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Microphones, Microphones......

BayStateBass

BayStateBass

Jan 25, 2012
1,953
169
Central Massachusetts
#1
So I'm looking at new vocal mics. I have a Shure SM58 and it's okay. But our drummer invested in a Shure headset mic, loaning me his Shure 58 Beta. First off, there's a huge difference in performance between the 58 and the Beta. My voice is more clear, louder, and the overall quality is better. With that being said, it's a loaner and I can't keep it forever. My question is, does anyone offer something comparable to the Shure Beta without the Beta pricetag? I was looking at mics from Carvin and their premier vocal mic is the M68 which they sell for $79.00 (compared to a Shure Beta which seems to go for about $160). If it's a comparable mic, it would be an absolute steal.

Any opinions, experiences?
 
#3
Hi,

I don't care for the Beta mics. I find them too shrill and brittle. It could be that your SM58 is just worn out. You could always get a new SM58 and call it good.

I've never tried the Carvin mics. They do have a return policy. I generally like Carvin stuff because it sounds good and has great "bang for your buck" value. Is there a Carvin store near you? Can you try one?

My favorite gigging mic is the Audix line. I've had an OM3 for over 10 years and love it. I recently bought an OM5 and love it even more. The OM5 is about the same price as the SM58 Beta but it sounds more natural, neutral, has great output, and is really hard to feed back. The sound system at The Ranch uses the new Audix OM3 vocal mics exclusively. There is one wireless SM58 that the lead singer usually uses. The sound guy there also has the Beta SM58 but he doesn't use them for the reasons I've stated.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff
 
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#4
My keys player, a female, prefers my Carvin M68 over her SM58. I think it sounds clearer with her mid-rangy voice. Even the Carvin M49 sounds better. My drummer has been borrowing the Carvin for himself for his other projects.
 
#5
IMO, if you are a singer, you should compare several mics in controlled circumstances and don't be afraid to spend up a spend up if necessary. The difference between 100 and 300 is night and day... Sennheiser, EV and Audix for 3 all have some great vocal mics. In my sound co pa my front line is a mix of Audix OM-5 and OM-6. Those are $160 and $220 respectively. Given the number I own, sm58's at a hun a throw would be easier to swallow but then my system wouldn't sound as good... I do have one AKG that is basically an SM58 to me it seems muffled, like a 58. But there is the occasional voice where that seems to work...

My personal mic is the OM-5. It is a great vocal mic clear without being harsh.

Before the OM-5 I was on a Sennheiser 421 - wonderful but more useful to me in the sound company rig - they make a tenor sax just sing. Also does a nice job on a bass cabinet and a ton of other stuff. About $250 for a good used one. Before that I was on the Beta58. I got tired of trying to eq out the hardness in it.
 
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#6
Thanks for the responses! I'm not the main singer, although I do sing about 10 or 12 songs a night. I'm trying to make an informed purchase without wasting my money on something that won't work for me. The Beta works good because I have a higher pitched, nasally, shrill type of voice and it brings that out. For example, I sing anything by Bon Scott (AC/DC), songs like Flagpole Sitta, and the Tom Petty tunes that we do.

Thanks for the input, I'm going to look at the mics mentioned. You've all been very helpful.
 
#7
None of the under $100 mics under consideration are going to give you the indestructible nature of the Shure. you're not just paying for sound, you're paying to know it's going to work. That's worth a few extra bucks.

On feedback: keep in mind that the Beta patterns do not reject sound from directly behind the mic like a conventional cardiod, so it's best not to have a floor monitor directly in front of you. It will reject feedback better if the monitor is off axis about 45 degrees.
 
#8
try the sennheiser e835....great mic, should be around $100 bucks...sounds near identical to the beta 58

at the end of the day nothing will compare in durability of the SM58. its designed to give good volume in loud environments, and be as user friendly (ie solid gain before feedback) as possible. this is why it is an industry standard mic. oh and did i mention bulletproof!!...
 
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#9
Outside of the studio, I've been a die hard sm58 kind of guy for decades. Recently I had to pick up a decent mic on the cheap and found an AKG D5 at some big box store near Chicago . Well, dang! What a fine mic! It's been my main gig & rehearsal mic for going on 5 months. Present, full, and less prone to feedback than the rest of the pack, and cheap to boot!
 
#15
Have you tried a plain old sm57?

Little more forward, "edgey", than the 58, not as woofy. Some would say "harsh".

Can work well with some voices, not so much for others.

Not saying you'll like it as much as a $300 mic, just something to try somebody will already have laying around. Different voice than the 58.
 
#16
will33 said:
Have you tried a plain old sm57?

Little more forward, "edgey", than the 58, not as woofy. Some would say "harsh".

Can work well with some voices, not so much for others.

Not saying you'll like it as much as a $300 mic, just something to try somebody will already have laying around. Different voice than the 58.
Click to expand...
I've never liked sm57's for voice, but the Beta57 is very nice in the baritone range.
 
#17
I really like my Audix OM5, (the OM3 is pretty nice too). My drummer's mic (SM58) died the other night, so I just whipped my OM5 over to him mid-song (very smooth on my part I must say!) and his vocal just came alive. It was a night and day difference for his voice. I think his 58 was kinda shot, or dirty. Or both. Or maybe the OM5 is that much better...
 
#19
will33 said:
Have you tried a plain old sm57?

Little more forward, "edgey", than the 58, not as woofy. Some would say "harsh".

Can work well with some voices, not so much for others.

Not saying you'll like it as much as a $300 mic, just something to try somebody will already have laying around. Different voice than the 58.
Click to expand...

im pretty certain the the SM57 and 58 are the same mic capsule.
 
#20
Big_Daws said:
im pretty certain the the SM57 and 58 are the same mic capsule.
Click to expand...

You're both right!

Originally Posted by Shure
It is true the SM57 and SM58 microphones are based on the same cartridge design. The main difference between them is in the grille design. The SM58 was designed for vocal application and it uses a separate grille with a very effective pop filter. The SM57 was designed as an instrument microphone where smaller grille size is preferred. In this application the pop and wind are not usually a concern. The SM57 uses an integral resonator/grille assembly, where grille is actually a part of the cartridge. These two grille designs place the diaphragm of the microphones in a different acoustical environment. First of all, the distance from the top of the grille to the diaphragm is significantly shorter on the SM57 compared to that of the SM58. This allows for closer sound pickup with even more pronounced proximity effect. Secondly, a different resonator/grille assembly design of the SM57 is responsible for its slightly higher output above 5 kHz.
 

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