Shure
SM57
Dynamic · Cardioid · 40–15,000 Hz · a rider regular
- Same Unidyne III cartridge as the SM58 — the difference is the grille, not the capsule.
- It has been the lectern microphone of the US White House Communications Agency since 1965.
- On a snare it is a default rather than a choice: most engineers only notice it when someone has put something else there.
Frequency response
Redrawn from Shure’s published response graph (approximate, ±2 dB) on the fixed MicSense scale — 20 Hz–20 kHz, −20 to +15 dB — so two microphones can be compared at a glance. No image is copied; it is a guide to the shape, not a measurement. The maker’s graph (Frequency-response graph on the shure.com product page (image served from products.shureweb.eu)).
Polar pattern
Generated from the first-order directivity formula for cardioid. It illustrates the pattern type — it is not a measurement of this individual model.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Shure |
|---|---|
| Model | SM57 |
| Type | Dynamic |
| Form factor | End-address |
| Polar pattern | Cardioid |
| Frequency range | 40–15,000 Hz |
| Sensitivity | 1.6 mV/Pa · -56.0 dBV/Pa |
| Max SPL | — not published by the maker |
| Self-noise | — none (passive capsule) |
| Impedance | 310 Ω (rated 150 Ω) |
| Connector | XLR3M |
| Powering | None (dynamic) |
| Weight | 284 g |
Specifications: Shure datasheet · last checked 2 Oct 2026. These are the maker’s published figures for this model. A dash never means zero: “not published by the maker” means the maker’s documents give no figure; “not yet checked” means MicSense has not confirmed one yet. Spotted an error? Tell us.
MicSense notes
| Price tier | Budget |
|---|---|
| Introduced | 1965 |
Price tier and “a rider regular” are MicSense’s own judgement, not the maker’s.
What it gets used for
- Snare top
- Snare bottom
- Guitar cab
- Horn / brass
- Toms
- FOH vocal
- Lectern / podium
MicSense tags microphones by the job on a live stage, not by studio category — so you can filter for “kick in” or “monitor vocal” instead of working backwards from “large-diaphragm condenser”.
SM57 alternatives: closest in published specs
Based on published specifications only — always listen at soundcheck. These are the microphones in the MicSense library whose datasheet figures sit closest to the Shure SM57’s for the same live job, with the reasons. It says nothing about how they sound.
Not compared for the Shure SM57: max SPL not published by the maker.
-
Sennheiser
e 604
- Same job: snare top, snare bottom, horn / brass
- Same type: dynamic
- Same cardioid pattern
- Similar published response shape (≈ 1.1 dB apart on average, 100 Hz–10 kHz)
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Clip-on — mounts on the rim or bell, no stand
-
Audix
i5
- Same job: snare top, guitar cab, horn / brass
- Same type: dynamic
- Same cardioid pattern
- Same form: end-address
- Similar published response shape (≈ 2.8 dB apart on average, 100 Hz–10 kHz)
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
-
sE Electronics
V7 X
- Same job: snare top, guitar cab, horn / brass
- Same type: dynamic
- Same form: end-address
- Similar published response shape (≈ 1.5 dB apart on average, 100 Hz–10 kHz)
- About the same output — within the datasheets’ tolerance
- Supercardioid instead of cardioid — deepest rejection at ±126°, not 180°: check where the wedge sits
Compare it against the alternatives.
MicSense lets you put up to four microphones side by side — spec table, overlaid response curves and polar diagrams on one screen. Free with a free Squaresmile account.