Big, cheap microphone for karaoke

bcodemz said:
Whoa, I'm surprised by the responses. I'm definitely not ignoring your responses. I'm just combining your advice with stuff I read from the internet.

I did some reading, and apparently the XM8500 is very close to the SM58. Are they actually that different? I was thinking I definitely don't mind paying 75% less for a mic that's 90% of the SM58, especially when I'm buying a "small" and "seemingly cheap" mic. I'm buying 4 mics, and the $350 difference is not chump change for me, especially since this is just a "toy" that I use maybe once or twice a month.

I'd like to avoid buying a mixer if I can. I can't imagine doing a mic in on a computer be that much worse. I don't know anything though, so please enlighten me. I thought mixers are just to add effects to the voice, like reverbs and stuff.

Lastly, size is important, but it seems like I won't be able to get a big mic unless I plan to spend at least 2-3x the price of a SM58, and that's far too rich for me as even the SM58 is really pushing my budget.
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After all of the advice you have received here, why are you still stuck on size? you will not get a mic 90% as good as the 58 for 25% percent of the price. not gonna happen. The 58 has a reputation for a reason, it is a solid all around mic built like a tank. Why ask for advice and ignore all of it. make up your mind sir. :cursing:
 
bcodemz said:
Whoa, I'm surprised by the responses. I'm definitely not ignoring your responses. I'm just combining your advice with stuff I read from the internet.

I did some reading, and apparently the XM8500 is very close to the SM58. Are they actually that different? I was thinking I definitely don't mind paying 75% less for a mic that's 90% of the SM58, especially when I'm buying a "small" and "seemingly cheap" mic. I'm buying 4 mics, and the $350 difference is not chump change for me, especially since this is just a "toy" that I use maybe once or twice a month.

I'd like to avoid buying a mixer if I can. I can't imagine doing a mic in on a computer be that much worse. I don't know anything though, so please enlighten me. I thought mixers are just to add effects to the voice, like reverbs and stuff.

Lastly, size is important, but it seems like I won't be able to get a big mic unless I plan to spend at least 2-3x the price of a SM58, and that's far too rich for me as even the SM58 is really pushing my budget.
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We have someone in Government here that thinks size matters:

Alan.
 
Bobbsy said:
There's nothing wrong with the Behringer mic, especially for something like karaoke where, let's face it, quality is not the top issue. I also carry some cheap mics (not Behringer in my case but they just as easily could be) for use on things like that.

However, I'm not quite clear on how you plan to feed four mics into a computer without some form of interface or mixer? At best, you can only hook up one.

Indeed, of bigger concern to me than the cheap mics is the whole idea of trying to plug straight into your computer without an interface. The super cheap sound card that comes on the mother board of most computers is literally a 39 cent chip and that will have a far bigger effect on your sound than the mics--you'll find a noticeable "hiss" and also that you don't have much headroom and can easily "clip" (overload) the signal...and doing karaoke with a round trip via the computer could easily result in some troublesome "lag".

If you only want two mics at a time there are tons of cheapish USB interfaces or USB mixers that would do the job for you but if you need all four mics at once then things get a bit more specialist (and expensive!). What are your plans?
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The plan is getting 4 mics for 2 systems, so 2 mics for each system. I have a dedicated X-Fi sound card on my parent's HTPC, hopefully that'll be a bit better. I might buy a mixer for my parent's system since there's a very good stereo system in the room.

As for the system run on a MacBook, I might have to be creative unless the mixer is under $50 as that system won't be used much at all.

EDIT: just realized I have an external X-Fi sound card lying somewhere in storage that I can use my MacBook, which does not have a mic in. What are your opinions on sound card vs mixers?

Atkron205 said:
After all of the advice you have received here, why are you still stuck on size? you will not get a mic 90% as good as the 58 for 25% percent of the price. not gonna happen. The 58 has a reputation for a reason, it is a solid all around mic built like a tank. Why ask for advice and ignore all of it. make up your mind sir. :cursing:
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I'm sorry you feel that way. I certainly am not trying to waste your time. However, I don't see how I'm wasting your time. I am not going with a big mic. I'm going with a SM58 knockoff that has excellent reviews comparing them favorably with the SM58. As for the mixer, I'm here to learn.
 
bcodemz said:
The plan is getting 4 mics for 2 systems, so 2 mics for each system. I have a dedicated X-Fi sound card on my parent's HTPC, hopefully that'll be a bit better. I might buy a mixer for my parent's system since there's a very good stereo system in the room.

As for the system run on a MacBook, I might have to be creative unless the mixer is under $50 as that system won't be used much at all.

EDIT: just realized I have an external X-Fi sound card lying somewhere in storage that I can use my MacBook, which does not have a mic in. What are your opinions on sound card vs mixers?



I'm sorry you feel that way. I certainly am not trying to waste your time. However, I don't see how I'm wasting your time. I am not going with a big mic. I'm going with a SM58 knockoff that has excellent reviews comparing them favorably with the SM58. As for the mixer, I'm here to learn.
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Dood, these are your words, "Lastly, size is important, but it seems like I won't be able to get a big mic unless I plan to spend at least 2-3x the price of a SM58, and that's far too rich for me as even the SM58 is really pushing my budget" so how can you say you are not going with a big mic. you need to decide on what you want and try to find a way to get there. you are not going to find a way to connect 4 mics to a laptop without something in between, and that something is going to be more than 50.00. We are all trying to help you but you have to find somewhere and light on it. ok, lets try a different approach. What are the top 3 requirements you need? example:

price
quality
ease of operation

I solve problems for a living, you cannot solve a problem until you know what the problem is. there a 3 steps to problem solving:

determine the problem
find a solution
implement the solution

it's that simple. you have to know where you want to go before you can get there. If I did not care I would not be typing this.
 
Keep in mind that a good mic vs. a very cheap mic has many advantages:

Better sound: a well tailored response (not simply a flat one, but this is not the case of a very cheap mic) gives a good, clear, crisp, rich sound and the absence of peaks in the response let you raise the volume without feedback. (Rode M1, being tailored for the voice, needs less LF attenuation than the typical 9dB for SM58 and less or not at all HF gain)

Low handling noise (Rode M1 is quieter than SM58).

Less feedback problems, as said.

Better reliability.

You could buy some 2nd hand SM58 (or M1, but I don't know if you can find them 2nd hand).
 
After speaking to my parents, it seems like money isn't too much of an issue.

The SM58's are back to my first choice for a mic (unless you guys can convince me otherwise). I'll probably stick with the Behringers for myself.

Now I just need a quality mixer, but not too expensive, something in the $200 range if possible. I don't know how this will work. I have a karaoke software on a PC that streams the songs, and I need to connect this to the mixer somehow, and somehow connect my mixer to my receiver (Denon AVR-X4000). Currently I connect my HTPC to my receiver via HDMI. Do mixers take HDMI? I need my HTPC to work as a karaoke machine AND as a computer for playing music and movies and stuff.

Thanks

P.S. Should this be in a separate thread? If yes, which forum should I post it at?
 
Do you want the sound coming from the computer to be mixed with the vocals outside of the computer, or are you wanting the vocals to go into the computer and be processed by whatever programme you're using to play the music (I'm wondering if you're using some specialist karaoke software)?
 
Actually, just re-read your post!

To keep it simple, I'd want to use an audio interface to take the vocals into the computer. Then you can stick to the digital HDMI connection to your Denon receiver for all tasks. This depends on a couple of things, though:

1) That your karaoke software can take those inputs and mix them with the backing track sound; or you can use another way of mixing the sound; and
2) That you can simultaneously use the audio interface for audio input and HDMI for audio output.

I don't know the answer to these, I'm afraid.
 
bcodemz said:
So I've decided to buy the Behringer XM8500. Seems like SM58 knockoffs for 1/4 of the price.
Can I use this directly on my computer with a XLR to 1/8'' adapter plugging into the mic in?
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If you want to plug it into your computer, think about buying a USB Microphone!
I must say that I am totally amazed that, with a $200 Gift Card, you purchased a $19.99 Microphone.
If it works for you, then great!
 
Fairly critical to this discussion is knowing whether you want to record your karaoke or just use the computer as a source for the music.
 
To respond to the questions above:

I will ask the vendor if the karaoke software support taking a microphone input and mix it with the song.

The computer will be supplying the music.

The PC will only be used as a source for the music. I am not recording anything.

The $200 gift card is nothing. A SM58 + cable + taxes will cost around $150, and that's for one microphone. I know people on this forum take recording seriously, and probably record often, so you look down upon cheap microphones. I understand, because I'm like that with speakers, and I have a $2000 stereo system, and my parent's system cost far more. However, I use my stereo for hours every day, and I can get at least 10-15 years of use out of it (unlike cellphones and laptops) and therefore can justify the cost of the system. This is something I'll use maybe once or twice a month, and therefore I can't justify such a high cost.
 
The TV hosts comment made me think of EV 635's. They are big and dynamic but probably not a good live mic as they are omnidirectional. Maybe just stick an SM58 inside one of those mister microphone things from a dollar store.
 
JG96 said:
The TV hosts comment made me think of EV 635's. They are big and dynamic but probably not a good live mic as they are omnidirectional. Maybe just stick an SM58 inside one of those mister microphone things from a dollar store.
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Trouble is, if you put a mic in a different housing you buggerup the directional/fqcy response probably to the extent that odd lobes will spring up and the whole might be MORE feedback prone than an Omni!

Dave.
 
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