What Vocal Microphone?

[shezza]

Hi All, I am in the market for a replacement microphone, I know
the industry standard has always been the Sure SM58.
Does anyone know different? What type of microphone do you use,
and why...................... Merry Christmas................Pete.

[JohnG]

Boring I know but the slightly dearer Beta 58A.
It's slightly more directional than the 58 and sounds better IMHO.
Wonderfully robust too.
JohnG.

[kemo]

I use the Beta aswell John, it is a very good mic, at a very good price. I think you can pick them up now for around £75-£95...

[rogerb]

Over the years I've tried AKG and Beyer but keep coming back to Shure. Being a keyboardplayer/vocalist I've never felt the need to go for a radio mike as I can't move away from the keyboard.

[bigal4000]

Unfortunatley I don't see much further than the SM58. strong sturdy and well then i am a vocalist..lol

[themd21]

I was always a Shure SM58 faithful, until one day in a local music store I was made an offer I couldn't refuse, " If you don't like it ,keep it."
If been using a JTS NX8, ever since. half the price of a Shure Beta, wonderful quality. Recommended.

[don]

Hi All,

I too am a SM58 user and fan I have used Bheringer as well as AKG for for sheer durability and tonal quality it is and will remain for a long time to come the industry standard.
Cheers. Don.

[shyamwestwind]

Pete, just go for the SHURE SM58 BETA and dont even glance at the others. Even if the "seem" to sound good, they will show their true colours sometime. The Shure SM 58 Beta is the BESTEST you can get on planet earth, so dont listen to anyone aymore and just get one. She'll be your baby for life!!!!!!!

[weegeo]

I have several mics but my preferred mic is my sennhieser e845s which for me is the better of all my mics it is much more rounded than the sm58`s but everyone has their own favourites

Regards weegeo

[Steptoe]

Beta 58 here as well

[frankie]

sennhieser e845s for me, works good for my voice.

[rosybud1956]

I love my Shure SM58. Cheers Lyn

[rosybud1956]

Oops Better tell you why I love me Shure SM 58. A very clear and pure sound. A friend of mine purchased a sennhieser but I'm not sure which one, and we compared it with mine. The Shure definitely had the superior sound. By closing the eyes and just listening, while another person sang into either mike, audibly clarified the better one. Cheers Lyn

[Sean]

Here we go ! I can see mine as being the shortest membership of the site here, Ah well !

Obviousley anyones choice of favorite microphone, is by definition alone a very subjective and often emotive thing. Without doubt, the Sure SM58 has for the longest time been the industry standard. This microphne set the benchmark for decades.

When I started out there wasn't a mike to touch it, Responsive, tough, durable and dependable. I know this for a fact as I used one for over 15 years as a semi pro.

The only thing is, that when a product or brand reaches a zenith as Sure has with this particular product. Then sometimes we can become blinkered into thinking that there is no other choice.

As I have already stated, I personally used an SM58 mike for a long time, in groups and duo's and was more than pleased with it's performance.

Then the time came when I decided to go it alone and set up as a solo vocalist using backing tracks and kitted myself out with the very best equipment I could lay my hands on.

I won't bore you with the details of the rest of the P.A. Setup, just surfice to say that my first choice for a new mike was the Sure SM58 yet again, until that is, the Guy in the music store where I had just spent £2,500 That I didn't have (this was 20 years ago by the way) suggested I try out a Beyer ribbon mike.

The first thing i noticed was that we had to drop the channel gain by a couple of notches as it was louder and as I ran through several numbers i found it to be far more responsive right throuh my vocal range. The thing that really sold it to me was that when you sing in your lower range/register you normally tend have to have to increase your effort to maintain an even volume.
I suppose you would call it boosting the bass for want of a better terminology but this was not the case with this particular Beyer mike.

In all honesty and with hand on heart I found this mike to be far easier to sing through with a lot less effort as it gave a richer, sharper, crisper sound with far more definition in the lower register.

As with anything there are pro's and con's the con's with this particular piece of kit was that unlike the SM58 ( With witch you could bang nails in timber with no adverse effects to it's performance) The Beyer was far more delicate and I had to repace the cartridge twice in seven years.

The Beyer was (and still is) twice the price of the SM58 I know this for a fact, as I repeated the same comparison test earlier this year with musician friends at the same store where I purchased the latest version of the same mike which is now called the 'Beyer Dynamic TGX61'

To my mind, as a vocalist first and musician a very poor second. I have to say, that if it's value for money, rugged construction and a good all round performance your looking for then go with the SM58. If however you are a little more decerning and able to dispassionatley distingush between good and best then I would strongley commend Beyer provided you remember one very important piece of information..............'Beyers don't Bounce' !

Sean

[weegeo]

lol lol good report Sean don`t think your membership is at risk this time lol i have a beyer myself but i still prefer my sennhieser for tonal quality

weegeo

[axill]

Have been using AKG for a long time and it suits my voice , a friend of mine has the SM58 Beta and we can find no difference in quality although the AKG seems to have a lot more power and depth. I think it's a matter of personal taste , if you like the sound of your voice using a particular brand then that's the one for you.

Axill

[jacqui01]

When I first started singing I was using the Shure SM58, and found it to be a good quality all round mic, very robust, and reliable.
Then a friend of ours who used to play for an Irish singer called Glenn Curtin, recommended the microphones they used which were 'Beyer Dynamic, I now have two, and would not go back to the Shure, for me the sound is clearer, has a better response through the whole vocal range, and also louder if I was using the Shure I would have the gain at least another few notches on the volume, I also have a Beyer Radio Mic too.
Jacqui

[Sean]

I see from the last three post's that I'm not the only one to stick his head above the parapet re the SM58 love fest that initially dominated the topic.

The only thing I would like to see happen from this debate is that next time you need to replace your mike, is take the time to try out other brands.

Trouble is if you start off with a 58 you'll proably never know as their harder to kill than Christopher Lee in a Dracular Movie. ;D

Just in passing Axill, have you ever bumped into my cousin Kelvin from Wexford he used to do a good few gig's round Wexford town. ( If he owes you money then join the queue)

And Jacqui, we appear to be kindred spirits when it comes to choice of mike. You have now shattered my stereo typical image of 'Essex Girl' forever, in one post. Good on ya Girl ! ;D

Have yourselves a merry little Christmas

Sean

[rossi]

Been using an EV (Electrovoice) mike for the last 20 years or so,(might be a little more). Cant even tell you the model as the number has worn off the neck. Also signs of rust on the mesh whenever I remove the wind cover for replacement. When I bought it I thought the price was horrendously high but how wrong I've been proved. It still sounds great.
Pity my voice hasn't stood the same test of time.
Cheers, Rossi

[rick]

shure PG58 for me. half the price as for the SM58, with very good sound!

Rick