BillFitzmaurice.info

The ones I've used are
SM 58
EV N/D 767a
AKG D5
(for my own voice) I'm more of a Tenor than Baritone
Any body else and why you prefer them.

I like strawberry ice cream. With real strawberries. Sugar free if possible. Which it never is.


Seriously though, it depends on the person. As a production company, I keep plenty of sennheiser 835s, sm-57s, and SM58s. I have a smattering of other options, which nearly never get used. If I can’t get someone to sound good on one of those, the mic isn’t the problem. I keep a set of Behringer XM8500s for any group which arouses the suspicion in me that they might destroy something, or to send out on unsupervised rental. They’re remarkably close in sound to sm-58s for $20 per. I also have a set of sennheiser 815s which are really quite close to 835s, but just not quite there... again for a fraction of the price. They are quite durable though. I also like the Audio Technica Ae 4100 and ae5100, but not enough to replace any of my rental stock with them. They’re popular with some groups for their wireless versions.

Lots of people gush over sm-87s, sennheiser 935 & 965, Audix OM series, and others. Meh. I’ll use them if they’re provided, not going to buy them. I can tell you that the OM-3 particularly has a resonance I don’t like very much.


And the strawberry ice cream needs to be from Cabarrus Creamery. None of that store bought stuff.

I keep a half-dozen SM58s and use them all the time.....except for me - I sing through an EV PL80. I've always liked EVs on my voice and I will use 'em on good male singers who live more toward the bottom than the top.

Hate Beta 58s. I've never cared for them - just too crispy and hot. Funny how many sound guys I've run across who say the same thing. Yet, singers keep buying them - thinking that if they cost more, they should be better.

A couple of weeks ago, I was helping out some friends with a show. They were opening so the headliner's mics were up. The lead vocalist for my friends is really good - lots of grit and gravel for the stuff he does. During sound check, his voice just never sounded warm and smooth like it should. So, we pulled the Beta 58 and hooked up his old 58 that looked like it had been to hell and back - instantly sounded perfect.

Anyway, only reason I carry the 58s is because they are readily identifiable by artists and they are indeed workhorses......and the introduction of the Beta 58 helped move the regular 58 one step up the ladder of microphones.

I agree fully with Bruce and Brent, the SM58 isn't the best sounding mic in the world, but it's reliable, robust, and generally sounds good for most all voices. An RE-20 is also a great sounding mic, but due to it's size, it's more at home in a broadcast or recording studio. Years ago I had a bunch of EV PL-88, but they sounded muddy when used side by side with SM58s. SM57s aren't really suited for vocal use as they don't have a pop filter, unless you have the foam windsocks installed.

+1 on the Audix. I dislike when performers show up with their own boutique mics, because the monitor EQ becomes more of a compromise when using a mis-match of mics with different response curves.

Edit: It wasn't PL-88s I had, it was actually the PL-80. That was about 35 years ago, so that memory is getting a little bit dim.

I carry half a dozen SM58s but they don't come out that often. My favorite, though unfortunately recently discontinued, is the Shure 588SDX. I think they are the last iteration of the Unisphere... It has a little less prox effect than the 58, but the high end has a bump around 12k that really works for female vocals, in my opinion. It can tend to be a little brittle if you EQ as a 58. An added bit of flexibility: I sometimes use them for choir mics as they have great GBF. There are plenty of them out there used. I roll with two dozen. Pick one up and have a go!

byacey wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2018 11:26 ams. SM57s aren't really suited for vocal use as they don't have a pop filter,unless you have the foam windsocks installed.

57s without the foams still work pretty well for vocalists with good technique. Had a good instance of that last week actually... had a wireless go out and the girl grabbed one of the spare 57s set up for instruments... sounded better than the 835 she was on before, and she had good technique so no plosives were heard at all.

On Brent recommendation I got some Sennheiser E-835's a while back and they've been great.
I've also got 58's and 57's.
Another mike that springs to mind is the Beyer M88, because it's versatile. At pinch it makes a very nice sounding kick drum mike, and covers all ranges of vocals...

Doing sound for bands: sm58's and e835's

For your own personal mic: Mic's are like shoes, you won't know a good fit until you try one. Rent a a hand full and try them out. Around here mic rentals are $5/day

My personal favorite was an EV PL77 condenser mic that I got back in 1980. I used it up until a couple of years ago when it starting getting really weak. The PL80 is close, but not a condenser. While I'm waxing nostalgic, my first pro mic was an EV DS35 - the precursor to the PL95 that sold by the millions back in the early 80s. We still have a bunch of those and some PL9s in my buddy's studio.

I wish more singers would go test out some mics before buying. Different voices need different things. Haven't found anyone yet that needed a Beta 58.

T'was the EV PL80 for me back in the day for live sound. Just sounded so good, prox effect was perfect for me. That was ages ago, though. Lots of good sounding rip-off mic's out there now, but reliability is maybe a little more of an unknown. In the studio, I love the Rode mic's, and one used a Studio Projects that was amazing for the price. Sounded like the fancy german mic that starts with an N...

himhimself wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2018 7:10 pm T'was the EV PL80 for me back in the day for live sound. Just sounded so good, prox effect was perfect for me. That was ages ago, though. Lots of good sounding rip-off mic's out there now, but reliability is maybe a little more of an unknown. In the studio, I love the Rode mic's, and one used a Studio Projects that was amazing for the price. Sounded like the fancy german mic that starts with an N...

hmmmm.....German....starts with an N......I got it!

Alfred E. Neumann