Sweet spot for me in the 835. Worth every penny i paid over the Shure. Used it at an open mic session, and nobody wanted the SM57 or 58 after hearing the Senn.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Anyone using Sennheiser mics for vocals
- Thread starter BurnOut
- Start date
-
- Tags
- mics sennheiser vocals
The best Sennheisers for vocals are the old ones. Particularly the 421. I also like the Shure Beta58. I have a bunch of 835s, that never get used. I donated them to work, but they are almost as bad as SM87s. 935s are okay, but they pail compared to a 421 and they all pale compared to an SM7b with a cloudlifter.
He wasn't, no. But then neither was I.
I say WAS because I dropped my first and last vocal performance on youtube last year.
My friend Chris plays the guitar and drum tracks. He's a monster. Me, not so much.
TL, DR - I used a 57 on my 'vocal' here.
I like the 935 over the 58 for my voice which is a baritone/tenor range. Shure makes awesome mics, but the 935 gives things an undefinable "edge" for me. =) Example:
I haven't used any of the current Sennheiser vocal mics...loved some of the older designs and would not hesitate to use the E9 series. I do have some comments that may be helpful.
The Heil PR35 gets a lot of love on various pro sound pages. Very detailed/articulate with superior feedback rejection.
The SM58 is very forgiving of mic technique. You can move around a lot with little impact on sound. Mics with a tighter polar pattern require the vocalist to be in a sweet zone that is pretty narrow and relatively close to the capsule. To far and the sound will be thin and weak, to close and proximity effect will boost the lows and add mud. Some vocalist can't deal with this.
Best monitor placement varies by polar pattern. Monitor placement with SM58 is 180 degrees behind mic. Some narrow polar patterns actually have a pickup lobe at 180 degree so you want to place the monitors at 120 degrees, where the mic has the best rejection.
It's usually easier to dial in a system and reduce feedback when all singers use the same model of mic. A system that uses one type of mic will tend to feedback at certain frequencies on a consistent basis. Using different mics will often change the frequencies where feedback typically occurs. Thus, mixing models results in more frequencies with a tendency to feed back.
I use an e945 exclusively. We play mainly small stages and the hypercardioid pattern pays off there. Never liked SM58 they sound harsh and mid heavy, the Sennheiser sounds full and warm. Love it
We use them at church and they sound great and very durable. I use an SM58 Beta and an SM57 Beta when I provide my own. They have served me very well and sound great.
I live near Fullsail University. Their students receive an e835 to use as a reference mic in their introductory classes. As a result, at the end of the semester there's always a few at the local pawn shops. I picked one up cheap and compared it. In general I found it significantly clearer and easier to mix than my 58, and much livelier than my ev 767 and 967. It clearly is subjective, and any of them would do the job. For me, it's just easier with Sennheisers, and in my area it's generally cheaper.
I have a box full of SM58's but to my ears I like the e935. Our lead singers use e945's.
SM58's are very good, durable, mics. But the e935 has more presence, and the e945 has even more dynamics.
Nothing wrong with any of those mics, it's all in what sounds good to your own ears.
BTW: I am just as crappy of a singer on an e935 as I am on an SM58.
SM58's are very good, durable, mics. But the e935 has more presence, and the e945 has even more dynamics.
Nothing wrong with any of those mics, it's all in what sounds good to your own ears.
BTW: I am just as crappy of a singer on an e935 as I am on an SM58.
Last edited:
I just got a smoking deal on the two brand new Sennheiser 845 and the 935, he knocked off quite a bit cause I'm buying em both. Less than I'd be paying for new 58's, so we're gonna give em a shot. The tight pattern might work well with me seeing that's why I love using a 57. I'm definitely putting beta 58 on the list for the future.
All this PA sound reinforcement stuff is new to me. I just got a nice Carvin RX1200, we were using A smaller Behringer mixer amp. The Cavin has a way nicer controls and sound. The Behringer will probably end up on monitor duty. Like I said I'm still learning this PA stuff. Our former drummer used to own all the PA gear, when he flaked out or power tripped I said I will never again be subject to the will of someone holding all the marbles. Been building up a nice system ever since.
What's this A/B y'all are speaking of, I'm new and willing to learn. Trying to get a intern/labor work with a excellent soundman friend, just to learn things better.
Thanks for all your input and insight, and I will give a full report of my thoughts on how they end up working for us.
All this PA sound reinforcement stuff is new to me. I just got a nice Carvin RX1200, we were using A smaller Behringer mixer amp. The Cavin has a way nicer controls and sound. The Behringer will probably end up on monitor duty. Like I said I'm still learning this PA stuff. Our former drummer used to own all the PA gear, when he flaked out or power tripped I said I will never again be subject to the will of someone holding all the marbles. Been building up a nice system ever since.
What's this A/B y'all are speaking of, I'm new and willing to learn. Trying to get a intern/labor work with a excellent soundman friend, just to learn things better.
Thanks for all your input and insight, and I will give a full report of my thoughts on how they end up working for us.
My deal was set, a verbal contract was made, but somehow between last night and this morning, the mics were sold. They were on CL for weeks. I think someone reconsidered the deal they were gonna give me and had a change of heart.
Gonna check on the Beta 58's now I suppose.
I know I better not see em on CL now. He was all about selling em, then this. Chalk it up to yet another CL seller gone wrong. I didn't beat him up on the price he threw it out there, oh well. Didn't really wanna go out in the frozen tundra today anyway.
Typical CL BS if you ask me. I don't even browse there anymore.
I have always had good results with Beta 58's. Compared to ragged out SM58s, I find Betas have better rejection and are a lot smoother and open sounding to my ears.
Yea the Beta sounds like the way to go.
I've always done ok with CL, sometimes people post stuff and never answer a reply. I've never had someone make sure deal then turn around and "sell" it out from under me. Pretty sure he rethought his price he gave me and decided he needed the extra $25 he cut off the price.
I've always done ok with CL, sometimes people post stuff and never answer a reply. I've never had someone make sure deal then turn around and "sell" it out from under me. Pretty sure he rethought his price he gave me and decided he needed the extra $25 he cut off the price.
Fact check:
- The 57 and 58 are cardioid.
- Super/hyper cardioid mics might be less feedback prone. If one knows how to properly set gain staging AND knows how to place the relation to the monitors (not the same as with carioid mics). And whaddya know, that's exactly what you have to do with ANY mic.
Yep—- that little piece of paper with the squiggly lines that looks like a topographical map that comes with the mic is useful if you know how to use it.
Monitor directly behind the mic or at about 45 degrees offset? Different patterns require different monitor placement.
