I'm looking for a gift for a vocalist. Everywhere you look it's SURE SM-57's on stage, I'm thinking of trying to find something superior

I know that for recording you cant get far superior vocal mics, but they are usually to delicate for live shows. Is there a superior quality vocal mic that still holds up in sturdiness?

Sennheiser 441 will fit the bill, it is a big step up and is reasonably sturdy though not as sturdy as a 57. 'course for a vocalist live I'd go for a 58 instead of a 57.

The SM58 is actually more common for vox than the 57.

I use a Beta 58 and it's rock solid.

I have a Shure Beta 57, it rocks!

Shure Beta 58.

Get a Shure 58. I have been using one for 20 years...the same one!

I'm looking for a gift for a vocalist. Everywhere you look it's SURE SM-57's on stage, I'm thinking of trying to find something superior

I know that for recording you cant get far superior vocal mics, but they are usually to delicate for live shows. Is there a superior quality vocal mic that still holds up in sturdiness?

The Shure Beta SM58A is a better quality mic for vocals than the SM57 or the SM58. It's not too much more than they are either.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Shure-Beta-58A-Mic?sku=270120

I'll offer up the Audix OM5, just so this isn't purely a Beta 58 thread...

I have an OM5, it's a great clear sounding mic.

Hi.

Sennheiser MD421 would be my primary choice.

If You wish to stick with Shure, The Beta 58 is most probably the best choice. Works wonders especially with female vocals, compared to SM57 and SM58.

There are others of course, but as I haven't used any, can't really comment about them ;).

Regards
Sam

Audix has some great vocal mics (OM-5, 6, 7). They don't work well with spitters though. Shure will win that battle every time.

I'll 3rd the Audix OM-5. Great mike. There are better mikes than shure these days. Shure's Reign is coming to an end.

i have a 57 and a 58. the 58 sounds different IMHO. both were gifts.

I use regularly use both the Audix OM7 and Shure beta 58. They're both good stage vocal mics, but for most voices (including my own) I prefer the beta 58.

Frankly, I was surprised to slightly prefer the Shure. It has a hotter output than the OM7 (which shouldn't really matter, unless you're maxing out your channel gain in an underpowered PA). But even gain adjusted, most voices seem to sit better in our live mix with the Shure.

Count me in on the Audix OM's. We like them much more than the 58's we have been using for years. They seem clearer in the mid-range, less of a proximity bass effect, and better feedback rejection at high gain.

JKT

Ditto all that. The Shure betas are an excellent blend of sound and quality build. Sennheiser makes great vox mics as well. My female vocalist uses a 935 (I think).

Female vocalist? SM87a stage condensor. Open, airy and clear vocals, a major step up from a 58. Tight pickup pattern so it works on a loud stage, great mic. Needs phantom power.

Beyer M88 makes a real nice live vocal mic.

I used to be an sm-57 guy. I have a fairly thin voice - the 4K presence peak of the sm-58 doesn't work for me at all. I moved from the sm-57 to the Beta 58 a year ago and that works great on stage. Feed back rejection is much higher than either a 57 or 58. Smoohter response works well with my voice.

The Beta 87 is a killer mic but condenser's on stage can be a pita.

I would entertain going to the local GC and demoing some mic's ...

Shure Beta 87 for a condenser, Audix OM 7 (or to a slightly lesser degree OM5) for LOUD stages, Beta 58 for a general purpose throw anything at it mic. I have them all but use Neumann KMS105s on my money vocal channels if the stage is not too loud. If the stage is louder I go for the Beta 87 and then the Audix OM7 in that order. The Audix OM5 is an "improved" SM58 IMHO and generally works better than the older SM58. The Beta 58 is a lot closer to the OM5 in terms of clarity and rejection but the OM5 will give you a bit more usable gain and better overall feedback rejection than the Beta 58 IME. They are all good but I would opt for the Audix OM5 in terms of over all quality and flexibility for the money. You should be able to get an OM5 for under $100 if you ask for a discount. I have about 10 or 12 of them and the most I ever paid for one was $99.99. If you are looking for an improvement over the SM57 for an instrument mic, I suggest the Audix I5 (about $79 if you ask) or the Beta 57 (about $120 or so if you ask). The I5 is a bit more rounded and even and the Beta 57 is an improvement to the element and sounds clearer but still has that 57 sound.

Peace,

T

sennheiser e865 (condenser) or e935/e945 (dynamic).

Our vocalist recently went and tested out a few different mics and the one he liked the best for his voice was the Electro-Voice N/D767A. I know a few other people who use this mic also.

You might want to drag your vocalist down to the local music store, have him try a half dozen or so mics and see what is best for his voice and your style.

I've always used 57's or 58's because they were readily available, eay to use and EQ and sounded pretty good with my voice when I sang very little lead. I now use almost exclusively a Beta58. It's still sturdy and it sounds better to me since I have a tendency to eat the mic. I haven't tried many more options though...

I haven't seen your budget.

If you don't have any , check out AKG D5. Very nice alternative to SM58.
If you have some budget , Neumann KMS105 is the best out there for live application

Would you recommend any differently for a deep voice?
I'm a definite baritone and much of what I sing is blues. Live I do some falsetto parts too, but most of what I'm singing is in the lower ranges.
I've had an SM57 for years, but now I'm singing more and am thinking that I should pay some attention to getting a good live vocal sound (rather than "whatever, if I can hear myself I'm happy").

I use a Sennheiser Evolution 865 which is a condenser mic so you need phantom power to run it. Great sounding mic in my opinion, it has a very clear sound with a nice high end.

Sting uses one too!

I do live sound and we have Audix OM5's and Shure Beta 58's, my experiance with them is that the Audix has a very clear, clean sound and you will be able to get much more from the monitors without it feeding back, while the beta 58 is a warmer mic that many would say has a better sound to it, but also needs a little bit more gain then the Audix.

Beta 58 or OM-5 both work quite well for me...




- georgestrings

Color me an old fart, but I greatly prefer a regular 58 for vocals. I've tried pretty much everything and nothing works with my voice as well.

Would you recommend any differently for a deep voice?
I'm a definite baritone and much of what I sing is blues. Live I do some falsetto parts too, but most of what I'm singing is in the lower ranges.
I've had an SM57 for years, but now I'm singing more and am thinking that I should pay some attention to getting a good live vocal sound (rather than "whatever, if I can hear myself I'm happy").
for baritone, i'd suggest trying a beyer m88.
great mic, plenty of low end response.

I sing bass, baritone and tenor parts. My favorite mic so far is a sennhieser 945e. It's smooth throughout all the ranges, buttery sounding even and doesn't color the voice and doesn't have much or proximity boost. So, it allows you to get right on the mic for the best pickup without doing a bass boost on your voice.

I've used shure 58's and 57's. To me the 58 sound thin for a male voice especially in the higher ranges. The 57 just sounds ok, it's more for close micing cabs and for a singer that needs to have a mic that can get louder without feeding back in a loud rock environment.

Is anyone familiar with the Sennheiser E845S Evolution? I heard some good things about this mike and have a chance to pick up one pretty cheap.

I use an AKG C5. My voice sounds like an AM radio, and this mic does the best for me compared to everything else I've tried, including a 57, 58, 87, and other brands, including some Sennheisers that I don't remember, and others I completely forget.

Mics, like basses, should be tried first. Everyone has specifics to their voices that would match up better to certain mics. I don't think there's a "best" at all.

I'm looking for a gift for a vocalist. Everywhere you look it's SURE SM-57's on stage, I'm thinking of trying to find something superior

I know that for recording you cant get far superior vocal mics, but they are usually to delicate for live shows. Is there a superior quality vocal mic that still holds up in sturdiness?

What's your budget? These are all great live vocal mics:

Shure SM86 ~$180

Shure Beta 58 ~$185 (my band has a couple of these)

Sennheiser e945 ~$220

Shure Beta 87A or C ~$250 (my band's singer uses these primarily)

AKG C 535 EB ~$300

Beyerdynamic M 88 TG ~$450

Neumann KMS 104 & 105 ~$650

Shure KSM9 ~$700 (one of my personal favorites)

Neumann KMS150 ~$1500 (my favorite live vocal mic; Sarah McLachlan's stuff turned me on to them - she's been using them for about 15 years now)

I'd take the Beta 87 first time, all day long. It's what my band uses, and they're such a nice mic - for any voice.

Female vocalist? SM87a stage condensor. Open, airy and clear vocals, a major step up from a 58. Tight pickup pattern so it works on a loud stage, great mic. Needs phantom power.

I'd take the Beta 87 first time, all day long. It's what my band uses, and they're such a nice mic - for any voice.
I wouldn't recommend the Beta 87's for rock. We just switched from the Betas 87A's to Betas 57A. Much better for a loud rock band.

I wouldn't recommend the Beta 87's for rock. We just switched from the Betas 87A's to Betas 57A. Much better for a loud rock band.

That's cool. I've used the 87's at fairly extreme volume settings, both with in-ear monitoring and without, and have had great success. Of course, I have a professional engineer who's really, really good, and a nearly unlimited budget. My experience may not be the best to draw from if you're using these in other situations.

just thought i'd add that if you do go for a condenser for vocals, it is a good idea to test the cable during sound check. just take the mic off the
stand (have the engineers listen/solo it while it is muted in mains and monitors) and move the mic around a bit. not much is worse than a condenser connected to a cable with a short or loose connection at the mic barrel...
unless you like massive spikes of static noise that can be damaging.

The Sennheiser condenser (around $200) will accentuate the lows in your voice. The Beta 87 is not that way, boosting the mids a bit instead. If it's a female singer, you can take your choice based on her vocal timbre. For a man with plenty of low end timbre already, the Sennheiser might be a bit dark. It's very sensitive & if you get up close to it and really get on it (loud rock band) that bottom end enhancement really makes the speakers jump. Both are great mikes in their own way, but they sound totally different. I also have a Beta 57, which I really like a lot. You can sing pretty far back off of it & it will still pick you up just fine. Great for background vocals in that sense.

Heil PR35 (based on multiple recommendations - I've not tried it myself).

Heil PR22 (as above, but I did hear one - very sweet).

AT AE5400.

OM7, Beta 87, OM6

Beyer 88 and Senny 865 are alright.

Good for the money: Senny 835

No thanks: OM5, SM58, Beta 58.

Our guitarist just bought himself a Beta 57, which I can't stand because it's so bright. Give me a good old regular 58 any day of the week over anything.

Our guitarist just bought himself a Beta 57, which I can't stand because it's so bright. Give me a good old regular 58 any day of the week over anything.
It's funny how mics sound different to different people. To me the 58 sounds muddy and the Beta 57 cuts better and has better GBF.

http://www.shure.com/stellent/groups/public/@gms_gmi_web_us/documents/web_resource/site_img_us_rc_sm58_large.gifhttp://www.shure.com/stellent/groups/public/@gms_gmi_web_us/documents/web_resource/site_img_us_rc_beta57a_large.gif

It's funny how mics sound different to different people. To me the 58 sounds muddy and the Beta 57 cuts better and has better GBF.

http://www.shure.com/stellent/groups/public/@gms_gmi_web_us/documents/web_resource/site_img_us_rc_sm58_large.gifhttp://www.shure.com/stellent/groups/public/@gms_gmi_web_us/documents/web_resource/site_img_us_rc_beta57a_large.gif

You are not comparing apples to apples. The SM58 graph shows only the response at a distance. The Beta 58 graph shows the response at a distance (the bottom line, which shows that is has less bass and low mids than the SM58), and at various degrees of "closeness". This shows how the low mids rise a ridiculous amount when you get close. The SM58 does the same thing, they just don't show this on the graph. (It really perturbs me that manufacturers hardly ever show the response up close, since that's where we use the things.)

You are not comparing apples to apples. The SM58 graph shows only the response at a distance. The Beta 58 graph shows the response at a distance (the bottom line, which shows that is has less bass and low mids than the SM58), and at various degrees of "closeness". This shows how the low mids rise a ridiculous amount when you get close. The SM58 does the same thing, they just don't show this on the graph. (It really perturbs me that manufacturers hardly ever show the response up close, since that's where we use the things.)You mean Shure. I did not make the graphs.;):)

You can never go wrong with "old faithful", the Shure SM58. I was a sound engineer and lead singer for a very long time, and found that mic to be the most consistant and as sturdy as a tank. Now if you singer has a thicker low voice, go with the BETA 58 because it brings out a nice high-mid range.

You can never go wrong with "old faithful", the Shure SM58. I was a sound engineer and lead singer for a very long time, and found that mic to be the most consistant and as sturdy as a tank. Now if you singer has a thicker low voice, go with the BETA 58 because it brings out a nice high-mid range.

You can never get particularly right with a 58 either. When I walk in to mix a band, I'd rather see them using even E835s (you can get three for about $200). The 58s weren't great 30 years ago, let alone compared to the choices we have today.

I've used a lot of different mics on stage and my voice sounds the best to me over a SM-58. With that said, the Shure Beta 87 condenser is pretty cool.