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The best vocal mic for me?


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Hey, i'm new to the forum... so HIII!!! *waves*

 

I'm a bit of a moron when it comes to equipment, so i was hoping that somebody could enlighten me?

 

basically, the main problem i have with my vocals is that i get drowned out when i sing with the rest of my band.. i like to use my soprano range, but unfortunately, it just can't be heard too well...

 

I've tried the usuals.. asking the guys to turn down.. even strained my voice a few times trying to push myself louder than i can comfortably go (idiotic thing to do... i know)

 

I was wondering what the best vocal mic would be for softer vocals, and to help me with gain before feedback...

 

I currently have my eyes on a sennheiser e855... would that be a good or bad choice, do you think?

 

xxx

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Did you try using an equalizer on your vocals? Try raising the upper-mid frequencies (around 5kHz). That should allow your vocals to cut through the mix better. Or try lowering the highs on the guitars.

 

What mic are you trying right now?

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yup... it's pretty infuriating, as using different mic techniques does improve the volume.. but never enough for me to actually ding in my preferred range... i literally have to shout or sing in my speaking voice to be heard.. at this level i lose most control over my voice, which is really frustrating, as that's really not what i'm going for!!!

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Yeah I understand. I sing baritone and find that those mics thicken my voice too much. lol. And I'm not sure how much better is a es855 compared to a sm58. Their frequency curves are almost the same. I'm not sure, but maybe a live condenser microphone would suit a soprano range better.

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Compression increases power. Perhaps a music store near you has a vocal compressor and sound system that you can try.

 

 

Yeah, a compressor should help.

I noticed that when I use some compression on my vocal tracks it helps cut through the mix better, especially for those distorted guitar driven songs.

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Use large monitors - preferably 15" speaker and a horn enclosure. Two in front of you. You also need a big power amp dedicated to the monitors and some built in eq or an external eq to combat feedback - like a DBX Driverack.

 

Next, you need a big space to practice in. If the room is too small you will be unable to crank your monitors without getting feedback.

 

You need to have as much power in your vocal monitors as the guitars have to combat their volume. Probably more.

 

A 58 is all you need to cut through the mix. You just need a bigger monitor system to cut through the band.

 

Remember the people are going to need to hear the vocal above the rest of the music so you need enough power to cut through.

 

If you can't afford to buy then rent the equipment you need.

 

You can never count on the guitars, bass or drums to turn down. So your only defence is a good offence - more power.... :thu:

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Yamaha BR15M PA/Stage Monitor - 15 Inch, 400 Watts

Item #: YAM BR15M $299

 

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-YAM-BR15M-LIST

 

Yamaha P3500S Stereo Power Amplifier

Item #: YAM P3500S $ 529

 

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-YAM-P3500S-LIST

 

 

DBX DriveRack PX Powered Speaker Optimizer - with Free Roadie Lights!

Item #: DBX DRPX PAK $399

 

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-DBX-DRPX-LIST

 

That's about $1200 about the same as I paid for my first real pro guitar. Take out a bank loan like I did for my guitar. This stuff holds it's value and will last for decades if you take care of it. If you're serious then you need to get serious about your equipment. Don't rely on the band to supply your equipment it's your responsibility.

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You could be using a mic that has been dropped on the floor or has a bunch of dust on the internal windscreen. Or it could be a 20 buck clone mic, that looks good, but not much sound.

 

You proably should have your own mic.

 

You want a mic that has a lot of gain before feedback, so you get more volume. And you want something that sounds good on your voice.

 

A lot of people say the EV 967 has the most gain before feedback, buts its somewhat expensive.

 

You could try a better dynamic mic, like the EV 967-767, AKG D5, AKG D7, Audex OM7, Senneheiser 865. Shure Beta 58

Or a stage vocal condenser mic might work..something like an AKG C5, The C5 has lots of gain before feedback, but you might need to be using in ear monitoring to use a stage condenser, maybe not with the C5..ask....try one out at guitar center or sam ash ect.. and see......... a Neuman KSM 104 would really work..but they cost a lot.

 

For 99 bucks you can get an AKG D5, lots of gain before feedback, good sound, in my opinion. The only way to get a D5 to feedback is to point it directly at the monitors...There is a new AKG D7 that might be better than the D5.

 

I would try out a bunch of mics all at once..so you can find out which one sounds good on you....maybe go to guitar center when they are not busy and get them to set up 5 mics, so you can try them all at once and see..maybe have them add backgrounfd music so you can get an idea of how much volume you can get from each one with your particular voice.

You should be right on top of a vocal mic, 1/4 of an inch away usually, then move back to an inch or two when you sing loud.

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