First I am a guitar player in a 4 piece Classic Rock band. 1 male guitar player, 1 male bass Player, 1 Male Drummer, 1 Female Lead vocalist. Myself, the bass player and drummer only do harmonies. 90% of all the vocals are done by me female lead singer.
We cover a lot of classic rock but an example of the bands we cover are Aerosmith, Benetar, Stones, Green Day, Zeppelin, Queen, Stones, Grand Funk, Who, Ozzy, Sabbath, Rush, 3 Doors Down, SKynyrd, Black Crowes, Bad Company, Cheap Trick, Beatles, Heart, Joe Walsh, Thin Lizzy.
We are about to buy some additional mic's for live vocal use. We currently use two Shure Sm58's, one SM57, and my Female lead singer also uses a wireless Audio Technica Digital Reference DR-2000. The wireless mic is probably the most feedback prone of any of them, depending on the venue we play. I tried to research the quality of that Mic on line and found little mention of it. The Mic says Audio Technica on it but has no other model number. So I don't even how good/bad that mic is, but she sounds pretty good thru the mic, minus the feedback issues, she also use a SM58 at times during our gigs. She has had the wireless mic for a few years.
After doing a search here and reading hundreds of posts and on a few other web forums like Sweetwater on Microphones I came away with the following list of mic's to consider:
Shure SM58, 57
Shure Beta 58A, 57A
Sennheiser e835, e845, e865
Audix OM-5, OM6, OM7
After lots of reading and reviews I have come to the conclusion that for Live vocal performance that probably the Shure Beta 58A or the Sennheiser e835 or e845 are probably a good step up. But the research did generate a few questions that never seemed to be asked.
1) The e835 seems to be Sennhesier answer to the shure Sm58. Can anyone comment of if the e835 has better gain before feedback then the SM58?
2) Don't see a ton of posts anywhere on the Sennheiser e845. My guess is that is Sennheiser answer to the Shure Beta 58A. But I have not seen a lot of comparisons of these two mic's and which would be better suited in a Live rock band setting?
3) Is the Sennheiser e845 worth the additional $40 as compared the e835? Does the e845 have better gain before feedback then the e835 and do you lose some tonal qualities between the two.
4) I have heard many people say the prefer the Sennheiser e835 for female vocals over the SM58, would you also prefer/recommend it over the Shure Beta 58A.
5) How do the Shure Beta 58A vs the Sennhesier e835 compare from a gain before feedback perspective. How does the e845 compare?
6) I have heard many positive but also many negative things reference the Audix Om-5, OM6, OM7. But from a vocal standpoint and Feedback standpoint I have heard more negative. So at the moment I am ruling them out. I do have a Audix I5 that I mic my guitar cab with and like it, but I am not getting a good feeling about them for Live vocals use. Anyone Disagree?
7) Anyone have any experience or knowledge of the Audio Technica digital Reference DR-2000 series of wireless mic's and what kind of quality the mic is. Should I look to upgrade the female lead Vocalist wireless mic as well and if so what kind of Wireless Mic would you recommend? She will still probably use both a wired and wireless mic when we perform.
8) I didn't really mention the Sennheiser e865. That is probably $110 more then the e845 or $150 mor then e835. I would consider this for my lead vocalist for when she is wired if any one feels strongly that this is much better mic then the e835 or e845 or Shure Beta 58A for live vocal usage?
9) Finally I am thinking of buying a Crown CM311A Headset Mic for my drummer to use. I know there are some up/and downs to be aware of when it comes to using a Headset mic. Anyone use one of these and do they have good gain before feedback.
Sorry for the long post and I know the best way is try all the mic's with everyone voice, but getting my band here for band practice on the same day has its challenges, much less a trip to a local music store. So any input on any of my questions above would be greatly appreciated.
We cover a lot of classic rock but an example of the bands we cover are Aerosmith, Benetar, Stones, Green Day, Zeppelin, Queen, Stones, Grand Funk, Who, Ozzy, Sabbath, Rush, 3 Doors Down, SKynyrd, Black Crowes, Bad Company, Cheap Trick, Beatles, Heart, Joe Walsh, Thin Lizzy.
We are about to buy some additional mic's for live vocal use. We currently use two Shure Sm58's, one SM57, and my Female lead singer also uses a wireless Audio Technica Digital Reference DR-2000. The wireless mic is probably the most feedback prone of any of them, depending on the venue we play. I tried to research the quality of that Mic on line and found little mention of it. The Mic says Audio Technica on it but has no other model number. So I don't even how good/bad that mic is, but she sounds pretty good thru the mic, minus the feedback issues, she also use a SM58 at times during our gigs. She has had the wireless mic for a few years.
After doing a search here and reading hundreds of posts and on a few other web forums like Sweetwater on Microphones I came away with the following list of mic's to consider:
Shure SM58, 57
Shure Beta 58A, 57A
Sennheiser e835, e845, e865
Audix OM-5, OM6, OM7
After lots of reading and reviews I have come to the conclusion that for Live vocal performance that probably the Shure Beta 58A or the Sennheiser e835 or e845 are probably a good step up. But the research did generate a few questions that never seemed to be asked.
1) The e835 seems to be Sennhesier answer to the shure Sm58. Can anyone comment of if the e835 has better gain before feedback then the SM58?
2) Don't see a ton of posts anywhere on the Sennheiser e845. My guess is that is Sennheiser answer to the Shure Beta 58A. But I have not seen a lot of comparisons of these two mic's and which would be better suited in a Live rock band setting?
3) Is the Sennheiser e845 worth the additional $40 as compared the e835? Does the e845 have better gain before feedback then the e835 and do you lose some tonal qualities between the two.
4) I have heard many people say the prefer the Sennheiser e835 for female vocals over the SM58, would you also prefer/recommend it over the Shure Beta 58A.
5) How do the Shure Beta 58A vs the Sennhesier e835 compare from a gain before feedback perspective. How does the e845 compare?
6) I have heard many positive but also many negative things reference the Audix Om-5, OM6, OM7. But from a vocal standpoint and Feedback standpoint I have heard more negative. So at the moment I am ruling them out. I do have a Audix I5 that I mic my guitar cab with and like it, but I am not getting a good feeling about them for Live vocals use. Anyone Disagree?
7) Anyone have any experience or knowledge of the Audio Technica digital Reference DR-2000 series of wireless mic's and what kind of quality the mic is. Should I look to upgrade the female lead Vocalist wireless mic as well and if so what kind of Wireless Mic would you recommend? She will still probably use both a wired and wireless mic when we perform.
8) I didn't really mention the Sennheiser e865. That is probably $110 more then the e845 or $150 mor then e835. I would consider this for my lead vocalist for when she is wired if any one feels strongly that this is much better mic then the e835 or e845 or Shure Beta 58A for live vocal usage?
9) Finally I am thinking of buying a Crown CM311A Headset Mic for my drummer to use. I know there are some up/and downs to be aware of when it comes to using a Headset mic. Anyone use one of these and do they have good gain before feedback.
Sorry for the long post and I know the best way is try all the mic's with everyone voice, but getting my band here for band practice on the same day has its challenges, much less a trip to a local music store. So any input on any of my questions above would be greatly appreciated.