Mic Month 2016 may be drawing to a close, but it’s not too late for one final shout out: the Shure SM58 dynamic cardioid microphone turned 50 years old just a few weeks ago! Introduced in March of 1966 at the National Association of Broadcasters trade show in Chicago, the Shure SM58 (SM stands for studio microphone) has been seen in the hands of performers of all genres, styles, and applications. Primarily considered a vocal microphone, it’s not unusual to see an SM58 in front of any number of sources — guitars, drums, brass, and more — and in the hands of broadcasters or picking up sound for video. Anywhere there’s audio to be captured or amplified, odds are good the SM58 has been there!

Affordable, practical, rugged, consistent, durable…the list of adjectives that can be applied to the SM58 is long. Believe it or not, the SM58 has been updated with more than 100 changes through the past 50 years to keep it current and abreast of modern technology, and it remains one of the most popular and best-selling microphones on the planet.

Quite an achievement and quite a legacy of amazing performances and recordings from this venerable microphone! Congratulations, Shure, on the 50th anniversary of the SM58!

Credit: Sweetwater