Vocal Mics

KingRazor · #1 09-07-2011, 05:16 PM

What are some good vocal mics that have a lot of headroom and can put out a lot of volume without overloading?

tangentmusic · #2 09-07-2011, 05:21 PM

The industry Standard: Shure SM58

KingRazor · #3 09-07-2011, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangentmusic

The industry Standard: Shure SM58

That's what I've been looking at for a while now.

What about an SM86? A condenser as opposed to a dynamic mic?

tangentmusic · #4 09-07-2011, 05:29 PM

Stage or Studio use?
Dynamics for stage
Condensor for studio, generally speaking

theduke1 · #5 09-07-2011, 05:31 PM

I have always used Shure Sm58 and Bata 58, but I was truned on to a Sennheiser e835 you can find them almost anywhere for around $100 and they are lights out beter then my Bata58, not the the Shures are not good, IMHO the Sennheiser is better for the money.

bassmeknik · #6 09-07-2011, 05:31 PM

I sing into a Shure Beta58, My singing drummer pal sings into a Sennheiser 935. His is more sensitive than mine but has less bass response. Which is better? They are both very good mics and I sang into a Shure SM-58 (the industry standard for stage vocal use) for over 25 years, although the SM-58 is no where near as good as either of the others it is still a very good vocal mic. SM-58 is built like a tank, it took me 27 years of abuse to break one... borrowed a mic for a couple of years (good friends) then took the plunge and bought my Beta58. Love it. Still sing into SM-58s at church every Sunday. My church bought 10 of them when they set up the music ministry, our small praise team has professional mics for everyone.

KingRazor · #7 09-07-2011, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangentmusic

Stage or Studio use?
Dynamics for stage
Condensor for studio, generally speaking

Stage use.

And while I am looking for quality, the headroom is an important factor.

As I said, the SM58 is something I've already looked into so it's good to hear that that's probably a good choice. I don't think a more sensitive mic would be a good option because it seems to me that would be more prone to overloading earlier than a less sensitive mic.

BulbousMoses · #8 09-07-2011, 05:43 PM

Blue Encore 200

Blue Microphones | enÂ·CORE 200 - Performance Series

I've owned SM58's and this Blue mic blows the SM58 away, IMO

Phatbottom · #9 09-07-2011, 05:48 PM

Shure KSM-9's are really awesome stage mics as well. They are Condensers but have a tight cardioid pattern; sensitive, but I've never heard them overload even with screaming sources.

Shure beta 58 +1 as well

Rockmusician · #10 09-07-2011, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangentmusic

The industry Standard: Shure SM58

+1

KingRazor · #11 09-07-2011, 05:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phatbottom

Shure KSM-9's are really awesome stage mics as well. They are Condensers but have a tight cardioid pattern; sensitive, but I've never heard them overload even with screaming sources.

Shure beta 58 +1 as well

The switchable cardiod pattern on that KSM-9 looks like a nifty feature. We could switch back and forth depending on who was singing and what they else they were doing (like playing an instrument while singing).

I'm not sure whether or not a super-cardioid pattern would be better or not, so I don't think I want to go with a mic that is purely super-cardioid.

EDIT: Wooooooooooooah just noticed the KSM-9 is about 7x more expensive than an SM58. Thanks, but no thanks.

georgestrings · #12 09-07-2011, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangentmusic

The industry Standard: Shure SM58

Yeah - although not the absolute best out there, the SM58 sounds good, is very rugged, and commonly used - you'll never get a hard time for providing your own... A Beta 58 is really good, too - but probably not worth the extra coin if you're only doing backups and harmonies like I do... Other mics I really like are Audix's OM5, and EV's 767...

Also, a Beta 57 works really well for vocals, and is *probably* the best "all around" mic out there - a pretty good thing for a musician to have, IMO...

- georgestrings

Drunk Heffalump · #13 09-07-2011, 06:04 PM

Shure SM 55 SH

Never_grew_up · #14 09-07-2011, 06:11 PM

SM57's for instruments/amps, SM58's for vocals. No condensor mics means no need for phantom power. I've used both of these and never been disappointed. I've also used the Sennheiser e835's and been happy with them. Just read a review in the August Lighting & Sound America of the Blue mics but haven't heard or used them. The review was quite complimentary.

ugly_bassplayer · #15 09-07-2011, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Never_grew_up

SM57's for instruments/amps, SM58's for vocals. No condensor mics means no need for phantom power. I've used both of these and never been disappointed. I've also used the Sennheiser e835's and been happy with them. Just read a review in the August Lighting & Sound America of the Blue mics but haven't heard or used them. The review was quite complimentary.

The 57 & 58 are the same mic buddy. The only difference is the wind screen on the 58.

4Mal · #16 09-07-2011, 06:15 PM

Shure quality has really fallen off in the low end and the sm58 is a low end mic. The mic's in my PA front line are Audix OM-5's which are best in class under $200 IMO. Feedback rejection is very good and the clarity is great. Blows the low end Shure and Sennheisers out of the water.

I switched to one of those - from my Senn MD421. It's in the same league as a vocal mic. The 421 is more flexible of course, but at more than 2x the cost, it needs to be...

Bufalo · #17 09-07-2011, 06:17 PM

I've had very good luck with the Sennheisers. I didn't like the Audix that I used once, but I do enjoy their drum mics. The SM58 sounds thin to me, but they always work.

monkeyking · #18 09-07-2011, 06:18 PM

I'll chime in with a + for the Shure and the Sennheiser. I've owned both for years and they've done the job well.

My dad did public address and radio work going back the the 50's. I can say with over 60 years of combined experience Shure's customer service is impeccable. You'll probably never need it but if you do, they will take great care of you.

Phatbottom · #19 09-07-2011, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KingRazor

I'm not sure whether or not a super-cardioid pattern would be better or not, so I don't think I want to go with a mic that is purely super-cardioid.

EDIT: Wooooooooooooah just noticed the KSM-9 is about 7x more expensive than an SM58. Thanks, but no thanks.

Yeah. The super-cardioid response keeps it from feeding back, and the price is justifiable if you consider it can do studio quality vocals if you do any recording…..but it is expensive.

shtik · #20 09-07-2011, 07:25 PM

The Audix OM-7 is my favorite mic for dynamic live vocals. Can take a really loud singer, and the gain before feedback is just crazy. Has a crisp presence boost that is sweet and not harsh like other industry "standards". I recommend it to anyone looking for a great performance vocal mic and that will not just blindly go with a 58. It's more expensive, but in this case you pay double the price and get much much more IMO.