Shure SM57 LC

The SM57 by Shure is a classic live and studio workhorse microphone - no wonder pretty much every studio I've stepped in has had at least four or five of these!
It's a cardioid pattern mic with very strong off-axis rejection, a presence boost around 4 kHz, and a good-roll off in the lower frequencies which makes up for the proximity effect. Like its slightly younger brother the SM58, the 57 is almost indestructible, and almost every part is replaceable in case you do find a way to destroy something. If you find a Shure Unidyne, then this is an older model of essentially the same microphone.
The mic itself is very weighty and feels strong and robust, extremely well constructed. No lead but you get mic clip and carry pouch in the box!
This is a microphone which is suitable for all jobs. As mentioned in other reviews, it is widely used for drum kits and guitar amps etc., but as it was actually first designed for classical instruments, it can be used very effectively for acoustic instruments as well (tested on a harp and electro-acoustic guitars).
The sound of the SM57 up against an amplifier cabinet, such as a Marshall 4x12 or a Fender Bassman, is part of the classic sound of rock, and advanced modelling systems like the Roland VG-99 emulate a 57 up against a cabinet and at various distances, both on and off axis.
People often compare it to its brother the SM58 - but at least in my opinion the 57 has that bit more class when recording a multitude of sounds and I always prefer using it.

All in all, it's no wonder the SM57 is considered the industry standard workhorse microphone - can't go wrong with buying one (or two... or three ;) )! I've used 57s for longer than I care to admit, in various situations (both in the studio and live) and I've never been let down by one so I always highly recommend them!

It is what it is, you stumble upon it everywhere and it used to be convenient for any occasion, but it's not the 80s anymore, it's got medium output, not great side and back rejection and bad off-axis colorartion (now I understand why everyone else has hi-hat issues) and its frequency responce is full of peaks and drops.
For me nowadays it should be considered as just a character mic if you want the sound of the '80s and '90s, nothing bad with that, but it's not that miraculous mic you hear about, at least not for today's standards.

For guitar cabs I prefer ribbon mics (SE electronics, even some T-bones occasionally) and for drums I went all Albini and the skies opened, now I use Oktava MK-12 mics on snare, toms and sometimes room, and the only dynamic mic I find useable is the Sontronics Solo, way quieter and cleaner bleed and a way more hi-fi mic.
Also for snare I've done some shootouts with an Audix i-5 and it was awesome, but I haven't tested what it does with a hi-hat behind it.

Bought this as my first ever "real" microphone for recording vocals and guitars.

The whole body is made of metal and has a hefty weight to it. It really feels solid and I even dropped it once already. It was like nothing happened. This thing should last a really long time.

As for the sound, I am using a Behringer UMC202HD and to get decent volume I need to have around 70% gain on it. Again, this is my first every dynamic microphone so I do not really have anything to compare it with though based off the reviews I have watched this seems to be pretty standard with this mic. Sound was clear and was accurate to my ears.

For around $100 I think this is the best dynamic mic that you can buy. It is a great all-arounder. Would highly recommend!

Wasn't even gonna leave a review here, thought it would be a 100% 5 star review story, but i see a few 3 and 4's, they seem unfair for this microphone when it was purchased by mistake, and they say their review is trying to help others not make the same mistake.

Just to clarify, this microphone is well known, its excellent for live and studio recordings, drums, vocals, brass and guitars, both electric and acoustic, it works best in loud situations, its not a microphone used to pick up very soft low levels, i've never ever heard or seen anyone saying it's a great microphone for low level recordings. The build quality is also excellent, and while it could be called the jack of all trades, its actually on par with far more expensive microphones in some areas, for instance the snare drum.

Knowledge is important when buying and reviewing music equipment, there isn't really a one stop microphone that can do every type of recording the best, you ideally want a varied selection of different types that excel in 1 or 2 areas, and for the price the Shure SM57 is the best value for money mic you can buy, and it still gets used in high end recording studios. Its not just a really good microphone to start out with, many people buy it who own expensive condenser or ribbon microphones already.