Beyond the SM57 for live vox?

[JimmyM]

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.

[BigMac5]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

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.

[TimmyP]

Originally Posted by BigMac5

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.

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.)

[BigMac5]

Originally Posted by TimmyP

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.

[timo1999]

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.

[TimmyP]

Originally Posted by timo1999

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.

[GreyBeard]

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.