Vocal Microphones, what are you using?

[Phil Starr]

No point in having a wonderful PA if what you put into it is garbage. Rubbish in, rubbish out. Lets face it whatever the skinny string player thinks about being the star of the show it's probably the singer that is going to make or break your band. I guess like many of us I have a couple of grands worth of bass plus all sorts of bass amplification but we are lucky to have an incredible choice of pretty good mics for under £200 and even some for under £100. So what have you gone for? What do you like about it and why choose that one?

 

I'll kick off, my go to mic is a Sennheiser E935 around £155 I love this Mic tough as old boots but with a lovely clear sound, handling noise isn't too bad but mine stays in the stand anyway. Most importantly to me it is a cardioid. I can't keep still most of the time let alone when performing so I need something forgiving as far as mic technique is concerned, I know i should 'eat the mic' but something I can back off a little or be off axis so I need something forgiving. When I use floor monitors I want them down the gun barrel of the mic so cardioid works for me there. Mine was borrowed by our current lead singer at first rehearsal and she ordered on on her phone at the end of rehearsal. On the one occasion she forgot it I lost mine for the night. I tried the E945 at the time as well as the E835 and the E945 sounds just as good (the e835 is a fine mic but muffled and rather ordinary in comparison). I've a loud if unpleasant singing voice so I have no feedback problems but our lead singer isn't that loud, even so f I can persuade her not to point it into the corners or tuck it into her chest between songs it causes no problems there either.

 

I also have a Sontronic STC80 which is equally good, it actually sounds very similar and has a massive output which matches it's massive weight. Unfortunately it is no longer available and is replaced by the Solo which is a super-cardioid.

 

My spares on stage (left over from when I ran Jam sessions) are AKG D5's (£75) Super cardioids and again great sounding mic's again, build quality is fantastic these are the bargain of the moment. Feedback rejection is outstanding, really crazily good and ultimately why I don't use them. If you are off axis or backed off from the mic you get very little output which means you are wasting your breath if you haven't perfected your mic technique. If you take the trouble though they sound as good as any dynamic vocal mic under £150. Quite like the proximity effect though when you do get to hand hold the mic. I once had to swap out an SM58 for one of my D5's when i was mixing for someone else. The jump in quality was really startling as was the volume another high output mic.

 

Finally there's the Beta 58 which is another good mic, the most common mic if we get provided PA and my duo partner uses one of these. We've tried swapping but he prefers the Shure and I prefer my E935, and he sounds better through my 935 but don't tell him I said so  and that's the point really. Good quality mics differ slightly in sound and more so in terms of handling and the demands they place on you. The mic becomes part of your performance, there's a learning curve for any new mic and not every mic suits every voice, there is room for taste as well as practical issues.

 

there you go, over to you what do you use? What's good, what's not so good?

 

 

Edited December 12 by Phil Starr

[jimmyb625]

E935 for guitarist/singist.

E935 for violin player's backing vox.

Sontronics Solo for female singist.

AKG D7 for drummer (plus when he sings in his electronic band)

E835 for support acts, or visiting acts to the theatre.

SM58 for those who don't know other microphones exist.

 

I also have a pair of sontronics Halo's, which I'm thinking of trying for a duo project the guitarist and drummist are going to be doing soon.

[LLOYDWT]

I'm a bit of a mic addict, so I have/have had loads.

 

I always carry, and usually use, a Shure KSM8; it's a brilliant mic to work with, it's very easy to EQ, and it seems to sound great with any singer and is very forgiving of imperfect mic technique. I often use a Neumann KMS105 too; I rarely use it if I'm not doing the sound as it requires phantom power, and I don't like to give the engineer anything else to think about; but again, it's a really easy mic to work with and you can score a really quality vocal with very limited EQing or effects. I also always carry a Lewitt MTP540 in my spares bag; it's a lot cheaper mic than the Shure or the Neumann, so I'm a little less protective of it (if I'm forced to loan a mic, it's  usually this one) but I still find it to be a great mic, it sounds not dissimilar to an SM58, but a little less harsh, and it's definitely easier for me to dial in a sound I'm happy with.

 

I also own, but rarely gig with, a Shure Super 55 and an MXL CR77; I used to use these a lot with a couple of function bands I played with where a more vintage aesthetic was desired. I bought the MXL because I wasn't the biggest fan of the Super 55 (it has the same harshness that I find in the SM58 and struggle to EQ out).

 

When I'm engineering, I usually carry a couple of beaten up Heil PR 22s, as they're close enough sounding to 58s to satisfy most people, but have less handling noise and are easier for me to dial in.

[EBS_freak]

Whole load of stuff but I have working man’s stuff as opposed to anything particularly boutique. (Sold those eons ago)

 

Vocal mics, 945s (also selling a set of wireless EW500 with 945 capsules if anybody interested - find in for sale section), Heil PR35… but absolute fave, purely because of their rejection for reducing bleed … Audix OM5/OM6 and the complete daddy… OM7.

 

Good to see the D5 mentioned - quite possibly the best vocal mic for the money!

[Phil Starr]

1 hour ago, LLOYDWT said:

I'm a bit of a mic addict, so I have/have had loads.

 

I always carry, and usually use, a Shure KSM8; it's a brilliant mic to work with, it's very easy to EQ, and it seems to sound great with any singer and is very forgiving of imperfect mic technique. I often use a Neumann KMS105 too; I rarely use it if I'm not doing the sound as it requires phantom power, and I don't like to give the engineer anything else to think about; but again, it's a really easy mic to work with and you can score a really quality vocal with very limited EQing or effects. I also always carry a Lewitt MTP540 in my spares bag; it's a lot cheaper mic than the Shure or the Neumann, so I'm a little less protective of it (if I'm forced to loan a mic, it's  usually this one) but I still find it to be a great mic, it sounds not dissimilar to an SM58, but a little less harsh, and it's definitely easier for me to dial in a sound I'm happy with.

 

I also own, but rarely gig with, a Shure Super 55 and an MXL CR77; I used to use these a lot with a couple of function bands I played with where a more vintage aesthetic was desired. I bought the MXL because I wasn't the biggest fan of the Super 55 (it has the same harshness that I find in the SM58 and struggle to EQ out).

 

When I'm engineering, I usually carry a couple of beaten up Heil PR 22s, as they're close enough sounding to 58s to satisfy most people, but have less handling noise and are easier for me to dial in.

That's a hell of a mic, the singer in my first band had one, she retired from singing when her husband got ill but I had the chance to play with it for a while. Lovely thing!

[Downunderwonder]

Akg P2 is a bargain for anything not needing high end. Bass cab, kick drum no problem. 

 

As much as I dislike B'ringer the XM8500 is a very acceptable substitute for SM58 that is cheap as chips.

[Passinwind]

8 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

there you go, over to you what do you use? What's good, what's not so good?

 

 

An old Shure SM87. Less proximity effect than the SM58 or Beta 58, and just a better match for my scary vocal delivery style in general.

[Phil Starr]

28 minutes ago, Passinwind said:

An old Shure SM87

That's a lovely mic, when my old singer got her KSM8 it was a present from her husband. The SM87 was the one I recommended for her and I was sorely tempted to buy one for myself. At the time I only sang chorus on a couple of songs and didn't contemplate upgrading the AKG D5 I was using. I pointed out to him that the KSM was so much better than our PA at the time that there would be no sonic advantage in using the more expensive mic but love is love and he wanted her to have the best

[police squad]

I used SM58s for years, then ten years ago was offered 3 Beta 58s for not much money, but 3 years ago I switched to a wireless 945, which I absolutely love.

The SM and Betas still lurk in my set up, if I'm doing a PA for someone else (Once a year I do this)

 

I went 945 on EBS_freak's recommendation (and the choice of wireless too)

[Woodinblack]

Used to use a sure PM58, which lacked middle, then a xm8500 which was ok, briefly used a SM58, then got a TC-Helicon PM85 and I love the sound of and really works for my voice. Thats all I use now (although the others are spare)

[Downunderwonder]

What's a good and cheap vintage looking vocal mic? Love the look of the old school stuff that used to sit on a pedestal stand for the vocalist to pivot around.

[LLOYDWT]

1 minute ago, Downunderwonder said:

What's a good and cheap vintage looking vocal mic? Love the look of the old school stuff that used to sit on a pedestal stand for the vocalist to pivot around.

 

I really rate the MXL CR77 as a vintage-looking mic at the cheaper end of the spectrum. I've heard great things about the Heil PR 77D, if you want to spend a bit more money. The industry standard for dynamic mics with a vintage aesthetic seems to be the Shure Super 55, but I don't get on with them at all; they do look the absolute business though.

[Downunderwonder]

10 minutes ago, LLOYDWT said:

Shure Super 55

Big bucks here.

[Downunderwonder]

13 minutes ago, LLOYDWT said:

MXL CR77

Out of stock.

[tauzero]

Miraculously, our vocalist provides his own mic - not sure what it is. I do backing vocals for all but one song - I use a Behringer XM8500. The other guitarist uses whatever I give him until he gets his own mic - that's one of my box of three Behringer XM1800ses.

[Jack]

I have two Prodipe TT1 Pros for my vocals. When I first got into needing a vocal mic it was an experiment as  Iwas just starting to learning to sing and the real point of me getting a mic was that the singer at the time didn't have the best between-song craic. I did a lot of searching for things like 'best budget vocal mic' and settled on the Prodipe on the basis that, if I kept it up, I would buy a better mic. Well that was about 7 or 8 years ago and I haven't wanted anything new yet. Awesome mics.

 

I also own an SE Electronics X1S (large diaphragm condenser that mostly gets used for work stuff) a Purple Electrics PE74 (small condenser) and a two t.bone BD200 (when I very occasionally run sound). Nothing fancy, but all solid budget options I could recommend.

[Rosie C]

On 11/09/2023 at 22:03, Phil Starr said:

 

I'll kick off, my go to mic is a Sennheiser E935 around £155 I love this Mic tough as old boots but with a lovely clear sound, handling noise isn't too bad but mine stays in the stand anyway.

 

 

Likewise, we use E835 & E845 mics. I prefer the way they sound for my vocals to the SM57 that we used before. The only downside I've found is finding mic stand clips - I've lost one and can't find a replacement. 

[LLOYDWT]

13 minutes ago, Rosie C said:

The only downside I've found is finding mic stand clips - I've lost one and can't find a replacement. 

 

I've got a few of these. They're great as a universal clip —

 

https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Universal-Quick-Release-Mic-Clip-by-Gear4music/1OJH

[Rosie C]

1 hour ago, LLOYDWT said:

 

I've got a few of these. They're great as a universal clip —

 

https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/Universal-Quick-Release-Mic-Clip-by-Gear4music/1OJH

 

I think I will have to go with something like that, thanks!

 

[Chienmortbb]

On 12/09/2023 at 07:24, Phil Starr said:

That's a lovely mic, when my old singer got her KSM8 it was a present from her husband. The SM87 was the one I recommended for her and I was sorely tempted to buy one for myself. At the time I only sang chorus on a couple of songs and didn't contemplate upgrading the AKG D5 I was using. I pointed out to him that the KSM was so much better than our PA at the time that there would be no sonic advantage in using the more expensive mic but love is love and he wanted her to have the best

Shure say about the KSM8 "the KSM8 Dualdyne™ delivers unmatched control of proximity effect, presence peaks, and bleed and requires minimal EQ and processing. " Or paraphrasing, "we learnt where we went wrong on the Unidynes (SM58 et al).

[Chienmortbb]

58 minutes ago, Rosie C said:

 

I think I will have to go with something like that, thanks!

 

Those are often quite fragile, so I suggest you order a few at that price.

[ezbass]

Once I was roped into singing a bit, I went and bought a reasonably priced mic at a bass/guitar show. It was an AKG D5 and cost about £45 at the time IIRC and did the job adequately. Time went on and I was singing lead vocals and the sound guy (a friend of mine) said that for lead, the mic wasn’t doing me any favours. Tried an SM58, better but not great. Then I tried a Beta58, which was a big improvement for my baritone warblings and it’s the one I still use today. Not cheap, but not eye wateringly expensive either; a good investment.

[Chienmortbb]

Well my mics:

 

Three Sontronics Solos

One Ramsa WMD-150SW (about 30 years old)

One Ramsa WMD-120SW (about 30 years old)

 

 

The rest of the band have:

 

Shure SM58-Singer

Behringer XM8500 - Lead guitarist

Sennheiser e845 - Rhythm Guitarist

 

The drummer does not sing (he hums a bit). Although he has a full set of drum mics. Sadly none of the drums can sing yet although the cymbals are coming on.

[Phil Starr]

3 hours ago, Rosie C said:

 

Likewise, we use E835 & E845 mics. I prefer the way they sound for my vocals to the SM57 that we used before. The only downside I've found is finding mic stand clips - I've lost one and can't find a replacement. 

It's not surprising, the SM57 and 58 were designed in 1962 and it says volumes that people still use them but better materials and magnets have come along and they are long since overtaken. I still love Shure though not least for longevity I still have an even older Unidyne B that still works. Everyone else had to respond to how tough the SM58 was and microphones just don't go wrong unless you are very unlucky.

 

I prefer this style of clip, just measure up first and check but I think this will fit your mics, K&M are a top brand  but for £3.99??? 

 

[Rosie C]

1 hour ago, Phil Starr said:

It's not surprising, the SM57 and 58 were designed in 1962 and it says volumes that people still use them but better materials and magnets have come along and they are long since overtaken. I still love Shure though not least for longevity I still have an even older Unidyne B that still works. Everyone else had to respond to how tough the SM58 was and microphones just don't go wrong unless you are very unlucky.

 

I prefer this style of clip, just measure up first and check but I think this will fit your mics, K&M are a top brand  but for £3.99??? 

 

 

Thanks! That looks very similar the the Sennheiser ones. I'm amazed the SM57/58 is that old, I thought they were a relic from the 1980s.