Members mlabbee Posted May 8, 2013 Members Share Posted May 8, 2013 I need a decent vocal mic for live use - preferably around $100. A friend recommended an Audix OM2 - appealing, since I'd be supporting a local company. Anything else I should be looking at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chrisjnyc Posted May 8, 2013 Members Share Posted May 8, 2013 GLS Audio ES-57 or GLS Audio ES-58 is the best bang for your buck They are Shure clones, and only $30 new. I have a few of them, workssounds great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P79Master Posted May 8, 2013 Members Share Posted May 8, 2013 Audix OM2 is great, I recommend that highly. The old reliable standby is the Shure SM58. If you want to be a little different try the Blue enCORE 100, Sennheiser e835, AKG D5, Rode M1, Audio-Technica AT2020 or AT2010 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P79Master Posted May 8, 2013 Members Share Posted May 8, 2013 For the price, GLS mics are really good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 8, 2013 Share Posted May 8, 2013 I'll let you in on a little studio secret that also applies to live vocal microphones - no one mic is right for every singer. Every model has its own characteristics that can accentuate things you want to bring out in a particular vocalist, or accentuate things that are problematic with that individual singer. For example, the Audix i5 is a great little general purpose mic, and can work well as a vocal mic on some singers... but if the singer has a lot going on in the 5kHz region (where the i-5 has a significant boost), or needs more goose in the 500Hz-1kHz region, it might not be a good "match" for their voice. The same holds true for all the other sub-$100 mics out there. Heck, the same holds true for multi-thousand dollar condenser mics! There's simply no substitute for trying out the various mics and seeing which ones sound best with that particular singer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P79Master Posted May 8, 2013 Members Share Posted May 8, 2013 I just want to echo what Phil said above because it is very true. The first mic I tried at the store was an Audix OM-7 because that's what Eddie Vedder used live. I didn't think it sounded as good on my voice and needed a lot more gain than the OM-5 which is what I ended up with that day. I think reviews are important to tell if something is garbage but you need to try some, so buy them from Sweetwater or Musician's Friend because they have very good return policies but be prepared to pay shipping back if they don't work out. Think of microphones as the "instrument" for vocalists, maybe better off purchased at your LMS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members michaelschultz Posted May 10, 2013 Members Share Posted May 10, 2013 Three more worth investigating: The Heil PR22UT can be had new at 115 for certain, and for less with a little luck and digging. It loads very pleasantly, and should be a contender if you sing right up on the mic. Heils generally have a beautifully open midrange and top that's really appealing to my ear.The Sennheiser e935 may be my favorite blanket recommendation of this type and can typically be had used for right around $100. Very 'finished' kind of a sound.The Beyerdynamic Opus 69 and 89 are discontinued, but I've had both around the same price and they have a very definite tonal thumbprint, bright and rich without ever coming across as strident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted May 10, 2013 Share Posted May 10, 2013 michaelschultz wrote: The Heil PR22UT can be had new at 115 for certain, and for less with a little luck and digging. It loads very pleasantly, and should be a contender if you sing right up on the mic. Heils generally have a beautifully open midrange and top that's really appealing to my ear. A buddy of mine has mixed a couple of shows I've attended where he used pretty much nothing but the Heils, and with very good sounding results. Definitely worth checking out too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members duncan Posted May 11, 2013 Members Share Posted May 11, 2013 Neumann U47 or gtfo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Trick Fall Posted May 11, 2013 Members Share Posted May 11, 2013 michaelschultz wrote: Three more worth investigating: The Heil PR22UT can be had new at 115 for certain, and for less with a little luck and digging. It loads very pleasantly, and should be a contender if you sing right up on the mic. Heils generally have a beautifully open midrange and top that's really appealing to my ear. The Sennheiser e935 may be my favorite blanket recommendation of this type and can typically be had used for right around $100. Very 'finished' kind of a sound. The Beyerdynamic Opus 69 and 89 are discontinued, but I've had both around the same price and they have a very definite tonal thumbprint, bright and rich without ever coming across as strident. I always wanted to try one of those Opus mics. I have an ancient Beyerdynamic mic that I use for recording that sounds amazing. I also love their headphones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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