The SM58 is everywhere. From dive bars to arena tours, that signature silver grille atop a dark grey handle is just about everywhere you go. It’s the mic that has been an industry standard for 50 years. It would be easy to rest on those laurels. But we’re always innovating at Shure, so we decided it was time to take the next step in dynamic microphone technology.

From Unidyne® to Dualdyne™: Reinventing the Dynamic Microphone

In 1939, Shure introduced the original Unidyne® Model 55, the world’s first single-element, unidirectional dynamic microphone. Offering greater rejection of unwanted sounds and improved gain-before-feedback, the Unidyne represented a huge leap forward in sound reinforcement and reproduction quality. The technology was further refined into the Unidyne III element and included in the SM58®, becoming the blueprint for all unidirectional dynamic microphones to follow. Now, in 2016, Shure has introduced the first significant reinvention of the dynamic microphone in more than 50 years, with the KSM8 Dualdyne™.