Need cheap vocals for garage band

m0ntels · #1 04-25-2011, 08:25 AM

Now that my "band" has got a few songs down, we got another friend who says he'd do vocals with us. We're all new to this stuff and need to know what we need so we can actually hear him. We keep the volume low so we don't bother the neighbors, but we're still too loud to hear him over the drums. From what I've been able to read up on, it seems like I should be looking for a powered speaker. That's about where my knowledge ends on this stuff though.

Is a powered speaker what we want? What brands should I look at? Is buying used the smart thing to do for this type of gear? Should I be looking at any mics besides a SM58? Basically looking for whatever I need to know. Would like to keep the budget as low as possible.

Jimbob Jones · #2 04-26-2011, 05:07 AM

You could get a 58; it won't die, it's affordable, and you know it'll sound good.

That said, IME, Behringer got something right with their Ultravoice XM8500. Having used it alongside the Shure, I can tell you that it has a higher output and better feedback rejection than the SM58. Although it doesn't sound as good, I would say that for the money, it's actually a better workhorse for rehearsal situations. I don't think I'd ever record with it though.

As for a speaker, yes you're right, you want a powered speaker. I like the JBL EON stuff, but there are lots of options out there. I have very little experience of them, but a lot of people on here love Carvin.

bolophonic · #3 04-26-2011, 05:38 AM

Just plug a mic into a 100w Peavey combo.

dug dog · #4 04-26-2011, 05:47 AM

Some guys that I know plug a mic into a keyboard amp. Does it sound great? No, but it sounds OK, it gets the job done and it's cheap as they already had the amp kickin' around.

Baron Von Vik · #5 04-26-2011, 05:51 AM

Sure, buy used. Make sure you try it out before you take it home though; just because it turns on doesn't mean it works. Also, ask WHY they're selling it...

And you can't go wrong with Shure. We have a couple 58s that look like they got thrown out the window of a speeding car, and they still work fine. (If you buy a used mic, clean the hell out of it. People spit when they sing.) Sennheiser makes a nice mic too.

If you're just jamming in the garage, look into the cheap little travel PA combos, like the Peavey escort, Fender passport, phonic powerpod, etc. You can always trade up when you get to the gigging level.

Hellbastard · #6 04-26-2011, 07:44 AM

Look for a Portable PA like the Samson Expedition Express, which comes with a small 3 channel mixer, 2 band EQ and DSP FX. If you only get a powered Loudspeaker, you won't have any way to manipulate the signal of your mic.For a Vocalist you want at least to have a little bit of Reverb.

Jimbob Jones · #7 04-26-2011, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hellbastard

For a Vocalist you want at least to have a little bit of Reverb.

Surely it's not that important if it's for practice only...

For gigs/recording then yeah, but for practice? I'd prefer to keep the budget down than have reverb, personally.

cableguy · #8 04-26-2011, 09:04 AM

Look for a used keyboard amp. 12 or 15 inch with a horn. They usually have a few channels, EQ, and some even have a few effects. Carvin also has some inexpensive solutions as well.

Hellbastard · #9 04-26-2011, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimbob Jones

Surely it's not that important if it's for practice only...

For gigs/recording then yeah, but for practice? I'd prefer to keep the budget down than have reverb, personally.

Even if it's for practice. Vocalists like to have a bit of reverb and it'll make the sound much better, there's no reason to sound like crap just because is for practice. I'm sure you wouldn't like to have a crappy Bass and amp just because it is for practice?

Anyway a system like the Samson I talk about is not really expensive and nowaday you can get FX units really cheap.

perogato02 · #10 04-26-2011, 09:22 AM

Or an old beatup bass combo ...

**Rune Bivrin** · #11 04-26-2011, 09:27 AM

All solid advice. As the lead singer since 30 years, I assure you a little reverb makes a lot of difference. Particularly when you're fresh to singing and sounding like ass will do no good for self confidence.

However: I'm sure you've paid for your bass and amp? The drummer bought his kit? Guitar dude? There's absolutely no reason why a dedicated vocal reproduction unit should be paid by anyone but the prospective singer. A proper PA is a different issue, and the financial model for that can be argued. But a mic and a simple mixer/amp/speaker combo should be the responsibility of the user. It doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.

m0ntels · #12 04-26-2011, 10:54 AM

If the singer was just someone I didn't know I definitely wouldn't pay a dime. We're trying to keep the band as much a friend's only club as much as we can. The drummer is my wife's bff's husband and the guy we want to sing is my wife's sister's long time bf. We all get along great and may as well be family. We talked to him the other night to see if he was serious about singing and he says he'd like to do it but had been quiet about it because he's short on cash. He was going to be off to college for the summer, but can't afford the extra tuition so he's taking the summer off to work, so he is legit poor. I just sold off a bunch of guitar stuff to finance my micro amp and TB153 and the drummer just moved over from England so we're all a bit strapped.

I told him that I could probably raise enough to get something basic by summertime so he could join in the fun while he's home for a few months. I said he could pay it off a little at a time and if he lost interest or whatever, I'd just sell it to get my money back. Looking at CL I saw a few JBL EONs for $300-400 and if that Behringer mic isn't bad, that would save a bit over the Shure until he finds out if he wants to buy a better mic on his own.

I was thinking the powered speaker was the way to go because we could always get more of the same if we ever left the garage and it should be easy to sell if we end up not needing it. I have a guitar multifx that I really only use as a tuner now that I play bass most of the time, would the reverb on that be fine on vocals?

MuzikMan · #13 04-26-2011, 11:11 AM

I would go with the mic -> powered speaker setup in your situation. Do yourself a favor and get items that you can use beyond your immediate goals if money allows. For expample, I would go no lower than an SM58 for a vocal mic. That mic will be good for just about anything you ask of it down the road and you will become accustomed to the industry standard. From there you can judge all future purchases to that industry standard. In the end you can easily sell an SM58 and get most, if not all, of your money back.

I would use the same philosophy wiith the powered speaker. A decent quality unit will have a good resale value. Make sure that the powered cab has a MIC input and a LINE input. You can just plug a mic into the cab for now and down the road you could expand by getting a small mixer and connecting it to the LINE in. IMO don't worry about reverb right now, take care of the basics.

Jimbob Jones · #14 04-26-2011, 11:12 AM

Sounds like a plan.

If you get an old Peavey tank (something like this) instead of an active speaker, it'll be cheaper, and they often have reverb in-built, or an effects loop to put your pedal in if you prefer.

Although it goes against my every instinct, I have to reccomend that Behringer mic for a gets-the-job-done-for-cheap solution.

skwee · #15 04-26-2011, 11:20 AM

Back when I'd sit in with a jazz combo at restaurants, I even got by with a 15 watt guitar amp using the clean channel. it had on board verve and some effects, and was fine. I could take "instrumental" scat solos using the distortion channel.

Electricblue · #16 04-26-2011, 01:10 PM

Just pick up an old guitar combo, like a fender frontman 65w. It has reverb, sounds decent.

mboogiemanusa · #17 05-09-2011, 10:01 AM

Check Craigslist and buy a cheap PA system. Lots of deals on there. People buy little PA's for their kids garage bands and when they grow out of that phase....sell them cheap. Lots of PA heads and speaker combos sitting around in garages and basements. You need at least 100 watts minimum and "LOW" impedance mics. Do not buy an high impedance gear that uses a guitar 1/4 inch jack. You can't go wrong with a shure SM58 but also consider other brands such as AKG. Quality mics that Guitar Center sometimes does a blowout on and sells 2 AKG vocal mics for $40. Lots of used gear out there....no need to run a mic into a cheesy guitar amp.