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Vocal Mics

#24
I've used ,and still do use , Shure 57's & Beta 58's for years. You can't go wrong with those. I like Sennheiser & Beyer mice too.

This is a left field choice & you'll probably have to go on line to find a dealer. I love the Sontronics STC-80.British company & I think the mic's made in Portugal. All the punch & presence of the Beta's but none of the harshness. It cuts but it's smooth! It's a straight up dynamic. I used it at some gigs in NYC & liked it so much I bought my own. I haven't been this excited about a mic in years! I do a lot of singing. Lead & backups.I get hired for that as much as my bass playing.

Expect to pay $129- 150. It sounds like more. Worth checking out.
 
#27
Whilst I agree that the SM58 is THE industry standard, I think mics act like basses in that they respond differently to everyone. OP perhaps you could head into a store to try them out first? I remember being very enamored with the Shure Beta 58A (for whatever reason which I can't remember anymore) but tried it out while hosting an event and found that it was very unforgiving of bad technique, which I had. On the other hand, I find myself being very comfortable and pleased with the SM58/Sennheiser E835 which are lower end mics.

YMMV, so try before you buy!
 
#29
trowaclown said:
Whilst I agree that the SM58 is THE industry standard, I think mics act like basses in that they respond differently to everyone. OP perhaps you could head into a store to try them out first? I remember being very enamored with the Shure Beta 58A (for whatever reason which I can't remember anymore) but tried it out while hosting an event and found that it was very unforgiving of bad technique, which I had. On the other hand, I find myself being very comfortable and pleased with the SM58/Sennheiser E835 which are lower end mics.

YMMV, so try before you buy!
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I hope I can find the time to do this. I'm looking for a few mics for a few people so we'd have to organize a time for all of us to meet.

SM57's for instruments/amps, SM58's for vocals. No condensor mics means no need for phantom power. I've used both of these and never been disappointed. I've also used the Sennheiser e835's and been happy with them. Just read a review in the August Lighting & Sound America of the Blue mics but haven't heard or used them. The review was quite complimentary.
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We have all the phantom power we need. If condensers would be better, I'd rather use them especially if the price difference isn't significant.

It looks like the scores are:

Shure SM58 11
Sennheiser e835 3
Blue Encore 200 1
Shure Beta58 4
Shure KSM-9 1
Shure Beta57 2
Shure SM 55 SH 1
Audix OM-5 2
Audix OM-7 1
Sontronics STC-80 1
Beyer M69 1
 
#31
ugly_bassplayer said:
The 57 & 58 are the same mic buddy. The only difference is the wind screen on the 58.
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Physically that's true. They're the same cartridge, but because of the ball screen on the the 58 you can get closer to the diaphragm with a 57. For vocal use you can get a little louder with appreciably more bass response if you get right on top of it.
The term is "proximity effect".

I think the 58 is more user friendly for vocals and the 57 works better "in tight" for drums or instrument applications, but in a pinch either will work. They are both tried and true work horses.
 
#33
KingRazor said:
The switchable cardiod pattern on that KSM-9 looks like a nifty feature. We could switch back and forth depending on who was singing and what they else they were doing (like playing an instrument while singing).

I'm not sure whether or not a super-cardioid pattern would be better or not, so I don't think I want to go with a mic that is purely super-cardioid.

EDIT: Wooooooooooooah just noticed the KSM-9 is about 7x more expensive than an SM58. Thanks, but no thanks.
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On the KSM9, you have to remove the pop filter to change the pattern switch. Not difficult, but not especially quick. It's the best hand-held vocal mic I've ever used (compare Shure Beta 87C, Beta 58A, Beta 57A, SM58, SM57, Super 55). In my trio, all of us use Beta 58As, and they work just fine. We'd sound just as good with SM58s, though (we're just that good). I used to use a Beta 87C in my previous band. Great mic, too.

Super-cardioids are especially good for off-axis rejection. Cardioids are better if you've got your monitors directly behind the mic stand.

If you call Northern Sound and Light on the phone, they will quote you a mind-blowing price on the KSM9 ... MUCH lower than anyone else. Try it.
 
#34
Hi.

You can count another vote for SM58 from me.

Granted, I've only used vintage ones, so I have no idea how the sometimes alledged lack of QC and drop in overall quality of Shure products has (or hasn't ;)) affected their performance.

I'm still confident that in case of a failure, I can still walk into any music store and pick up a replacement. Something that doesn't hold true with any other mic I know. For studio use, I'd probably use something way better, EQing to resemble SM58 is easy enough if so desired.

The only gripe Ihave with SM58 (or about any mic for that matter), is that as a spare, the capsule is just a hair cheaper than the mic itself. The transformer OTOH is impossible to find AFAIK. Keeping spares and getting ones hands into every broken SM58 one can find, the future is golden though.

Regards
Sam
 
#37
KingRazor said:
We have all the phantom power we need. If condensers would be better, I'd rather use them especially if the price difference isn't significant.
Click to expand...

I'm not a mic expert, but I'll give you my understanding...you can decide whether it's useful.

I use both condensers and dynamics on stage and for recording.

I prefer the sound of condensers for instruments....the top end is nicer to my ear. But I'm not sure that this works well for vocals.

Dynamics are tougher and will take more abuse (I am told), they don't need phantom power, and they reject feedback better.

Better (more expensive?) mics will have better detail and clarity than cheaper ones, as well as being more robust.

For stage work, I'm going to agree with the SM58 crowd, and also make honourable mention of the 421s. I own 58s for stage vocals.

If you want a crash course on mics to get the basic principles under your belt, invest a few hours reading this:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#39
#40
gotmule? said:
I just picked up a Blue Encore 100 a few weeks ago and love it! I have a lower voice and like to sing closer to the mic, so the reduced proximity effect is a huge bonus. It has a great frequency response and sounds much clearer than the SM58 IMO. To get an idea of what it sounds like (and how sexy it looks ;)) check out these videos:

Mic Check: Microphone Shootout Blue enCORE 100 vs Shure SM58 - YouTube

Blue Microphones enCORE 100 & Shure SM58 Comparison Review - YouTube
Click to expand...

That first video just sold me on the Shure :D

I'd rather use the Blue for recording, but I prefer the better off-axis rejection, higher output, and smoother response of the 58.

I don't want significant output loss when backing off from the mic a bit. With the blue, you appear to lose a lot of output once you back off the mic at all.

Thanks for sharing the video!
 

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