What's a high quality microphone?.....Shure SM58???

::::BASSIST:::: · #1 09-15-2005, 09:06 PM

My band is looking for a good quality microphone. The owner of the rehearsal studio said that if we got a good quality mic it will solve alot of the feedback issues we are having with his PA. We are a five piece band and cant get enough vol. on the vocals without going into feedback territory.

He highly recommends the Shure SM58, but then some reviews on Harmony Central dont think highly of it. What's been your experience with it? Is there a better mic within a similar price range available?

thanks!

Dave · #2 09-15-2005, 09:46 PM

SM 58s and SM 57s are what my band and church (up untill they got wireless) uses. Those things are literally indestructable, and they sound just fine.

JimmyM · #3 09-15-2005, 09:52 PM

I won't sing live out of anything except a 58 if I can help it. Just the plain SM-58, not the Beta 58. The Beta 58 is too trebly for me.

::::BASSIST:::: · #4 09-16-2005, 01:26 AM

I have read the EV N/D767A

beats it from various reviews.

True?

JimmyM · #5 09-16-2005, 01:32 AM

Never tried that one, but I've tried every other mic on the market that's supposed to "beat" a 58 for live work and have been disappointed every single time. Last year it was the Sennheiser. 10 years ago it was the Shure Beta 58. 20 years ago it was the Beyer. A whole slew of EV's, AT's, RS's, whatever, came and went in between them and I still prefer a 58, and so do most people I know.

**cheezewiz** · #6 09-16-2005, 06:21 AM

I would guess the SM58 is the best selling mic in the world by far. It's the live vocal industry standard. There is a reason for that. Great mic, decent price.

Philbiker · #7 09-16-2005, 06:24 AM

The SM-58 and SM-57 are the P-bass and J-bass of the microphone world. Absolute industry standards.

AaronS · #8 09-16-2005, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Philbiker

The SM-58 and SM-57 are the P-bass and J-bass of the microphone world. Absolute industry standards.

They do the job reliably and are reasonably priced.

Bard2dbone · #9 09-16-2005, 07:54 AM

I prefer the SM-58. My female lead vocalist prefers the Beta 58. It depends on what your voice sounds like through one.

Philbiker · #10 09-16-2005, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron Schiff

They do the job reliably and are reasonably priced.

And they also behave very predictably when plugged in. Give a sound man an SM58 to plug in and there are no surprises. Walk into a studio with a P or J bass and the producer knows exactly how to deal with it.

buzzbass · #11 09-16-2005, 08:24 AM

can,t go wrong with those choices. They've been industry stanard, for years, for a good reason.

buzzbass · #12 09-16-2005, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VEGANBASS

I have read the EV N/D767A

beats it from various reviews.

True?

Don't listen to reviews. Listen with your ears and look at what your peers are using. that's worth more than any review.

Freaky Fender · #13 09-16-2005, 08:58 AM

Like previously stated, the 58 is an industry standerd for a reason. Roadspikes have been put through the mic and it STILL WORKED. You can't go wrong with a 57 or 58, even if you don't prefer the way they sound. A soundman can do swell things with EQing, but not to the point where it's like you're singing into a condenser.

jive1 · #14 09-16-2005, 09:31 AM

Though the SM58 is an industry standard, I don't buy that notion that getting a SM58 will solve feedback issues. The SM58 is hotter than many cheap microphones and has more presence, so there is a possibility that it may cause more feedback. Placement of the mic and speakers and proper gain settings will do more to eliminate feedback than replacing the mic.

Exception: Your old mic may be an omnidriectional mic, and that in itself will lend itself to feedback. Replacing it with an SM58 will solve the feedback issue because it is a unidirectional mic. If that's the case, any unidirectional mic will solve the issue.
Maybe your cheap microphone picks up way too much noise, but I find that more expensive microphones to be more sensitive than a cheap one.

Bottom line: Get an SM58 to improve your sound and to get a roadworthy mic. But to eliminate feedback? I don't think so.

::::BASSIST:::: · #15 09-16-2005, 10:39 AM

Thanks for the responses. Perhaps the SM58 vs the
Electro-Voice ND767 is like comparing a Fender to a Sadowsky.

Feedback control is really our main issue. It seems the SM58, from what I have read, does not fair so well in this regard. However, the
Electro-Voice ND767 is apparently much better at rejecting feedback. Anyone have any experience with the

Electro-Voice ND767?

jive1 · #16 09-16-2005, 10:59 AM

You can look at specs for microphones, and many will show you the pattern. Basically you want a mic with a tight polar pattern. The wider the polar pattern, the more chances for feedback.

Feedback is caused when the mic picks up sounds from the speaker. So the cheap solution is to play around with the placement of the speakers and microphone, so that the mic doesn't get a signal from the speaker. Another cheap solution is to play quieter so that you don't need as much volume to come from the PA.

xshawnxearthx · #17 09-16-2005, 12:03 PM

i have a 58 and 57

the 57 i retired because after a year of signing in a band, i just abused the **** out of it. one thing i loved about it was the fact that it took a beating, and never failed me once.

my 58 is what i use for my backing vocals. i love it.

SteveC · #18 09-16-2005, 12:08 PM

I'm fairly certain that a new mic won't necessarily fix your problem. Speaker placement and input gain levels are more likely the problem.

That said, the SM58 is a good vocal mic.

steveksux · #19 09-16-2005, 12:14 PM

What kinds of mics do you have now? All you need is 1 omnidirectional mic in the bunch to make feedback unavoidable.

I'm assuming your expert already checked your physical placement of mics/speakers/monitors. If not, make sure your monitors are pointing at the backs of the mic, not towards the end you sing in. Also make sure your mics are not placed in front of the main speakers. If you're putting your main speakers behind your mics so you can hear them instead of using monitors that'll cause problems too. unidirectional mics are designed to reject sound coming from the back so make sure speakers are placed in that dead zone, not pointing towards the live end of the mic.

Make sure you're not using excessive boost on high freqs in the monitors. That'll aggravate a feedback problem. If you're instruments are screaming loud, you have to turn up the monitors to hear them. Too much gain causes feedback. Get the monitors too loud, with hi freq boost on top of that, you cannot avoid feedback.

58's are fine vocal mics, zillions of artists use them. Any other cardiod or hypercardiod mics work just about as well for feedback suppression when placed and EQ'd properly.

::::BASSIST:::: · #20 09-16-2005, 01:33 PM

The studio uses crappy $35cdn behringer mics. The monitors and mics are setup in the correct configuration. The problem is the PA is a piece o' junk. Well, its not that bad. I think its a peavy. We have adjusted all the frequency / eq sliders and knobs to their optimum positions. The bands volume isnt terribly loud, but when you get all the instruments going it cant help but be a bit loud. The singer sings on the quiet side but she is pretty good. So we just cant enough vol. out of the PA without getting feedback. The cheapo mics have a great deal to do with it. So we want to get the best mic possible for around $120 US. Used is fine.