SM57 vs SM58 for vocals....

[Stevorebob]

The e935 is the more recent version and IMHO better option than the e835. I was the lone hold out in our 5-pc. group using the SM58 until about 2-years ago. Others used either the Sennheiser e835 and e935. I looked at the e945, but it doesn't have as good rear rejection in its cardioid pattern as the e935. That means it needs to be at a bit of an angle to your monitor instead of straight in front of it for optimum feedback rejection whereas a monitor placed directly behind the e935 is fine.

I bought the e935 and am very pleased with it. The e-835 is ~$100, same as the SM58 and the e935 goes for $179 unless you find it on sale somewhere. I've been using the e935 for a couple of years now and highly recommend it. Besides being a hotter mic than the SM58 it picks up the subtleties of my voice much better than the SM58, or as @Killed_by_Death said, it is "more transparent".

The Sennheiser e935 is $99 right now at B&H Photo. That’s a screaming deal.

 

[Hundred proof]

I'd be interested in hearing that. I kinda despise the 55s because they're overused in photos (almost every photo used to advertise anything about singing shows a 55), everyone thinks they look cool when (imo) they are just waaaaay overdone to the point of cliche, and they sound awful unless you're going for a really retro, distorted sound.

I know several vocalists here who bought them because they 'look cool' and used them a handful of times before sending them off to the land of used gear. But for those who really want the look, this "super" one could do the trick. The look would still totally fit an oldies-style act.

We have a band here in Memphis called “Memphis Jones” that do all old retro tunes all the members use the Super 55

 

[LBS-bass]

We have a band here in Memphis called “Memphis Jones” that do all old retro tunes all the members use the Super 55

Yep, that's the kind of situation it was made for

 

[FrenchBassQC]

I use the Shure beta 58A myself and love it... I had a SM58 that wasn't all there when needed, they are known for inconsistencies in the end result and I had one that was very much lacking presence compare to other SM58 I had used before, so I purchased the beta 58A and I am all set now. Voilà

 

[bumperbass]

View attachment 4108080 I recently picked up the early 60s EV664 for $20 locally stand cord and cool cloth cover included! Gearslutz will tell you all about this legendary precursor to the Shure 58. It helps with vocals for certain voice types like mine (midboost) and is a great inside the kick mic and guitar mic. Think blues and garage rock sound

About 1967 ?? I had a Turner 500 and this singer in another local band had an EV664. He thought my Turner was way cooler and wanted to trade mics. I suggested we trade for a few weeks to see what we thought.
I don't know if it's just me thinking the old days were more glorious, but imo that EV664 is the sweetest mic I ever heard.
I know where I can get 3 junked, untested 664's. I am thinking I could make at least one good one from all three, but it's not a priority right now.

 

[DirkP]

Big fan of the Sennheisers, too. 945 for hypercardioid, 935 for cardioid. Kind of Sennheiser's reply to the Beta 58, both have pronounced high-end, but I prefer the high-end of the Sennheiser mics. Sound more expensive to me.
The 99,- offer last month for the 935 was for real, but beware: there are a lof of good made fakes around!

 

[LBS-bass]

I use the Shure beta 58A myself and love it... I had a SM58 that wasn't all there when needed, they are known for inconsistencies in the end result

There are a ton of counterfeit ones out there, too.

 

[cableguy]

A sound guy once told me: “If the singer has a good voice, use a 58. If not such a good voice, use a 57”.

It's almost as if he were talking to me.......

 

[BurnOut]

I like the SM-57, I like the sound better, and I can work\control it better, bring one with me to every gig.

 

[TigerInATrance]

The Sennheiser 935 is my mic of choice on most stages. When I need to fight bad feedback I've got an EV ND96 that works great but doesn't sound quite as good as the 935. The only Shure mic (that isn't $500+) that I've ever liked for vocals is the Beta 57a and, while it's good, the 935 had a far better high end...

Really, that's only my opinion for my voice. When I engineer I pick the best mic for the singer, but it's never an SM57 or 58. There are just too many superior mics out there. You really need to try a bunch and see what works best for your voice.

The 58 is the "industry standard" because they're cheap to buy, cheap to own (indestructible), and don't sound horrible. That said, I would never use a mic that wasn't my own. It's disgusting. Having worked for and with many of the big sound companies out there, the mic that your mouth is up against has probably not been cleaned in any meaningful way... ever. That's really just nasty.

 

[Nephilymbass]

Title sez it all. Which is your preference and why?

Beta 58 for vocals
Sm58 for bass
Sm57 for guitars/drums

all of them are decent for vocals but the beta 58 shines for vocals imo. The issue with the beta 58 on bass drums or a loud guitar rig is it’s a hotter mic. Because of that I actually prefer the sm58 for bass and the 57 for guitars and close mics for drums. But yeah give the beta 58 a shot for vocals. A lot of the studios around here will have more expensive mics for clean vocals but for metal bands and stuff with screaming the beta 58 often gets the call over the high end stuff. Because a lot of singers in bands doing high energy music want to hold the mic for one, but it’s also about how hot it is, the frequency range and dynamic response.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

Any Beta 87 users out there? That is a lovely mic.

An earlier post referred to mics with switches. I delight in the steps that wireless mic manufacturers have taken to make the on/off switch easy enough for the layperson to use but low profile enough to not be activated accidentally.

We used to use AT wireless handhelds that had an led that would flash red when you turned it on. The light only stayed lit when the battery was dead or dying. That really confused people.

 

[jmlee]

AKG D5 one-on-one outperforms—and more importantly sounds more musical for vocals—than an SM58. It's a toss-up with the 58a Beta.

D5 | Professional dynamic supercardioid vocal microphone

 

[bumperbass]

Any Beta 87 users out there? That is a lovely mic.

An earlier post referred to mics with switches. I delight in the steps that wireless mic manufacturers have taken to make the on/off switch easy enough for the layperson to use but low profile enough to not be activated accidentally.

We used to use AT wireless handhelds that had an led that would flash red when you turned it on. The light only stayed lit when the battery was dead or dying. That really confused people.

I can't remember how many switches I have seen on handheld wireless that have been completely mashed! Some are just push and some are push/hold.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

There are a ton of counterfeit ones out there, too.

I do not think the one I bought was a counterfeit since I bought it from one of our best music store here in Canada. But you're right, there are some for sure like the Rickenfaker and the Rotter and more.

 

[LBS-bass]

I do not think the one I bought was a counterfeit since I bought it from one of our best music store here in Canada. But you're right, there are some for sure like the Rickenfaker and the Rotter and more.

Yeah, you'll usually find the counterfeits online.

 

[DirkP]

The Sennheiser 935 is my mic of choice on most stages. When I need to fight bad feedback (...).

The 945 is the same soundwise as the 935, the only difference is the hypercardioid (945) vs. cardioid (935). Feedback: if you're using a hypercardioid, it is best practise to put monitors to the left and/or right side of the mic, if you're using a cardioid mic it is best to place one monitor directly in front of the vocalist behind the mic.

I don't want to lecture people, but I often see this done wrong and then people complain about the feedback-characteristics of the mic.


Super- or hypercardioid like the 945:

cardioid like the 935 or Shure 58:

 

[Johnny Fingers]

Familiarity with the Shure 545S pistol grip mic of long ago causes me to prefer the SM57 overall for versatility. Early on we went with the PE50SP which was excellent for vocals. The SM58 is capable of withstanding the kind of on stage antics and abuse that gigging entails being slightly different sounding but totally up to the task. A nice feature of the 58 is the ability to pop out dents in the globe caused by impact that would have rendered the majority of 57’s temporarily unusable.
Had the opportunity to use the Shure Betas too 20 years ago but never thought they were worth more.
Have since began using a Neumann for recording however my brother-in-law prefers Beyerdynamic.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

The Sennheiser e935 is $99 right now at B&H Photo. That’s a screaming deal.

That's a HUGE Screaming Deal!!!!
Whoa! Just checked...It's the Sennheiser e835 they have for $99. The e935 is $179.95 and for just 4¢ more ($199.99) you can get it with a boom mic stand and mic cable. Here's their link:
Invalid Link Removed

 

[Stevorebob]

That's a HUGE Screaming Deal!!!!
Whoa! Just checked...It's the Sennheiser e835 they have for $99. The e935 is $179.95 and for just 4¢ more ($199.99) you can get it with a boom mic stand and mic cable. Here's their link:
Invalid Link Removed

The deal is over, apparently. Likely 12/30 only — it’s now 12/31 in NY. Earlier today, B&H had a savings of $80 when the item was added to your cart. I placed the e935 in my cart to verify, and it came up as $99. When I saw your post, I thought I must have put the e835 in my cart like you suggested, but I just checked and the e935 was still in my cart but without the $80 savings. Screaming deal it was.