The lead vocalist for my band is looking to invest about a grand in a new wireless mic. He is a tenor with a very powerful voice (think Henry Rollins). The band is a combo of modern/classic rock and funk. Any suggestions?
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Mid - High end wireless mic for lead vocalist
- Thread starter Marley's Ghost
- Start date
Rickett Customs
Commercial User
Nothing you can get for under $2000 will sound as good as a wired mic with the same capsule (and maybe not even over $2000).
I prefer Sennheiser capsules and their wireless.
I prefer Sennheiser capsules and their wireless.
If he's got a really powerful voice you may want to check out some kind of plug-on style transmitter. Audio Technica makes one (but I think it's contractor exclusive, IIRC). Basically, you can mix and match the best microphone for your singer with a decent wireless unit, and if you want to go hardwired he can still use his own mic. FWIW, I think the Audix OM7 is probably one of the best mics for the money on the market, especially for a singer that's putting out relatively high SPL.
Just looked it up. ATW-T1802 is the model number, and it is interchangeable with the 3000 series receivers.
I'd stay away from AKG, they can be pretty hot to begin with. I wouldn't pair it with an already powerful singer.
I'm also shopping for a decent wireless handheld. Any luck with your singer Marley Mon?
There seem to be a few decent-looking (I have yet to actually try any of these) units for sale around the $499-$599 price point. These are AKG, Audio Technica, Shure, Sennheiser, etc.
Am I fooling myself into believeing these will sound good and work well?
I need the convenience of a wireless for announcements, toasts, occasional guest singer, etc., mostly for weddings and corporate events, etc.
I've used regular wired Shure 58's all through the 80's & 90's and Beta 58's since then with absolutely no failure! All other cheap wireless units I've encountered have been sketchy at best.
Does one really have to spend $2000 to get a great wireless mic system?!?
Any input greatly appreciated.
There seem to be a few decent-looking (I have yet to actually try any of these) units for sale around the $499-$599 price point. These are AKG, Audio Technica, Shure, Sennheiser, etc.
Am I fooling myself into believeing these will sound good and work well?
I need the convenience of a wireless for announcements, toasts, occasional guest singer, etc., mostly for weddings and corporate events, etc.
I've used regular wired Shure 58's all through the 80's & 90's and Beta 58's since then with absolutely no failure! All other cheap wireless units I've encountered have been sketchy at best.
Does one really have to spend $2000 to get a great wireless mic system?!?
Any input greatly appreciated.
I was able to audition (via plugging my phones into the receivers) some AT 4000 series with 4100 capsules, and they sounded very good. I don't know about wash rejection and GBF though, as it was a pretty quiet stage.
The KSM9 capsule sounds nice on the UHF-R, but it seems to pick up a lot of wash (it might have been in cadioid mode - I forgot to look).
I don't care for the OM5 - I think the 6, 7, and even the 3 sound better (I use the 7 as I work with a lot of wimpy singers who need a lot of gain in the monitors and the house). I've never heard an Audix wireless. RatSound have an adapter that allows Audix capsules to be used on UHFR.
I'm going to investigate the E935, as a friend is very pleased with (as compared to the Betas, the Audix, and several more premium capsules). I don't know how high in Sennheiser wireless one has to go to get the equal of the UHFR.
Heil have capsules that work on UHF-R. Their mics sound very good, but the PR22 picks up way too much wash, and some say the same of the PR35.
The KSM9 capsule sounds nice on the UHF-R, but it seems to pick up a lot of wash (it might have been in cadioid mode - I forgot to look).
I don't care for the OM5 - I think the 6, 7, and even the 3 sound better (I use the 7 as I work with a lot of wimpy singers who need a lot of gain in the monitors and the house). I've never heard an Audix wireless. RatSound have an adapter that allows Audix capsules to be used on UHFR.
I'm going to investigate the E935, as a friend is very pleased with (as compared to the Betas, the Audix, and several more premium capsules). I don't know how high in Sennheiser wireless one has to go to get the equal of the UHFR.
Heil have capsules that work on UHF-R. Their mics sound very good, but the PR22 picks up way too much wash, and some say the same of the PR35.
i used a pr 35 once and loved the tone of my voice through it, but if i got even the least bit off of it, my voice pretty much disappeared. it's one of the most directional mic i ever used, and it was the only thing that stopped me from getting one.
just wanted ro say i bought the line 6 xd 70 a few months ago and the performance has been great so far...
no dropouts or static to speak of...great vocal tone
no dropouts or static to speak of...great vocal tone
First off, the only good pro wireless is a rack mountable device. The Brace Audio stuff is interesting for guitar although I don't consider it to be very durable, but at the price you can afford to go through a few of them a year. And they don't do vocal mics yet so...
When it comes to quality wireless systems, Shure is still top of the heap. I have sold and installed literally thousands of wireless systems of all makes in all sorts of venues, and by far Shure has been the most reliable and overall the best sounding product. A Beta 58 and a 58 sound like they always do, good but not spectacular. But the radio works themselves are top notch. ULXS and ULXP are very nice, the SLX, well, adequate but pretty cheap feeling considering you would pay more for an SLX than an A-T 3000.
A-T also makes a terrific wireless system, I own over 7 A-T wireless systems, headworn, handhelds, body pack for guitars and have always loved the sound and the reliability. The 3000,4000,5000 series systems all sound really nice. Crisper than the Shure. And the 3000 series is reasonably priced. Way less than Shure.
Also don't discount the Electro Voice RE series. My favorite lead vocal mic of all time for insane gain before feedback is the EV N/D-767 capsule. If you want loud and reliable, E-V is also a great bet. One feature that is very nice on these is the variable analog gain/trim pot accessed via a small screw driver slot on the side of the mic. With the Shure and A-T and many others these days, you get gain sensitivity settings in 3db to 6db digital increments via the internal transmitter's LCD menu display. So you can get close and you can get sorta accurate, but the E-V lets you get the gain set for your voice right on the nuts. Priced between the A-T 3000 and the Shure ULXS.
Sennheiser is ok. I really don't care for the sound of the EW100 series handheld. I'd rather have the A-T, then the EV, the Shure and the Sennheiser would drag in last. Nady and Samson really aren't serious handheld makers since they really aren't leaders in the pro mic world. Beyer and AKG are ok, the AKG is a pain to set-up. They both sound like a better but thin Sennheiser.
Other wireless advice, always use the same brand of alkaline battery. Energizer Industrials are the exact same battery as the normal Energizer batteries. They are called "industrial" to assist in letting employers see if company bought batteries are sneaking out the back door for people's electronic gizmos. Honest to god, only difference. The reason for using the same brand/model of battery is that many of your wireless mics/beltpacks have spring type battery clips. The duracell is actually barely shorter than the energizer. If you use primarily energizers and then try to slip in a duracell after a few years of use, it can become intermittent and cause drop outs because the damned battery isn't making contact. Easy fix, bend the spring clips out.
But either way, stick with one brand, never a problem. Rechargeables are pretty hit and miss. I use Batteries Plus' "extreme" brand and have always had very good luck. Still on my original 8 "AA" and 8 "9V" purchase after 10 years of NIMH use. Not too shabby, but I am a pro sound designer/engineer so I do religeously monitor charging status.
When it comes to quality wireless systems, Shure is still top of the heap. I have sold and installed literally thousands of wireless systems of all makes in all sorts of venues, and by far Shure has been the most reliable and overall the best sounding product. A Beta 58 and a 58 sound like they always do, good but not spectacular. But the radio works themselves are top notch. ULXS and ULXP are very nice, the SLX, well, adequate but pretty cheap feeling considering you would pay more for an SLX than an A-T 3000.
A-T also makes a terrific wireless system, I own over 7 A-T wireless systems, headworn, handhelds, body pack for guitars and have always loved the sound and the reliability. The 3000,4000,5000 series systems all sound really nice. Crisper than the Shure. And the 3000 series is reasonably priced. Way less than Shure.
Also don't discount the Electro Voice RE series. My favorite lead vocal mic of all time for insane gain before feedback is the EV N/D-767 capsule. If you want loud and reliable, E-V is also a great bet. One feature that is very nice on these is the variable analog gain/trim pot accessed via a small screw driver slot on the side of the mic. With the Shure and A-T and many others these days, you get gain sensitivity settings in 3db to 6db digital increments via the internal transmitter's LCD menu display. So you can get close and you can get sorta accurate, but the E-V lets you get the gain set for your voice right on the nuts. Priced between the A-T 3000 and the Shure ULXS.
Sennheiser is ok. I really don't care for the sound of the EW100 series handheld. I'd rather have the A-T, then the EV, the Shure and the Sennheiser would drag in last. Nady and Samson really aren't serious handheld makers since they really aren't leaders in the pro mic world. Beyer and AKG are ok, the AKG is a pain to set-up. They both sound like a better but thin Sennheiser.
Other wireless advice, always use the same brand of alkaline battery. Energizer Industrials are the exact same battery as the normal Energizer batteries. They are called "industrial" to assist in letting employers see if company bought batteries are sneaking out the back door for people's electronic gizmos. Honest to god, only difference. The reason for using the same brand/model of battery is that many of your wireless mics/beltpacks have spring type battery clips. The duracell is actually barely shorter than the energizer. If you use primarily energizers and then try to slip in a duracell after a few years of use, it can become intermittent and cause drop outs because the damned battery isn't making contact. Easy fix, bend the spring clips out.
But either way, stick with one brand, never a problem. Rechargeables are pretty hit and miss. I use Batteries Plus' "extreme" brand and have always had very good luck. Still on my original 8 "AA" and 8 "9V" purchase after 10 years of NIMH use. Not too shabby, but I am a pro sound designer/engineer so I do religeously monitor charging status.
Shure ULXP Beta 87A. Here's a link to Amazon's price, but I am telling you right now, save yourself a ton of money and call Northern Sound and Light for a price that will beat everyone else.
I use a ULXS system for my bass and it functions very well.
I use a ULXS system for my bass and it functions very well.
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