Alternatives to the SM58 Microphone

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

I REALLY don't know how an industry standard mic like the SM58 can be so constantly misused.
I have been told frequently at gigs to sing touching the mic.

This should keep you from ever wanting to touch your lips to a mic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdxvVNlRiKs

Sorry for just posting the URL, but the YouTube wrap killed the link.

[Zandit75]

Thansk again for everyone's input.
I'm still in the research stage, and trialing things with my current setup.
One thing I've noticed in looking at the Sennheisers is many people recommending the 835, 935 & 945, but no mention of the 845, why is that?

[pieterh]

Originally Posted by Zandit75

Thansk again for everyone's input.

I'm still in the research stage, and trialing things with my current setup.

One thing I've noticed in looking at the Sennheisers is many people recommending the 835, 935 & 945, but no mention of the 845, why is that?

Odd that, I agree.

I don’t have direct experience of that one but the main difference is the 845, like the 945, has a supercardioid pattern. The 845 has a slightly brighter and extended top end though for vocals this may not be particularly evident. It will give a stronger response a little distance from the mic but a little less of-axis. My experience of the e945 is that this drop off is not particularly significant and these mics are good for people who move around a bit while singing!

[alohachris]

Aloha,

I used the Shure SM-58 & Unidyne's for many years at the beginning of my gigging career because they were everywhere & mostly out of ignorance & habit. Bars used them as their house mic's solely because they were indestructible & cheap. In some of the bars I played their mic's were 10-20 years old?!? SM-58's were the staple of rockers & shouters.

But for a more nuanced live vocal sound & more clarity - the SM-58 always just sucked. Frankly, I don't know why any longtime gigger would choose to use one at their shows. Just look inside of an SM-58 one time to see why I have this opinion. I can see beginners or on-the-cheap types loving the price.

As my ears, vocals & overall live sound became more refined & together, I started to audition other brands of both dynamic & condenser live vocal mic's. I used many over 55 years of gigging & auditioned them all - including the most popular one's listed in this thread.

At the end of my career, I was bringing both types of mic's to my solo gigs (recommended). I'd use the mic that worked best for the room, naturally preferring a condenser but sometimes unable to use one in brighter or crowded rooms & stages. Of course most good condenser mic's don't like to be dropped, but today's better dynamics are very sturdy. I had a better choice of gigs & didn't drop a single mic or have one knocked over in my last 20 years of gigging.

At the end, the two mic's that my voice liked the best were the Heil PR35 dynamic mic, & the old standard AKG 535 condenser mic. Voices as disparate as Paul Simon, James Taylor, Barbra Streisand & Sting used the 535 as their main live vocal mic for years. Many used 535's are still available for about the cost of a new 58. Both have onboard control/cut switches to suit the room.

As an added bonus, both of those models also work great on guitars & other musical instruments & they are not expensive for a pro gigger, or for the quality. Plus, they are both also great for recording. Very versatile, very clear sounding. The Heil PR35 sounds like a condenser mic but doesn't feedback live.

Audition those live mic's & as many as you can, guys. Let your voice choose the mic that's right for it. Use them at your gigs & relegate that old smelly SM-58 to retirement (like me) for use as a hammer or weapon. If I offended any 58 lovers out there, so be it. If it works for you, why not?

alohachris

PS: Thank you Bob for reminding me about the 58's design inspiration - the '37 grill. Haven't had that run through my mind since the 60's - Ha! It was like having a flashback.-alohachris-

[SpruceTop]

The Shure Beta 58A is a good reasonably-priced mic with more clarity than the Shure SM58.

[nightchef]

I agree with alohachris that the SM58 is a much better mic for rock & roll than for acoustic music. You should be able to get a decent sound on it even for acoustic gigs, though, with the EQ and mic technique tips that have been offered here.

I've always found the EV N/D mics (particularly the 767) work better than the Shures for gigs like this. I don't like them for more high-volume applications; they tend to disappear precisely because they lack that midrange thickness. But for coffeehouse shows that bug becomes a feature.

The Audix OM's definitely don't have the mud problem, but I'd hesitate to recommend them for singer/guitarists unless you are the kind of guitarist who never needs to look down at his/her fretboard while singing (in which case, I hate you ). The OM's have very tight hypercardioid patterns (particularly the OM5 and OM7). They are unforgiving of any deviation from the sweet spot, and I think they're best suited for handheld use.

[MarkF_48]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

This should keep you from ever wanting to touch your lips to a mic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdxvVNlRiKs

Sorry for just posting the URL, but the YouTube wrap killed the link.

Your post reminded me of one I had seen a few years back. Another good reason not to get too close to your mic. Not for the squeamish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpTGuCn0Mr8

[buzzardwhiskey]

A lot of folks are recommending mics that are not like the SM58, either pattern-wise or money-wise. So I'll throw in my favorite... the Miktek PM9. It's a super-cardoid mic that goes for around $200.

You can hear it used by dozens of bands on the Music Fog and the Live From Daryl's House YouTube channels.

[MarkF_48]

Originally Posted by buzzardwhiskey

A lot of folks are recommending mics that are not like the SM58, either pattern-wise or money-wise. So I'll throw in my favorite... the Miktek PM9. It's a super-cardoid mic that goes for around $200.

You can hear it used by dozens of bands on the Music Fog and the Live From Daryl's House YouTube channels.

Got one of those. Closest to a condenser like sound compared to other dynamics I've got.

[Zandit75]

Originally Posted by phcorrigan

This should keep you from ever wanting to touch your lips to a mic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdxvVNlRiKs

Sorry for just posting the URL, but the YouTube wrap killed the link.

Haha, thanks for sharing that!! Will definitely make me consider taking my own mic to the next open mic night!!
BTW< when using the Youtube wrap, you only need the letters after the "=" sign, so yours shoudl have looked like this(Without the spaces)
[ YOUTUBE ] CdxvVNlRiKs [ /YOUTUBE ]
And you will end up with this.

[keith.rogers]

I've got a PM9, too. Very good mic, but like other super/hyper-cardioids, a little more demanding on mic technique. (Not a whole lot unlike a Shure Beta 58a IME, but it depends on the vocalist, too.)

[j3ffr0]

Beyer M88 or M69 TG. Great mics.

[Brent Nelson]

+1 on the Miktek PM9, and I will throw in the Audix OM3. Both have served me very well and, in my opinion, wipe the floor with the SM58s I formerly used.

Originally Posted by buzzardwhiskey

A lot of folks are recommending mics that are not like the SM58, either pattern-wise or money-wise. So I'll throw in my favorite... the Miktek PM9. It's a super-cardoid mic that goes for around $200.

You can hear it used by dozens of bands on the Music Fog and the Live From Daryl's House YouTube channels.

[phcorrigan]

Originally Posted by Zandit75

BTW< when using the Youtube wrap, you only need the letters after the "=" sign, so yours should have looked like this(Without the spaces)
[ YOUTUBE ] CdxvVNlRiKs [ /YOUTUBE ]

Thanks for this!

[kendallhadden]

For the money the sE V7 is hard to beat. I’ve switched all my vocals to that mic and it works great and sounds great. That’s all Chris Stapleton uses as well.