audix om2

[TESLA_EL34]

seriously impressed with this mic, costs less than SM58 and it has superb feedback resistance. it sounds very good too.
amazing for the money! maybe check them out!

[bclaire]

seriously impressed with this mic, costs less than SM58 and it has superb feedback resistance. it sounds very good too.
amazing for the money! maybe check them out!

Thanks for the tip - I'll have to check them out!

[irish_admiral]

They're good live - they've got a bit of a mid-scoop and a spike from around 2khz which tends to help male vox in live sound. Not so good for the ladies as they can sound overly bright.

To be honest, most decent mics sound better than the 58s (before EQing) these days.

[Incubus]

Audix makes wonderful stuff... I'm using a OM7 these days... Don't think I'll be using a shure ever again

[irish_admiral]

Their Beta 58s are pretty good for live vox...

[Incubus]

Not for me. I've actually always preferred the SM58 over the beta.

The Beta is way to bright... But again, it depends on the sound of your voice.

The OM7 makes everything a lot easier for me.

[a.hun]

Not for me. I've actually always preferred the SM58 over the beta.

The Beta is way to bright... But again, it depends on the sound of your voice.

It does. Some mic's suit some people better, simple as that.

When I saw Robert Plant live a few years back he appeared to be using an SM58. (With orange tape on it - thought he'd nicked mine! ) A lot of pros still do use them. Why? They work well for them and they are the closest thing ever in the mic world to indestructible. Would you drop your mic 6 feet onto any solid surface? SM58s will take that and much worse!

Find what works for you. Sometimes the initial attraction of a sonic sheen - easy to get with a little lift of the high presence frequencies - can get quite wearing, or cause feedback problems. Stage vocal mics don't always have to sound completely natural, just to work with the particular voice.


Andy.

[Janglin_Jack]

SM58 need a lot of gain to operate at their best. I think it is upwards of 60db of clean gain. I had a Mackie PA that only put out approx 48db, and therefore the mic sounded quiet and somewhat muffled. With proper gain, the SM58 is an awesome mic. With inferior preamps, you may find it best to use another mic not so gain hungary, (Beta58 or some of the other choices listed). EQ is another consideration. One mic may sound better/worse with your voice, so try before you buy.

Mike

[a.hun]

SM58 need a lot of gain to operate at their best. I think it is upwards of 60db of clean gain. I had a Mackie PA that only put out approx 48db, and therefore the mic sounded quiet and somewhat muffled. With proper gain, the SM58 is an awesome mic. With inferior preamps, you may find it best to use another mic not so gain hungary, (Beta58 or some of the other choices listed). EQ is another consideration. One mic may sound better/worse with your voice, so try before you buy.

Mike

Never heard of that being a real problem. Mine has worked fine into about everything I've plugged it into giving decent levels, and I've plugged it into plenty. Lately that has mainly been my Mackie VLZ Pro Desk. Still, that has excellent mic preamps. You may well be right that plugging it into poor ones gives poor results.


Andy.

[Janglin_Jack]

SM58 need a lot of gain to operate at their best. I think it is upwards of 60db of clean gain. I had a Mackie PA that only put out approx 48db, and therefore the mic sounded quiet and somewhat muffled. With proper gain, the SM58 is an awesome mic. With inferior preamps, you may find it best to use another mic not so gain hungary, (Beta58 or some of the other choices listed). EQ is another consideration. One mic may sound better/worse with your voice, so try before you buy.

Mike

Never heard of that being a real problem. Mine has worked fine into about everything I've plugged it into giving decent levels, and I've plugged it into plenty. Lately that has mainly been my Mackie VLZ Pro Desk. Still, that has excellent mic preamps. You may well be right that plugging it into poor ones gives poor results.


Andy.

I found it was a bit of an issue with the Mackie 808s I had, but all the guys switched to Beta 58. Some guy in a recording forum was shocked when he read the Mackie 808 spec that the gain was only 48db or whatever. Cranking a gain knob is never ideal, and cranking a gain knob to get 48db, when mic really needs closer to 60db, (in my case). Anyhow, just something to consider.

SM58/SM57 are an industry standard and used on countless stages and studios. Didn't mean to imply a big issue, just wanted to note that it is a gain hungry mic and can sound less than stellar with budget pre's. We have Mackie VLZ Pro now, too and no issues with any mics.

Mike

[TESLA_EL34]

I own an OM6 too and its very different from the OM2... But i agree the mic is more a voice thing...
Some of my mics sound terrible on other bandmembers. Its quite irritating first, because mics are like shoes for me.

[irish_admiral]

I never get a bad sound from a SM58, but you have to EQ it, and just about every time i've ever done so on male vox, most people take a cut around 700hz to lose a lot of the mud from the un-EQd sound. For a noisy pub / club, the Beta is a better option (IMO) for rock and pop vocals as it has a bit more brightness and cut, and more gain before feedback to cope with loud stage noise. The SM58 might be better with a quieter coffee table or acoustic style set.

The SM58 might be an industry standard, but it's probably as it was one of the first dynamic mics that was mass produced, and techs everywhere were trained on them, knew how to get a good sound from them quickly, and so naturally picked them. They're definitely not the best dynamic mic available, but as Andy said, they are very durable... another reason why they turn up in a lot of places!

Although different mics suit different voices, I generally prefer Sennheiser mics over Shure as they are smoother sounding and the proximity effect is much less pronounced, which means the bass doesn't disappear alarmingly if you move an inch!

[TESLA_EL34]

i sounded like having a cold through the standard 58 on most gigs.
i really dont know why

[irish_admiral]

It's the mid-honk in them. Cut somewhere between 600-1000hz and it will go away.

[jamison162]

Check out the Heil mics, wow! I just bought 3: PR-20UT, PR-35 for vox, PR-30b for cab. Hamcity.com