Suggestions: Mic for Live Female Vocals

Milnoque

Milnoque

Resident Curmudgeon
I'm playing out with a talented but inexperienced female guitarist/singer. She doesn't sound like Lucinda Williams but she's similar in range and approach. I need to get her a mic. I'm satisfied with the guitar sound I'm getting, The mic would be just for vocals.

It would be a real plus if the selection was forgiving in terms of microphone technique. Budget is a consideration. The application is performance not recording.

I tried the search but didn't find very much helpful information.

This isn't a "what's the best mic for..." thread. I'm just looking for suggestions to help me research.
 
If budget isn't a huge concern, the beyer m260 or m500 are both fantastic, but for what you're looking for a Sennheiser 835 would work well.
 
Thank you,

That Senn is one of the ones I have been looking at. I was also looking at:
AKG ELLE/C
Electrovoice N/D 367s

Any thoughts on those? I won't have a way locally to audition these before purchase.
 
As the people who know me here will tell you, I am a fan of a number of AKG mics, including for live applications. I would steer clear of the ELLE/C. Why? First, it's pricey, and I think you can do better for that kind of money. The business about it being optimized for female vocals, I think, is mostly marketing hype. Most importantly, I don't believe a condenser is a good choice if you want it to be forgiving. Also, most condensers require phantom power, which makes them incompatible with a lot of PA systems. Of course you can use a separate phantom power supply, but many of them make noise.

In that price range, if it doesn't have to be handheld, Shure SM7b can't be beat. It is a funny looking mic, though, about as sexy as good tractor. For a handheld mic, Sennheiser e945 would be my first choice. For cheap, Sennheiser e835 and the discontinued AKG D770 are favorites of mine.

If you do decide to go the condenser route, AKG C535 is a more proven tool than the ELLE/C, and the (pricey) Neumann KMS105 is the franchise player. And yes, I believe it is worth every penny of the $700 or so they want for it. Good luck-Richie
 
For live use, I really like the Audix OM6. Much better than the SM58. I also like it better than the Sennheisers in that range. I have a couple of e845s as well and I like the OM6 better. I've not tried the e945.

If you do want a condenser, Richard's recommendation of the C535eb is a good one. I also like the Audix VX-10 and the AT AE5400 for higher end condensers that compete with Neumann. If you can find a used AT-4054, you might give that a try. It is the discontinued predecessor to the AE5400, but with built in roll-off rather than a switch. They both use a capsule based on the AT-4050. They typically go for @$140 or so on e-bay and are a bargain at that price IMHO.
 
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