vocal mic?

sleewell

Shredder
TGF Recording Artist
Messages
1,212
going to give backup vocals a try, need a mic. sm58 or something else? needs to be good in a loud room.


thanks!!!!
 
yea sorry, for live use mainly.

i'd spend more than the sm58 costs if its really worth it but am not looking spend a ton. maybe under 300?
 
Live? SM58. Recording in a home studio, an 58 will work fine but there are some other mics that may do the trick. SM7B is a popular choice right now though you'll probably want a cloudlifter preamp with it, so it gets pricy. This may sound crazy, but I honestly have had really good results with a cheap CAD GXL2200 condenser on vocals as well. I'm the oddball that prefers it to the SM7B, but YMMV.
 
SM58 if you're just giving it a go to see if it sticks. There will probably be other options that you prefer on your particular voice, but you can't really go wrong with the SM58 in terms of getting a workable tone, feedback rejection and not worrying about babying it in rehearsal rooms and on stages.
 
SM58 sounds great on guitar cabs too and snare, podcasting, trumpets, percussion... well... everything. Just own one.
If it wasnt for vocals I'd suggest the SM57 but for almost all intents and puposes it's the same mic.
 
Thanks everyone! I have 2 57s.

What's better about the 58 beta?
 
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I have multiple 58s (used for years!) great in a live setting. Industry standard for a reason.

Whatever you get, get the one with the switch option. It comes in handy. We all know why.
 
I have a Beta 58, too.

My fave (for me) is the KSM8. But that is a bit of coin.
 
Beta 57A | 58A (same mic, different grille ball) are super cardioid and have less bass and more treble than the SM58 and SM57, the Beta is thinner sounding so it suits more live stage vocals rather than recording and spoken word.
Another great super cardioid is the sE V7, it has more extended and better sounding high frequency range but also has more handling noise than the SM58.
The Beyerdynamic M88 is 400$, has a slight 3kHz push compared to the SM58, but it's a smoother and thicker sounding mic, great for thinner or screaming voices.
I don't have the very popular Sennheiser e935 but according to frequency response graphs they sound like the Beta's and have less bass response than the SM58, also suits more a live stage rather than recording.

Here's the truth, in a recording environment I can make these sound the same with EQ.
If you want to play it safe just get an SM58, every sound guy knows how to make them sound good in every situation.

vocal mics.jpg



Lamb of God's Sacrament album vocals are entirely SM58.

 
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