You might not know it but the Shure SM58 is a famous microphone first designed in 1966 – some love it some hate it.

Like all production companies we love it – every time you plug it in, it works to the same standard regardless of how many times it’s been dropped. It sounds great, is made from metal and is compact.

According to Steve Albini of Electrical Audio in Chicago it’s no good … read below. (funny)

Shure SM58 The vocalist’s SM57. Serves them right. Excellent for holding onto and spitting into. We keep the windscreen clean so it doesn’t smell like bad breath.

Shure SM57 Piece of shit dynamic mic some people are inexplicably crazy about, so we bought one. Sounds equivalently good on everything from snare drum to electric guitar. Unfortunately, not a very high standard of “Good.” If you need to record something and there’s no microphone available, this will do, I guess.

Shure SM58 is a professional cardioid dynamic microphone, commonly used in live vocal applications. Produced since 1966 by Shure Incorporated, it has built a strong reputation among musicians for its durability and sound, and more than four decades later it is still considered the industry standard for live vocal performance microphones. The SM58 is one of the best-selling microphones in the world. The SM stands for Studio Microphone.

Like all directional microphones, the SM58 is subject to proximity effect, a low frequency boost when used close to the source. The cardioid response reduces pickup from the side and rear, helping to avoid feedback onstage. It uses the balanced XLR three-pin connection. There are wired (with and without on/off switch) and wireless versions. The SM58 uses an internal shock mount to reduce handling noise.