P-T-P Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 I have to put forward the humble Behringer XM8500 which are pretty much every bit as good as an SM58 for about £15-£20. Also the SM57 and SM58 are, according to Shure, the same mic with the exception that the shape of the 57 allows the pick-up to get closer to the sound source than a 58 can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 +1 for the SM58 beta if you can stretch to it - last mike you'll ever buy!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbass7 Posted November 27, 2008 Author Share Posted November 27, 2008 cheers guys for all this , Im buying a S'heiser e865s RRP £170 for £85 in as new condition, only used twice I think ive found a deal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarhead Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 Yeah, the bit about SM58's and SM57's being better for lower voices would explain a lot, mainly why my voice sounds terrible through any sort of amplification system. Could just be because I can't sing for my life though Zach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 [quote name='casapete' post='338493' date='Nov 27 2008, 03:01 PM']+1 for the SM58 beta if you can stretch to it - last mike you'll ever buy!![/quote] "Buy an SM58 and die"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 [quote name='alexclaber' post='338091' date='Nov 27 2008, 09:05 AM']... I've found that as I tend to sing lower than many vocalists the SM57 works better for me as it's less boomy in the lows and a bit smoother on top so the midrange comes through better. The SM58 is voiced very effectively for typical tenor rock/soul/etc vocals but on higher (female) or lower (baritone/bass) vocalists the flatter response of the SM57 can be more flattering/audible.[/quote] [i]A Bass Player Writes:[/i] I'm one of life's natural baritones, so this was an interesting post. But when I go on Shure's own website, they describe the SM58 as a 'Vocal' mic and the SM57 as an 'Instrument' mic which can also be used for vocals. Comparing the spec sheets, the difference between them seems to be (i) 1.5dBV (ii) 40Hz (SM57) -v- 50Hz (SM58) (iii) 14g in weight Would I be able to hear the difference at, say, a pub gig? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Wikipaedia strikes again! [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM57"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM57[/url] Who'd have thought that George W uses an SM57? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnylager Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 (edited) [quote name='OldGit' post='338103' date='Nov 27 2008, 09:24 AM']I know sound engineers have got out the Sennheisers for women singers I've worked with but, again, no idea what model of mic it was.[/quote] Hehe - Sennheisers are for girls! Old sound engineers trick - take the top off an SM58 = instant SM57. Same mike for bass & vocals. Edited November 28, 2008 by johnnylager Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Just spent a fascinating hour at The Audio Centre in Denmark Street, merrily A/B-ing all the mics discussed here. By the time I was finished, I was surrounded by boxes labelled Shure (3), Audio-Technica (2), Audix (1), Sennheiser (2), plus one other. For my voice, the SM57 definitely sounded better than the SM58, while the SM57 Beta was slightly better than the 'vanilla' SM57. The differences were NOT striking, and that was singing unaccompanied (or [i]Acapulco[/i], I think they call it). As soon as another customer started listening to music played through another PA in the shop, the difference between the various mics all but disappeared. The offerings from ATM, Audix and Sennheiser were in similar price ranges to the Shures mentioned above, and had a similar very limited degree of difference between them. Of the whole lot, the SM57 was the best bangs-for-bucks for matching my voice and I could have had one for £80. Best price on the Net at the moment seems to be about £75, so I thought that was pretty good going. Except ... The "one other" I mentioned earlier contained a £19 Peavey 100, just like the two I have at home. Having spent 55 minutes A/B-ing the expensive brands, I thought it sensible to A/B the SM57 against what I already had. The SM57 is definitely a better mic. Maybe 10%, maybe 20%, maybe even 50%. To justify the price difference though, it needs to be [b]300%[/b] better, and it's nowhere near that. As to the Shure's famed long life, an SM57 or SM58 may well last the best part of 10 years but I could break a Peavey 100 every other year and still come out quits. What the whole exercise has done is to massively increase my respect for the "cheap" mics I bought a while back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbass7 Posted November 28, 2008 Author Share Posted November 28, 2008 (edited) ok then answer me this shall I go ahead with the perfect cond, as new Sennheiser e865s (rrp £170) for £80 or a SM58 for £75 ? I'm assuming the Sennheiser e865s will be better due to being rrp almost double the cost Edited November 28, 2008 by Danbass7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 (edited) Cost isn't everything...... though taking my Sennheiser hat off a moment...... the 58 technology is over 20 years old now.... you can buy much better mic's (most brands) for a lot less...... my personal fave budget mic is the Beyer TGX 58 which you can get for about £45 (sounds like a beta 58 pretty much) ...... of course the Sennheiser is far superior Edited November 28, 2008 by crez5150 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbass7 Posted November 28, 2008 Author Share Posted November 28, 2008 (edited) just checking im going to go through with the purchase with a fellow basschatter tonight haha I just came across the video. [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qqJl_BQl2XY&feature=related"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qqJl_BQl2XY&...feature=related[/url] SM58's proper use and this is just ridiculous [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z-97jtqi38&feature=related#"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z-97jtqi38&...eature=related#[/url] Edited November 28, 2008 by Danbass7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 [quote name='Danbass7' post='339908' date='Nov 28 2008, 05:27 PM']just checking im going to go through with the purchase with a fellow basschatter tonight haha I just came across the video. [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qqJl_BQl2XY&feature=related"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qqJl_BQl2XY&...feature=related[/url] SM58's proper use[/quote] That's classic...... may have to pass that around the industry.... hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbass7 Posted November 28, 2008 Author Share Posted November 28, 2008 and if you have a few minutes [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8OQfGtJnBpg&NR=1#"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=8OQfGtJnBpg&NR=1#[/url] is sure to make you laugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 [quote name='Happy Jack' post='339531' date='Nov 28 2008, 12:49 PM'][i]A Bass Player Writes:[/i] I'm one of life's natural baritones, so this was an interesting post. But when I go on Shure's own website, they describe the SM58 as a 'Vocal' mic and the SM57 as an 'Instrument' mic which can also be used for vocals. Comparing the spec sheets, the difference between them seems to be (i) 1.5dBV (ii) 40Hz (SM57) -v- 50Hz (SM58) (iii) 14g in weight Would I be able to hear the difference at, say, a pub gig?[/quote] Don't look at the specs, look at the response plots: Although both mics use the same capsule the difference in surround and windshield makes a significant difference in response. What I found pertinant as a baritone was that there was less boom in the lows (notice how the curves differ below 200Hz) and the harshness I found in the lower treble from the 58 wasn't there with the 57 (note that the presence peak is quite a lot higher). I AB'd both these mics a number of times with the Beta 58 we have at the rehearsal studio (I already owned a 58 and my saxophonist uses a 57). I was really surprised how much better the SM57 worked with my voice - the Beta 58 had more clarity on the top than the SM58 (you can hear those extra kHz of extension) but the 57 had much more clarity through the midrange and I sat in the mix much better. It wasn't just me that noticed the difference - my bandmates were amazed! However I should point out every voice is different so it might not work well with all baritones but it certainly does for me! Another thing that makes a difference is that you can actually get closer to the mic capsule (i.e. more gain before feedback) because the windshield is smaller - that does increase the risk of pops and sibilance but live that trade-off seems to work just fine for me. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 [quote name='johnnylager' post='339552' date='Nov 28 2008, 01:13 PM']Old sound engineers trick - take the top off an SM58 = instant SM57. Same mike for bass & vocals.[/quote] Good point - an excellent way to check if you prefer the sound of the 57! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 Alex - great answer, thanks. I've reached the conclusion that I should be on the eBay lookout for an underpriced 2nd-hand Beta SM57. Or maybe a Beta 52 Kick-drum Mic and just go for the Elvis look ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam_ Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 the guy i live with and do audio and music tech at uni with has recently got 4, yes FOUR SM58s for just over £120 off ebay, all genuine as well, you have to be quick though as the listings gets taken down very quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted November 28, 2008 Share Posted November 28, 2008 I'd also take a look at the Rode S1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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