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[Corey Scogin]

I've seen a lot of TV concerts where the singer used an SM58. They always sounded great. I'm sure there are better options, but if a 58 is good enough for Roger Daltrey

Aren't the vocals on many live albums or concerts re-tracked afterward?

[Samuel Rees]

The SM58 isn't inherently the wrong choice. Record it - see what it sounds like on her voice.

Shure KSM9s are condensers with that "polished", present sound, and have pretty good rejection when switched to HyperCard mode. Used a trio of them for Country act Steel Magnolia doing an acoustic show the other day. Definitely would have been happy to have that sound on a record.

[Mark McFarlane]

...
It may be helpful if you can find the polar plots of each of the microphones you own and try to figure out which one has the tightest pattern across the frequency range and try out that mic.

This assumes the singer stays on axis...

Asking which mic will works for an unknown singer is similar to asking what you should order from a restaurant menu.  Chances are you/she won't like it even if it's my favorite food.  Sure some mics sound more neutral, some have more presence, some have better off-axis feedback, but that has never helped me determine if a mic will sound good on an unknown singer. For example, the presence peak on some mics may exaggerate an already annoying vocal quality.

At the end of the day it's the singer voice, their mic technique, and to some extent what going on in the room that will determine what sounds good. These are very personal characteristics.

[Dave Bednarski]

This assumes the singer stays on axis...

If singer uses lyric sheets or teleprompter for some/all songs... go with something forgiving for on/off axis singing.  Nightmare.

[Jordan Wolf]

For a performance handheld, the A/T AE5400 is nice, but might consider a dynamic mic like the PR-35 due to the levels of SPL the mics might encounter.

If you can, wye the channel to give you separate preamp, EQ, etc. for live vs. recording.

[Alexander B Larsson]

Thanks everyone!

I have recorded a "live demo" and started the session with my long time favorite for most female voices, the "live condenser" CAD 95 (I think it is called). However, I had to switch to a Beta 58 after one song due to feedback problems. Although the old school Shures work for some voices and genres it was not what we were looking for here - we really missed the clarity and even sound from the CAD...

[Samuel Rees]

Thanks everyone!

I have recorded a "live demo" and started the session with my long time favorite for most female voices, the "live condenser" CAD 95 (I think it is called). However, I had to switch to a Beta 58 after one song due to feedback problems. Although the old school Shures work for some voices and genres it was not what we were looking for here - we really missed the clarity and even sound from the CAD...

The CAD is cardioid, the Beta 58 is super cardioid. I think it would be logical to compare the Beta to a super cardioid or hyper cardioid condenser, not the CAD.

[George Dougherty]

If you want something that'll do both, get a Neumann 105.

A nice choice for most any singer, though in that price range I'd be looking at the e965 or ksm9 for better versatility.

[George Dougherty]

Deleted double post, but of course we're not allowed to correct our own mistakes on this board.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

A nice choice for most any singer, though in that price range I'd be looking at the e965 or ksm9 for better versatility.

Actually, the OP had a very specific purpose.  Specificity precludes versatility unless, of course, versatility beyond his combined purpose is the object.

Still, I can appreciate the humor.  Good one!!!

[ProSoundWeb Community]