Vocal Microphones, what are you using?

[Phil Starr]

1 hour ago, LawrenceH said:

I've done sound a couple of times at tiny, intimate gigs for a very good 'name' singer who favours the Beta 58. She really knows that mic and uses the proximity effect well. She makes that mic sound expensive! The downside at the desk is that such technique requires better, more transparent compression than the tiny gig rig provides and I have to ride her fader to tame the dynamics - better inbuilt compression is another thing drawing me towards a small digital mixer.

 

The EV mics are intriguing - iirc the Shure dual diaphragm mics like the KSM8 are supposed to have greatly reduced proximity effect, I'd like to try them but they're pretty spend-y!

 

Yeah, I think asking someone who has used the SM58 to change mics would be like asking Brian May to change guitars

 

I have to say though that if anyone is going to spend a digital mixer is probably going to make a bigger difference to the sound than changing the mics. My mixer is pretty basic and I've got four band parametric eq, compression, gating, reverb delay and detuning on every mic channel, plus a lot of stuff I've never even looked at. The pre's are audibly better than my old Yamaha MG desk too. Tweaking eq is much more intuitive and best of all I can save anything that works well. 

 

I'm intrigued by the Shure SM86, it's a lot cheaper than I was expecting, cheaper than the E935. I'm wondering if I should have looked at that first.

 

 

[Al Krow]

Just now, Phil Starr said:

 

Yeah, I think asking someone who has used the SM58 to change mics would be like asking Brian May to change guitars

 

I guess I'm fortunate with my lead vox then, haha!

 

The two of the three female lead singers who have been using SM58s were both completely sold on our live performance experience of Set 1 being plagued by feedback, and then Set 2 being feedback-free with just one change to the set up at the interval: swapping-out their SM58 for my AKG D7S!

[Phil Starr]

31 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

swapping-out their SM58 for my AKG D7S!

Is this a bassist thing, carrying spare mics for the rest of the band

[Steve Browning]

2 minutes ago, Phil Starr said:

Is this a bassist thing, carrying spare mics for the rest of the band

Possibly. I carry all sorts of spares and never need them myself. 

[Al Krow]

3 minutes ago, Phil Starr said:

Is this a bassist thing, carrying spare mics for the rest of the band

 

Haha no - it's was my mic for my occasional BVs and audience chat!

 

I just swapped mine with the lead singers - obvs for BVs the SM58 can sit lower in the mix than you would want your lead vox mic to be set at. As mentioned a little earlier in the thread, we measured the difference and the AKG D7S gave an additional 6dB headroom (in terms of desk settings at least) before feedback kicked in vs the SM58.

 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Al Krow

[Stub Mandrel]

I've been encouraged to go supercardiod. I have a Superlux PRA D1n which was dirt cheap.

 

Just read some reviews and consensus seems to be it's comparable with an SM58 beta.

 

So... I'll pack it with my SM58 and try it. My I only do bvs anyway (although I was singing the fifth in three part harmony tonight, for the very first time at a rehearsal!)