If you are intent on buying something now I would try to find at least one or two powered speakers to go along with your mixer.
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.
Live vocal microphone/PA system setup
- Thread starter Ezmar
- Start date
If you are intent on buying something now I would try to find at least one or two powered speakers to go along with your mixer.
1. The sm 58 is basically the 'lowest common denominator' mic... It owns the $100 mic market. Great... They advertise a lot and sell tonnage at guitar center. So does Fender Squire.... The 58 is very strong - one reason sound companies like them. They just don't sound very good.
There are some good alternative choices in that range but when compared against what you get in the 150 -300 range, none of those mic's stand up including the 58. Personally for my voice which is thinish, male tenor the Audix i5, 6 and 7 work very well. They make a 58 or beta 58 sound muffled. They also have better feed back rejection. My PA front line mic's are om5's which at around $160 a unit are a very good choice for my band. We have a lady singer, robust male tenor and my thin tenor voice.
2. IMO, the best method for selecting a mic is to get 3 or 4 of them on stands, set the channels flat and walk between them singing. You will hear the one that sounds better. Then investigate the feedback rejection qualities as a mic that sounds great but feeds back is essentially worthless in a live environment.
3. You will want something to practice your mic technique with. Some amplification. I would recommend a powered speaker to go with your multimix. The powered speaker can also serve as your vocal monitor if you join a band with a PA. The better the speaker, the better... I have the same mixer stored in a rack bag with a stereo EQ. I pull it out for casual or open mic scenarios where there isn't a demand or the space for my digital board.
4. We have a live sound forum. That is where this thread belongs... Just sayin'
There are some good alternative choices in that range but when compared against what you get in the 150 -300 range, none of those mic's stand up including the 58. Personally for my voice which is thinish, male tenor the Audix i5, 6 and 7 work very well. They make a 58 or beta 58 sound muffled. They also have better feed back rejection. My PA front line mic's are om5's which at around $160 a unit are a very good choice for my band. We have a lady singer, robust male tenor and my thin tenor voice.
2. IMO, the best method for selecting a mic is to get 3 or 4 of them on stands, set the channels flat and walk between them singing. You will hear the one that sounds better. Then investigate the feedback rejection qualities as a mic that sounds great but feeds back is essentially worthless in a live environment.
3. You will want something to practice your mic technique with. Some amplification. I would recommend a powered speaker to go with your multimix. The powered speaker can also serve as your vocal monitor if you join a band with a PA. The better the speaker, the better... I have the same mixer stored in a rack bag with a stereo EQ. I pull it out for casual or open mic scenarios where there isn't a demand or the space for my digital board.
4. We have a live sound forum. That is where this thread belongs... Just sayin'
I figured I'd put it here, since it was originally about the mic itself, and didn't have anything to do with bass.
As far as microphones go, I don't mind paying a premium as long as it's durable and rugged. If I were to go for Shure, I'd lean towards the beta (obviously having tried nothing), but I'm open to any other options, especially ones that have worked well with a loud high tenor. I'll see what I can try out at my music stores when I can find time.
Any things I'd want to look for when auditioning microphones? It's obviously going to sound different in a store than on a stage, so how will I know if the mic itself is complementing my voice? EDIT: You sort of answered this in #2, but my question sort of still stands.
If you cannot manage to blend different vocal mics and still come up with a good mix then IMO you need to develop your chops a bit. The SM58 is a great mic, sure (Shure
), but there are others which suit some folks better or that they just plain like. If you don't want to re EQ the monitors, then don't. If you can't get the same volume in the monitors before feedback, then that's the deal, but it would be the vocalist's choice if it were my stage. If they insist on using a high gain condenser mic and waving it around, then they probably won't hear themselves in the monitors, but so be it.
