Vocal Mics

[rope]

I am looking to purchase a new vocal mic and wondered what kind of suggestions you might have. I like my friends Shure SM 58 Beta, but would like to have some suggestions of other options I should consider. What do you guys use? Hidden gems?

[mutantrock]

A guy in my last rock band had the SM58 Beta. We both like the EV N/D 767 better than the Shure.
I have a Sennheiser e935 which is really good for quieter acoustic setups.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by rope

I am looking to purchase a new vocal mic and wondered what kind of suggestions you might have. I like my friends Shure SM 58 Beta, but would like to have some suggestions of other options I should consider. What do you guys use? Hidden gems?

The Shure Beta 58A ($160 approx. street price) is a good one. Another mic that's getting a lot of raves and attention is the fairly new Heil PR35 ($275 approx. street price). These mics can be bought for less if the manufacturer or dealer is having a sales event. Probably the best advice is to try several brands and models of mics that are in your price range and buy the one that you think sounds best for your voice. I don't think you can go wrong with either the Shure Beta 58 or Heil PR35 and they should be on your mic shortlist for vocal sound reinforcement applications.

Regards,

SpruceTop

[lschwart]

As SpruceTop says, you've just got to try a bunch to find the one that best fits your voice and what you're trying to accomplish with your singing. But certainly put the Heil PR35 and PR22 and the EV N/D767a on your short list of mics to try.

FWIW, I love the PR35.

Louis

Me and my partner use the EV N/D767. She used to use a SM58, then she heard herself through my EV. We love them.

[Matt McGriff]

Check out the Behringer XM8500. Great reviews for a $25 mic.

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-XM85...6871179&sr=8-1

[rope]

For those of you suggesting the EV mic, what is it you like better than the Shure?

[RockerDuck]

The sm58 and the Beta 58 are voiced better for male voices. Male singers generally use these mic's. The Heils are clearer and good for all vocals and the ev767, which females tend to favor, are good for most vocalists. I use both Sm58 and beta 58 for different venues. Sm58 for low volume clubs, because it has a switch.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Matt McGriff

Check out the Behringer XM8500. Great reviews for a $25 mic.

http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-XM85...6871179&sr=8-1

Hi Matt...
I'm a dyed in the wool 40 year user of Shure SM-58s and we had some of the Behringer XM8500s for talkback mics (to talk to the stage from the board) and someone on the tech crew got mixed up one night and one ended up on stage among the singer's mics.

Nobody knew it till we were tearing down, so we plugged it in side by side with an SM-58 and there was very little difference...and a minor tweak of the bass EQ & they matched. We ordered 6 more. (They used to be $20 back then)

I carry one all the time in my gear bag. And since they are somewhere between an SM-58 and SM-57 in tone, they work for use with both vocals and tube amps.

I'm not too proud to carry a $25 mic in my bag when they sound this good.

[Dark Eyed Junko]

I love my AKG D5. Been using it for almost two years for vocals in lots of setting and just bought another.

I had an opportunity to A/B it in a live setting not long ago with a Shure 58. I was doing the sound for an event, and I had one of each mic set up for two presenters (they were speaking, not singing, if you want to take that into consideration). The speaker with the AKG sounded much fuller and present than the other. Halfway through the presentation, the speakers happen to put their microphones down, and by chance, they switched mics when they resumed. The better sound followed the mic, not the speaker.

That's when I bought a second AKG D5.

[marcusbites]

one thing to consider with the shure beta 58a is that you have to be really on it, or it decreases in volume significantly. In short, you'd need a good technique if you're going with the beta.

[pieterh]

I second the vote for the AKG D5. If you have the extra cash the D7 is even better, with even more tolerance for feedback and noise. This is personal professional stage experience, for what it's worth

[chitz]

Originally Posted by m-thirty-great

Me and my partner use the EV N/D767. She used to use a SM58, then she heard herself through my EV. We love them.

Same here, we just switched from the 58's to the EV N/D 767. A/B'd them all @ GC and these were as good as the Beta 58's. At about $115 ea.
Sound great off axis, hot, love em!

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by marcusbites

one thing to consider with the shure beta 58a is that you have to be really on it, or it decreases in volume significantly. In short, you'd need a good technique if you're going with the beta.

Hi marcus...

As a singer who uses PA systems a lot, that is a major point of using dynamic, unidirectional mics. If you don't stay within an inch and stay on axis, they begin to deteriorate the sound. But if you do stay on them, the tone is wonderful and the feedback reduced.

I own a Shure Beta 87a, and while there is a lot more detail in the sound, it is also more prone to feedback and picking up stage noise and off axis interference.

I know I'm old school preferring dynamic narrow patterns, but hey, I've never had anyone tell me it sounded like someone else when I used my 'good old standby' mics...and for portable quick setup/teardown gigs, using a $25 is less risky than a $200 one.

[j3ffr0]

Beyer M69TG is a hidden gem. So is the M88.