I need a vocal mic for stage use

[leew3]

Originally Posted by chitz

Sennheiser e935. Best I've found.

^^^^ this!

[The Bard Rocks]

I went quickly form the Shures to Andix OM5, which I still like. Recently I added Sennheisers 935 and 945 - the 945 goes best with my none-too-clear voice.

[Wags]

Originally Posted by Gary1953

Played and sang with the band the other day and music was absolutely great. Music dynamics ranged from pop rock to soft acoustic ballad. I brought along my favorite vocal mic to use. It is a discontinued Shure RS25. I dig the response, proximity effect and tone that it gives my baritone voice. My Shure SM58 sounds flat and unresponsive in comparison. The down side was that the sound guy kept getting feedback between my RS25 and the monitor at my feet. The band was 2 acoustics, one electric guitar, piano, drums and bass. We don't play loud. Sound guy swapped my mic out for one that was less sensitive, sounded dull but didn't feedback. I didn't sound like 'me' in the monitor after that.

I want to get a new mic. Any suggestions? What is your personal favorite vocal mic?

I've used lots of mics on stage over the years. I've got a 57, Beta 58, various others, but the Audio Technica AE3300 puts them all to shame.

[StevenL]

Originally Posted by JWJ915

Sennheiser 945 or Heil PR35. Both awesome mics, IMO. I also have a Audix OM5 that, like mentioned above, handles loud stages very well. But sonically, I prefer the Senn or the Heil.

The Heil PR35 is amazing on low-end. Perfect for a baritone. Very clear on top-end too, almost condenser like.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Gary1953

Played and sang with the band the other day and music was absolutely great. Music dynamics ranged from pop rock to soft acoustic ballad. I brought along my favorite vocal mic to use. It is a discontinued Shure RS25. I dig the response, proximity effect and tone that it gives my baritone voice. My Shure SM58 sounds flat and unresponsive in comparison. The down side was that the sound guy kept getting feedback between my RS25 and the monitor at my feet. The band was 2 acoustics, one electric guitar, piano, drums and bass. We don't play loud. Sound guy swapped my mic out for one that was less sensitive, sounded dull but didn't feedback. I didn't sound like 'me' in the monitor after that.

I want to get a new mic. Any suggestions? What is your personal favorite vocal mic?

How about a Shure Beta 58A or a Heil PR 35?

[guitaniac]

I love the hyper cardiod Audix OM7 for my baritone voice. Its very good to a low voice in that the proximity effect isn't excessive and you get plenty of clarity with close miking. It also has extremely good feedback rejection.

The downsides are that 1) you need to be very close and on axis for softer passages to be heard, and 2) the mic's low gain design requires a lot of gain at the mixer (much more than a typical dynamic mic).

Here's a short clip where I'm using the mic with a song which has some very low pitches near the end.
https://youtu.be/SuohFqkeVbU


BTW, I've also owned and used the Audix OM5 which someone mentioned. I dislike that mic. To my ear, the presence peak is too harsh and the bass is weak since the bass rolloff starts way up around 120 Hz (to limit handling noise, so they say).

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by Wags

I've used lots of mics on stage over the years. I've got a 57, Beta 58, various others, but the Audio Technica AE3300 puts them all to shame.

Audio Technica AE-6100 has been my go to mic for years and I have a spare just in case anything should ever go wrong. One of the best dynamics around.

Originally Posted by JWJ915

Sennheiser 945 or Heil PR35. Both awesome mics, IMO. I also have a Audix OM5 that, like mentioned above, handles loud stages very well. But sonically, I prefer the Senn or the Heil.

Heil PR35 has been my main gigging mic since early this last summer and I just bought a backup for it.
I also have several Sennheiser 845's which I use when I'm in Japan but the 945 I bought a couple years ago didn't pair as well with my voice as it does with others and I sold it to a friend who loves it.

Originally Posted by StevenL

The Heil PR35 is amazing on low-end. Perfect for a baritone. Very clear on top-end too, almost condenser like.

Yes, Heil PR35 is a very clear sounding mic that can take operatic whispers all the way up to belting rock singers. Only caveat is it requires a good degree of breath control, but the payoff is way worth it.

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

...Heil PR 35?

Absolutely, Heil PR35.

[guitaniac]

Originally Posted by Nama Ensou

Absolutely, Heil PR35.

This is a great sounding mic, from what I've heard. I'd love to have one for myself. Its certainly worth a try, but it may not end up being the best mic for the OP's particular circumstances. He's already observed that his own preferred mic has proven too "sensitive" in the context of a six piece band. He may end up needing a hypercardioid mic to isolate the vocal as much as possible on small stages where drums and amps are close at hand. Hypercardioid mics are more restrictive with respect to how they need to be used (close and on-axis), but they do provide more gain-before-feedback and better vocal isolation in circumstances where those factors are a priority.

To my way of thinking, this discussion of favorite vocal mics parallels our many pickup discussions where performance environments and personal tastes end up being the most relevant factors.

[Nama Ensou]

Originally Posted by guitaniac

He may end up needing a hypercardioid mic to isolate the vocal as much as possible on small stages where drums and amps are close at hand. Hypercardioid mics are more restrictive with respect to how they need to be used (close and on-axis), but they do provide more gain-before-feedback and better vocal isolation in circumstances where those factors are a priority.

That's definitely part of why I like the highly under-rated Audio Technica AE-6100 and for a noisy setting, still my favorite mic.
Quiet setting or controlled stage = Heil PR35.
Loud stage with bleed-through problems = Audio Technica AE-6100.

[Long Road Home]

Another vote for the Sennheiser e935, which works much better than the e835 or Shure SM58 with my baritone range.