I'm looking for a good starter vocal mic for under $300 USD - is it possible?

[Papanate]

The basketless 57 is a cousin of the SM-7B, but way apart in price.

For what it's worth - second from last - the 545 is my favourite in the recording.

The SM-7b is a cousin of the SM57 - you can remove the windscreen from the SM-7b - or the opposite put a giant windscreen on the SM57 - and the will sound
identical - of course if you put the windscreen on the SM57 you will get the SM7b without the extra preamp cost.

The Shure 545SD was used by ABBA - and is very close to the SM57 - the impedance switching is what differentiates it most of all.

 

[LazerBeakShiek]

The Sm58 has the same capsule part # as the sm57. So aside from a proximity advantage cause of the 57's basketless head, it should be close to the 58 too.

Its a starter mic

How about the AKG P420. It is a cheapo multi pattern. I was impressed by its functionality. Honestly , I didn't know what mid side sounded like, or figure 8 or omni. That 420 got me into the fancier microphone A+B styles. Microphone position makes a difference.

The P420 is phantom powered, it will be a strong LDC with a high Mv/pa ratio. Could be great for voice. Can be in the $100-$150 range.

 

[keith.rogers]

The Sm58 has the same capsule part # as the sm57. So aside from a proximity advantage cause of the 57's basketless head, it should be close to the 58 too.
Its a starter mic.
....

You have a part # for that? Shure does say that they're based on the same capsule design, but from googling around, I don't think they share a part, at least not one you can buy. (Probably cost as much as a new mic, if they even sell one anymore.) I don't think most folks consider it a "starter mic" (as in "for beginners only") except in the sense it's often the first mic some people buy. (Let me see how that P420 holds up after a few years of being tossed in a bag with mic stands and kick drum pedals and heaved into the back of a van .)

The SM7b does have a [Shure part# RPM106] capsule you can buy/replace. It definitely costs more than either a SM57 or SM58.

Many people have claimed the SM7b and SM57/58s share a capsule, but only at the beginning was the SM57 capsule the starting point for the SM7b. Now, I have a 57 with A2WS, and I'm sure it qualifies as a "poor man's SM7b" but I don't claim it's the same mic. For that matter, I don't think the SM57 and SM58 are the same, though for many purposes they could be interchangeable.

More reading at Shure.com:

What's the Difference Between the Shure SM57 & The SM7B?

The Shure SM7 was introduced in 1973. Available today as the SM7B, this mic is sometimes referred to as the SM57 on steroids. But what makes it different?

www.shure.com

SM57 on Steroids: The Shure SM7(B) Story

Shure's SM7 vocal mic for recording applications, is a mic with an amazing history that's generated a tremendous amount of buzz in the last several years.

www.shure.com

 

[rob aylestone]

So many of today's products shared common origins, but then split off into a unique product. Often rival manufacturers took (read borrowed) features and tweaked them enough to be different. I had a 545, then a 57, and despite the obvious similarities, the 57 was nicer to my ears. Clearly - the capsule in an SM7B cannot be put into the SM57. It looks different and would need surgery to get it in, with no guarantee of success. I think the same think applies to 57's and 58's.

 

[LazerBeakShiek]

The Sm7B and 57 capsule are much different in shape.

The 57 and 58's looked the same to me.

 

[arcaxis]

Which schematic is the SM57 / SM7b?
The Sm57 has a bit more top end. To my ears the SM7b sounds 'smoother' than my SM57's. For vocals I'd always choose the SM7b over the SM57. For micing a guitar cab the SM57 would be my choice over the SM7b, but not other dynamics I have. The frequency shaping switches in the SM7b are handy occasionally. I wouldn't miss my SM57's if they were gone.

 

[TalismanRich]

FWIW, Sweetwater (and others) have the Miktek MK300 for $199 right now. Normally $300, multipattern with transformer coupling. Its only for a few more days. I've been debating whether to grab one or just wait and spring for the Warm 47jr.

 

[CoolCat]

MK300 shows 35mv/pa...thats a sensitive mic, where the Warm47JR is 10mv/pa... MK300 and WA47JR have the multipattern if thats important.
I know in my below avg acoustic treatment the super sensitive mics can hear more further away than I prefer. I'd go with the WARMJR, lower sensitivity (and Im up close on the mics.) YMMV...

I found 8mv/pa is great ~ 15mv/pa seems to work ok, with LDC's in this "below average " treated room.
8~15mv I dont really need outboard preamp.

I actually never used the multipatterns, but thats a big design option if you want that ability. MK300 at $199 special is pretty amazing prices.

 

[CoolCat]

Which schematic is the SM57 / SM7b?
The Sm57 has a bit more top end. To my ears the SM7b sounds 'smoother' than my SM57's. For vocals I'd always choose the SM7b over the SM57. For micing a guitar cab the SM57 would be my choice over the SM7b, but not other dynamics I have. The frequency shaping switches in the SM7b are handy occasionally. I wouldn't miss my SM57's if they were gone.

Still cant go wrong getting SM57/58, SM7b...imo. .if nothing else they are a "true icon studio standard" to compare to.
Kind of like LDC's get compared to the Neumann U87 standard, or a U47 for the tube heads...under attack, with clones and drones...

I did some homegrown 57,58,7b tests like 10 million others and I didnt hear a lot of difference. I beat the dead horse a bit, it was new to me then.
Also understand the "the 7b dark blah comments" , "it sounds like a blanket is over 7B"?
But the SM7b has that placebo of Thriller, LosLonleyBoys, Sheryl Crow and Metallica... billboard charts... and proven it can work really well, by the pro's on big albums ? !!
...so then I blame myself as the problem or my ears are off that day, who knows? lol.

With LDC's I couldnt afford the Neumann "standards", but Ive done a bunch of them in this closet studio and really came to think with some eq, a solid preamp theres a whole bunch of mics to choose from. Some budget mics have made the Billboard charts too...Matt Wallace MXL990, Billie&Finn with AT2020 and 5 grammys, Adele with RODE, probably a long list these days.

 

[rob aylestone]

I think that everyone should buy a 57 first. You can do so much with them - then you buy your second mic and that is when the choices really start. That 57 will be with you for ever. My first one in the 70s is still in my mic box - and I have no idea which one it is!

 

[Eric V]

I have a lot of reading to do, haven't been here for a few weeks, sorry. My friend has an SM57 and Sm58 so we are using them for various things. I told him what I read here, which is they can be used for both vox and instruments.

 

[Eric V]

FWIW, Sweetwater (and others) have the Miktek MK300 for $199 right now. Normally $300, multipattern with transformer coupling. Its only for a few more days. I've been debating whether to grab one or just wait and spring for the Warm 47jr.

I just checked and it is still on sale for $199 at Amazon, but no longer that at Sweetwater. Thanks for the heads up, this might be the right mic for the price !

 

[Eric V]

I think that everyone should buy a 57 first. You can do so much with them - then you buy your second mic and that is when the choices really start. That 57 will be with you for ever. My first one in the 70s is still in my mic box - and I have no idea which one it is!

My friend has both a 57 and 58, and currently we are using his 58. But I am in the market and want something a bit different, so I'm thinking a condenser just to mix things up (pun intended).

 

[rob aylestone]

That’s good info. So what would you like to keep about that sound and what would you like to improve? A known sound is a great comparison. If you like the war ness but want something more detailed and more crisp, that could be X but if you wanted to get rid of dullness and want clarity close in it could be Y. I find AKG414 a good mic to start with when I need to move quickly. My Neumann U87a I bought during lockdown is now in my video studio, not in my sound studio because it seems more ‘choosy’ about what it’s really good for. Too many times I liked the 414 better. Far too many mics in my mic box are not my go to mics, just last ditch ones. Lots of these were bought by recommendations from friends in real life and forums. If you have the time, you could buy from people who do returns happily, and try them for a few days and then unless really impressed, send them back. Although as a seller I hate it, you could draw up a short list and order a few from different people, hit your credit card and then return all bar one?

 

[Eric V]

That’s good info. So what would you like to keep about that sound and what would you like to improve? A known sound is a great comparison. If you like the war ness but want something more detailed and more crisp, that could be X but if you wanted to get rid of dullness and want clarity close in it could be Y. I find AKG414 a good mic to start with when I need to move quickly. My Neumann U87a I bought during lockdown is now in my video studio, not in my sound studio because it seems more ‘choosy’ about what it’s really good for. Too many times I liked the 414 better. Far too many mics in my mic box are not my go to mics, just last ditch ones. Lots of these were bought by recommendations from friends in real life and forums. If you have the time, you could buy from people who do returns happily, and try them for a few days and then unless really impressed, send them back. Although as a seller I hate it, you could draw up a short list and order a few from different people, hit your credit card and then return all bar one?

Not a bad idea at all Rob. I can definitely see the logic in trying some out to find the right one. I am itching to do some vocals for the work I am on right now, so I am obsessing with a really good vocal mic to do the job. I want the crispest vocals, that accent my voice. I have been told that I sound like Davy Jones but without the British accent lol. I like that, though. I want to bring out my qualities in my voice as good as possible within a budget that is reasonable for what I want and considering what I have for finances at the moment.

 

[rob aylestone]

Davy Jones never had a British accent- we thought he strange sounding American trying to do a Brit accent. CBS dramas have a bizarre idea of British. NCIS had David McCallum to learn from, but never did. All their British voices sounded really funny. However, I suspect you laugh at us trying to do a New York accent with bits of Californian thrown in!

 

[Eric V]

Davy Jones never had a British accent- we thought he strange sounding American trying to do a Brit accent. CBS dramas have a bizarre idea of British. NCIS had David McCallum to learn from, but never did. All their British voices sounded really funny. However, I suspect you laugh at us trying to do a New York accent with bits of Californian thrown in!

Lol

 

[DM60]

Davy Jones never had a British accent- we thought he strange sounding American trying to do a Brit accent. CBS dramas have a bizarre idea of British. NCIS had David McCallum to learn from, but never did. All their British voices sounded really funny. However, I suspect you laugh at us trying to do a New York accent with bits of Californian thrown in!

There are for sure a couple of Brits that do American really well, Dominic West (see him in The Wire), Damian Lewis (see him in Band of Brothers), Hugh Laurie (he I knew was Brit since I first saw him on Black Adder). I didn't know the two were Brits until I heard them in an interview. So, some folks can pull it off

 

[LazerBeakShiek]

House

They don't make them like that anymore.

 

[LazerBeakShiek]

. I find AKG414 a good mic to start with when I need to move quickly. Too many times I liked the 414 better.

Agreed that 414 is wonderful multi pattern. I regret not keeping mine longer, I sold it to pay for others. Ending up with 5-6 microphones is not a crime.

The P420 I recommended, if it didn't accent the highs so much, it would be huge. It doesn't do it on the omni setting.