does anyone know if I should use an unbalanced xlr cable to avoid noise with a sm57 in the input of a ssacrlett interface only in the xlr input because I use a mic condenser with a balanced cable and there is no noise in the ts input of the board and the 57 doesn't get noise only using the balanced cable in the xrl input of the board.

 

Strange you should ask this because XLRs are made to avoid noise interference. Unbalanced cables, especially longer [more than ~1.5m] are prone to picking up noise, EMI from surroundings. The 3rd connection in an XLR is "grounding" and it shields the 1 and 2 from all interferences-noise. Maybe you have grounding problems? Is your Scarlett interface grounded? Is your computer grounded? I ask because if you have bad grounding in the house [just one on which you connect everything in the house and that's what flats usually have, even whole houses have one ground], you will get a lot of interference in your audio, starting with monitor speakers and audio interface and then in anything you connect to them.

It would be advisable to use XLRs with mics and to disconnect ground from the audio interface's power supply at least if you can't afford a power conditioner. Furman PL-8C power conditioners cost about 200 euro. These prevent all these interferences and grounding problems from entering your audio cables.

However, using a short unbalanced cable with SM57 is a short [literally ] and dirty solution. Make sure you keep mobile phones [!], monitors, computers, radios, wi-fi, routers as far away from the mic as possible because all that will cause all kinds of different noises from getting into your recordings.

Personally, I would buy Furman PL-8C. In fact I did, 10y ago or so. Still working perfectly! No more noises in recordings when a neighbour turns on a washing machine or an air-conditioner! [or a mobile phone addict enters my studio... aargh!] Despite all these precotions I tend to keep wi-fi and mobiles out of the studio when recording.

 

Last edited: Aug 5, 2022

a reel microphone, will be sensitive to magnetic fields.
the cable will also be slightly microphonic with a low impedance.
there are different qualities of cable.
there is also twice as much electrical signal with a balanced cable.

 

XLR IS balanced.
You should use balanced/XLR. Preferably with a Triton Fethead or Cloudlifter.

 

Yeah, therefore I said "dirty", as in "quick but don't count on it long-term".

The problem is also, since you mentioned the signal strength, SM57's signal strength is already on the low side. One should really use an XLR with it.