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I mostly use SM58s for my band, and for typical sound because they are a standard most people can relate to, are a known value and pretty consistent. I have a couple of AKG D5s which have been preffered when A/Bd by a couple of people and have a Beta 58 in case it is asked for specificly. I am not a "sound company" but a smaller scale guy and fill a niche for a lot of local folks who don't have trier own setup or can't afford a honest to goodness sound company for the smaller gigs .
I also run sound for a blues venue where we do a weekly blues jam and have national acts come through. Most of the guys have been happy with what we have, a couple prefer to use their own mic's which is fine, and one or two get by with what I have, and don't bitch too much. Someday, when this starts to pay off its debt, I may look into upgrades.......truth is the mics will probably out live several speaker upgrades.
I also run sound for a blues venue where we do a weekly blues jam and have national acts come through. Most of the guys have been happy with what we have, a couple prefer to use their own mic's which is fine, and one or two get by with what I have, and don't bitch too much. Someday, when this starts to pay off its debt, I may look into upgrades.......truth is the mics will probably out live several speaker upgrades.
s0c9
Supporting Member
Hehe... I've lost count of the times (when doing SR) that vocalists have come up with "some mic or other" and I've replaced it with a Beta58 (or 58) and said try this!
Most leave happy!
My band uses Beta58's right now, but are considering moving to wireless to avoid all the cabling.
Still curious about what mic the OP purchased. I agree with Munji that Northern Sound & Light has the best prices on mics, although it seems that shipping charges have jumped considerably in the past few years. Also agree that the KMS 105 is not seven times better than an SM58. It's six times better. Lol.
Also agree with Munji that the nuances of an expensive mic can easily be lost out in the audience. Of the four mics that I use on a rotation basis, depending mostly on my mood, three of them are within striking distance of the OP's price range. And all are mics that I would highly recommend (based on experience with each) and were purchased from Northern Sound and Light. They are:
-Neumann KMS 105
-Audix VX5
-Audix OM6
-Sennheiser e 945
I also own a Shure SM57 but have yet to use it. Purchased it pre-owned to use at Blues jams where we were the host band. But we haven't hosted a jam in a long time so it has just sat neglected in a corner. Not going to let other folks spit and salivate into my 'good' mics, if you know what I mean.
M. M.
Tonight I used a borrowed Audix OM-7. I forgot my Beta 58A - that's what I get for not doing a checklist like I always do (except this once). Anyway, it was fine.
The AKG D5 is an excellent mic for vocals. It's the best IMO in the 100$ range. It does have less feedback rejection than the Audix OM series, but that's only if your right on top of the PA. Where not talking a couple feet away here, right on top. Anyway it has more air as well so it sounds like a voice and not a voice coming through an AM radio like the 58. Great mic you should try one, if you don't like it....return it...
they are on sale now at GC/MF I see. They were on sale when I got mine, AND I got an additional 15% from some ongoing special they had going. The only thing that could have made it better was if they had a rebate!The AKG D5 is an excellent mic for vocals. It's the best IMO in the 100$ range. It does have less feedback rejection than the Audix OM series, but that's only if your right on top of the PA. Where not talking a couple feet away here, right on top. Anyway it has more air as well so it sounds like a voice and not a voice coming through an AM radio like the 58. Great mic you should try one, if you don't like it....return it...
If I'm in a band at time of purchase, I usually try and stay with what the majority are using - for soundguy purposes. My last purchase was based more on 'helping' my voice - it's pretty thin and quiet. So, after doing a lot of reading, tried out the Sennheiser e835. And I do prefer it over the 58 in my case. So, a lot depends on your vocal style. As mentioned above, can't go wrong with a 58. And yeah, the difference to another mic will probably be nominal - but that's the same argument for Fender vs non-, Ampeg vs non-, etc. Go with what works for you (but keep your soundguy happy).
We played a club this past weekend that actually had a house PA and a sound guy. We asked if he would have a problem if we used our mics (Senn e935s and an older SM58) instead of his (some SM58's and some new Peavey mics he had recently purchased) He said he had been having problems with other bands using their own mics (EQ issues and feedback) but knew how to set his up but was agreeable to trying ours. I told him how we normally set our channel strips for the Sennheisers and we hooked them up and he went back to the board while we did the mic checks and he came back up to the stage and was like"wow! those mics sound really good and were really easy with the EQ settings you gave me. The old 58 sounded pretty thin though so we swapped it out for one of his new Peavey mics and it sounded WAY better than the old 58 (have I mentioned that the 58 is old?)
Anyway, thats my microphone story for the day.
Anyway, thats my microphone story for the day.
Not a black and white thing. Every voice sounds different in the same mic. Saying a Beta or Sm or....... is the only choice is crazy. Take a Beta 58 for instance. It's a wonderful mic that makes my voice sound like crap. A keyboard player I work with sounds amazing through it. I've been using an Audix OM6 for many years, and it sounds right for me. Another guy I worked with years ago, sounded incredible through the budget OM2. His voice was the only one in the band that did. SM58's have been around forever, and besides being indestructible, sound pretty good in almost all applications. Maybe though for your particular voice, you can do better. Try as many as you can possibly get your hands on. Remember a mic if treated well, last many years, if not decades. Spend wisely once and enjoy it!
Still curious about what mic the OP purchased.
M. M.
I got the Sennheiser e835. I haven't even used it yet, turns out my guitar player has one too so I've been using his. I really wanted to get something different than what we already had, and I had no idea he already had one!
Hi!
This should have been a poll. But I guess this topic comes up periodically. Here are a few of my profound glimpses into the obvious.
For $100 you can't go wrong with the Shure SM58, it's the standard. It's a tank. It will serve you well in pretty much every situation for a long, long time.
I've used SM58s for decades and they are fine. Currently I own an SM57, Audix OM-3 and OM-5. I used my OM-5 all the time, but it's closer to $150. My favorite high-end concert/dance club venue, The Ranch, uses Audix OM-3 mics for all vocals, except for the wireless Sure SM58 that Kelly uses. I can't recall any of the sound companies we've worked with, even sound crews at Disney and Knott's, using anything other than the SM58 or SM58A.
Whatever works for you, works for you (your voice, your budget, your PA, etc).
And that's my profound glimpse into the obvious.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
This should have been a poll. But I guess this topic comes up periodically. Here are a few of my profound glimpses into the obvious.
For $100 you can't go wrong with the Shure SM58, it's the standard. It's a tank. It will serve you well in pretty much every situation for a long, long time.
I've used SM58s for decades and they are fine. Currently I own an SM57, Audix OM-3 and OM-5. I used my OM-5 all the time, but it's closer to $150. My favorite high-end concert/dance club venue, The Ranch, uses Audix OM-3 mics for all vocals, except for the wireless Sure SM58 that Kelly uses. I can't recall any of the sound companies we've worked with, even sound crews at Disney and Knott's, using anything other than the SM58 or SM58A.
Whatever works for you, works for you (your voice, your budget, your PA, etc).
And that's my profound glimpse into the obvious.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
Hi!
This should have been a poll. But I guess this topic comes up periodically. Here are a few of my profound glimpses into the obvious.
For $100 you can't go wrong with the Shure SM58, it's the standard. It's a tank. It will serve you well in pretty much every situation for a long, long time.
I've used SM58s for decades and they are fine. Currently I own an SM57, Audix OM-3 and OM-5. I used my OM-5 all the time, but it's closer to $150. My favorite high-end concert/dance club venue, The Ranch, uses Audix OM-3 mics for all vocals, except for the wireless Sure SM58 that Kelly uses. I can't recall any of the sound companies we've worked with, even sound crews at Disney and Knott's, using anything other than the SM58 or SM58A.
Whatever works for you, works for you (your voice, your budget, your PA, etc).
And that's my profound glimpse into the obvious.
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
Love the Shure endorsement! As the local Socal Shure rep, I'll keep my lips sealed....*cough KSM8 cough*
Hi,
All this talk about the SM58 made me realize that I don't have one and I need one. So I went out to the local GC on my lunch hour today and picked one up. I'll end up loaning it to my keyboard player this weekend but that's OK. Everyone should have at least one of these in their arsenal. They sound great and you can use it as a hammer to build the stage if you want.
The sales clerk said, "Thank you very much. See you in 20 years!"
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
All this talk about the SM58 made me realize that I don't have one and I need one. So I went out to the local GC on my lunch hour today and picked one up. I'll end up loaning it to my keyboard player this weekend but that's OK. Everyone should have at least one of these in their arsenal. They sound great and you can use it as a hammer to build the stage if you want.
The sales clerk said, "Thank you very much. See you in 20 years!"
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
Bob Lee (QSC)
In case you missed it, I work for QSC Audio!
- Jul 3, 2001
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- Former Technical Communications Developer, QSC Audio
Good mic, and a solid choice. Nothing wrong with your band having two. I have extensive experience with that model. Not in a band setting but house of worship. A few years ago I was assigned the task of purchasing some new mics to replace the low-end EV mics that were getting along in years and starting to fail. I decided on the e 835 3-pack from Northern Sound & Light. They sound good, are fairly good at rejecting feedback, and have withstood numerous hard drops. Just recently several e 935 mics have shown up to compliment the ones I purchased. They sound even better. I had nothing to do with this most recent purchase but maybe I helped get them on the right track.
M. M.
