Shure Microphones

Shure microphones are legendary, both on stage and in the studio. When your favorite band takes the stage, chances are they're using Shure mics. When the President makes a speech, those are Shure SM57s on the podium.

Shure microphones are the standard mic not only for live performance but also in recording studio and broadcast sound. Anyone looking at buying a microphone should consider Shure mics. Whether you want a better vocal sound when you perform, are to get that classic guitar sound in the studio Shure has the mic for you. Wanting to start a podcast or do voiceovers for a video project Shure has you covered.

When you take center stage it's your time to shine. We all work hard as musicians, why should we settle for anything but the best in our microphones? We practice those high notes, learn those riffs, practice that groove, and so often we never give a thought to the equipment used to get our music to the audience's ears.What good are all those voice lessons if your mic thins out your sound, stealing the power and emotion you've worked so hard on. What good is the finest guitar, the finest amp driving the top of the line cab if you mic isn't capable of reproducing the subtleties of your performance. Don't let a bad mike steal your tone.

We don't settle for anything but the best in our performances. Why settle with the piece of equipment that gets your sound to the audiences ear.

Shure makes a mic for every application, and most of their mics are work great on different sources. Their most popular is the SM58. The SM58 is the mic most people are visualizing when they think microphone. The Shure SM58is the industry standard vocal mic. Everyone from Bono to Paul McCartney to Josh Groban to Eminem have used this mic; both on stage and in the studio. It can also be used on guitar amps with great results. The Shure SM58 is a great work horse, and is also practically indestructible.

Shure offers an upgraded version of the SM58 in the Shure Beta 58. The Beta 58 is better for sources that have more high range frequency content, such as a soprano voice. It also is incredible as a top mic on snare.

The Shure SM81 has been the standard mic for acoustic instruments for years. Just set it up in front of you acoustic guitar and you'll hear in an instant the sound found on many classic records. The SM81 is also so exceptional as a vocal mic. Bass vocalist have chosen this as their mic of choice for years, it has an ability to bring out the best qualities in a low male voice with out sounding boomy. Now don't let that convince you that it won't work for female vocalist. It is also very good at capturing classical sopranos. It works well on jazz vocals as well. I would not suggest it for use on pop vocals, (use an SM58) though it could work on some country and would shine on folk music recordings.

Don't worry drummers, Shure has mic packages specifically for drums. Shure mic bundles come in different sizes so you can get the right mics for your kit. These packages all come with a Beta 52, which is great on kick as well as on large floor toms, and a number of SM57s. You may also want to consider getting a few Beta 98 for your toms. The Beta 98 is a condenser mic specifically made for toms (although they work well on other sources too). Of course you can always just use SM57s, I've done that and they work just fine for me.

Now as you may have noticed, these package deals don't come with microphones for your high-hat or overheads so you'll have to buy them separately. I recommend getting either a SM81 or KSM 137 for your high-hat and maybe even for your ride cymbals. For overhead mics I recommend getting a pair of either Shure KSM32 or KSM44 or the more affordably priced SM27 or PG27 mics. Any of these mics will do a good job on overheads, it's more of a personal preference. Just know that none of these mics will let you down.

The Shure SM7B is a broadcast standard. When you hear DJ's on the radio they're most likely using an SM7B. What could be better than using the same microphone the pros use? If your thinking that you don't want to pay an arm and a leg for you podcasting mic, don't worry. The SM7B is reasonably priced and great quality. However if you're not sure you want to spend that much you can just get an SM58. You'll get almost as good of a sound at a third the price.