Print

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

[Jay Barracato]

Tom Petty?

SM57?

That's SO 20th century!

Yeah, your'e right.  He probably moved on to a Beta 57 by now

If I recall rightly Scoville has traded the Neumann's he was using for Petty for Heils PR35's.

I'm not sure what Scovi is using with Petty these days. Scovill did not mix Petty for a few tours, but came back after his first couple years pimping for Avid.

We talked about this at length during a web chat back in the day. I have the first couple web chat transcripts. My plan is to have them back online ASAP.

Dave, I seem to remember the press release was fairly recent so I am thinking it was the 2010 tour. I am not sure my memory for those types of details goes much further back than that. Don't ask which mag I saw it in either.

[Robin Whyte]

Switches are evil.

NO mics with switches on stage!

The only place you should use a mic with a switch is at the console for talkback.

A mic with a switch is a tell-tale sign of a crappy bush league mic. It's been that way for a long time, and it needs to stay that way.

Luv a guy who sees the evil in things.  But times are a changing, tons of good mics out there with switches.  The 835 is a great mic, switch notwithstanding.

And when the feedback starts, it's the artist - usually the singer - that is left doing the funky chicken on stage trying to get it to stop.  A switch is a life, and more importantly, an image saver.  Once you've done the funky chicken, it's hard to get your cool back.

[Rob Spence]

Switches are evil.

NO mics with switches on stage!

The only place you should use a mic with a switch is at the console for talkback.

A mic with a switch is a tell-tale sign of a crappy bush league mic. It's been that way for a long time, and it needs to stay that way.

Luv a guy who sees the evil in things.  But times are a changing, tons of good mics out there with switches.  The 835 is a great mic, switch notwithstanding.

And when the feedback starts, it's the artist - usually the singer - that is left doing the funky chicken on stage trying to get it to stop.  A switch is a life, and more importantly, an image saver.  Once you've done the funky chicken, it's hard to get your cool back.

The reason sound guys don't like them is that sometimes the talent turns off the mic, forgets, then curses the sound guy for no audio. It is really a problem in corporate work where the "talent" in this case is not talented in the use of microphones.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

Switches are evil.

NO mics with switches on stage!

The only place you should use a mic with a switch is at the console for talkback.

A mic with a switch is a tell-tale sign of a crappy bush league mic. It's been that way for a long time, and it needs to stay that way.

Luv a guy who sees the evil in things.  But times are a changing, tons of good mics out there with switches.  The 835 is a great mic, switch notwithstanding.

And when the feedback starts, it's the artist - usually the singer - that is left doing the funky chicken on stage trying to get it to stop.  A switch is a life, and more importantly, an image saver.  Once you've done the funky chicken, it's hard to get your cool back.

You are entitled to your opinion.......no matter how wrong it is.

[Rafi Singer]

I've personally fallen in love with the switchless Sennheiser e835. They're cheap enough to put on stage with a rapper or hardcore singer, great feedback rejection (comparatively) and sound WAAAAY smoother than a 58 could ever dream of being. I've also had fun with the e935, though I did find a bit of a bump around 10k-ish that I didn't find useful.

I was impressed with Bob Heil's demo of his PR35, though I have yet to front the money to try one out. If it is as good as it sounded in those headphones, I suspect I'll end up dumping some money on them.

[Simon Ryder]

I have read all the answering posts.

I own a medium sized sound company and I provide for all the way up to A list international touring artists.

I have 40 x sm58s in my mic locker for a good reason.

They work, they last, it's on everybodies rider and they earn me money.

I also own:
just about every alternative except for the Heils. (the list is long)

I am not the biggest fan of the Shure "sound" I find on the whole that they sound a little thin. Every time I try something else, I end up coming back to '58s.

Senns e835 / e845 - very cheap, extremely tough (Pete Doherty - goggle him) used one as a hammet to knock lights out on the lighting grid and it still worked, the down side is they are too variable on individual voices and the old schoolers won't touch them. In the UK, I can buy 2 x e835 for 1 x sm58. Any cheap install gets them, good installs get 58s.

Audix OMs: The balls split, they "spit out" IE get filled with spit by screamers and stop working mid show. I used 3 x OM6s on Nick Oliveri (Queens of the stone age) in 45 minutes, gave up and went back to a 58. It lasted show after show on him. I keep a few OM6s and 7s for singing drummers.

Shure B58: I hate these things. I have 12 of them for rider reasons. They work well on Beat Boxers and that's about it.

Shure B57: A truly superb vocal mic for the lips on grill brigade on a loud stage. Not as good as an OM6 or 7 but won't "spit out" Will not workfor anyone who "works" the mic or has poor technique.

Shure B87: Tolerable condenser - so much better out there. I have a few for rider reasons.

Shure KSM9 - OMG! Shure finally made an amazing sounding vocal mic. This thing is INCREDIBLE!!! Just put it in pace of a 58 turn on phantom and prepare to be amazed. OK they are expensive but this is probably your way forward. You can get them real loud fast in a wedge too.

Senn e935 / 945: I love them on some people. Very clean, blows a 58 out of the water (not a patch on a KSM9 though) costs about 50% more than a 58 in the UK. Still won't work with the old guys who know how to work a 58 though.

Neumann KSM105: Stunning sound - yes it does sound better than a KSM9. It picks up so much stage wask though, that I would never want to tour with one again and do less that arena sized stages - quiet ones at that. The KSM9 is ALMOST as good sounding but is so much more usable.

I have may more vocal mics I could mention here but won't.

My advice in this order:

Stick with 58s for vocals. You could do with at least 6.

Add a couple of B58s for rider reasons

Add a couple of B57s for singing drummers etc (riders again)

Upgrade your mixer.

Upgrade your speakers (and poss amps)

Buy a decent GEQ for FOH

Buy better instrument mics

Buy a couple of KSM9s  for those you really trust not to use them as a hammer.

Buy a couple of channels of decent compression (BSS 402)

Buy a better reverb.

[Dave Dermont]

I have read all the answering posts.

I own a medium sized sound company and I provide for all the way up to A list international touring artists.

I have 40 x sm58s in my mic locker for a good reason.

They work, they last, it's on everybodies rider and they earn me money.

I also own:
just about every alternative except for the Heils. (the list is long)

I am not the biggest fan of the Shure "sound" I find on the whole that they sound a little thin. Every time I try something else, I end up coming back to '58s.

Senns e835 / e845 - very cheap, extremely tough (Pete Doherty - goggle him) used one as a hammet to knock lights out on the lighting grid and it still worked, the down side is they are too variable on individual voices and the old schoolers won't touch them. In the UK, I can buy 2 x e835 for 1 x sm58. Any cheap install gets them, good installs get 58s.

Audix OMs: The balls split, they "spit out" IE get filled with spit by screamers and stop working mid show. I used 3 x OM6s on Nick Oliveri (Queens of the stone age) in 45 minutes, gave up and went back to a 58. It lasted show after show on him. I keep a few OM6s and 7s for singing drummers.

Shure B58: I hate these things. I have 12 of them for rider reasons. They work well on Beat Boxers and that's about it.

Shure B57: A truly superb vocal mic for the lips on grill brigade on a loud stage. Not as good as an OM6 or 7 but won't "spit out" Will not workfor anyone who "works" the mic or has poor technique.

Shure B87: Tolerable condenser - so much better out there. I have a few for rider reasons.

Shure KSM9 - OMG! Shure finally made an amazing sounding vocal mic. This thing is INCREDIBLE!!! Just put it in pace of a 58 turn on phantom and prepare to be amazed. OK they are expensive but this is probably your way forward. You can get them real loud fast in a wedge too.

Senn e935 / 945: I love them on some people. Very clean, blows a 58 out of the water (not a patch on a KSM9 though) costs about 50% more than a 58 in the UK. Still won't work with the old guys who know how to work a 58 though.

Neumann KSM105: Stunning sound - yes it does sound better than a KSM9. It picks up so much stage wask though, that I would never want to tour with one again and do less that arena sized stages - quiet ones at that. The KSM9 is ALMOST as good sounding but is so much more usable.

I have may more vocal mics I could mention here but won't.

My advice in this order:

Stick with 58s for vocals. You could do with at least 6.

Add a couple of B58s for rider reasons

Add a couple of B57s for singing drummers etc (riders again)

Upgrade your mixer.

Upgrade your speakers (and poss amps)

Buy a decent GEQ for FOH

Buy better instrument mics

Buy a couple of KSM9s  for those you really trust not to use them as a hammer.

Buy a couple of channels of decent compression (BSS 402)

Buy a better reverb.

You seem like a very wise man.

Thanks for sharing some of that wisdom.

[ThomasKielhofner]

Thanks for the great recommendations everyone.

Our equipment list is the following:

(2) JBL SRX 725's as mains
(2) JBL SRX 728's for subs
(2) QSC RMX 5050's for power
(1) old BSS 2 way passive crossover
(1) Mackie VLZ Pro 32 channel mixer
(3) DBX 231 1/3 octave GEQ's on main outputs and each monitor mix
(1) DBX provocal reverb
(1) Tascam CD-RW900SL CD Recorder
(2) DBX 266XL compressors
(1) Crappy Alesis GEQ for emergency insert duty
(5) SM58
(6) SM57
(1) Shure PG drum mic kit
(6) Whirlwind IMP2 DI's
(1) Horizon 24 channel snake

For now I think I'll just stick with the 58's we have, although further down the road I might consider picking up some additional mics. From what it sounds like the money would be better spent now on a new mixer, and then better reverb/compressors. A digital crossover/processor is also on the list, I'd like to do aux fed subs.

[g'bye, Dick Rees]

Thanks for the great recommendations everyone.

 From what it sounds like the money would be better spent now on a new mixer....

You betcha!!!!!

[ProSoundWeb Community]