Microphones - Who uses which mics for what?

[msmooth]

I enjoy coming here and reading all of your posts (I do wish the forum was busier) and have learned much. I currently use a Beta 58 and my wife uses a 58. However, going through my mics the other day I realized that I have a few that need replaced. I was wondering, what kinds of mics do people use for vocals and for instruments?

[Notes_Norton]

I ditched my 58s for a Sennheizer MD421 and never went back. For a few reasons:

 

1. It sounds better on on my voice, saxophone and flute
   
2. It can handle up to 110dba sound pressure levels without distorting
   
3. Absolutely zero proximity effect
   
4. Rugged - they also use them for drum mics because they take a beating
   
5. Long lasting, in the past almost 30 years, my partner had 2 Shure 58s and an AT die, and my 421 is still cranking (after the 3rd one she bought a 421)
   
6. Professional Audio Review (PAR) rated it the best dynamic mic under $800
   

 

PAR did blindfold tests with various Sure, EV, AT, Sony, and a few others on vocals, drums, horns, etc. and the 421 was best in every category except micing a guitar amp, where it came in a close second.

 

I was gigging in an open air lounge at a marina when I needed a new mic. The owner of the Ma and Pa music store went back to his recording studio and loaned a Sennheiser MD421. He said if I like it he would order one for me. Well I was playing the horn when a guitar player friend showed up and upon entering said, "What did you do, your sax sounds great! I could hear the difference in the parking lot."

 

Monday I had the owner of the music store order one. They cost about twice as much as the Shure, but they will last over 3 times as long and they sound better.

 

That's my recommendation.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

[moogerfooger]

for my solo act I'm using Blue encore 100s. great mic's. -- they look way cool and sound better than the Shures.

 

 

[steve mac]

I use a TC Helicon MP 75 and it's a really good Mike with no proximity effect so great if you are an eat the Mike type singer. Like most folk here, I end up singing in a corner and so sometimes suffer feedback but this mike is fab at defeating it. It also has a button to control TCHelicon products which although I never use it as it stays on the stand, you never say never. It's main problem is its weight, it's built like a tank and boom stands struggle to hold it securely.

[Drummer44]

When I'm on the kit, I use a Sennheiser ME3 wireless condenser headmic for (usually) backing vocals. And just recently -- after shopping the obvious choices -- I picked up a Sennheiser e935 dynamic mic for (usually) backing vocals when I'm on wireless guitar. (I can usually do lead vocals too, either mic, but generally prefer if somebody else is fronting.)

 

-D44

 

 

[daddymack]

I've been through a number of mics over the last four decades. A couple of years ago I landed an EV N/D967. I like this because I can switch the 'feel' of the mic for singing softer material or harsher vocals. I also just ordered a Sennheiser e835 as a back up mic [based a lot on the discussions we had here a while back], since my 20 year old workhorse SM57 just isn't as good at vocals as it is at close mic-ing cabs and drums.

 

I like the SM58, and N/D367, enCore100 and the AKG D5 as low cost [~$100] working vocal mics, too. I got the 967 primarily for my solo work, since the vocals are a much more important part of the show. I also have a Shure 55SH which I really like, but because of its structure, I can't get it to work well on a boom, and the acoustic guitars make it hard to work with a straight mic stand, so I let the harp player in Blues Channel use it...plus it just has that old-timey look to it.

[pogo97]

I've been through a number of mics over the last four decades. A couple of years ago I landed an EV N/D967. . .

 

Is there a N/D *67 series then? I have three EV N/D767a and use whichever one comes to hand. I like how it works with my voice, mostly and I've bought them off KIJIJI over the past few years as one comes up at a viable price.

 

They're pleasantly warm -- which complements my baritone voice -- and have very little proximity effect. They do pop more easily than a 58, though, so you need to mic out of the pop zone. Diane is a bit careless, so we put a pop shield over hers.

 

I like having three of the same mics for any ensemble work rather than what-have-you.

 

Now, if I could just find a mic that makes me sound like Bing. . .

[Voltan]

Shure sm 10, AKG and countryman headsets, the country man is usually first pick... Stand mounted mics: primary is sennheiser e945 ... I have several Shure pe 50's that still sound good, sure beta 52 for kick or djembe, several 58's, and a couple 57's... Lately I find the simplicity of the stand mounted mic is my best fit unless space is a real issue... Headsets are great but much harder to "work"...

[daddymack]

Headsets are great but much harder to "work"...

Years ago, the main vocalist in my band got a wireless headset mic, and after one gig, he stopped using it [god forbid he would have tried it out in rehearsal ]. He realized he needed to learn a whole new way of breathing, and a whole new bag of vocal dynamics in order to use it.

 

[Notes_Norton]

Headset mics don't work for me, because I work the mic. Besides on a stand I can use one mic for voice, flute, and sax and the MD421 works great for all. Of course there is more than one right way to do this.

[moogerfooger]

I used a 421 for a while on vocal -- I think its a better instrument or drum mic but very usable as a vocal mic. my favorite vocal mic of all time is the Beyer M88

[daddymack]

I have used a Beyerdynamic M88 for recording, and I agree, it is an excellent mic, but at ~$400, not one I'd be willing to haul into a bar....I'm jus'sayin'...same with the Sennheiser 421...great mic, a tad too pricey [iMHO] for bar work...plus the 421 has that 'special' mic clip that is like $30 to replace.

[Shaster]

Love the 421 for sax and other instruments. Oddly enough, I don't really like it for vocals because it has little proximity effect. Over the years, I guess I've learned to incorporate the proximity effect of the "standard" mics into my siinging style.

 

 

Anyhow, for my vocals I will use an SM58, Sennheiser e835, a Beta58, and an AudioTechnica atm 61he. The atm sounds more like a condenser and works for low pro lounge gigs. Otherwise I've gone back to the SM58 as my default.

[Capndar]

Shure 58's for all three of us....decent sound...if it rains, I lose one, then I get another

[Notes_Norton]

Love the 421 for sax and other instruments. Oddly enough' date=' I don't really like it for vocals because it has little proximity effect. Over the years, I guess I've learned to incorporate the proximity effect of the "standard" mics into my siinging style.<...>.[/quote']

 

I can see how that could be an artistic element.

 

However, playing in a duo and in so many places where the speakers are always too close I need a mic that I can eat - and that's when the proximity effect becomes a bummer. My mustache hairs do get caught in the gill sometimes (ouch).

 

And yes, the 421 is a little pricey, but mine has outlasted 3 of my partner's mics, so in the long run it's a bargain.

 

But everybody has different vocal characteristics and different setup situations, so there is no 'one size fits all' mic.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

[daddymack]

My mustache hairs do get caught in the gill sometimes (ouch).

Oh' date=' man I remember doing that...one of the reasons I'm a clean shaven man today...

 

And yes' date=' the 421 is a little pricey, but mine has outlasted 3 of my partner's mics, so in the long run it's a bargain.[/quote']

I can't imagine how she killed off three mics...I still have a Shure PE585 Unisphere mic from 1972 that still works...I admit I have repaired mics [particularly SM57 and 58s] that had been dropped, got wet...but they were all repairable.

 

 

so there is no 'one size fits all' mic.

and that, my friend is the unvarnished truth!

[Drummer44]

Headsets are great but much harder to "work"...

 

 

Years ago, the main vocalist in my band got a wireless headset mic, and after one gig, he stopped using it [god forbid he would have tried it out in rehearsal ]. He realized he needed to learn a whole new way of breathing, and a whole new bag of vocal dynamics in order to use it.

 

 

 

Yep, agree.

 

-D44

[Notes_Norton]

<...snip...>I can't imagine how she killed off three mics...I still have a Shure PE585 Unisphere mic from 1972 that still work<...>

 

I have no idea either. We do one-nighters, and they are notoriously hard on equipment, but the mics always go back into their foam cases for transport. We do a lot of outdoor gigs, but never in the rain - but often a lot of humidity, sometimes in the bright sun. Other times we play in overly-air-conditioned rooms, but I don't suppose that is bad for them.

 

But she had two SM58s and an AT competitor just go dead after a few years. Like mud city. She doesn't wear a lot of makeup on stage, drinks nothing but clear, hot water on the gig (with a little lime), but does have a very powerful voice.

 

We don't let others us our mic. If someone wants to make announcements or sing a song, we have another inexpensive Shure PG48 that we break out. It's decent for talking, I put it on a channel and EQ for talking, and if the guest abuses it, it doesn't stop the show. Besides, we just don't like people using our mics. If they are coming down with a cold and don't know it yet, it could cause a problem for a future client of ours.

 

So the 3 mics she wore out were used heavily, but not abused.

 

Do you have any idea why they died? What goes wrong in a mic? Does the carbon in the capsule break down? Do they still use carbon granules in the capsule? Could it be corrosion not allowing the coil assembly to move freely? We live in a very corrosion prone environment (salt air from the ocean). I never thought about this before.

 

We have nobody around here who repairs music gear, so a tank of gas is required to get to a repair shop. These days, that's almost the price of a new mic, and a few hours in the car. We just bought new ones.

 

Since she got her MD421 she hasn't had a problem.

 

Before the MD421 I had an EV 664, again no proximity effect, then a Sure 58 which I never liked for two reasons (1) proximity effect (2) doesn't complement my voice. The EV664 lasted decades and for its day was a great dynamic mic (The Buchanan Hammer). The Sure is a good mic, but just not best for me.

 

In the Professional Audio Review 'shoot out' the 421 was better than the 58 in every category.

 

But like I said, one size does not fit all.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

[daddymack]

The salt air could be an issue; Back in the late 80s,my drummer brought me half a dozen Shure 57s and 58s that were dead. I managed to salvage al but one 57 where the capsule was so badly corroded I couldn't do anything with it, it was almost disintegrating. The others mostly needed a good cleaning, some touch-up on the solder joints and they were fine. He used to play in a beach resort area (near San Diego), and had held on to the mics for some odd reason....I guess waiting for some idiot like me to fix them for him for free. We even used the 58s for gigging, and mic'ed his drums with the 57s.

 

I think the days of carbon, ribbon, etc are pretty much past, new ribbon mics are not carbon coated. The inside of the capsule on a dynamic mic is like a tiny speaker.

[Notes_Norton]

Thanks for the info. When I took electronics in college, they were still carbon granule filled. I haven't much cared about their innards since then.

 

And it makes sense. We used speakers as microphones for a demonstration in class. They are reciprocals of each other.

 

Electronics have improved by leaps and bounds since I started playing. They can do things now we never even predicted in the late 60s. And who knows what great surprises are waiting around the next corner?

 

The salt air does destroy things down here. The humidity is usually high too. Ah, but the only ice around here is in the upper section of my refrigerator - not outside on the lawn. The jasmines are blooming, so is the wild orchid on one of my life oak trees, the oaks are bright green with new growth, the willows are flowering, so are the mango trees, and the dead of winter in Florida is a lot like spring 'up north'. Mostly mild weather, with highs in the 70s. We will have a few days that only make it to the high 60s this week, but compared to the rest of the east - no problem. Last week we had some nice low to mid 1980s. I'll play my weekly outdoor gig on the Indian River Lagoon, and my 421 will be with me (see - I forced it back on topic ).

 

Notes

[daddymack]

The jasmines are blooming, so is the wild orchid on one of my life oak trees, the oaks are bright green with new growth, the willows are flowering, so are the mango trees, and the dead of winter in Florida is a lot like spring 'up north'. Mostly mild weather, with highs in the 70s. We will have a few days that only make it to the high 60s this week, but compared to the rest of the east - no problem. Last week we had some nice low to mid 80s. I'll play my weekly outdoor gig on the Indian River Lagoon, and my 421 will be with me (see - I forced it back on topic ).

 

Notes

This post was brought to you by the Florida Chamber of Commerce...our motto: 'if you lived here, you'd die here'

 

 

[Voltan]

Yep, it's a bone chilling 60 degrees here in the far north... Of Florida...

[pogo97]

Well, we don't have any poisonous snakes. I kinda good with that.

[daddymack]

***packs crate full of black mountain rattlers***

***stamps 'Made in USA' on crate***

So, um, pogo, you want these used speaker cables? I have a bunch in a crate...

 

It is actually precipitating as I type this, a rar e occurrence in LA of late...but it was in the 70s to low 80s the last few days...

[pogo97]

Waaaallll, they'd be mighty slow-moving by the time I picked them up off my porch. But, really, thanks for the thought but I think I'll pass.

 

I remember one time cross country skiiing on a local lake. Some poor black rat snake had emerged on a warm sunny day and there it was, sitting there in the winter sun and moving about an inch an hour. Bird food.