Shure - SM57-LC

Grab a cheap, used SM57 or 58. Keep it as a backup when you upgrade someday. It doubles as a hammer in emergencies. Can't kill the damn things and they will always sound "good". Rarely great, never bad, but always good enough.

I’d suggest a 57, 58, re-20, sm-7

Without an interface you'll likely need a dynamic mic instead of a condenser that requires Phantom Power. That being the case, the Shure sm57 is the utility mic that does everything and does it well. Every studio in the world, not matter their budget, no matter how many mics they have in their mic locker, will always (always) have several Shure 57s on hand and use them all the time.

Not OP, but I have an SM57 and it works great. But looking for a quality mic that clips onto the bell, of a flugelhorn in my case. Suggestions?

Everyone needs an sm57

It's just darker and muddier than average studio mic. It's not a bad option for untreated room. You don't know which mic fits your voice until you try them. 57 and 58 are different but not that much, you can make 58 half way there by removing a grill (with extra care and windscreen) to see if you like it more, but not the opposite way

Firm wolf is right. 58 for vocals and 57 for instruments. Major Studios still use 57s.

This is about where I'm at with it too...no, it's not a Good Microphone™ or even The Best™ and there are many better ones which I've heard all about and even used and been perfectly happy with...but that's not the point of the SM57. It's a workhorse, it's a known quantity among engineers/musicians/vocalists...it's like, you know what you're getting. It's affordable, easy to find if you just need to buy A Mic, and it's built like a brick shithouse. It sort of defies ratings, in. a way...and therefore, cannot be over or underrated. It just, like, IS. It's a fixture, a utility. At this point, its tagline should be: "Yeah, we know it sucks" lol. But sometimes (most of the time) people just want to use what they \*know\*.

I still hate the 57 on electric guitar. Something in the high end hurts my ears. They sound surprisingly good as drum overheads though.

Get a dynamic mic like the 57. Condensers are too precise for bedroom recording.