios.
The number "5" in the model indicates a dynamic mic element.
most Shure dynamic mic models start with the number "5".
The Shure model "55" had been around since 1939. "56", "57", and "58" were next.
is beleived that SM57/58 was imtroduced until 1965/66.

the MAX SPL of a dynamic microphone like the SM57/8 is frequency dependent. This means that low frequencies will produce distortion at a lower SPL than higher frequencies.
the frequency range to first exhibit distortion is centered around 100 Hz, close to the resonant frequency of the microphone's diaphragm. At 100 Hz, the measured MAX SPL is 150 dB SPL and the electrical output of the microphone is 0 dB V or 1.0 volts. Note this is a line level signal, not a mic level signal.
In the 1 kHz range, the SM58 measured MAX SPL is about 160 dB SPL due to the change in microphone sensitivity at the higher frequencies. The electrical output of the microphone at 160 dB SPL is +10 dBV or 3.2 volts.
In the 10 kHz range, 180 dB SPL is the MAX SPL of the SM58. However, this is a calculated measurement as Shure Engineering had no means to create such enormous and dangerous SPL. For comparison, NASA reports that a space shuttle launch measures 180 dB SPL and higher at 10 meters.
In the 20 kHz range, the MAX SPL is calculated to be around 190, due to the response falloff of the SM58. But now the point of absurdity has been reached because at 194 dB SPL the sound pressure varies from twice normal atmospheric pressure (at the wave peak) to a total vacuum (at the wave trough). Plus the sound source must be moving at the speed of sound just to generate a wave of this intensity.
In summary, a well-designed dynamic microphone of professional quality will never reach its distortion point in "normal" conditions. If one does encounter distortion when using a professional dynamic microphone for an extremely loud source, it is most likely that the electrical output of the microphone is clipping the input of the microphone preamplifier. [Remember that at 150 dB SPL, the SM58 will provide a line level output!] To solve this problem, an in-line attenuator ("pad") must be placed before the preamplifier input, or the microphone must be moved farther from the sound source. In general, the sound pressure level will decrease 6 dB for each doubling of the distance.

personally i find other mics from other brands better sounding, same price.

but the times i have used the sm5*s, were very interesting for rock guitar cabs.


Some Links:
Another Unidyne III USA SM57 vs Mexican SM57 Comparison

Shure Americas | SM57 Instrument Microphone | Instrument Mic, Rugged, Touring

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Let me preface my review by saying that I don't like the sound of modern records. I will take the dullness of a 70's Bowie record any day (and twice on sundays).

I guess I am one of that lot who subscribe to the ethos that vibe trumps all. Including, of course, frequency response. I'm not a fan of photorealism, I'm grossed out by the look of HD television, and...you know where I'm going with this.

Anyway, the 57 is king of vibe. Sometimes I cup it in my hands and thank it every single day for rolling off those gross highs that reality tends to have.

Anyway, that's my review. Run a 57 through a decent pre and you're gold.

Well, I just want to say yes - the 57 sounds really up to task on everything mentioned above. I also want to add that, at a session recording acoustic guitar, I was ready to go with a LDC or SDC and someone said "what about that mic (pointing to the 57)?" I tried it and it's one of the best sounding acoustic tracks I ever got. I think the main thing with this mic is that you need a decent pre and a bit of EQ.