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Howdy folks. I'm a big believer in the mantra of not buying new gear thinking it's what makes your mix better. But...if I was to treat myself to a little present, are the Shure M57 or M58 mics a worthwhile buy? I record at home not in a professional studio so my room like most of yours is treated for sound at an ammature / DIY level (home made absorbers etc).
Thanks guys.
Xave

The SM57 is a mainstay, durable little beast that does a great job. I think you can make good recordings with virtually any mic. What do you plan on using it for: vocals, horns, amp mic, etc?

It depends a lot what you plan using them for. There's a lot of healthy competition in the mic market now, opposed to in the 60'ies when these mics first came out.

Mics are basically small amps, and they all sound different. Sound is very subjective, so you have to try mics out for the application you plan using it for, and see what you like.

Your choices also depends on if you will be using them live or for recording, for yourself only, or you plan having a project studio where other people also will come in to record.

Home recording only my friend. For vocal use and just for my own voice. i write songs and submit to TAXI with the aim of someday getting a forward to an artist. So my work will always have vocals.

In that case, the industry standard will be condenser mics, like the Neumann TLM series or maybe an SM7b, if it fits your voice. A lot in here likes the Guage mics, which seems to have a good quality/price ratio, but I haven't tried them myself. I've been through quite a few mics, and the SE 2200a works with my voice, because my voice needs the high end boost. Some don't, though. I like the Shure's SM's for background vocals, but I find them hard to dial in for lead vocal. Lot's have done it, though.

thanks for the tips Kol

Don't forget Telefunken, dynamic and condenser. Beyerdynamic.

I've heard some great engineers say they could record a whole album with SM57's, definitely an industry standard. For me, I could do an album with 57's and a large diaphragm condenser for vocals. Lots of flavors of great LDC's out there, everyone will have their own opinion but it comes down to what works for your voice.

Yes, but were they bragging on the SM57's or their great engineering skills?

Hey Kol..yes I've heard great reports about Neumann. Very expensive but it's a mic i can put on the wish list for a future date. I've heard some mics have a tube inside which gives a nice warm sound.