BillFitzmaurice.info

Just curious what the collective's favorite stage vocal mics are . . . For years the SM58 has been part of my (and probably most folks) arsenal, but last year I tried a couple of new (for me anyway) units. The Sennheiser E845 and the Heil PR20. The Sennheiser is very, very good. the Heil is incredible. In fact, all the performers using it have commented on what a wonderful sound it produces. That and it just looks great on stage.

Sennheiser E845 for me, though I have more E835's which perform great.

I really went off the SM58 about 10 years ago.

Audix OM-5

I've sampled a lot of vocal mics and own 25-30 various microphones. Here's what I like and why:

Sennheiser E835 -- rugged, good presence, low handling noise. my fave for overall vocals. ( I own 5)
The E935 is equally nice, but hyper-cardioid, so wedges need to be at he sides.

AKG D5 -- a very mid-friendly mic for vocalists. lower proximity effect then most. If your singer backs away the mic, it doesn't change color as fast as others. ( I own two). The C5 is the hotter condenser version.

EV N/D767a -- a very "warm" mic in every sense, from the sound to the rubbery skin. ( I own one)

I also like 57's and 58's, and own a few, but they are not my go-to vocal mics for live use. I also tend to stay away from condensers which require phantom power for live use, as a dirty or loose connector can cause a loud POP as the mic loses and regains its phantom power.

Other mics I own but do not use for live vocals include:
Audio Techinca -- various pencil condensers and drum mics.
CAD E-70, Audix F15
AKG C2000B, C3000B, Perception 200, 400

Bill Fitzmaurice wrote:Audix OM-5

+1. I join in with a country band on Sunday nights. This is my mic. I have a really deep voice, think Josh Turner and Trace Adkins. I go much lower than both of them. The OM-5 handles my lows with ease and without adding any mid-bass muddiness. I find it not as good on a really high pitched voice, as it tends to "tin" up, but I was not at the mixing controls when she was singing, and she liked the mic.

I have 6 SM58s, they go to the inexperienced and equipment abusers. I have a wide array of mics that I have collected along the way, including some "disposable" mics I kept around for Karaoke hosting jobs. They are the cheap mics that I don't care so much when a drunk patron drops it and it stops working because they are dirt cheap.

Hackomatic,
When I was putting my system together, I asked a similar Q.
General advice at that time was "the e835 out 58's a 58".

And it's turned out to be so.
At least here, the bonus is that the e835 is also quite a bit cheaper than 58. Way cheaper than a OM-5.

I have one 58 for those that insist on the "industry standard".

So if price point is also a consideration, look at the e835...

Chris_Allen wrote:I really went off the SM58 about 10 years ago.

Except for the two permanently affixed to your eyeballs??

Glad folks are commenting on why they like their mics. Surprised no one else has mentioned the Heil, though. I've used the Big Brother PR40 for studio announcing purposes for some time, replacing the ol' standard EV RE-20s in many, many studios . The Heil is warmer without a pronounced proximity effect and with articulate, non-sibilant "Esses" rivaling a good condenser. So, I had to try the PR20 and see if it had a genetic heritage similar to the PR40 for its application. I'd say it does. The slight presence boost makes it very intelligible, even when the singers are bent on swallowing the thing (and many are). It has amazing pickup even off axis and threshold to feedback as good as any mic I've used.

I still use beta 58's. I only do live sound though and don't record. For me it is a matter of durability, cost, and sound. I've used different brands over the years and yes there are some that sound better, some that are cheaper, and some that are rugged as a tank but I find a good balance in the beta's. I am a firm believer in having all matching vocal mics on stage no matter which ones you use.

Our singer has a deep voice that can be rough sounding when needed. He's used the 58 both dynamic and condenser but was not happy with it. After going and actually trying out some mics, he liked his Sennheiser E835 but it seemed to have developed a problem so I gave him one of my Samson Q8's and that was the one for him.

I don't sing so I listen to what the rest in the band uses. I find the 58's thin. The Sennheiser did sound fuller but he hasn't had it checked yet. I have used the Samson Q7's also, but they have a bit more of a mid sound. Not as full as the Q8's but more than the 58's. I can tell you the Q7 works well mic'n the amps though the Q8 is best on the bottom of the Leslie 3300. I use a Q7 on the top of the Leslie or I have a few Seismic Audio 58 knockoffs (SA M20) that sound just as good as the real 58's we have. I just had to rewire them as for some reason they were wired as an unbalanced mic. I discovered that when I plugged them in with the phantom power on. If you want some rugged, inexpensive good sounding 58 clone mics that you don't have to worry about other's abusing these SA M20's fit bill.

The Samson Q8 can be had for reasonable money used off ebay that is how I've have purchased mine.

Bill Fitzmaurice wrote:Audix OM-5

My first mic ever.

and the first piece of musical equipment to get stolen from me

e835's. I love the crispness of the high end. IMO sm58's have too much lows. I do like 57s on guitars.

For live work my main go to's are Shure Betas. They satisfy the "industry standard" mentality and survive stage handling.

3 * Beta 58's for front row vox
2 * Beta 57's for vocal and vocal / blues harp. (I have a drummer that prefers the 57 and a harp player that sings a couple of tunes and blows harp through the 57 stage mic occasionally.

I also use TC Helicon pre's (2 * Mic Mechanic and an old voice correct ) on each lead vocal. The TC gear gives EQ, compression, noise gate (useless on a loud stage) and gain.

Have tried Blue mics encore 200 and 300 (condenser). The 200 can be feedback prone on a loud stage. The 300 can be handy for weak vocals. Both are warm with a good range.

For a standard better than a 58 dynamic, Sennheiser e935 or e945. e935 is a smooth cardioid pattern that sounds almost the same singing sideways to the mic as it does on-axis. e945 is a super-cardioid good for when you need tighter patterns but still a great sound. Both are a little more in your face around 3K which is great for most vocals, but I actually pull it back for some female vocalists. For vocal condensers I have a pair of e865's that I prefer over the standard Beta 87's unless the vocalist is a mic-swallower. The e865 has better full-frequency and low-end response, where the 87 tends to sound thin by comparison. Meaning to get my hands on one of the Blue Encore 300's since I've liked the 100 and 200 models as well.

The e835 or Heil PR20 are my preference for 58 price, better than a 58 targets.

My real favorites are not in the average user's price range and include most of the modern live vocal mics in the $600-$1K range like the e965, Neuman KMS-105, Shure KSM-9 and the newest DPA d:facto.

Audix OM-1 for the kids and wanna be guys.

Audix OM-5 for the serious club level and and better.

Both are great for small stages where bleed thru is an issue as well great high gain before feedback.

They work best when every one has one.

Good to hear about the Heil. Made in the U.S. sounds good too. Never tried any of them, but I've read they also make good drum mics. ...don't really have a favorite vocal mic but I'm definately tired of the 58.