Best microphone for male vocalist with bright sound

J

jazzhole

New member
Hi, there!

I am a male vocalist who is on the market for a new microphone. I am currently using a Shure Beta 87a, which is a great microphone, but I don't really like it on my voice. I bought it for myself when I was young and ignorant! I have a very present, bright voice already, and I think the mic that I am using kind of amplifies those vocal qualities that I already have a lot of. I am wanting to find a microphone that will help to make my vocals sound warmer, and perhaps a bit more dark -- especially since I mainly perform/record jazz. A friend of mine who is in sound engineering has suggested checking out a Beyerdynamic M88, but I'd like to get some second opinions as well! I would like to stay within $300 for now, but am open to reaching a bit higher. If any of you feel strongly about a more expensive mic, I can continue to use my Shure Beta 87a for another year while I save up the money.

Any suggestions at all? I know that the best way for me to do this would be to go to a music shoppe and ask to test some out, but I wouldn't even know where to start! I don't know the difference between a dynamic, condenser or ribbon mic (besides the fact that the condenser needs phantom power to operate -- that has been a huge PITA for me:D).

Thank you all!
 
Condenser mics tend to have a brighter, more detailed sound than dynamics. If you already have a 'bright" voice, a good dynamic might suit you better.

One that I'd suggest you try would be the Sennheiser e935 (or, if your style of live performance requires you to "work the mic" the e945) which is a super cardioid pattern).

Either will have a much warmer, very natural sound that might suit you voice a bit better.

Or--if you want to save a bunch of money, see if you can try the Sennheiser e835. Way cheaper, but (in my opinon) punches well above its weight in terms of a warm natural sound with great feedback rejection.
 
M88 is a great mic, but my money would be on the SM7b. Have both. The 7b is nearly always "the vocal mic" (yes, even over the U87), the M88 is fantastic for kick, upright bass, bass cabs, trumpet - And it doesn't suck for vocals, but it's not a 7b. The M60 would be potentially another story, but for me it's always been hit or miss.

I should also mention my excitement for the Telefunken M82... Not tried yet. But if the M80 is any indication, I can only imagine the excellence.
 
From the mic the OP has and the one he's considering, I assumed this is for live use. If I'm wrong and it's for the studio then the SM7B could be a good choice--but probably not for live.
 
I apologize, I don't really know how to "reply" directly to your comments on this form. I am brand new here.

Thank you both so much for your input. I mainly am looking for a mic to perform live, but wouldn't mind finding a mic that could double up and could be used to record as well. I currently have a CAD U37 that I purchased along with a pop filter and arm, and I am surprisingly happy with it for the time being. It was only $45 dollars. I am thinking if I purchase a Focusrite interface with it, I will be very pleased.

So the focus is on a live performance mic.

Thank you all!
 
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The Sm7b would be a good live mic as long as you didn't want to walk around with it...Right? (I'm assuming that's what you mean Bobbsy)

+1 on Sm7b
 
I hate to sound cliche, especially when I'm just speculating, but I'm wondering how a ribbon mic might work for you.... being a jazz environment and all. I don't know if they are good live mics or not.
 
threeheavens said:
The Sm7b would be a good live mic as long as you didn't want to walk around with it...Right? (I'm assuming that's what you mean Bobbsy)

+1 on Sm7b
Click to expand...

Used live (and on a stand) the SM7B can sound great. However its feedback rejection is pretty poor so unless you go for relatively low levels of sound reinforcement and can control things like speaker positioning, system EQ, etc. I'd be very careful of it.

I've never tried ribbon mics live so can't comment on the sound. I might worry a bit about how well one could last with the rigours of live performances (or, more specifically, getting to and from the live performances).
 
Okay, live use... I missed that. The M88 might not be such a bad thing in that case. Big & slow, nice & warm, needs a bit of gain but doesn't argue about it. I'd love to suggest the Telefunken M80, but as you've already found the B87a to be (dare I assume "shrill" is a good adjective?) with your voice, then the M88 is going to be a nice change. THAT SAID -- have you tried a 58?
 
Bobbs, the Reslo RB ribbon was THE go to mic for bands in the UK when I were a lad in a "group" as they were called then.
I am sure you remember them but for them as have never seen one, you sang "into the magnets" That is there were 3 magnet arranged as little bars with gaps. There was also a lot of felt and gauze to protect the ribbon element which was user replaceable (if you were sober!) WISH TO EFF I could find a spare element for one of my mics!

Look at old Beatles in the Cavern shots. There was (is?) a Beyer double ribbon which looked just like an end fire dynamic. That was also intended for close use. The other mic of that era was the Grampian DP4 but that was mostly a reporters mic not often seen in a band situation.

Most of the mics back then had a high impedance version and we plugged them straight into our Carlsboro "guitar" amp. Most amps had multiple inputs.

Dave.
 
I have Grampian sitting on the shelf in original box - excellent in the late 60s to mid 70s for singers with a couple of column speaker cabs, but it sounds absolutely horrible in a contemporary setup.
 
In what way horrible Rob?

With a dynamic microphone that old (60yrs +?) the coil former might have distorted and be fouling the magnet gap?

Can we get a clip of "Mary had"?

Dave.
 
Chili said:
I hate to sound cliche, especially when I'm just speculating, but I'm wondering how a ribbon mic might work for you.... being a jazz environment and all. I don't know if they are good live mics or not.
Click to expand...

Hey, Chili, thanks for the thought! I honestly have ALWAYS wanted to use a ribbon mic in performance. The thing is, I am a dancer, so I move a lot in performance. Not sure how that would work for me! ;)
 
Massive Master said:
Okay, live use... I missed that. The M88 might not be such a bad thing in that case. Big & slow, nice & warm, needs a bit of gain but doesn't argue about it. I'd love to suggest the Telefunken M80, but as you've already found the B87a to be (dare I assume "shrill" is a good adjective?) with your voice, then the M88 is going to be a nice change. THAT SAID -- have you tried a 58?
Click to expand...

Massive Master -- yes, shrill is actually a great adjective to use! Any opinion on an M88 vs. a Sennheiser e835 or e935? And, I'm sorry to be so ignorant, but are you referring to the Shure 58? The one that every single sound person and performer has always sworn by?
I actually should check it out. I've sang using one in a group setting once (in a vocal jazz group) but my vocal teacher asked me to start using my personal condenser mic (the Beta 87a) because she wanted me to have more presence in the group. Weird, huh? I'll try to get my hands on one to test.
 
Mics are like shoes...you gotta try them on to see what fits. If you have a full-service store that can help, you are in luck! Otherwise, you can spend a lot of $$$ based on specs or suggestions and not get what you need. Perhaps a person at a "music shoppe" can listen to you or a recording, and suggest something. But beware that the rule in retail selling is "sell what you have in stock."
 
ecc83 said:
In what way horrible Rob?

With a dynamic microphone that old (60yrs +?) the coil former might have distorted and be fouling the magnet gap?

Can we get a clip of "Mary had"?

Dave.
Click to expand...


I remember them very well - my very first job had a PA that used these - and the true low impedance once - 25-50Ohms. The original PA in the holiday centre had horn speakers, and we probably all remember the kind of weedy tone and no bass they had. Then a new high quality system was put in - with 6x4" elliptical speakers in columns, which with today's knowledge I'd guess had a usable frequency response of maybe 200Hz up to maybe 5K? The omni mics had of course no proximity effect, but singing through them sounded very nasal. They were swapped for Shure 565s, and these through the same system sounded very different. The Grampians just had no character at all. It was a few years before I actually had access to what we'd now call a quality omni - late 70s with an AKG 451, and the omni capsule sounded nothing like the Grampians. Im away from the office at the moment, but when I get back in three weeks, I'll see if I can dig the Grampian out and do a test with a modern omni - should be interesting.
 
Well, the thing is, most mics that are great/suitable for studio use on vocals are not going to work on a stage, unless yer playing chamber music or fairly quiet jazz, etc. The stage volume will bleed terribly into the mic, causing sound production issues or damaging the mic in certain cases (like with a sensitive ribbon mic), etc.

I also have a fairly "big and bright" vocal sound. In studio I use the SM7b when I want a brighter sound and an EV RE20 when I want a darker, more compact sound. If you want to know what the SM7b sounds like, listen to Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album; ALL of the lead vox were tracked with an SM7b. The RE20 is the talk-radio broadcast standard; it provides a nice low-end resonance and some decently crisp highs without a ton of room interaction or overly "wide" or "big" sounds. But I wouldn't really ever use either of those live, at least not on vocals. I've used them both on bass cabinets in live settings, and they both handle that REALLY well. BUT, both of these are a bit higher than what you mentioned wanting to spend, as they both come in at about $499. (There's a lower-priced version of the RE20, but I wouldn't recommend it. I've used it a few times and it's just missing something that the "real" model has. Can't really put my finger on it, honestly.)

Personally (this might seem contrary to the above paragraph, because the two mics I named are super-dynamic mics), when I play live and it's just me and an acoustic geetar (or a similar setup), I use the Shure SM86: it's a phantom-powered, hand-held condenser mic that gives *really* crisp highs but a VERY nice low-end. I would NOT recommend using this on a big stage in a big room with lots of amps & drums behind it; while I believe the pattern features rear-rejection to prevent single monitor feedback, it *will* pick up everything behind the vocalist. But for an unplugged/jazz setting, I think it's yer best bet, especially in terms of bang for the buck: you can get a brand-spankin'-new one just about anywhere for around $180 USD. And, you *could* use this for recording vocals in a pinch; just make sure to run it through a decent mic preamp.
 
Well...

...trying to find any one mic that's perfect for both a live performance and in the studio will always be a compromise. With a sufficient budget, I'd always recommend different mics for different uses.

However, I fully understand the budget issue (cue violins...I'm a retired pensioner on a meagre income) and, with the right mic, you can get pretty acceptable results using what is primarily a live mic in a studio environment. Note that the other way around rarely works--big studio mics can give you no end of problems with things like feedback and just general handling/handling noise.

I've already suggested the Sennheiser e935 or e945 (depending on your required pick up pattern) as nice sounding mics. However, I'll throw in another mic for your consideration...the Audix OM6 (or OM5 if you want something almost as good but cheaper). I've actually used the OM6 in the studio on certain voices and it worked well.
 
jazzhole said:
Hi, there!

I am a male vocalist who is on the market for a new microphone. I am currently using a Shure Beta 87a, which is a great microphone, but I don't really like it on my voice. I bought it for myself when I was young and ignorant! I have a very present, bright voice already, and I think the mic that I am using kind of amplifies those vocal qualities that I already have a lot of. I am wanting to find a microphone that will help to make my vocals sound warmer, and perhaps a bit more dark -- especially since I mainly perform/record jazz. A friend of mine who is in sound engineering has suggested checking out a Beyerdynamic M88, but I'd like to get some second opinions as well! I would like to stay within $300 for now, but am open to reaching a bit higher. If any of you feel strongly about a more expensive mic, I can continue to use my Shure Beta 87a for another year while I save up the money.

Any suggestions at all? I know that the best way for me to do this would be to go to a music shoppe and ask to test some out, but I wouldn't even know where to start! I don't know the difference between a dynamic, condenser or ribbon mic (besides the fact that the condenser needs phantom power to operate -- that has been a huge PITA for me:D).

Thank you all!
Click to expand...

The 87A is a pretty darn good mic for live use. I don't know what you are using for a mic cable, but make sure that's darn good too. I would also experiment with eq. That could save you some bucks.
 
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