Decent mic for live backing vocals?

[Drew]

To be fair I bought mine in 2009-2010 in Ireland. I remember the 57 being more expensive then otherwise I'd have bought that.

That's interesting. New or secondhand? And you're sure it was a SM57, and not a Beta 57 or a SM7?

 

[Andromalia]

That's interesting. New or secondhand? And you're sure it was a SM57, and not a Beta 57 or a SM7?

Well, it is a 15 years old memory, but I'm pretty sure I didn't mistake one model for another. Maybe one was on sale or something

 

[Screamingdaisy]

I use an SM58. It’s a classic for a reason.

That said, I recently switched my lead singer over to an SE X7 and it sounds better in every way; clearer, more articulate, and more natural sounding.

The 58 is a little more congested/honky in the midrange. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as that’s why it has a reputation for cutting in a live mix.

As the backup singer, I plan on continuing to use the SM58 because I find using different vocal mic’s is increasing our separation in the mix. When we both used an SM58 it homogenized our vocals more as it imprinted it’s EQ curve on both of our voices.

 

[TheWarAgainstTime]

I would lean towards the Beta 58 since it has a little less proximity effect and more top end than the regular 58. Then again, a regular 58 or 57 would more than do the trick and would be useful for a wide range of applications outside of your vocal duties. It will also come down to finding the right deal/price on any of them if you pick up something used.

 

[gnoll]

a used Beyerdynamic M69 (if you live in europe, these are easy to come by, built like a tank, hypercardioid + built with a softer bass response).

Those look sweet, seems like a great idea.

Yeah I would totally see this as an opportunity to look for a used older mic like an M69. Mics aren't like phones where you absolutely have to get a brand new one of the latest generation. You could get a mic from the 60s and it could sound amazing. I mean, yeah you could also get a new 57/58 and it'd work but how much fun is that? And I don't even like them on guitars, at least not the newer ones.

 

[7deadlysins666]

Sennheiser e835 is the same price as an sm58, and in my opinion superior.

The e935 is at 199 new, and in another league sound wise. Superior in every way.

This, but tbh if you're trying to spend $200, get a Telefunken M80. They're killer mics for the money. Otherwise, the e835 will serve you very well.

 

[Crungy]

@Emperoff I remembered another one that's also Audix: the OM7. I just came across an article that speaks about it with someone I have worked with in the past. I trust his opinion with anything audio, he's a great engineer and musician.

https://www.premierguitar.com/jeremy-tappero-interview