Microphone Hell. Shure, AKG, Rode..?

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Vixon

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As i'm sure anyone else reading this feels the same, I absolutely love making and recording music. But i've just found myself in absolute microphone hell over the last few months. Nothing is working for me... I don't have an amazing budget, but I just want something clear, that I can take to the next level at the mixing stage.

I have a fairly rough vocal style, which you can reference here -
soundcloud.com/vixon/temper-temper-demo

The microphone used in the recording is an SM58s. I sent it back to Shure yesterday as the dynamic response of the microphone is just awful, and the sound itself is just weedy and lacks body.

Super huge thanks to anyone who answers, i've just signed up to this site, as almost every time I ask google for advice, I end up here. :)
 
Try double or triple recordings of the vocal tracks.
 
I'm not going to click your link, but if you say "You've tried everything", do you mean you've tried many different mics? If so, and you find they all sound horrible, have you considered that maybe it's not the mics?
 
The vocal tracks are tripled on the recording & I definitely haven't tried everything. I'm after a thick, full sounding vocal that clearly shows roughness in a voice. The most luck i've had so far was with an SM58 Beta, but I haven't tried a huge range of mics.

The real question i'm asking here is if anyone can recommend a decent, low-mid cost mic that can give me the qualities i'm looking for.
 
It all starts at the source and that was what RAMI is trying to point out.
Other things you can try is to have some thing like a Joe Meek TwinQ as an example, there are many others to choose from, And run the compressor real hard just to see if that is the sound that your going for.
 
You can make things thicker through a lot of things, try some delay and beef up the EQ a little, compression can help thicken things up, there are a million options, but you have to start with something good.
 
Vixon said:
The microphone used in the recording is an SM58s. I sent it back to Shure yesterday as the dynamic response of the microphone is just awful, and the sound itself is just weedy and lacks body.
Click to expand...

Given that thousands of national level singers sound fine through SM58s I hesitate to blame the mic. That pretty much puts the source of the problem with you, either your voice or your use of the mic. Also, don't forget that how you hear your voice in your head is not how it sounds to a microphone. Maybe your voice really is "weedy" and lacking in body.

It's possible your voice just isn't suited to the SM58. So, it may be that you have to try some different mics, but no matter what you get how you use the mic will make a big difference.

Other affordable mics to try are Audix OM2 and Sennheiser e835, but you might have to try a bunch before you get one you like.
 
Thanks for the responses guys, really.
I actually get a some really good response about my voice, and have had some great live results with mics I haven't paid attention to. The 58s just absolutely lacked in the volume it was putting out, literally half the volume of a PG48, a 57, and a beta (the ones i've tried it against). I don't have a load of bottom end to my voice, so maybe i'll try using my diaphragm a little more..
But I think you're right, bouldersoundguy, this is just going to have to be a trial and error thing -.- Thanks for the examples, i'll definitely look up the Audix OM2 & e835. The beta has definitely been the best so far, but to blindly follow shure would be pretty closed minded.

Thanks again for your input guys!!
 
Vixon said:
The 58s just absolutely lacked in the volume it was putting out, literally half the volume of a............57..............!
Click to expand...
That's weird, because a 57 and a 58 are the exact same mic other than the round grill. They put out the same amount of volume.
 
Vixon said:
As i'm sure anyone else reading this feels the same, I absolutely love making and recording music. But i've just found myself in absolute microphone hell over the last few months. Nothing is working for me... I don't have an amazing budget, but I just want something clear, that I can take to the next level at the mixing stage.

I have a fairly rough vocal style, which you can reference here -
soundcloud.com/vixon/temper-temper-demo

The microphone used in the recording is an SM58s. I sent it back to Shure yesterday as the dynamic response of the microphone is just awful, and the sound itself is just weedy and lacks body.

Super huge thanks to anyone who answers, i've just signed up to this site, as almost every time I ask google for advice, I end up here. :)
Click to expand...

Hey Vixon - welcome to HR. You're in the right place.

What kind of preamp are you using? My guess is that it doesn't have enough gain to really make the '58 sing.

My favorite vocal mic is the Electrovoice RE-20. At $300, it isn't exactly a budget mic, but it's not a Geffel or Neumman either. It's gonna need even more gain than the '58, so Caveat Emptor.
 
Vixon said:
The microphone used in the recording is an SM58s. I sent it back to Shure yesterday as the dynamic response of the microphone is just awful, and the sound itself is just weedy and lacks body.
Click to expand...

Classic on wire off sound, either the wire to pin 2 or pin 3 is disconnected. No body and half volume. If the shield was off, pin 1, buzz / hum and similar problems.

Cheers
Alan
 
witzendoz said:
Classic on wire off sound, either the wire to pin 2 or pin 3 is disconnected. No body and half volume. If the shield was off, pin 1, buzz / hum and similar problems.

Cheers
Alan
Click to expand...

Great point. And the mic itself could be fine but the cable could have the lifted hot or cold, or there could be a badly wired adapter involved.
 
RAMI said:
That's weird, because a 57 and a 58 are the exact same mic other than the round grill. They put out the same amount of volume.
Click to expand...

Ah, but the different grill makes a difference in output. The 57 has less distance from the grill to the diaphragm, so a lips-on-grill position yields more output. If, for example, the 58 had 3/4" spacing and the 57 had 3/8" you'd get a 6dB or so difference in output.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Ah, but the different grill makes a difference in output. The 57 has less distance from the grill to the diaphragm, so a lips-on-grill position yields more output. If, for example, the 58 had 3/4" spacing and the 57 had 3/8" you'd get a 6dB or so difference in output.
Click to expand...

yeah but........
Vixon said:
The 58s just absolutely lacked in the volume it was putting out, literally half the volume of a....... 57,
Click to expand...
That's not normal.
 
Last edited:
Always check mic cable and preamp by switching back and forth mics on the same circuit. If one sounds good and the other doesn't, it's the mic.
 
Thanks for all of the feedback guys, it's greatly appreciated.

I know the output level wasn't normal... and I tried it with several different cables and preamps. I'm using an Edirol UA-25, a great little preamp for the cost. I've used a 57, 58, 58 beta and PG48 in this thing and they've all been fine - but the 58S is just a nightmare. I sent the first one back after a week because of the dynamic response, the one I sent back this week was my second. I've given up on that model of 58 altogether.

I'd have to be some kind of oprah singer or death metal vocalist to get it into the yellow, without cranking the preamp right up until the sound is surrounded with white noise. A crisp, dynamically sensitive mic is all I want!

So i've just ordered a 57, 58 and a 58 beta to figure out which I prefer... & when i've got more cash this summer, i'm going to pick up an Avantone CV-12 for sure.

I'll check out the Electrovoice RE-20 as well, thanks for that pointer Supercreep!!

This place is certainly a lot more hospitable to new users than I had imagined!
 
mjbphotos said:
Always check mic cable and preamp by switching back and forth mics on the same circuit. If one sounds good and the other doesn't, it's the mic.
Click to expand...

I tried the same cable and preamp against several different mics, almost all lesser models as well. Me and my friend who I was jamming with were absolutely stunned by how quiet this thing was... and how much we had to turn it down after I plugged in the PG48!
 
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Oktava MK-219, It's a fantastic mic.
 
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