Best vocal stage microphone

[Rich]

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.

Charlie

 

Great,

 

Thanks Charlie.

 

Rich

[charlyfarly]

Yes they do require a certain amount of respect and don't generally appreciate being dropped from a height or any other abuse. If you are fond of swinging the mic around there isn't going to be a house engineer that will put you on his Christmas card list if you wreck a SM87 and the like.

Roger Daltrey is an expert mic twirler and has used SM58's for ages :)

[hounsome]

you need to try lots of diffrents mics to find what is best for you. try hiring to find out any good sound company will have a large mic list that you can hire from, cheper than spending the money on the wrong mic.

 

if you want to spend lots of money try a Shure KSM9.

 

but dont swing it round or engineers will be upset.

 

colin

[Gareth Owen]

The Neumann KMS105 would make for an intresting choice if money is no object.

 

http://www.neumann.com/?lang=en&id=cur...105_description

 

Have used these in the past with staggering results.

[Bobbsy]

Re: Audix OM7

 

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.

 

Do you actually own Audix mics or have you heard this from somebody?

 

To put the other side of the case, my mic box includes a couple of OM7s and a pile of OM5 and OM6 models (totalling about 15) with an age range from about 5 years old to around a year old. I've yet to have a single issue with ANY of them. In my experience, they're tough as old boots, in much the same league as the SM58. However, they really do sound better and can indeed help the vocal to "cut through"

 

That said, I treat the OM7 as a specialist mic for "vocalists with problems" and would suggest trying an OM5 or OM6 first. You also need a decent mixer with a good mic pre-amp to get the best from the OM7, due to the very low output...but this is deliberate and, literally, what "it says on the box".

 

The vast majority of audio professionals I know prefer the Audix range--except for the main problem which is to persuade those singers who don't know better that there's life after a 40+ year old design like the SM58. So much in sound is fashion driven...or should I say "monkey see SM58, monkey use SM58). And, yeah, I also have a box of 58s for those who don't know better/don't care.

 

Edited to add: the KMS105 is a huge favourite of mine when quality is the driving force. Put it on a female vocalist with a good voice and it's so nice it can bring tears to the eyes--you can hear every subtle nuance. However, I'm not sure I'd advocate it for "cutting through" or as a general, everyday mic.

 

Bob

[Charlie Jeal]

Re: Audix OM7

 

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.

 

Do you actually own Audix mics or have you heard this from somebody?

 

To put the other side of the case, my mic box includes a couple of OM7s and a pile of OM5 and OM6 models (totalling about 15) with an age range from about 5 years old to around a year old. I've yet to have a single issue with ANY of them. In my experience, they're tough as old boots, in much the same league as the SM58. However, they really do sound better and can indeed help the vocal to "cut through"

 

That said, I treat the OM7 as a specialist mic for "vocalists with problems" and would suggest trying an OM5 or OM6 first. You also need a decent mixer with a good mic pre-amp to get the best from the OM7, due to the very low output...but this is deliberate and, literally, what "it says on the box".

 

The vast majority of audio professionals I know prefer the Audix range--except for the main problem which is to persuade those singers who don't know better that there's life after a 40+ year old design like the SM58. So much in sound is fashion driven...or should I say "monkey see SM58, monkey use SM58). And, yeah, I also have a box of 58s for those who don't know better/don't care.

 

Edited to add: the KMS105 is a huge favourite of mine when quality is the driving force. Put it on a female vocalist with a good voice and it's so nice it can bring tears to the eyes--you can hear every subtle nuance. However, I'm not sure I'd advocate it for "cutting through" or as a general, everyday mic.

 

Bob

 

Hi Bob,

 

As I said in my earlier post the only Audix mics I own are instrument ones. Yes I have had OM7s let me down just like that, my other gripe with them is the higher gain before feedback claim that people make about them, they seem to feel that being able to set your gain pot higher is somehow a huge benefit. I would also have to say that 99% of the audio professionals I know wouldnt use Audix vocal mics unless they were obliged to by a sponsorship deal, sorry Bob but this "fanboy" devotion to Audix from a lot of users drives me round the bend they aren't perfect and comparing them to a 58 isn't an apples to apples comparison. My personal preference for vocal mics is Sennheiser 935 or 945 for dynamics. I too love the KMS105 but wouldnt advocate for the more active singer in case of dropping or other impacts as they really dont like that;also on a smaller stage with a loud band they have a tendency to start acting as downstage overheads(as do many handheld vocal condensers).

 

I actually own 6 sm 58s, 4 beta 58as(which very rarely make it out of the box), 4 each of the Senn 935 and 945, 4 Beta 87as, 2 kms105s. The Sm58s tend to get used for the same reason as Bob uses em and also because they are a "known quantity" to most people.

 

Charlie

[Bobbsy]

Charlie,

 

The only reason I'll let you get away with calling me a "fanboy" is that I'm at an age where the word "boy" is a long-lost memory.

 

However, my liking for Audix mics is based on quite a few years of professional use...and listening to them compared to the competition. I wouldn't describe any microphone as "perfect". Their use depends on a lot of factors but I find the OM series a good, all-round range of mics that have a smoother, warmer sound (with much less EQ) than the "standard" SM58...and they DO tend to give improved gain before feedback in difficult situations. We must move in different circles because I find Audix vocal mics well accepted amongst the audio people I know...even it it's sometimes a struggle to pry that battered SM58 out of the singer's hand.

 

Use them or don't...mic choice is a personal thing...but ad hominem insults like "fanboy" don't do much for your case.

 

Bob

[Gareth Owen]

Edited to add: the KMS105 is a huge favourite of mine when quality is the driving force. Put it on a female vocalist with a good voice and it's so nice it can bring tears to the eyes--you can hear every subtle nuance. However, I'm not sure I'd advocate it for "cutting through" or as a general, everyday mic.

Fair comment although in my humble experience the KMS can be EQ'd to cut through providing the singers mic technique is adjusted - they seem to go a bit vauge when the singer pulls away from the head - so if you have a very dynamic singer who is used to tromboning towards and away from the mic you tend to lose them a bit as they pull back. Easily fixable with a approachable vocalist however.

 

I too love the KMS105 but wouldnt advocate for the more active singer in case of dropping or other impacts as they really dont like that;also on a smaller stage with a loud band they have a tendency to start acting as downstage overheads(as do many handheld vocal condensers).

The Original Post concerned what mic the singer in a band should buy for themselves, therefore I would like to think they would look after it. You're right though - there is no way a KMS105 would survive Sex Pistols or Prodigy style of abuse the way an SM58 would.

 

As for downstage overheads? Yeah, I'll go along with that although its never seriously bothered me. Most of the shows I do are rock & roll musicals so even the loudest of shows don't compete onstage levelwise to your average pub gig.

 

On an entirely seperate note, Sound Designer Ben Harrison uses the KMS105 as a High side of an Accordian mic with really great results.

[Track21]

The microphone isn't the problem! A good engineer will be able to get your vocals cutting above the mix regardless of the P.A or microphone choice!

 

Obviously the microphone choice will make a difference, but at the end of the day a 58 is fine for 99% of vocalists.

 

Hire an engineer! :)

[Charlie Jeal]

Charlie,

 

The only reason I'll let you get away with calling me a "fanboy" is that I'm at an age where the word "boy" is a long-lost memory.

 

However, my liking for Audix mics is based on quite a few years of professional use...and listening to them compared to the competition. I wouldn't describe any microphone as "perfect". Their use depends on a lot of factors but I find the OM series a good, all-round range of mics that have a smoother, warmer sound (with much less EQ) than the "standard" SM58...and they DO tend to give improved gain before feedback in difficult situations. We must move in different circles because I find Audix vocal mics well accepted amongst the audio people I know...even it it's sometimes a struggle to pry that battered SM58 out of the singer's hand.

 

Use them or don't...mic choice is a personal thing...but ad hominem insults like "fanboy" don't do much for your case.

 

Bob

 

Bob,

 

As we all know the written word on a forum sometimes doesn't seem to come across too well, I wasn't meaning to call you a fanboy, however there are a lot of people out there who do fit that description whether we are talking about mics, amps, mixers or speakers and will blindly wave the banner for their choice of product the way some people do for sports teams. At the end of the day all these things are just tools in the box and what suits one person may not suit another, I've never been fond of OM5s and 6s and the fact that OM7s can cut out when they get too "moist" is a deal breaker for me. Also unless a mic just blatantly doesn't work for an artist I wouldn't be going out of my way to change their minds, for some of them familiarity means that anything that deviates from the "norm" is either "bad" or "wrong". I rember working with an older country/folk style artist who's voice simply didnt live up to it's potential with a 58 or beta58a but was fine with a beta57a but to him it was wrong he didnt like the grille, the solution in this case was sticking a 58a grille on it and he was none the wiser. So like all of these things anyones mileage may vary.

Also to the OP don't rule out the Audio Technica AE series mics in particular the AE6100(dynamic) and the AE5400 which uses the large diaphragm from the the AT4050 LDC and is seeing success on very loud stages such as Metallica and Slipknot.

 

Charlie

 

 

 

 

 

 

A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on.

 

The microphone isn't the problem! A good engineer will be able to get your vocals cutting above the mix regardless of the P.A or microphone choice!

 

Obviously the microphone choice will make a difference, but at the end of the day a 58 is fine for 99% of vocalists.

 

Hire an engineer! :)

 

Aaron got to say I couldn't disagree with you more on the mic not being a problem in a lot of cases a 58 may do the job but nowhere near as well as other choices may do, that said if I wanted to knock a nail in I'd choose the 58 :P

[Gareth Owen]

However, always worth remembering that the best mic in the world will still sound rubbish if the guy behind the desk is a bit useless ;-)

[Charlie Jeal]

However, always worth remembering that the best mic in the world will still sound rubbish if the guy behind the desk is a bit useless ;-)

 

 

In those circumstances I usually find the better the mic the worse the problems are, seen quite a few instances of this when "babysitting" at foh, I remember one guy "had" to have a dbx tube comp, a KT DN360 and a BSS DPR901 daisy chained and inserted for his "money" channel with a KMS105 at the stage end it sounded absolutely dreadful all this with an H3k and decent sized Nexo Alpha rig so the gear definitely wasn't at fault :) .

[TallMike]

I personally think the getting the sound you want down a vocal channel is about 10% mic selection, and 90% proper use of EQ and processing on that channel (I said 'use', not 'over use' :)).

 

And of course, there's always the old rule... rubbish in, rubbish out!

[Charlie Jeal]

And sometimes the best choice of mic for the job isnt the "best" quality one or most expensive. I worked at a prestigious performing arts institute for a couple of years back in the mid/late 90s when they 1st opened. One of the more frequent occurrences we had was students wanting to know why their vocal recordings didnt sound as good as they expected when they went straight for the U87 to record with, on a lot of occasions they would have had far better results from a less accurate and more "forgiving" mic. Guess the moral of this tale is save the good stuff for the artists with good vocal technique and respect for the equipment.

 

Charlie

[TallMike]

Prince's engineer once said he could mic the entire show up on SM57s and it would still sound as good :)