Handheld condenser for live vocals - Any bargains out there?

LooneyTunez

LooneyTunez

New member
Even though this is a recording forum, I know a lot of you people have done live sound and will be able to assist me in my quest.

I'm looking for an alternative to the SM58 for doing live vocal work. (Not that I don't like the SM58, as it's rugged, and generally one of the better sounding mics for live vocal use.) I'd like to move up to a condenser mic to enhance my voice bit (give it more air and less boomy proxemity effects). Being the bargain hunters we all are, I'd like to find something in the sub $100 range. I'd also like to be able to use it for some recording applications as well. (long list of demands, I know. ;))

I see that the MXL1000 fits the budget, but Harvey has claimed it to be sucky for heldheld use. The CAD-95 looks like a good candidate, but I haven't seen too much feedback on this one, so maybe somebody has some experience with this one. AT has the MB4000C...Anybody checked that one out?

I'm not going to limit myself to condensers, so if some cheapy dynamics will perform better for me than a 58, then by all means suggest them.

Any help or suggestions you can make would be very much appreciated.

Cheers
 
unfortunately, i cant reccomend anything in that range that would be better than a 58. pretty much all the condensers in that range suck for hand held live use, as they faithfully reproduce handling noise and they are prone to feedback. not to mention that the 58 is indestructable compared to equally priced condensers. i used to think that there were mics out there that would easily beat a 58, but after over a year of almost constant use at my house gig, i have learned that it is EXTREMELY hard to beat a 58 for live vocals. i usually have to cut about 6 DB at 80 hz and 6 DB between 100 and 200 hz, depending on the voice. sorry i couldnt help you with your specific quesation, but IMHO you wouldnt get the results you want in that price range
 
Gotta echo Cave Dweller. For live use it's hard to beat a 58. For me, it's not worth the trade off of fighting feedback prone condensor for the marginal gain in transient response. YMMV.
 
I do live sound for mostly Indie and small label artist. I find the SM58 far less on technical rider than was once the case. Most shows I'm doing is either the Beta 58a, 87 or Audix OM5. Only once this season did I have a performer that insisted on an SM58. The old 58 is a standard but there are many better mics out there.

My favorite is the OM5. Hot output, good feedback rejection and very good on even the most troublesome female vocals. I've had many performers ask about the OM5 when they hear themselves through it. The first is "what is it?", then it's "how much is it?".


The only thing I would caution is to try out everything. I've had a few vocalists that I did not like with the OM5 and had to swap out mics at sound check. You have to find the one that works with your voice. I sometimes work with a performer that uses a CAD 95i and will not use anything else and it's perfect for his voice and style.
 
Do not use the Rode NT3 it is no use at all for close miked vocals, the internal pre clips on plosives!
I have just bought a Sennheiser E865 and am mighty impressed, give it a go.
AKG have just released the 900 as well which seems a bit of a bargain but I cannot vouch for the performance.

To my ears the E865 is way better than a 58 but ?
 
For under $100, the Sennheiser e835 is quite a nice microphone.
Picks up a bit less bass than the sm58, and has a more open sound
as it has a higher frequency response than it too.
It should sound different "enough" compared to the sm58.
 
LooneyTunez said:
I see that the MXL1000 fits the budget, but Harvey has claimed it to be sucky for heldheld use.
Click to expand...
Well, I just went over to the studio and tried the MXL1000 again. I pulled the ball end off and stuck a foam windscreen over the end (so that it was spaced about 1" away from the capsule).

Except for the huge proximity effect with my lips touching the foam, there was no popping and the handling noise was very low. At about 1 foot out, the mic really started to sound good on voice.

It's still a great sounding mic, but I don't think it's gonna work for you up close.
 
How about the good old AKG C535EB? That's a favorite of mine for handheld a capella vocals (especially female), and can be had for on the order of $150... It's very forgiving of mic technique, and pretty damned rugged. It might ba a little bright for some vocalists, but it sure works on my wife's voice for live work... Nice tight pattern too. For delicate vocal work, it would actually be my choice before a 58. I wouldn't put it up in front of a screamer, but it holds the air nicely for light/breathy/atmospheric vocal work.

I've also recently used that mic for *banjo* for a live FOH/recording date with a 7-pc dixieland band, and it was _excellent_: tough enough for stage use, bright enough to really get those transients to cut in the FOH sound, but not so bright in the mix that you think a dentist's drill is being used to remove your eardrums... Worth considering, anyway: not the first mic for the locker, but not the last, either.
 
Thanks for all the replies so far! Now, I've got a few mics to take a look and listen to.

Hey Harvey, Since that MXL1000 package (2 1000s and a Fox) for $160, looks like a steal, that may be well worth a try. Even if the Fox doesn't perform all that well as a live vocal mic, at least I've got a couple of 1000s (603s without the ball ends) for recording. BTW, thanks ever so much for doing some leg work for me/us on trying those 1000s again.

I see quite a few live vocal condensers in the $200-$300 price range. If there's something out there I just have to have, that's in that price range, let me know. I'm willing to spend the $$ for something good...With all of these cheap mic deals, I was just hoping that I could find something around $100.

Keep the suggestions coming.

BTW, the mic I choose will be for my voice, and my voice only. I host (now don't laugh) Karaoke gigs, and want a mic that will allow me to have an authoritative annoucing sound, but still sound good when I sing...And I do a huge variety of styles. FWIW, my voice range is somewhere between a baritone and a tenor when I'm singing, and between baritone and bass when I'm speaking/announcing.

Thanks for the help everyone...You guys are about the most helpful bunch on the net.
 
Well, the Neumann is a supercardioid, so with proper positioning you should not have much feedback trouble or bleed, and it has a 4 stage pop filter setup, and supposedly is designed to minimize handling noise. I know it sounds super clean and it does sounds WAY better that a 58 with the person I heard using it. WAY better.
Also, if you want a mic thats nicer than the 58 for live use, look at the Beyer M88, its an old staple and is designed for vocal use, very nice.
No one mentioned it had to be "under $100" either. If you are looking for anything under $100, you arent looking for improvement. The Neumann IS an improvement, but if you are running sound, keep your eye on it or you'll never see it again.
 
Actually he did mention the sub $100 thing in the initial post.

Being the bargain hunters we all are, I'd like to find something in the sub $100 range.
 
FWIW, there's a Beyer M88TG on e-bay (I think it's still there!)
right now with no reserve. If a friend of mine hadn't sold his
brand new Shure Beta 57 to me today for $110(!) it would have
been a tempting addition to the collection.

Doesn't the M88 tend to work better with singers with a lot of
vocal brightness (like Phil Collins)? The Beta 57 seems a safe
choice since the sm57's element works well on my voice,
and the enhanced version should work even"beta".
 
I'm with Tubedude, if the funds are available: the KMS105 is _righteous_. Saw Diana Krall do a live show on one- she sits at her piano turned at 90deg to the audience, with a monitor on the floor right at the end of the keyboard facing the backline: so the monitor was exactly at 90deg between the mic and her mouth. She also has a very quiet, breathy vocal style, so that must have been the sound guy's worst nightmare. A wide cardioid would have been worse than useless there, since he needed _gain_ to get her performance. That mic sounded _ungodly_ good, and converted me into a believer... You do get what you pay for.

However, if you still want to go cheaper, about the least expensive competition worth talking about would be the C535. Borrow one and try it, if you can- I got 4 of them (one for each member of my wife's quartet) for about the price of 1 KMS105: I needed 4, and that's all _I_ could afford at the time.

I'm still gonna get one or two of those 105s one day, though. Remembering how well it worked for Ms. Krall just flat sends shivers up my poor ol' countryboy spine.
 
Neumann

That Neumann mic is what all the top notch singers seem to use when I see them..I saw Andrea Bocelli using one on a TV show, Celine Dion I believe, and if you wanna hear what it sounds like albeit not sure how they modified the sound, Sarah Mclachlan used its predecessor for the Mirrorball tour..

--Sal
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top