best type of vocal mic for singing players?

[ADG]

Do all of you that play while you sing favor any particular type vocal mic to accommodate the greater movement and obvious lack of available hands to constantly fine tune mic position as a dedicated singer would do? In that regard, I'm wondering what type of vocal mic (uni, omni directional, cardioid or some other type) is best for those live acoustic performances while also minimizing feedback and bleed? The guitar is amplified with either a pick up or separate mic.

Since playing obviously keeps both hands busy, I can't handle the mic to move it in/out etc in a way singers tend to do to manage volume etc. Although many dedicated vocalists who hold the mic seem to prefer a unidirectional mic but I wonder if that works best as they are very sensitive to any movement away the mic stand (head turns to fretting hand etc).

I am beginning to perform and record so I plan on purchasing my own set up and would appreciate some advice.

[The Bard Rocks]

Others will join in and make recommendation on mikes. I use Audix i5 and M5 for instruments and vocals, sometimes Shures, 57 and 58. Lots of other good ones as well.

If you keep the mike close enough to your face, you will eliminate some extraneous unwanted noises and have less bleed. You can then move in and out a few inches and have the same effect that moving a foot or two would do with a mike set up handheld for a vocalist and held further away. You don't have to give up expression because your hands are doing something else (like playing).

[myersbw]

Howdy! What a question! I'm not a pro player by any stretch of the imagination, but I've performed for 30+ years, so I'll add my 2 cents. The elusive answer my instincts want to give back is...it depends! :O

Mics are about as personal as guitar strings, action of a neck, pick gauge...you name it. To help answer it for you, we'd have to know everything about your performances. Still, here are just a few food-for-thought comments just to get your mind wrapped around this a bit more.

Harmonizers - do you use them? Yes? Go with as tight a cardiod (or unidirectional) mic as you can. Extraneous background "noise, conversation, etc." can confuse a harmonizer's processing and produce improper harmonies.

Moderately loud playing & vocals? Same as above except for feedback reasons.

Intimate or warm, full-bodied singer/songwriter style? Look to a large condenser or a ribbon mic for an expanded warmth. You also get a lot more play with proximity, and will also need to take more care with transporting those style mics. (Shock is not their friend)

You're going to find some here that will recommend very specific mics and that's good. What I'd strongly recommend is take advantage of what they suggest...make a list of mic possibilities and your budget. Then search YouTube for demos of those specific mics and listen.

Over the years, I've tried several mics and do keep a few. There are 1-2 specific songs I do that I go for a specific mic. But, most of the time I settle with a good old school Shure SM58. Very rarely, but I have used a large (1" element) condenser...like every few years. LOVE the tone! And, I use a cheap one! But, usually the rule applies that you don't get what you don't pay for. And, it's either in quality reproduction or the endurance or both that might suffer.

The other thing that makes this personal...what a certain mic does for one person's voice...may not be what you seek when you hear your own through it. Another YouTube experience you might take is to look for singers that play similar music to your style and note what mics they're using for their demos, if noted or easily seen. But, keep in the back of your mind that...mics recording a good performance might not always be the best selection for the live performance experience.

All the best...

BradM

[jaybones]

I sing though a SM58, and use a SM57 for instrument amplification. I'm old school, bought these used back in the early 90's when I was in a working band. Guy was advertising breaking up PA gear, and I bought 2 mics, boom stand, straight stand, and cables so I'd have my own.

Recommended to the rest of the guys they pick up some stuff for themselves. Singer (only sang didn't play anything else) bought his own SM57 and an old 50's chrome (original one), other guitars player bought 57 and 58 with stands as well.

[Crimson Dave]

I've always used Shure SM58s for vocals. They are rugged, have predictable characteristics and have good sound quality. That said, I am currently using a Sennheiser e935 and I love it. Just seems more articulate and crisper than a 58. Kinda hi-fi.

With regard to mic technique, either mic is a good choice as they are cardioid and are forgiving of your being off axis while singing and looking at your guitar neck, foot pedals, looking angrily at your drummer for playing too fast, etc.

Both sound best close to your face. I've found that trying to back way off this type of mic for louder passages results in dropping volume far too much. I usually just pull back to a few inches away for loud belty parts and sing about 1/2" away most of the time.

I've run sound for singers who are very proud of what they consider to be good mic technique that make my job harder riding their fader trying to keep them in the mix using cardiod or worse, hypercardiod mics.

[lschwart]

There are lots and lots of great mics designed for singing on stage, and once you get used to working a mic properly, you will start to notice the subtle differences that different mics make given your voice and the kind of music you're making.

There isn't a lot you can do about a couple of basic things. Unless you're performing on a quiet stage in a relatively quiet room, you will need to know how to sing up close to your mic and address it directly (not from the side). Mics for singing on stage are designed with that in mind. They are cardioid in one form or another. Some are super-, some are hyper-cardioid. Plain old cardioid mics have wider pickup patterns which make them more forgiving in terms of position, and their null-spot is to the back which means you can point their back at a monitor and not pick up sound from it and create feedback. But they are also more apt to pick up other sounds you don't want from the sides (more an issue in a band than in a solo situation, although it might pick up more guitar than you want). The others are more restrictive to the sides, have their null-spots in a different place, and will have a stronger proximity effect (the bass gets stronger as you get closer with all of these mics, but more so with the super- and hyper-cardioid mics--sometimes EQ is necessary to control this problem--if it feels like a problem rather than an enhancement--especially if the singer is sloppy with plosives--"b's," "p's,"....).

Most people who play guitar and sing use a vocal mic on a boom stand so the mic can be close to their mouth but with plenty of room under the boom for the guitar, and they just learn to work the mic in and from that position, sitting or standing as they prefer. All other things about the basic quality of a stage vocal mic being equal, the mic technique of the singer is the most import thing, so it's worth practicing.

I hope that's helpful

Louis

[dgt178]

...Audix OM5.....great mic

[midwinter]

For a long time (probably 20 years), I used an SM57 for vocals because I liked being able to get away from it easily if I need to cough or something. Now I mostly use an SM58 live.

One trick: I will often ask for/put more gain on my mic than it needs, which allows me to control volume on my end (either by singing louder or singing closer) without the sound person having to ride faders too much.

[Schau_ins_Regal]

I am not singing in a very rough / loud envirenment and wanted to have the most refined reproduction for my voice and also for my wife.

So I ordered some condenser microphones for comparision - a Neumann KMS105, Shure KSM9, Sennheiser E945 and Audio Technica AE 5400.

We finally made the desicion for the AE5400 in either case which is even the cheapest of the bunch. Very nice mic.

I suggest that you just identify some mics that could suit you, then order some and make a shootout.

[Andy Howell]

I use the Sennheiser 935 which seems well matched to rich or baritone male vocals.


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[Revy]

Originally Posted by Andy Howell

I use the Sennheiser 935 which seems well matched to rich or baritone male vocals

I did a bunch of research before I bought any microphones. One of the things I read about was the best mic for lower frequencies, since I too have a lower voice. The Sennheiser 935 is excellent for that. I found a nice used one at a GC online for around the Shure 58 price. It is fantastic and a little more responsive than a 58. I use a foam windscreen as a cheap form of pop filter and it seems to even the sound a little. The windscreen helps train you to get used to the proper distance to keep the mic, since you can feels it's presence against your lips. It's also cheap protection to keep grills from getting dented up if you move them around a lot.

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by ADG

Do all of you that play while you sing favor any particular type vocal mic to accommodate the greater movement and obvious lack of available hands to constantly fine tune mic position as a dedicated singer would do? In that regard, I'm wondering what type of vocal mic (uni, omni directional, cardioid or some other type) is best for those live acoustic performances while also minimizing feedback and bleed? The guitar is amplified with either a pick up or separate mic.

Since playing obviously keeps both hands busy, I can't handle the mic to move it in/out etc in a way singers tend to do to manage volume etc. Although many dedicated vocalists who hold the mic seem to prefer a unidirectional mic but I wonder if that works best as they are very sensitive to any movement away the mic stand (head turns to fretting hand etc).



I am beginning to perform and record so I plan on purchasing my own set up and would appreciate some advice.

First and foremost decide and relay what your budget is ? Other wise there are literally 100's of mics that will work fine. From $50 to $3000

"Do all of you that play while you sing favor any particular type vocal mic to accommodate the greater movement and obvious lack of available hands to constantly fine tune mic position as a dedicated singer would do?"

No the particular mic is not near as important as learning how to use a mic on a stand while playing.

Since playing obviously keeps both hands busy, I can't handle the mic to move it in/out etc in a way singers tend to do to manage volume etc.

You basically answered your own question within your statement. While using a mic on a stand, you simply learn how to move yourself in/out to manage volume, as opposed to moving the mic .

Generally speaking if your playing and singing you will most likely want a cardioid pattern as opposed to an omni

Keep in mind that you can use either a dynamic or condenser except a condenser will require phantom power
So again the main thing consideration is what is your budget ?


Also so far the best piece of advise (beside deciding on a budget) in this thread, is the post # 9 by Schau_ins_Regal . Because no one can actually advise you accurately on which mic will sound the best with your particular voice. So try to go some place where you can try a number of mic's (in your budget range) side by side.

[tdubbed]

I was in this same position a few weeks ago. I was purchasing my first vocal mic, and I already owned a SM57. Although I heard some negative things about the SM58 (people disputing its reasons for preeminence), I bought one anyway.

What really made me choose the SM58 was that, at the time, I was preparing for my first gig, and one of the songs I was to play was by Garth Brooks. Sure enough, in a video of Garth Brooks singing the EXACT song, he's got a SM58 to his mouth.

That was enough for me. If a pro can use one, then so can I.

It seems to me that $100 will go a looong way with a microphone.

Good luck with your decision.

[tdubbed]

Originally Posted by KevWind

...the particular mic is not near as important as learning how to use a mic on a stand while playing.

Truth. I had my first gig this past Friday and I practiced playing with my mic through a PA before the gig. It definitely made all the difference. I realized quickly that singing through a microphone was a different beast altogether, and I definitely had some trial and error to do.

It seems that you have to be able to move closer and further away from the microphone depending on whether you're singing softly or loudly. Is this accurate?

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by tdubbed

Truth. I had my first gig this past Friday and I practiced playing with my mic through a PA before the gig. It definitely made all the difference. I realized quickly that singing through a microphone was a different beast altogether, and I definitely had some trial and error to do.

It seems that you have to be able to move closer and further away from the microphone depending on whether you're singing softly or loudly. Is this accurate?

Yes basically, there are a number of things to learn but very generally speaking the more powerfully you are singing the further away from the mic you can be (to a point) and of course the sensitivity of the particular mic will dictate how close and or powerfully you can sing and not overload or distort in general and on plosives.

So things to consider are how proximity effects the particular mic, in relation to your singing style.
In general the closer you are the more intimate feel but the easier to distort or get hyped plosives. For example a technique which can allow you to be very close and intimate and not have plosives distort is to slightly dip your head while singing the plosives

And a thought about your previous post. First just because some pro uses a particular mic is not really a good reason to buy it . Pro's use all kinds of mic's from less than $100 to over $3k and everything in between.

Also I don't know why people would "dispute" the popularity of the SM 58. There are three main reasons it is so popular, one is because it is built like a tank and will take the rigors and abuse of "the road" and keep working for years and years. Then there is fact that it is excellent for not picking up off axis sounds, so it works very well in a band situation on a tight stage, and coupled with the fact that it is a dynamic and does not require phantom are arguably the "reasons" it is so popular.