craftysimian Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Hi I am a lead singer in a band and I was wondering what would be the best Vocal mic. I currently use a sm58 most of the time but I am looking for something better. I need something that would break throught the music better, I do jump around with the mic so this could be something to think about your help will be gratefully recieved thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soundiesam Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 I think your on the right track with the 58 have you considered the SM58 Beta sounds better than the 58 worth looking at though..... I think for a mic that will last you and put up with the ups and downs of life a 58 is still the king. sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazHS Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Hi I am a lead singer in a band and I was wondering what would be the best Vocal mic. I currently use a sm58 most of the time but I am looking for something better. I need something that would break throught the music better, I do jump around with the mic so this could be something to think about your help will be gratefully recieved thanks Might be worth looking at a condenser mic, possibly the Shure Beta 87. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftysimian Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 I was looking at the condensers and considering them, are they okay for jumping and dancing around with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Jeal Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Ah this old chestnut again. To lay a myth to rest there is no single worlds best vocal stage microphone it all depends on the vocalist and circumstance in which it's used. A blanket statement that a beta 58a is better than a 58 is untrue and grossly inaccurate in some cases the 58 will be the better choice in others the Beta58a ia better, as a general purpose mic I'd rather have SM58s than BetasAnyone should be able to achieve decent results with any of the industrys usual suspects. This post might be better served if the OP told us a little more about his usage i.e. style, monitor setup, type of venues played etc. It's well worth checking out the Sennheiser 935 and 945, as well as stuff like the Audio Technica AE6100, maybe a Shure SM86 or Beta87A or C the list could continue onwards the best bet is to go and try different mics out on your own setup. Have a look for a local hire firm and hire a few that you want to audition then choose the one that suits your purpose best. But I'd advise avoiding Audix OM7s like the plague. Charlie A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on. Hi I am a lead singer in a band and I was wondering what would be the best Vocal mic. I currently use a sm58 most of the time but I am looking for something better. I need something that would break throught the music better, I do jump around with the mic so this could be something to think about your help will be gratefully recieved thanks Might be worth looking at a condenser mic, possibly the Shure Beta 57. Hmm Beta57s are not a condenser I hope you actually meant 87s? Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazHS Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Might be worth looking at a condenser mic, possibly the Shure Beta 57. Hmm Beta57s are not a condenser I hope you actually meant 87s? Charlie I did, appologies! The singer isnt an instrument! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Jeal Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 All that said some people do like the Beta57a as a vocal mic. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChazHS Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 All that said some people do like the Beta57a as a vocal mic. Charlie Well thats not what I meant to put down! Although you could use one, if you were reaaaaaaally wierd. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Jeal Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 Actually if you look around you'll find that they're quite a popular choice for vocals, you dont need to be weird to choose one. FWI David Gilmour used a 57 with its magnetic windshield attachement for years for his vocals on tour with Pink Floyd. Just because you haven't seen or experienced it doesnt mean its odd. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 But I'd advise avoiding Audix OM7s like the plague.Charlie Hi Charlie, Why do you say that? I've only ever heard good reports so I'm interested to hear your opinion. Many thanks, Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 FWI David Gilmour used a 57 with its magnetic windshield attachement for years for his vocals on tour with Pink Floyd. The A2WS was a 'jam fit' with a little screw if you didn't want it to come off - don't remember them being magnetic? Floyd used them originally on 545s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shez Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 I currently use a sm58 most of the time I need something that would break through the music better I'm going to add my vote to the more info request - if a 58 isn't cutting through the music, I'd be looking elsewhere for the problem. There are many mics out there that do sound better but the 58 was originally designed to cut right through the music on less than ideal PAs. I've yet to experience one failing in that respect. Quick question though - are you absolutely sure that yours is a genuine SM58? There are an awful lots of fakes around at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Jeal Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 But I'd advise avoiding Audix OM7s like the plague.Charlie Hi Charlie, Why do you say that? I've only ever heard good reports so I'm interested to hear your opinion. Many thanks, Richard They "die" very quickly and need to be swapped out if the vocalist using one is at all slobbery, they do start working again once they've dried out but for me thats no good for mission critical stuff. Plus overall I'm not keen on it's lower output and a lot of vocalists seem to have a problem staying in the pickup pattern. Don't get me wrong I love most Audix instrument mics just not keen on the vocal ones. There's quite a few opinions on psw as well from people who use them in a serious professional context rather than the weekend warrior types who seem to love them. A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on. FWI David Gilmour used a 57 with its magnetic windshield attachement for years for his vocals on tour with Pink Floyd. The A2WS was a 'jam fit' with a little screw if you didn't want it to come off - don't remember them being magnetic? Floyd used them originally on 545s. Nope sorry Paul Floyd didnt use 545s from the mid 70s onwards if you watch the Live at Pompei movie by then they were using MD409s, and Gilmour was the only one to use a 57 with the windshield from The Wall tours onwards. My bad about the magnetic aspect to the windshield that ones from the "presidential" kit only. I've seen Gilmour using a KMS105 or a Sennheiser E945 in recent times as well. Charlie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Hope-Streeter Posted January 24, 2009 Share Posted January 24, 2009 All that said some people do like the Beta57a as a vocal mic.CharlieWell thats not what I meant to put down! Although you could use one, if you were reaaaaaaally wierd. There is nothing weird about it. A Beta 57A is a lovely vocal mic. But to reply to the OP: The one true answer to the original question is "whatever works best in your particular circumstances" However as has been mentioned, if a 58 isn't doing the job "reasonably well", something is probably wrong somewhere. Maybe it's a Chinese Fake (I hope you didn't buy it on ebay)Maybe the foam behind the grille needs replacing. Maybe it's 20 years old and the diaphragm is knackered - trouble is, they are physically indestructible so people keep on using them long after they should have had the capsules replaced.Maybe you are using an XLR cable with a conductive plastic screen that somebody didn't cut back (thereby loading down the mic with a low parallel resistance)Maybe your style is to "cup" the mic, in which case you will need some carefully tweaked EQ to make it sound good (this will apply to whatever mic you use) Maybe it just doesn't suit your voice or it doesn't give you the sound YOU want. In which case try a few alternatives until you are happy. But first, check your speaker system isn't to blame. A 58 isn't the best sounding mike available these days, but it shouldn't sound particulaly bad under "average" conditions. HTH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftysimian Posted January 24, 2009 Author Share Posted January 24, 2009 I am really at the mercy of resident PA's at present, with resident sound guys. Are condenser mics less rugged than a standard dynamic mic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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