For five decades, the Shure SM58 has been a world standard in handheld vocal performance microphones. The story of the SM58 goes back to 1961, when Shure engineer Ernie Seeler developed the Unidyne III cardioid capsule, based on a new diaphragm design that offered uniform deflection characteristics over a wide frequency range without “break-up.” After three years of hard work and hundreds of tests involving dropping, throwing, cooking, salt spray immersion and submersion, the SM Series was born, and Seeler’s same capsule design was first employed for 1965's SM57 and later with the SM58, with the chief difference between the two mics being the ball-shaped pop windscreen. Ironically, Seeler (a classical music fan who hated rock 'n' roll) created two of the mics that 50 years later, remain a mainstay of rock music.