Shure / SM58

Shure SM58 — the live vocal mic that’s on every stage in the world

The most-used handheld live vocal microphone ever built. Released in 1966 and unchanged since. If you’ve sung into a hand-held mic at any event in your life, there’s a strong chance it was an SM58.

TypeDynamic, cardioid

ConnectionXLR

Price~$110

Released1966

What it is

A live vocal dynamic with a ball grille

The Shure SM58 is a handheld dynamic microphone built for live vocals. The capsule sits inside a steel ball grille that doubles as a built-in pop filter and a shock-absorber when the mic is dropped (which it will be). Internally, it’s the same capsule design as the SM57 but with a different head basket and a slight presence boost optimized for vocal range.

It’s the most-used live vocal mic in the world. If you’ve sung at a wedding, a church, an open mic, a concert, a karaoke bar, or a corporate town hall, you’ve probably held one.

Why it’s everywhere

Three reasons

Tough. Drop one on a concrete stage. It still works. Roll over one with a tour bus. It still works.
Forgiving. Decent rejection of stage monitors and amps behind it. Doesn’t feed back as easily as a condenser would.
Cheap and replaceable. ~$110 new. Replacement capsules and grilles are cheap and standardized. Buy a hundred for a venue, never worry about losing them.

Famous SM58 moments

The mic in front of every singer at the Live Aid concerts.
Used by Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and roughly every other touring vocalist.
On the desks of city council meetings everywhere.
In every karaoke bar in the world.

Should you buy one?

Get an SM58 ifYou sing live, you run a venue, you need a mic for events, or you just want a tough handheld dynamic for general use. At ~$110, you can’t go wrong.

Skip the SM58 ifYou’re podcasting at a desk. Get a SM7B or MV7+ instead — those are voiced for desk-distance speaking, not stage-distance singing.