The Mini SM57: the legendary 57 sound, transformerless and re-engineered into a compact, hand-built short body.

The Mini 57 is a Shure SM57 with everything that gets in the way stripped away. The output transformer is gone, and so is the long die-cast handle. What remains is a direct, open-sounding dynamic mic that slips into the tightest spots on a kit, between hi-hat and rack tom, where a full-length 57 always fights for space.

THE SOUND

- More low end: with the transformer out of the signal path, the 57's natural bottom comes through. Snares sound thick and full, toms get real weight, and guitar cabs gain chest.

- More smack: transients hit harder and faster. The crack of a snare cuts through the mix without needing heavy EQ or compression to dig it out.

- The nasty frequencies are gone: the boxy, honky mids and the gritty, harsh edge that the stock transformer adds are cleaned out. What's left is open, smooth and detailed, and it's still unmistakably a 57.

- Cleaner high end, less noise: the transformer's grain and noise leave the signal path with it, so snare top, cymbals and guitar presence come through clear, airy and smooth instead of gritty.

- Transformerless: the cartridge is wired straight to XLR pins 2 and 3 (pin 2 hot), the mod engineers seek out for a more open, punchy 57.

- The cartridge, pattern and presence peak are the original SM57's, so the voicing you trust is still there, just unfiltered.

THE BUILD

- Custom short body, designed and hand-built by me through eight development revisions for a precise head thread and a perfectly seated XLR.

- The stock SM57 grille head threads on securely. The original XLR insert is retained and locked in with its factory retaining screw.

- Matte black finish with a tapered XLR end and a clean, low-profile silhouette.

BEST FOR

Snare top and bottom, tight drum kits, toms and percussion, guitar cabinets, and any engineer chasing the transformerless 57 sound in a smaller package.

GOOD TO KNOW

- Output is lower than a stock 57 (commonly about 10 to 12 dB) because the transformer's step-up is removed. That's no issue on snare and close-miked sources; on quiet sources, use a high-gain preamp or an inline booster.

- Dynamic mic: no phantom power needed. Keep 48 V off on this channel.
Included: the Mini SM57 microphone, as pictured.

Please note: this is a custom-modified microphone, not a stock Shure SM57, and it is not made, endorsed or warrantied by Shure. It uses the SM57 cartridge, grille head and XLR insert; "Shure" and "SM57" describe those parts only. The original factory warranty no longer applies.