Shure SM58s or Alternatives?

A

Aytex

New member
First off I have no idea if this is the right place to post this

alright so I'm looking for a mic with a little more bass (basically the radio effect ya know)
Right now im using a blue snowball lol
I've got a pretty deep voice, deeper than the average teen I guess and i'm just looking to use it for just talking to people to commentary's
I have no AMP but I can "try" to get my dad's Scarlet 2i2
Budget ~$100
 
Hi,
Are you aware of proximity effect with cardioid pattern microphones?
They get unnaturally bassy when you're very close to them.

Other than that, have you tried a simple eq (and compression for the ''radio effect')
 
Steenamaroo said:
Hi,
Are you aware of proximity effect with cardioid pattern microphones?
They get unnaturally bassy when you're very close to them.

Other than that, have you tried a simple eq (and compression for the ''radio effect')
Click to expand...

I've tried a EQ i use Adobe audition with a coupe of effects and virtual audio cable but it dosen't 100% sound better than a SM58 so Just wondering

And yes i am aware the closer you get the more bassy it gets
 
What you really need is an SM7B or EV RE20. They're the mics used in radio studios quite often and (working up close) give you that radio sound you want. Trouble is, unless you find a cheap second hand one, it's well outside your budget.

One mic I might try would be the Sennheiser 835. Like the SM58, it's mainly aimed at live PA work but it doesn't have as bad an upper mid presence peak that the Shure has. It's a warmer, smoother sound and with a bit of close working for the proximity effect, might give you close to what you want.
 
Do you mean a radio voice like a male broadcaster or a really thin, strangulated almost "telephone" voice?

If the latter and you can solder you could make an in XLR line filter. If you can do it I will crunch some numbers and do a scribble.

Dave.
 
Aytex said:
I've tried a EQ i use Adobe audition with a coupe of effects and virtual audio cable but it dosen't 100% sound better than a SM58 so Just wondering

And yes i am aware the closer you get the more bassy it gets
Click to expand...

A budget of around $100 is very low for a mic upgrade. Would that even get you a 58?
That aside, I'd want to be sure that the mic is the problem first. I'd rather have a 58 in a suitable room than a 7b in an empty cubic apartment.

Anyway - For a budget mic with plenty of bass, try the AKG d112.
It's not altogether unlike a 7b but is probably more scooped, or exaggerated in the bass. As far as I know it's got a peak in there somewhere for beater click too which can work well on voice.
Compress that and stay very close to it and you should be in the ballpark.

You can pick them up used for nothing and they're a pretty rugged mic. I wouldn't be worried about that.
 
One trick with a mic like the 58 (and the Sennheiser) is to fit a popper stopper - not with the intention of stopping the pops, but preventing the user getting closer into the bass tip-up zone. Then you can use eq to make it sound 'right' or close to. With the Scarlett, you'll probably get something pretty good going with the 58. Just keep out of the close zone.
 
rob aylestone said:
One trick with a mic like the 58 (and the Sennheiser) is to fit a popper stopper - not with the intention of stopping the pops, but preventing the user getting closer into the bass tip-up zone. Then you can use eq to make it sound 'right' or close to. With the Scarlett, you'll probably get something pretty good going with the 58. Just keep out of the close zone.
Click to expand...
I would normally recommend a pop filter with any mic for vocals, but as for the proximity effect, it depends on what you want. Sometimes a degree of that is desirable.
 
joey2000 said:
I would normally recommend a pop filter with any mic for vocals, but as for the proximity effect, it depends on what you want. Sometimes a degree of that is desirable.
Click to expand...

I need to start doing that with one particular guy. Just be like, here's a pop filter...Put your nose on it and never move!

His mic technique is ridiculous. He does the exact opposite of what you should do, always. If you tell him he does it more.
Complete lack of self awareness.

Like, if you mention sibilance in passing, everything from that point on will sound like a snake.
For loud choruses he leans in (proximity effect...great!), for quiet intimate bits he moves away. Thin, whispy, distant.....Great.

Then, of course, he wants the intimate bits to sound warm and full and the chorus to be less bassy and blend in better.
Some people just don't got it. :p
 
Aytex said:
Do you guys think the AT 2035 would be a better option, I can get one used for $115 i think?
Audio-Technica AT2035 Studio Microphone, Blemished
Click to expand...

Maybe...... watch the video below and pay attention to the distance he uses it at (he should be using a pop filter) and how the sound changes with distance. The closer in he is , the more pronounced the bass is from proximity effect. Just bear in mind a condenser is more susceptible to picking up room sounds than a dynamic. How is your Blue Snowball for picking up noises in your room?
 
arcaxis said:
Maybe...... watch the video below and pay attention to the distance he uses it at (he should be using a pop filter) and how the sound changes with distance. The closer in he is , the more pronounced the bass is from proximity effect. Just bear in mind a condenser is more susceptible to picking up room sounds than a dynamic. How is your Blue Snowball for picking up noises in your room?
Click to expand...


snowball isn't that bad in terms of noises, I can just remove them in audacity
 
arcaxis said:
Just bear in mind a condenser is more susceptible to picking up room sounds than a dynamic.
Click to expand...
This statement has always been and will always be completely false! There may be aspects of one mic that make it better at rejecting room noise than another, but whether it's a condenser or dynamic is not one of them. Well...I guess a condenser is more likely to pick up more of the highest frequencies in the room noise (and everything else), but...
 
ashcat_lt said:
This statement has always been and will always be completely false! There may be aspects of one mic that make it better at rejecting room noise than another, but whether it's a condenser or dynamic is not one of them. Well...I guess a condenser is more likely to pick up more of the highest frequencies in the room noise (and everything else), but...
Click to expand...
You would generally work closer to a dynamic versus a condenser, thus the preamp gain could likely be less and not pick up as much of the room. If I back off a dynamic and kick up the preamp gain to compensate for the distance, yes it'll pick up the room similar to a condenser. This has a least been my experience with a few dynamics I have. And yes the roll off of the top end of a dynamic probably would capture less high frequency reflections.
 
joey2000 said:
Sounds like the Shure 58 is the way to go (yes, right around $100). Also, based admittedly not on personal experience but the word from professionals who's judgment I trust, I second the Sennheiser 835 as another good choice.
Click to expand...

Although the e835 *is* a good choice - the SM58 has a tailored response that helpsthe vocal cut across a backing band.

The Sennheiser microphones that also have this "cut-through" response are the e840 and e935.

Personally I would get the Sennheiser over the Shure.
 
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