Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Jim McKeveny]

Hi all,

After your superb help in getting me sorted with a great PA set up, I am here again asking for advice.

I'm looking for a good vocal microphone - I've curently got a beaten up old SM58 but it still sounds good but looking to upgrade / replace and have that as a spare.

So, I've been looking at the Beta 58 (with the blue ring) and reviews are very good - if it's as strong as the SM58 it will last a long time.

For a similar price (£140-£160) is there any other brands / models that you would recomend I look at - and reasons why?

Looking forward to your responses...

Justin

Learn to use and love the 58. It is as known a standard tool as a Tele or Strat. If there are sound issues, they are very likely upstream (performer) or downstream (other gear+environment).

The 58 gives an imperfect but known and musically sympathetic, softball sized response field. Manufacturers voice their products knowing the 58 is the most likely input. Any performer you love has communicated soul-searing live performances through a 58.  Understand and embrace that.

[Chris Grimshaw]

To those that don't like Beta-58s, humour me and try a notch filter at 9kHz. Q=4, and play with the cut. I find -6dB takes enough off to get things reasonably smooth, but there's still a slight bump there. -9dB takes it out completely. The rest of the range is pretty neutral, much flatter than most vocal mics I've run tests on.

I don't really like the 7kHz notch built-in on SM58s, nor the lack of anything at all above 9kHz or so. I can see why those characteristics would be useful sometimes, though - the most offensive bits of anyone's voice have already been notched out for you, and the wide pickup pattern is great for those that haven't held a mic before.

My go-to is usually an N/D767a. I like that the supercardiod pattern means I have two nulls to aim at the PA and monitors, and I quite like the sound of them. There's a bit of an edge at 5kHz that I often EQ out, though. It doesn't always rear it's head, but when it does it grates quickly. Apart from that, they extend well into the treble, and sound more like an actual voice than an SM58 in my opinion.
I also quite like ATM710s, but they can be a touch bright - a high-shelf taking 3dB off from 6kHz or so helps balance things out. They have a nice, wide pattern, too.

Chris

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

Learn to use and love the 58. It is as known a standard tool as a Tele or Strat. If there are sound issues, they are very likely upstream (performer) or downstream (other gear+environment).

The 58 gives an imperfect but known and musically sympathetic, softball sized response field. Manufacturers voice their products knowing the 58 is the most likely input. Any performer you love has communicated soul-searing live performances through a 58.  Understand and embrace that.

Yup.  If a 58 doesn't sound right, something's screwed up in your system/processing.

I bought a half-dozen 767's when they first came out.  They're good for when you need a tighter pattern.  The PL80a's are a bargain when you're in the trenches and you need to quickly field a "team" of GP mics across the stage to catch whatever/wherever and have them just work.

But the best EV's I've ever had for vocals are my two 857b's.  Eat your hearts out...they're discontinued and none of the replacements are as good.

[Jonathan Johnson]

Learn to use and love the 58. It is as known a standard tool as a Tele or Strat. If there are sound issues, they are very likely upstream (performer) or downstream (other gear+environment).

The 58 gives an imperfect but known and musically sympathetic, softball sized response field. Manufacturers voice their products knowing the 58 is the most likely input. Any performer you love has communicated soul-searing live performances through a 58.  Understand and embrace that.

Different mics will be better for different vocalists in different situations.

An SM58, while not necessarily the best, is "good enough" and enough people know and trust it, that it's a good idea to have one or more available in your kit. At some point, you'll get a vocalists that isn't happy with any of your other mics, but will tolerate (if not outright insist on) an SM58.

[Bob Leonard]

Me too.  I think it's a Geezer Audio Services thing, actually.

I go along with both the geezer and the mic being a piece of crapola.

HAs my buddy Bob Heil fallen from grace? The PR line of mics is still close to the top of my list.

[Richard Penrose]

I also quite like ATM710s, but they can be a touch bright - a high-shelf taking 3dB off from 6kHz or so helps balance things out. They have a nice, wide pattern, too.

Chris

Yes I agree the ATM 710 can be a touch bright but on some voices it works beautifully. I find myself using it more often than my Audio Technica AE5400. When the ATM710 is too bright I end up using the Telefunken M80, Audio Technica AE5400 a notch or shelf filter on the EQ.

[Debbie Dunkley]

I go along with both the geezer and the mic being a piece of crapola.

HAs my buddy Bob Heil fallen from grace? The PR line of mics is still close to the top of my list.

I am intrigued by these Bob - you have said many times how much you like them but I've never heard one .... In your opinion if I were to grab one for my kit - which one and why?

[Steve Garris]

I am intrigued by these Bob - you have said many times how much you like them but I've never heard one .... In your opinion if I were to grab one for my kit - which one and why?

PR22 - Because of it's very low cost and it works on a lot of things besides vocals.

[Steve Garris]

Are there any AT dealers on this forum? I'm looking to pic up a hat mic, and have decided on the AT Pro 37.

[Richard Penrose]

I found the Heil PR22 to be very sensitive too plosives and had noticeably higher handling noise than any other mic I've used.

[ProSoundWeb Community]