Mic and Mic Stand

[honeyiscool]

Mic gets plugged into a preamp, which then goes into a poweramp. A simple PA system from any music shop will do the trick! As for mic stands, I like boom stands with heavy, round bases (less chance of tipping over onstage, I learned from experience!).

One way to get a decent boom stand is buy a piece of crap boom mic stand. Usually the boom's usable, but the base sucks. Now put the boom on a good straight stand, like the Atlas I linked. Then you have a crappy straight stand, and a decent boom stand.

[honeyiscool]

 

i'm not a machinist... but we do have a machine shop where i work... so probably:D

 

*notes*

 

You know, I used to live in Lawrence and had a family friend who lived in Concordia. I've been there twice.

[diceman1000]

 

*notes* You know, I used to live in Lawrence and had a family friend who lived in Concordia. I've been there twice.

 

 

no kidding... who's the family friend?

[honeyiscool]

no kidding... who's the family friend?

A lady named Janice Norlin, she went to law school with my father.

[diceman1000]

 

A lady named Janice Norlin, she went to law school with my father.

 

 

 

the name actually rings a bell, but i can't say that i know her...

[kayd_mon]

 

One way to get a decent boom stand is buy a piece of crap boom mic stand. Usually the boom's usable, but the base sucks. Now put the boom on a good straight stand, like the Atlas I linked. Then you have a crappy straight stand, and a decent boom stand.

 

 

In my experience, it's the boom that's the problem. All of the joints get worn out and start slipping. Can't tell you how many venues I've gone to where this was the problem, and the bases of the stands are always fine. I keep a stand in my car just in case.

 

For mics, I sing through an SM57, which was given to me by a friend. It's old (maybe from the 60s or 70s), and it works just fine. A 58 will work just fine, too, and it'll last forever. I'm not too picky about mics, though. But I always use my own at shows for the obvious sanitary reasons.

[Special J]

on a side note... i am just a bedroom hack, the guys that actually work in live sound would definately know more than me... so i appologize for my above comment J...

 

S'all good D-man!

We're all entitled to our opinions! I can certainly understand wanting to save a buck these days too. If it were strictly for home use, I could see going with budget gear, but the wear and tear of gigging really takes its toll, and I've found the budget stuff doesn't hold up very well.

[diceman1000]

S'all good D-man! We're all entitled to our opinions! I can certainly understand wanting to save a buck these days too. If it were strictly for home use, I could see going with budget gear, but the wear and tear of gigging really takes its toll, and I've found the budget stuff doesn't hold up very well.

 

[honeyiscool]

Well, a good Atlas boom will set you back another $40 on a $35 stand. I mean, it's worth every penny, but I'm just saying, it can be a bit steep.

[notjonahbutnoah]

I say if you can handle it, play with a straight stand. That's my absolute only advice on this topic.

[jtr654]

SM 58 or Beta 58 any stand you can buy cheap( Used). XLR 20' .

[Foster Zygote]

 

Thanks so much man. Does anyone know about the shure sm58? Or anything similar? It's appreciated!

 

 

I use an SM57 to mic my amp for recording. They're great mics: they have great frequency response, they can handle huge sound pressure without distorting, and they're nigh invulnerable.

[mistersully]

if you don't own any mics... i'd say get an sm57.... they sound great for vocals, and are excellent to mic'ing guitar cabs too..... can't go wrong with a 58 though

[steve_man]

I love 57's, but I'm not a big fan of them for vocals...miking instruments, though...wow! I'm a huge fan of the Shure Beta 58. Yes, the mic itself is $159, but worth every penny. Better clarity and punch than an SM58, and tough as nails. I also have an sm48, and it's a great mic on the cheaper side.

 

Sorry diceman...but I had a pair of those $20 Behringers...and they are what they are...cheap mics...if that's all one needs, then go for it. In a live setting, spending a bit more cash will give you better sound, but above all of that...sound isolation and noise reduction.

[mistersully]

here's a clip of someone using a 57 for vocals

 

[video=youtube;NqRi-BJQkxA]

 

he's going through some really nice gear... but my point is the mic works for vocals

 

as far as diceman's suggestion... there's nothing wrong with the behringer 8500... i own one (as well as 57s and 58s)... it's actually a thicker sounding mic that the 58... has slightly more body to it... i'd have no trouble using it at a gig

 

in actual fact a lot is going to depend on what p.a you're going through

 

but just to be safe... with all the different opinions out there on the net... you really can't go wrong with the sm58 and sm57 ... they've been industry standards for a long time... they'll sound good... and they'll last forever

[*BLEEP*]

Doesn't get cheaper than this, and it probably sounds better than the Behringer.

 

[mistersully]

 

Skip the Behringer. It has high handling noise and sounds dull if you put it right up next to a 58. You may not notice it so much going through a cheap PA system, but listen to it through good speakers and it becomes very apparent.

 

 

i'll admit mine hasn't been through a rigorous workout... the only times i gigged with it (years ago) were pretty small affairs

[foose4string]

Get a sm58 and be done with it. Industry standard. Will last forever, sounds good. Maybe not the most dynamic mic out there, but for the average Joe, this is the mic you want. Love the EZ clutch Hercules stands.

[richey888]

 

Thanks so much man. Does anyone know about the shure sm58? Or anything similar? It's appreciated!

 

 

A 58 is basically the industry standard and a great mic. You can find them for around $100. I have a Shure PG48 that I paid like 20$ for used and it's an awesome mic.

[Beyer160]

Some advice based on my 20+ years kicking around the sound industry-

 

SM58. Just do it, you'll have it forever and it'll never let you down. The 57 and 58 are the same mic except for the headbasket, which has more pop filtering built in on the 58. Makes a big difference on vocals, but you can use a 58 on guitar amps and not die.

 

Get a $50 K&M tripod boom stand. After a few years of abuse you might need to tighten the bolts, but they're sturdy and stable.

[fu2jobu]

For a first mic, intending to be used for vocals, I would say you probably can't go wrong with a Shure SM58 or a Sennheiser e835.

[dcooper830]

I have 3 Behringer XM8500s I use at the band practice room. I think they sound really good. Plenty of body and clarity. But they do have high handling noise (which isn't a problem if they're just sitting in a stand).

 

I also have a Senhieser E835 which is awesome. I highly recommend.

 

I also have a Shure Beta 58 which seems to me lower output and thinner sounding until you EQ it a little (give it more lows and more volume) and then it sounds amazing.

 

But my favorite dynamic vocal mic of all is the EV N/D767a. It's just a huge sounding mic with tight low end response, solid midrange, and clear crisp non-harsh high end. It also has excellent feedback rejection cause it's a supercardioid. I think it's a little better than the average $100 dynamic mic.

 

I work with Shure SM 58s all the time and they're excellent. Nothing wrong with them.

 

So really you can't go wrong with any of the mics mentioned in this thread... but the best in the $100 - $130 price range (IMO) is the EV N/D767a.

 

As far as mic stands.... I have several cheapie $20 On-Stage boom mic stands .... I've been using 'em for 3 years gigging 2-3 nights a week and they still work perfectly. Just be careful and don't over-tighten stuff on 'em. I think thats why they crap out on people.

 

I got a package deal with them from Musician's Friend; 6 stands plus bag for $100.

 

Best $100 I ever spent.

 

However...... there's nothing wrong with spending a little more and getting something like a Hercules stand.

 

I do recommend a boom stand if you're playing guitar. A straight stand is less maintenance and less to go wrong.... but they can get in your way when you're trying to play.

[honeyiscool]

I still think 58s are incredibly overrated. They work, but the sound is hardly faithful to what goes in. The Beta series definitely gets the job done more, but really, most other companies have Beta-level specs at the $100 range.

 

When people move onto neodymium based mics like Beta 58, Sennheiser e835, AKG D5, a lot of people can't deal with the more accurate response and the lack of that EQ curve that the 58s have, but the fact is, you're getting more accurate sound reproduction, period.

 

If you're someone who's always used 58s, then good for you, continue to use them, but if you're a newbie, don't listen to this whole "industry standard" thing and do shop around because there's no reason to get used to a less accurate mic because people have been using them for decades. I have no doubt in my mind that when they came out, they were the best mic on the market for the price, but that hasn't been the case in many years. Your favorite touring musicians definitely are not all blindly using 58s on world tours. Some are, but many aren't. Some are using expensive mics, like Neumann, but many others are using quite reasonably priced mics.

 

If I have to wrap this up into one reasonably priced selection, Sennheiser e935. Absolutely the best sounding mic for the money and works for all kinds of voices.

[Willyguitar]

Welcome back snowaie - are you still playing the junior? Mine hasn't been usurped from top spot.

[fu2jobu]

The Beta series definitely gets the job done more

 

I tihnk if you ask over at the Live Sound forum you will find quite a few soundmen prefer the EV N/D767a or Senn E835 over the Beta 58. If I recall correctly the complaint was the Beta 58's take lots of tweaking with the channel strip EQ's to get them sounding OK whereas the other mics only quick, minor adjustments were needed to the EQ. It may be that a lot of them would prefer the SM58 over a Beta 58 .