Live sound technology has come a long way over the past 60 years, but one microphone has stayed front and centre throughout: Shure’s SM58.
Still viewed as one of the most reliable and consistent dynamic mics in the world, the SM58 remains a staple on stages around the world. And you won’t just find it in pubs and clubs: despite its affordability, even some big-name popstars continue to swear by it – Olivia Dean, for example.
Dean is something of an outlier among many of her pop peers in that she prefers a wired mic to a wireless setup when she’s performing, and Shure’s bombproof classic is one of her go-to models.
“The SM58 has been a staple of my live show for years,” she says. “Having the right microphone is so important to me; I need something reliable and durable and the SM58 has that warm, crisp and classic sound that I love.”
That said, on her current tour, Dean isn’t using just any old SM58: “We ended up going with a chrome finish for The Art of Loving Tour, which fits perfectly with the show design,” she says.
As well as being famed for its sound, the SM58 is also favoured by live engineers because of its cardioid pickup pattern, which helps to minimise feedback and background noise.
And then there’s that durability: Swedish magazine Studio once tested an SM58 after using it as a hammer, dropping it, freezing it, submerging it in water and running over it with a car, and it still worked. In fact, it continued to do its duties even after it had then been buried in the ground and endured rain, snow and more freezing temperatures.
It’s not just live sound history that the SM58 has been part of, either – it’s also been used on a few famous recordings, sometimes in rather unusual environments.
Speaking in 2024, the Human League’s Phil Oakey revealed that it was Shure’s mic that he had in his hand when he sang on their hit Don’t You Want Me, and that the take was captured while he was standing in a Sheffield studio toilet.
Speaking in celebration of the SM58’s 60th birthday, Chris Schyvinck, President and CEO of Shure, said: “Very few products remain relevant for 60 years, let alone become the industry benchmark. The SM58 has been trusted across generations not because of trends, but because it works, night after night, show after show.”
