Mics for live vocals

ICBM · June 2014

I don't think there's any question that there are better-sounding mics than the 58 - it's just that I think if you take the complete package of reasonable sound quality, soundman familiarity, good 'punch' in a mix, pretty good feedback rejection, roadworthiness and relatively low cost they are still very hard to beat.

Danny1969 · June 2014

It's not so much better sounding mics than the SM58 that I prefer but one's that can amplify the singer without amplifying the drum kit behind so much

On big stages 58's are fine but I prefer other stuff for small stage work

MattG · June 2014

beyerdynamic m201's sound that little bit nicer to my ears than the sm58/57 or the beta versions of them (which i find too toppy anyway) and being a beyer they are as tough as if not tougher than the shure as well as sounding better and being just as resilient to feedback, they're my go to live mic and they still sound good enough to use in the studio as a way of adding some balance to a U87.

AbandonMute · June 2014

Used 58s many times as have most, but never really liked them, on any voice! I appreciate that they're a known quantity and everyone can work with them and knows what to expect, but as was said, they're a bit outdated and I don't think particularly good. Reliable yes.

I moved onto Senn e835s, which are the same price but sound better. There is perhaps a slight 'softness' to the sound with these I've found, but they're inexpensive and practical. For a couple of years me and the OH have been using e865s, the "Sting" super cardioid condenser mic. Phenomenal on female vox in particular, nice linear proximity effect and very feedback resistant.

Never thought I'd buy another Shure for live vocals, but recently tried a Beta 58. it. It's got a slight nastiness in the upper mids, a punchy sort of aggression. Doesn't sound as 'nice' or 'studio' as the e865, but for my voice (which is warm/mellow) it gives it a nice bitey edge which is great, especially for band stuff. Good value if it suits your voice!

The SM58 and the Beta 58 might look similar but they're quite different.

thecolourbox · June 2014

fretmeister;277059" said:
Have to try them out really.

I did, and I ended up with a TC Helicon MP-75

Really close to the SM58 Beta, but there was just something that I liked more about the TC. Been very happy with it.

ive just bought one of these bundled with a Mic Mechanic pedal on ebay, a fairly blind purchase so am quite encouraged to see positive comments about the mic here, as opposed to the review sites where people seem to either think every item they've ever bought are the holy grail, or that every item is the devil's stinky shit

ESBlonde · June 2014

MattG said:

beyerdynamic m201's sound that little bit nicer to my ears than the sm58/57 or the beta versions of them (which i find too toppy anyway) and being a beyer they are as tough as if not tougher than the shure as well as sounding better and being just as resilient to feedback, they're my go to live mic and they still sound good enough to use in the studio as a way of adding some balance to a U87.

Love the M201, used it as my default on a snare drum because it has the sound of the drum and not the signature of an SM57. The BBC used them as talking head mics on panel shows for years so the quality is a foregone conclusion. Solid and reliable and despite their age they have really stood the test of time.

AlanP · June 2014

Thanks for all of the opinions, there are certainly some common threads in the replies...

Are there views as to why condenser mics aren't really used - is it cost, or reliability, (or susceptibility to 'spit' problems?)

TIA

Alan

MattG · June 2014

cost, fragility, over sensitivity, need for phantom power, feedback susceptibility......

loads of reasons TBH

Danny1969 · June 2014

AlanP said:

Thanks for all of the opinions, there are certainly some common threads in the replies...

Are there views as to why condenser mics aren't really used - is it cost, or reliability, (or susceptibility to 'spit' problems?)

TIA
Alan

Well we do use em for things like overheads, hi hat, percusion and on a big stage you can use em for lead vocals. Matt Bellamy often use's a Neumann KSM condensor mic for lead vocals, it suits his singing style as it's very tolerant of his backing off the mic singing style and as a mic it sounds great. The thing is though Muse play big stages, he doesn't have his mic set up 2 foot in front of the drummer and he uses IEM's .... so doesn't have to worry about feedback from the monitors. Try using a mic like this in your average pub gig fronting a rock band with wedge monitoring and it probably won't go well

As some of the guys on here who mix FOH can probably confirm sometimes you PFL solo a channel when trying to solve a problem and there's so much spill from everything it's hard to tell if it's the instrument in question input gain your looking at or all the spill from everything else.

So the mic you use has to not only suit the application in terms of what instrument your gonna be using it on but also the size of stage. The bigger the stage the easier things get in terms of reducing spill

ESBlonde · July 2014

Given that a wisdom @Danny1969

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Mics for live vocals

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