Good Deal on several Dynamic Vocal mics?

TheOneTrueMatt

New member
I recently joined a second band (my main instrument is guitar) and was planning on buying a vocal mic and stand so I could do backing vocals in one of the bands, but now it looks like I definitely need a mic for both bands. I was already looking for the best compromise between quality and not spending $150+ in a vocal mic (I want to sound good but I'm still only doing backing vocals, but if I found the right compromise maybe it'd still hold up if I ever had to do some lead vocals) but now I'm looking for the best deal in something along the lines of the 3-packs or some similar deal.

First thing that comes to mind is the Sennheiser e835 3 pack for $199. The other guitarist in one of the bands has offered to buy one of the 3 if I get a 3 pack so I should be able to get a pretty good deal if I get 3 and keep 2 for myself.

Bottom line is I need 2 mics (3 is fine too) and 2 stands and I'm looking for options. The store I work at I can probably try out AKG stuff (they had D880s which I keep hearing mixed stuff about), Shure and EV (guy at the store recommeneded the 767a but its kinda pricey). I can see spending $99 on a mic or $130 if its really the right mic, but I'm looking to hopefully get a better deal by actually buying several of them.

Also, my bands play metal which varies from progressive metal (Dream Theater, Symphony x) to modern and/or european style metal (Nevermore, Evergrey) so feedback rejection is very important. Fairly loud stage volume.

Any suggestions?
 
Why not get one mic and just take it from rehearsal to rehearsal??

I would just get a Shure 58 or beta 58. Most sound guys are used to these. They may not be the best for recording but there is a reason why they are a standard.
 
I second funkoptimus on this one: the shure sm58's are ALL over the place when it comes to live playing. You can't go wrong with it either. They're very resilant, I drop them all the time and they just keep on tickin'. ;p

Adam
 
I'll third the Shure58...

1. The SM58 works great live and is used all of the time, and sound engineers know the SM58 well.

2. The SM58 is built like a tank.

3. If you ever have to share monitor mixes it's a good idea to have all the same make and model vocal mics to help keep the stage feedback down... and most likely you'll find the SM58 (or the wireless verson) is used the most.
 
58. I've never been to a venue that used anything other than a 58 or a 57. But 99% of the time it's a 58. I have an old Audio Technica AT814 that I'll take with me sometimes. It's very similar to a 58 but seems a little more clear overall. Not a huge enough difference but I'll use it sometimes.
 
Two questions...

1) Describe your voice, including if it's prone to sibilance and/or popping the
mic. (as in vocal catagory, etc.)

2) What kind of mixer or mic pre will you be running the vocal through?

Chris

P.S. Mackie's and Behringers are notorious for not working well with Shure's.
(those mics are picky about matching)
 
Thanks for all the suggetions so far. All other vocalists in the band are using SM58s so that might be the way to go. Transporting it from practice to practice would be possible, it probably didn't cross my mind because before this I was struggling with the idea of getting a second guitar amp for the same reasons but amps are a lot bigger than mics. Its nice to be able to leave everything setup at the practice space though. However, as long as I don't have to move the stands or cables a mic would be pretty easy to take with me.

As for Chess's questions, I don't find I'm prone to sibilance (I haven't ever had to tweak a vocal recording (Behringer B2, AT4040) to eliminate it, but I also may just be using a good enough mic placement to avoid it). The only times I've had problems popping the mic were singing directly into an SM57, which I think I've heard are very easy to pop, and that was before I bought separate pop filter.

As far as my voice, I'd say I'm a low tenor. I mostly sing clean and I can comfortably go down to a baritone G or F# (before I start croaking) but I also go up to a G or A before going into headvoice (which I still do sometimes 'cause its metal) so basically I use and abuse all of my range (my falsetto tops out at a G). I've had issues with a slightly nasal quality in my voice but I'm working it out through better vocal technique and when recording with my AT4040 (which complements my voice well) I angle it slightly downward (15 degrees maybe) and raise the mic a bit and it smooths it out nicely. Hope that's a decent description.
 
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