Phil Starr Posted November 26 Author Posted November 26 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. 1 Quote
Al Krow Posted November 26 Posted November 26 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! 1 Quote
Phil Starr Posted November 26 Author Posted November 26 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 Quote
Steve Browning Posted November 26 Posted November 26 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. 1 Quote
Al Krow Posted November 26 Posted November 26 (edited) 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 November 26 by Al Krow 1 Quote
Stub Mandrel Posted November 26 Posted November 26 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!) 1 Quote
Phil Starr Posted Sunday at 06:48 Author Posted Sunday at 06:48 On 26/11/2025 at 20:55, Stub Mandrel said: I was singing the fifth in three part harmony tonight, for the very first time at a rehearsal! How posh is that.😀 I'm jealous 1 Quote
Stub Mandrel Posted Sunday at 14:55 Posted Sunday at 14:55 8 hours ago, Phil Starr said: How posh is that.😀 I'm jealous Would be posher if I was better at it! But good on Steve who made us try. Quote
Lozz196 Posted Monday at 20:20 Posted Monday at 20:20 I used to have an SM58 but at one gig used a Behringer XM8500 and preferred it with my voice, I only do backing vox mind, maybe it’s not an ideal mic for lead vox but it works fine for my uncultured yelling. Quote
Aliwobble Posted 1 hour ago Posted 1 hour ago On 02/12/2025 at 09:20, Lozz196 said: I used to have an SM58 but at one gig used a Behringer XM8500 and preferred it with my voice, I only do backing vox mind, maybe it’s not an ideal mic for lead vox but it works fine for my uncultured yelling. The XM8500 is a truly nasty mic, but it is good to see that you have found its niche! Quote
Chienmortbb Posted 1 hour ago Posted 1 hour ago 1 minute ago, Aliwobble said: The XM8500 is a truly nasty mic, but it is good to see that you have found its niche! BBC Sound people often prefer the XM8500, if given a choice between the two. I suspect it is easier to EQ for radio/TV sound. Quote
Aliwobble Posted 1 hour ago Posted 1 hour ago Interesting... I've always found them a bit thin and scratchy sounding. Unless I'm thinking of a different Behringer SM58 knock-off. Quote
LawrenceH Posted 54 minutes ago Posted 54 minutes ago 16 minutes ago, Aliwobble said: Interesting... I've always found them a bit thin and scratchy sounding. Unless I'm thinking of a different Behringer SM58 knock-off. You're not, they are! Quote
Lozz196 Posted 35 minutes ago Posted 35 minutes ago 41 minutes ago, Aliwobble said: The XM8500 is a truly nasty mic, but it is good to see that you have found its niche! Matches my truly nasty voice nicely, lol. Quote
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