The GLS ES-57: Name Dropping Gear Review

Name Dropping Gear Review:


GLS ES-57 - $30  ($50 on Amazon)

If you listen to the show you know two things about me:

1. I drop gear names, and 

2. I love good cheap mics

So lets start dropping names and get this review on!

Everyone knows. And they know well that the number one standard studio mic that everyone has is: the Shure SM 57. Every studio has several, they are workhorses, they never break and they are only $100. Should you have one? Shure! Do I? Nope.

The GLS ES-57 is an inexpensive microphone that hangs with the big boys. A dynamic mic that works equally well on snare drums, guitar, and voice.

First Impressions:

You might need to drop some serious names, and if you do, get your self a whole gaggle of sm57's. But if you're looking for value and quality, save yourself 70% and buy yourself a whole bunch of this clone.

This mic has a nice weight to it, it feels like a good dynamic, and it sounds great. Tons of people have done A/B tests online, so head over to gearsluts.com if you want to compare. But this mic stands on it's own. It has it's own clear EQ curve.

I use this mic all the time on guitar cabinets, and it responds fantastically. Guitar tones from clean to crazy distorted are faithfully reproduced.

This mic has found it's place as my top snare mic. One inch off of the rim, pointed to the center of the head gets me a great snare sound. When I use a four mic setup for drums, then this mic gets me where I need to go.

Lastly, you'll find yourself listening to the mic every week on the podcast. That's right. It is a fantastic vocal mic, especially for speech and voiceovers. While Eric uses the MXL BCD-1 (previously reviewed on this site), I use this $30 mic. The proximity effect is great, and it takes EQ great.

Negatives:

This mic only has negatives, if you really care what other people think about you and your studio. Someone once told me, that it's an ok mic for some situations. Seriously? I use it everyday and get fantastic results. Don't get caught up in name hype. Recognize quality where it is. Get it, get several. You will always find a fantastic place for this jewel of a mic.

Final Thoughts:

I'm a cheap gear name dropper, I know this, and it's awesome to be that. This mic gets used all the time in my studio. While I sometimes think about picking up an SM57, I don't really need one. I've got this guy, and he works great.

--Art