Shure SM58 Mic Torture-Tested: Takes a Licking…
Us Americans are wimps. Scandinavians know how to test music gear. As a metal soundtrack pounds away in the background, a Shure SM58 gets subjected to some serious torture testing, including:
- Being used to hammer nails
- Dropped a couple of meters
- Frozen
- Dunked in water
- Driven over by a car
And then something really nasty happens involving Heineken and a microwave.
Mats Ståhlbröst, diabolical creator of this insanity, explains:
We wanted to find out if the SM58 can live up to its [reputation as the toughest mic in the world] and decided to put it through a series of tests. PS Studio is Scandinavia’s leading magazine covering music production.
Of course, Shure had no part in these tests … wait, they actually did? (I’m going to start requesting review units from these guys!)
The Swedish Shure distributor supplied us with an SM58… and I think both they and Shure should be pretty happy with the results. This is one tough mic. :)
I’ll say. There’s a reason the SM58 is a favorite in live venues. You have my permission to keep this a secret and tell everyone to keep babying your mics, mind you.
17 Comments
Leave a CommentJenny May
And to think, the ONE time I dropped an SM58 on stage I actually worried about it. Silly me.
October 24, 2007 @ 11:24 am
Bean
A friend of mine used to play in a couple of electro-noise bands back in the ’80s. He reminisces about playing gigs at venues where GG Allin had been the night before and wondering if the mics had been up Allin’s ass.
That’s torture-testing.
October 24, 2007 @ 11:35 am
JD
Yes, the mic still works, but the microwave is seriously #^@’d up.
I’m curious by what they mean when they say “a minor sound difference”.
I’m still going to take good care of my SM57.
October 24, 2007 @ 12:20 pm
jon
JD: it does say the files are available at http://www.studio.se/laddaner
October 24, 2007 @ 1:25 pm
Kubton
This doesn’t surprise me actually. I don’t think the legend would be so widespread and lasting if it was BS. 57’s are just as tough. Any equipment post GG Allin probably should have had a disinfectant bath if the mics survived that guy they have to be tough.
October 24, 2007 @ 6:11 pm
SM 58 gibt nicht auf! | DIGITAL AUDIO SERVICE
[...] vis CMD [...]
October 25, 2007 @ 2:47 am
KevO'Music
ive got Shure C606 Spotlight Dynamic Microphone – which is cheap doest not suck – im happy
October 25, 2007 @ 7:12 am
Jason Duerr
I worked for Shure many years, just forwarded this article to my old crew. Terrific!
October 25, 2007 @ 8:22 am
SM58 Mics Rule! Torture tests prove why - watch video - Band Weblogs - The Music Blog
[...] There’s a great blog entry over at Create Digital Music regarding the infamous Shure SM58 microphone. It’s so refreshing seeing this kind of information getting spread around the internet. [...]
October 25, 2007 @ 8:52 am
Short links for October 25th, 2007
[...] Shure SM58 Mic Torture-Tested: Takes a Licking? – Being used to hammer nails, dropped a couple of meters, frozen, dunked in water, driven over by a car and more… [...]
October 26, 2007 @ 2:54 am
King of swing
I would bet my last pound that there is one on Mars
November 9, 2007 @ 8:15 am
RF.
I BET THIS TEST COULD BE DONE WITH A AUDIX OM2 ALSO THESE MICS ARE TANKS LOVE TO SEE A TEST WITH ONE AGAINST THE SHURE SM58 ANY CHANCE???
September 10, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
RF.
BET EVERONE WACHING THIS WOUD LOVE TO SEE THIS THROW A LITTLE ROCKY MUSIC IN AND LET THE BEST MIC WIN …. RF. SO THERES THE CHALLANGE.. FOLKS WHO DO YOU THINK WILL WIN AND WHY??? BLOG BABY BLOG HERE IS A PITCHURE OF THE CHALLENGER…. http://www.zzounds.com/item–AUDOM2
September 10, 2008 @ 2:03 pm
RF.
WHAT YOU THINK PETER ?????? USE A AUDIX SAME TEST SEE HOW IT FAIRS???? FOR YOUR NEXT TEST..
September 10, 2008 @ 2:07 pm
Kyle
thats fucked up wow that mic took a beating and still lived i droped mine one time and thought i fucked it up but never mind that lol
December 11, 2008 @ 6:21 am
Create Digital Music » Shure SM58 Mic Torture Test Pt. II, After a Year Buried Underground
[...] covered the gory abuse back in October 2007. Little did we know then that the test wasn’t over. It seems Mats and [...]
December 17, 2008 @ 2:04 pm
Dethric
Im doing a followup on this one.
Studio magazine already stated that the rumors are probably true. But the question is how much does that “minor sound difference” matter?
Does anyone know if there has been any tests on things such as frequency responce and impulse response AFTER treating a SM58 this way?
February 18, 2009 @ 3:20 am
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