Members Visconti Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 I went to Guitar Center checking out PA gear and the sales guy said Sennheiser vocal mics are the best. What do you think are the 3 best to choose from for a rock singer such as I? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lsits Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 I'm sure it is a very high quality mic. Only you can determine what is best for you and your needs. Do a side-by-side test with a Shure SM-58 or a Beta 58 (as a baseline). Go by what sounds best to your ears, not what the guy at Guitar Center says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NUSound Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 Ugh. It depends. All mics are different, all have their benefits and drawbacks. There is no best. A better question would be: What do you need in a mic? Always take a grain of salt with anything you hear at GC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tim_7string Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 What they said. Try out different mics and see what fits your voice best. After singing through a few different mics over the years, I sang through somebody else's Electro-Voice N/D767 back in 1999 and I loved it so much, I bought one of my own. I bought another one a couple of years ago, just in case I ever need a backup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbs Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 Something I've found out recently is that you need to find the mic for your voice. With a band I work for, one of the singers sounds terrible on our standard mic (beat 58), so we put her on an SM58. Just try a ton of different mics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members W. M. Hellinger Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 I'm impressed with the Telefunken M-80 for an all-around generic vocal mic (it's what I'm using when they don't insist onna '58): http://www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com/products/show_product.php?item=24&cat=mics It's got a nice blend of being warm and crisp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 Huge, huge N/D767 fan here, at least on my voice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Visconti Posted December 31, 2010 Author Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 I'm impressed with the Telefunken M-80 for an all-around generic vocal mic (it's what I'm using when they don't insist onna '58): http://www.telefunken-elektroakustik.com/products/show_product.php?item=24&cat=mics It's got a nice blend of being warm and crisp. Ooh yeah, that mic looks purty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members W. M. Hellinger Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 Ooh yeah, that mic looks purty The packaging... humm... I think it's an inside thing with Telefunken. anywho... it is Telefunken... I'll suggest their M-80's are somewhere around 1/10th the price of their next most "least expensive" mics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WKG Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 The packaging... humm... I think it's an inside thing with Telefunken. anywho... it is Telefunken... I'll suggest their M-80's are somewhere around 1/10th the price of their next most "least expensive" mics. Maybe it's just me but that packaging says "Made in China". I'd bet money the factory is owned by a conglomerate that makes fireworks also. Not that I don't own any MIC mics myself ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members blkmonday Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 geez...this is a very suggestive question. i too use the sennheiser 935 as my go to wired vocal mic...although i use an at3000 series wireless live 100% of the time. my wired mics i use in rehearsal only...and thats the sennheiser and my shure sm58's. ..i think its safe to say the shure sm58 desereves to be on the top 3 of just about anyones go to mics...perhaps so does the shure sm57 and the ev N/D767. geez...do i really have to pick just 3? i would think ultimately the shure sm58 would be the most popular anyway you look at it....just my opinion as a vocalist (sound hobbyist) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mogwix Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 It depends. Shure SM58, Sennheiser e835, and Audio-Technica ATM410 are solid cardioid vocal mics that perform extremely well under the widest of situations. For a male rock vocal, these would probably be your best bet. They're inexpensive, too, so you can carry spares if ever they get lost, stolen, or broken. If you're on loud stages with loud monitors, then something supercardioid like the beta 58, e845, or ATM-610 will provide better isolation and less feedback. They're not very forgiving with mic technique, though. They really don't like to be on mic stands. For extremely loud stages, I prefer something hypercardioid like audio-technica's AE6100 and ultimately; the Audix OM7. The OM7 is a mic that's very specific for rock vocalists to help them cut through a dense mix, with extreme isolation for the least feedback. While the OM7 does a lot of other things well, there are better choices for different applications. It's not very versatile. If this is all confusing: get a sennheiser e835 and be happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rezrover Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 The three with the best mic cables you got. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OneEng Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 The top 3? My favorite by a considerable margin is the EV ND767a. Considering that you can buy 2 (or more) of these for the price of either one of the others, it is even more of a favorite Not SM58 (and waits for the shower of criticism for my blasphemous remark). I know it has been a staple for like 50 years, but it should stand to reason that in 50 years better technology has been developed. The 3 microphones listed above are all examples of better technology. All 3 of them are more articulate, warmer, and have better resistance to feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 Or in 50 years many manufacturers still haven't mastered what makes the best seller a best seller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MusicalSchizo Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 I use an SM58. It works for me, and I got mine cheap (it's old and sort of beat to hell). I've used an OM7. It worked, too, I actually liked it a whole lot, but it isn't mine, and I don't want to buy one because they're expensive and...the SM58 works. I've used a Beta 58 on numerous occasions and didn't dig it at all. I actually liked the Beta 57 better...which makes almost no sense, I know. Probably just a better sound guy.Brian V. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tomm Williams Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 I try to stay away from condensors for live use.Too much of a potential headache, At least at my experience level. I don't have direct experience with a lot of mics but these three I do. 1--Senn 431 very smooth sounding. Sounds really nice on jazz sort of stuff. super cardioid so it should do well for feedback problems. 2--EV 967 high GBF and sounds quite good. I have heard they are not very robust as compared to a 58 but I try not to let monkeys use my mics anyway.3--Beta 58 I never owned one of these until recently. Read a lot of differing opinions on it. Seems to be almost a love-it-or-hate-it mic. I like it very much. Another mic I want to try that has been recommended by a highly knowledgeable engineer is the Heil pr35. This guy had the chance to use these in his job as a monitor engineer and was absolutely impressed by the sound. I also have 935's which seem to work well for just about anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ProToneThinline Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 The top 3? important that you try a bunch of different mics. Not every mic is suitable for every voice - you need to find the one that fits best. I worked with a chick singer for a while, who had an Audix mic (don't remember the model). Her voice sounded great through that mic, but just about any male voice sounded like crap. Likewise, her voice sounded really bad through a 58. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 Not every mic sounds good through every PA, and in fact many bottom feeder mics are optimized to sound "better" through PA's with a lack of high end... hence the large rise between 4 and 10 kHz that sounds "great" on a poor PA but will rip your head off on a PA that has real high end. You kind of have to look at what the pros tend to use over a wide spectrum of show types to get a good general impression of what works well and what's not so hot. We generally have access to whatever we want (within reason) and will choose what works well from show to show. I will pick something that is a known quantity over an unknown every time though, again something that defines a pro user in a pro environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dboomer Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 The "best" mic depends on what you are looking for. Are you looking for the best "tone" for a particular singer. Then you might get a different answer than if you are looking for the most gain before feedback. Once you figure that out you'll probably find if you move it to another system you won't get the same answer. So if you plan to take a mic from club to club using the house system you will probably find that a more neutral/flat mic (like an Audix OM-5 or EV 767) will work the best and then you deal with "tone" using the eq on the channel strip. Personally this is the way I like to do it. Best "tone" for a particular singer in one system ... you'll just have to experiment. Easiest to deal with feedback wise ... keep all your vocal mics the same. Shameless plug ... our wireless mic (XD-V 70) has pushbutton selection of 6 "industry standard" mics and an additional one that we can make because of the built-in DSP. If need be, it can change from night to night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OneEng Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 Or in 50 years many manufacturers still haven't mastered what makes the best seller a best seller LOL. Yea, there is no denying the empirical evidence that people are still buying the SM58 in droves. My theory is that the SM58 has established itself as "the" vocal microphone just like "Kleenex" established itself as the defacto facial tissue. Microphones don't fail that often (most of them anyway), and so people tend to stick with what they know. In the case of the SM58, it isn't a bad microphone (obviously). Just no where near the best IMHO. As has been stated here many times, "good" equipment in the hands of a great soundman will sound light-years better than "the best" equipment in the hands of a poor soundman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OneEng Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 The "best" mic depends on what you are looking for. Are you looking for the best "tone" for a particular singer. Then you might get a different answer than if you are looking for the most gain before feedback. Once you figure that out you'll probably find if you move it to another system you won't get the same answer. So if you plan to take a mic from club to club using the house system you will probably find that a more neutral/flat mic (like an Audix OM-5 or EV 767) will work the best and then you deal with "tone" using the eq on the channel strip. Personally this is the way I like to do it. Best "tone" for a particular singer in one system ... you'll just have to experiment. Easiest to deal with feedback wise ... keep all your vocal mics the same. Shameless plug ... our wireless mic (XD-V 70) has pushbutton selection of 6 "industry standard" mics and an additional one that we can make because of the built-in DSP. If need be, it can change from night to night. I just noticed your sig. My congratulations on your wireless line. I haven't used them yet, but everyone I know that has thinks they are pretty good stuff. I have never been a huge fan of Line6 guitar amps (tube purist with my VHT), but I love my guitar port and the new wireless systems look to be very well engineered. Sadly, since my IEM system is wired (furman), and I play guitar and can't stray too far from my pedal board, a wireless mic is kind of useless to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chickentown Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 For me, the n/d767 has been the right tool for the job more often than my SM58's or e845's or PL80. I'd be fairly comfortable having just a fleet of them for vocals, but having options is best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IsildursBane Posted December 31, 2010 Members Share Posted December 31, 2010 I went to Guitar Center checking out PA gear and the sales guy said Sennheiser vocal mics are the best. Don't go back to that sales guy. Anyone who says that a particular brand of microphones is "the best" is talking out of his ass. I'm impressed with the Telefunken M-80 for an all-around generic vocal mic (it's what I'm using when they don't insist onna '58):http://www.telefunken-elektroakustik...em=24&cat=micsIt's got a nice blend of being warm and crisp. Yeah, I'm kind of surprised that one hasn't taken off more than it has - maybe it just needs more time to penetrate the market. It's a great mic. -Dan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members OneEng Posted January 1, 2011 Members Share Posted January 1, 2011 For me, the n/d767 has been the right tool for the job more often than my SM58's or e845's or PL80. I'd be fairly comfortable having just a fleet of them for vocals, but having options is best. I agree. All of my non-ND767's hang around in my old mic box waiting for the day when one of my 767's have an accident or die I don't run sound very often (pain in the butt and a thankless job at that), and my band members are not nearly as interested in pro sound equipment as I am so I don't really have anyone "asking" for a specific mic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.