Good live vocal mic under $200

**embellisher** · #1 03-07-2008, 08:03 PM

My Pastor has asked for me to look into upgrading our mics at church.

I need to get two really good vocal mics, and three decent ones for the backup singers.

I am looking at the Shure SM87A for the 'good' mics.

Is there anything else in the under $200 range that I should even consider?

One of these will be at the pulpit, and will be used primarily by our Pastor, who has a strong, resonant baritone voice. It will of course be used for visiting ministers, and for vocalists to sing solo as well.

The other will be used for the Pastor's wife. She is a soprano with a strong, beautiful voice, and our worship leader. This microphone will be at the electric piano, so it needs to have decent off axis noise rejection, I am pretty sure that the SM87A excels at this.

I have tons of experience with Shure, and know that they are bulletproof. I also have had negative experience in the past with Sennheiser, Audio Technica, and Samson when it comes to reliability, so if you are going to recommend one of these, keep in mind I want to buy good sounding mics that will last for 20+ years, not something that will fall apart or short out 3 or 4 years down the road.

Thanks!

**embellisher** · #2 03-07-2008, 08:08 PM

OK, now for the backup mics.

I am in a small church, and we do not always have a soundman.

My Pastor has decided (and I concur) that the backup mics need to have a switch on them, something that I see has kind of become a thing of the past.

I was originally wanting SM57's for their excellence at suppressing background noise, and the fact that they are also great for micing instruments, so that we could continue to use them as our church grows.

I found that they are no longer available with a switch.

So, is there anything that I should consider other than an SM58 with a switch?

Thanks!

Passinwind · #3 03-07-2008, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by embellisher

So, is there anything that I should consider other than an SM58 with a switch?

You can get a cable with the switch built into the connector at the mic end. You might want to consider that route if a 57 is what you really want/need.

Link to the Neutrik female XLR connector w/switch.

**embellisher** · #4 03-07-2008, 09:55 PM

Cool! I didn't know about those.

So, for backup vocals, maybe a decent mic in the $100 range, SM57, SM58, or???

Passinwind · #5 03-07-2008, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by embellisher

Cool! I didn't know about those.

So, for backup vocals, maybe a decent mic in the $100 range, SM57, SM58, or???

For sound quality on most male vocals I like the Sennheiser 535 a little more than SM57s or 58s, but many people will want 58s by default IME. Here's a link to the 535 version with a switch.

We used to have a bunch of 535s at the club I work in occasionally, but our head sound guy ended up buying six 58s and six 57s just to meet standard riders for touring bands. He also thinks they'll prove to be more durable, FWIW. Personally, I dumped my 58s for AKG D80s when they went on closeout at 50 bucks apiece. Not sure what the replacement's model number is, but it might be worth a look as well. I think the D80s sound much nicer than a 58 for most voices.

iamlowsound · #6 03-07-2008, 10:40 PM

I would just go SM58s for vocals. I wouldn't use SM57s for vocals as they are designed as more of a instrument mic, not a vocal mic. Also, for your pastor I would suggest that you look into a lapel mic or a cordless handheld mic. Maybe your pastor likes standing behind a pulpit and preaching (I know a few that do), but a lapel mic will produce better speaking cds as the mic stays at a constant distance from the mouth. Also, I know a lot of guys that insist on them for speaking, might be a consideration for bringing in outside speakers. I know traveling speakers that are so picky that they travel with their own mics. I know I would.

lowsound

**embellisher** · #7 03-08-2008, 12:00 AM

He has a lapel mic (which is broken ATM

) but he also wants a high quality handheld mic for the pulpit area.

Does anybody know a reliable place to get cable repairs done? His lapel mic keeps shorting out where it plugs in to the transmitter. The short is in the cable. We have it repaired, and a few weeks later, it shorts out again.

**Pacman** · #8 03-08-2008, 09:20 AM

Do not get the 87s for handheld vocal mics - they're not designed for that. They're a full-range condenser mic.

I'd recommend the Shure Beta 58 for all the handheld vocal applications. They're condensers (meaning they require phantom power), but they sound outstanding, and they're only about 160 bucks street.

Deacon_Blues · #9 03-08-2008, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pacman

D
I'd recommend the Shure Beta 58 for all the handheld vocal applications. They're condensers (meaning they require phantom power), but they sound outstanding, and they're only about 160 bucks street.

My Shure Beta 58 have never failed me. But mine is for sure a dynamic and not a condenser mic. Are the beta58's condenser mics over there?

cavemusic · #10 03-08-2008, 10:19 AM

Hmm, I believe the Beta 58A is a dynamic mike, no?

Anyhow, that's the one I'd recommend too. It has a supercardioid pattern (very directional) so it's less likely to feed back, and it sounds much better than its predecessor, the SM58. I think it's a great live mike for the money.

iamlowsound · #11 03-08-2008, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by embellisher

He has a lapel mic (which is broken ATM

) but he also wants a high quality handheld mic for the pulpit area.

Does anybody know a reliable place to get cable repairs done? His lapel mic keeps shorting out where it plugs in to the transmitter. The short is in the cable. We have it repaired, and a few weeks later, it shorts out again.

You could just buy a whole new mic and cable instead of trying to get it fixed. The transmitter is the expensive part anyway. For a high quality handheld around the pulpit, I would recommend getting a cordless handheld. Not sure the model, but Shure makes a good cordless vocal mic that would be excellent around the pulpit.

lowsound

Chad Michael · #12 03-08-2008, 03:30 PM

Audix OM-5 is a respected mic in the live sound community.

$159

**Pacman** · #13 03-08-2008, 10:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

My Shure Beta 58 have never failed me. But mine is for sure a dynamic and not a condenser mic. Are the beta58's condenser mics over there?

Nope. I type faster than I think....

The mic I'm recommending is the Beta 87, not the 58.

Sorry guys...

**embellisher** · #14 03-09-2008, 01:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pacman

Nope. I type faster than I think....

The mic I'm recommending is the Beta 87, not the 58.

Sorry guys...

Jon,

The mic that I am looking at is the SM version of the Beta 87, the SM87-A, and according to the reviews that I have read online, it is a little more 'colored' in that great sounding Shure way than the Beta 87.

Most of the reviews that I have read say that people prefer it to the Beta 87.

**Pacman** · #15 03-09-2008, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by embellisher

Jon,

The mic that I am looking at is the SM version of the Beta 87, the SM87-A, and according to the reviews that I have read online, it is a little more 'colored' in that great sounding Shure way than the Beta 87.

Most of the reviews that I have read say that people prefer it to the Beta 87.

Once again, I typed faster than I read. I was thinking of another mic, the SM81. I'm going to crawl back into my hole now. Please forget I said anything at all....

lawsonman · #16 03-09-2008, 09:12 AM

Just get a AKG D880 for a $100 and forget about it.

Munjibunga · #17 03-09-2008, 11:31 AM

My brother and I use Beta 87C's, but our singer sounds best on a regular old SM 58. The Beta 87's are in the $219 to $249 range, so you could get two SM 58's for the price of one Beta 87. I'd probably go with the SM 58's. I have a slew of them and they sound good and don't fail.

Rufus · #18 03-09-2008, 06:55 PM

Hey embellisher, did you get my message? I pm'd you about the Vocopro mics. The reason your post caught my eye is that we were in exactly (or very very near the same) predicament. Shure has always been our go to mics and when we upgraded our pulpit mic, Shure is what we bought. I am telling you this so that you know I am well aware of Shure quality and sound, and that is one reason I was completely surprised when I heard the Vocopro mics. Their quality is right there with the Shure quality sound. No extra noise, no feedback problems, and they each have an on/off switch. We were in need of cord clutter relief, so we were looking for cordless mics when we happened upon this brand. They make a 2 mic unit and two 4 mic units. Each mic is color coded. We purchased two UHF5800's and kept the cordless pulpit mic and they all sound great. It will be worth your time to go to their site http://www.vocopro.com/ and read up on them. Good luck.

Rufus

John123z · #19 03-09-2008, 08:14 PM

+1 for the Sennheiser e535.

John

**embellisher** · #20 03-09-2008, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pacman

Once again, I typed faster than I read. I was thinking of another mic, the SM81. I'm going to crawl back into my hole now. Please forget I said anything at all....

It's cool, man, I value your opinion, because I know you have been doing live gigs for years, and have a lot of experience with live sound.

I just wanted to fully understand what you meant.