There is definitely a microphone that is right for you to expand your singing ambitions and it’s good to be able to sort through the junk and go straight to the best stuff.
For me there are only three brands of microphones that are really even worth considering for live performance. At least for your average working stiff like us. Those three brands are EV, Shure and AKG.
The
Shure SM58 Dynamic Handheld Microphone
is likely the single most popular microphone on the planet. They have a good crisp clean sound with lots of definition and they don’t seem to require a ton of EQ to make them sound good. There are all sorts of microphones available at Shure and as far as I’m aware they’re all quite good quality.
I’ve used SM58’s over the years but have had them stolen and lost. When I went to replace mine the last time I was unable to get it as they were not in stock at this particular music store. Instead I was directed to the AKG D880. It’s sort of AKG’s answer to the SM 58. I took it without trying it and have never looked back. They require a touch more EQ than the SM58 but they’re slightly hotter so that sort of makes up for it.
There are all sorts of other mics out there that you can buy but for the money, for LIVE performing the Shure Microphone or an AKG Microphone are far and away the best bang for the buck. Yeah, there’s Sennheiser which are really good but they’re studio quality mics really and although I’ve never bought one, they’re known to be very expensive (probably why I haven’t bought one!).
There are other brands like Peavey and Behringer that offer mics at a more attractive price than Shure or AKG but keep in mind, you get what you pay for with these. If you don’t believe me then go on down to your favorite music store and do some side by side comparisons of them. Use them all in the same mixing board with the same EQ settings and be sure to use words that have lots of S and T sounds. You’ll find the cheaper mics have a tendency to be more muffled sounding and often have too much bass.
Remember, microphones are your instrument now. Be sure that when you buy one that it is the best that you can afford. It’s just one more piece of the puzzle to helping you sound like a pro. If you buy crap, then what do you think you might sound like??? OK, You may still sound like you’re hitting the right notes but you’ll be muffly and difficult to hear. Spend a little more money and you’ll sound crisp and clean. It’s the subtle difference of being able to be properly heard that helps to rev up the caliber of your show. Enough of these little things making a difference add up to you being a step or two ahead of the next guy and sets you apart from the rest of the bands or performers. Details, they’re important.
If you think you can’t afford something good you can always consider buying used. My experience is that you get it for around half the price of new as a rule. Just be sure to do your homework and research what you want to buy. Also, you may wish to clean it. It should be fairly obvious as to why.(germs...yuck!!!)
A Wireless Microphone is probably a good choice for you if you plan on doing any dancing or even just any moving around at all. They definitely give you the freedom to move around on stage which is important to your show, especially on bigger stages.
Click on the link to see why I choose to use an EV Wireless Microphone system...
Click on the link to return to the top of the Microphone page. Click on singing equipment to return to the previous page or go back to the home page for more info on singing and how to sing. Also, in case you missed the link above, be sure to check out our Shure Microphone page for info on different Shure mics and our AKG Microphone page as well.
|