Anyone using Sennheiser mics for vocals

[rocu]

A friend's band is using Blue encore200's and they sound really good. I see in the banner ad currently running on this page that Sweetwater has a BOGO sale going, might be worth a look.

 

[DavC]

i haven't used a 57 or 58 for vocals since the 70's ... used 57's for gtr amps , drums ... as they where rather hard to hurt .. !

for quite a while i use the EV N/D series ... bought a variety cheap when i worked at a music store .. 757, 767 , ... i think the newer numbers - 76s , ..?? i have a EV RE510 now . But , i also want something that doesn't require phantom power ...

a switch would be nice also .. ? i've been looking at the Senn 845s, 935 ( ish model numbers - i'm getting old ) ... and also the newer EV nd series , and also the AKG D5 ... they have similar specs , and are in that $100-150 ish price range ... in my little mind , i would want a mic that would blend well with the other vocal mics .. !?!? similar freq response ...

 

[pbassjbass]

We have a variety of mic's old and new. I like the 935's on our lead vocal (maie), they run a little hotter, I have to pad them, but not the 58's. The 935 pattern does seem to be tighter than a 58. If we're in a room where we're on the dance floor, and a stand is going to be in harm's way, it always gets the 58, My 30 year old 58 still bounces really well.

 

[Ryan L.]

I’ve tried various Sennheiser mics, but the mic that works best for *my* voice is a Beta 58. I still have 5 SM58’s with my practice PA in the basement, but they don’t see live use anymore. We use all Betas live. I’m sure the Sennheisers would work for a couple of the singers in my band, but the Beta 58s work great as well, so I’m not gonna start swapping them out.

 

[Paulabass]

Show me the data.

Data, and music- oxymorons.
I'm basing my personal opinions on- Forty years of doing front of house- Albert Lee, Vinnie Moore, Some guy from KISS, numerous Juno winners, J.P. Cormier, Levon Helm, The Ramones, MC5, Mike McKenna, Greg Keelor, and a pile of house gigs. I've guessing I've mic'ed 2000 singers. Experience has taught me to go with what I feel works the most often.
Your mileage may vary.

 

[darwin-bass]

At church I gave found SM58 < Beta 58 much< Beta 87a

Youtube videos suggest the Senn 835 is a bit better than the SM58 but I doubt it could complete with our Beta 87 mics.

 

[Doug Parent]

945 or 935 I can't recall which I that I use. The SM58 is a backup, and crappy in comparison IMHO.

 

[JimmyM]

I've used Sennheisers in the past and I hate them. They're harder to work than a 58, and you try to make them trebly enough to hear consonants and they distort way more than a 58, which certainly won't win any prizes for clean S's but is at least better at them. Yes, there are better mics than the 58, but while I've tried mics that are better technically, none cop the overall combination of features I need for live work that the 58 does, and I really couldn't give a rat's ass if someone on the internet thinks they're dinosaurs or not.

And BTW, I hate the Beta line

 

[Jeff K]

I'm not much of a vocalist, but I've had the SM 58 and 57 for many years. Never tried the Sennheiser stuff, but always figured they're probably good. But I am rather shocked at the lack of love for the old workhorses (SM 58's).

 

[joebar]

I saw a friends band play recently and I made note of the clarity of the vocals; they were using senns

 

[Son of Wobble]

I read that Bono uses 57s for album vocals.

Not sure if he uses them exclusively, but I do like the idea of recording a 300k budgeted project with an $80 mic.

 

[BurnOut]

I use SM-57 for my vocals and am quite happy with it over a 58. Don't hate the 58's as they were the mics I bought right out of the gate. Mainly having trouble with the guitar player I share vocal duties with, his 58 has been feeding back hard, and picking up way to much other stuff.
We just upgraded our PA and what once was ok, now sticks out like a sore thumb.
I'll look around for the article about how Sennheiser is designing their mics and post it. The Beta 58's sound like something to check out too.

 

[FranF]

Sennheiser 935. A/B'ed against my 58, no comparison. Fatter, less feedback. No SM58s are US made anymore, mostly Mexi and and alarming amount of gray market China ones.

 

[BurnOut]

I read that Bono uses 57s for album vocals.

Not sure if he uses them exclusively, but I do like the idea of recording a 300k budgeted project with an $80 mic.

If you watch the Tom Petty documentary, he used em almost always too.

 

[JRA]

lots of great choices these days at affordable prices. 58's are still in play.

 

[farace]

I read that Bono uses 57s for album vocals.

Not sure if he uses them exclusively, but I do like the idea of recording a 300k budgeted project with an $80 mic.

I read once that Lou Reed used 57s as well. Then again, as much as I truly love Lou, he really wasn't a singer, was he?

 

[Worldeeeter]

I've used an e835 for years, and I love it. My band's lead vocalist uses a 935, and it's great. Sennheiser has done a great job with filtering out noise pick-up from behind the capsule. It is a clean-sounding, high-quality mic. The sales guy at the store tried like crazy to get me to buy a Samson mic they had on sale for $99, but I insisted on the Sennheiser, and I'm glad I did.

 

[Mr.Ace]

Shure beta. So much fuller than my 58 or 57.

 

[JRA]

his 58 has been feeding back hard, and picking up way to much other stuff.

you might try A/B'ing his 58 with another: his may have capsule/internal issues.

 

[staurosjohn]

I’ve been using e935’s for a few years for our female vocalists- have a bit of a db boost (marketed for female vocals)- using EV 967’s for male vocals- here is the ‘newer’ version: Electro-Voice ND96

I A/B’d these with SM58’s- both ‘alternatives’ are much crisper... I also have several EV767’s (which are price comparable to 58’s)- they are ‘crisper’ as well.

If I didn’t already have 10 vocal mics- I’d get a few of these... always wanted to try... currently 2 for 1:
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