Please help me choose a microphone!

I am trying to pick out the best microphone to use with my Tyros2, and have now tried six different dynamic microphones of various brands.. AKG, Beyerdynamic, Shure, Sennheiser etc. I value the expertise on this forum, which is why I thought I'd ask you all to help me choose the one best suited for my voice.

I have recorded six short clips, all of the same song, with exactly the same settings for all mics. There is no EQ applied for any of them, everything is as flat as it gets. These clips were recorded using the Tyros2 HD recorder, then encoded to maximum quality MP3 at 320Kbps.

This will take some time and effort on your part, but if you don't have anything better to do then please, help me out. Choose, say, the best two or three. Let me know why you think some are worse than others. I won't yet reveal the microphone make & models, I'll let everyone know after seeing a few opinons and recommendations here.

I value your time on this, it will affect the way my performing will sound for the years to come! Thank you very much. Here is the link to the test clips. It's a zip file, and contains 6 MP3s.
http://cray.tuug.fi/~hese/TheWolf_MIC_test.zip

Thank you!!

Wolf,
I put them all in Cubase SX, so swapping from channels was very quick/easy.

Comparing was easy as well :
#1 : Lowest soundlevel rating=7
#2 : lack of mid, sounds 'loudnessed' rating=6
#3 : Loudest level, lack of high rating=7
#4 : Too dark in sound rating=5
#5 : Nice clear sound rating=8
#6 : Bright, clear, warm sound rating=9 !

So, for me #6 wins

I like your voice Wolf.

Wolf,

You didn't provide any mic model numbers. Of all the handhelf mics I've used, the Samson Q-7 has been the best, followed by the Sennheiser E-855, and coming in a distant third was the Shure SM-58. Of the headset mics, nothing to date has surpassed the quality of the Crown CM-311-A.

I would download your files, but it would take forever on dialup at 26,400 bps.

Good Luck,

Gary

------------------
Travlin' Easy

Hi Gary,

Yes I intentionally didn't yet reveal any make & model numbers, as I hope to keep this test as unbiased as possible for now

And Roel, thank you very much for your input. And a great tip.. to load them in Cubase! Never thought of that.

Wolf:
I was going to listen and comment, but just have dial-up and it take almost a hour to download, so just give my thoughts about mikes, I've used several different ones, and if its a good name brand quality mike from about $60.00 up I usually can keep tweaking until I find that sweet spot. If you got one you sorta like, go with it, and just keep tweaking until your happy, after all your the one that hears you he most, biggest mistake most make wih mikes is they're trying to sound like the radio anouncer thats reverbed to death and much to bassy to do a decent vocal, when you think your just a bit on he treble side you probably got it, for when the music starts you have to cut through, pay attention to the hiss and pops of your words, and you probably will like it. I've got a half dozen mikes, going from recent to 50 years ago, the old sure's got a good sound but easy to feed back. I use a samson 3 for 39 US dollars that does a excellent job. Sorry I missed your demo, but I'm guessing you sound good on all, and anyone of the mikes could be tweaked to sound like the others, if you get my drift.
Cheers.....Pose

Hi Heikki: Wow, before even reading Roel's posting reply, I had evaulated your six microphones demos and came away with pretty much the exact same impressions Roel had. The microphone which I consider my favorite (and most natural (unhyped) sounding for your voice is #6, with #5 in 2nd place. I'm really anxious now if this is the SAME one I had chosen, when you had me audition your original group of 4 mics a few days ago. I'm also looking forward to discovering what brand/model mic you used for each of your demos. - Scott

Wolf...In my honest opinion, I also liked
#6 first place and #5 second place and I also agree that you have a very good pleasent voice....however, if I can make a suggestion with our offending anyone, raise
the volume on the mic and back away from it
give your voice a chance to perform..a lot of singers make a common mistake of "swollowing the mic" and will distort the voice somewhat....try to do the same test again using more volume and more distance from your mouth you will get a much clearer sound and you will have to depend on your voice more to project the mellow sounds you do so very well, you will
probably hear the difference at once.....
just my own personal opinion after having used the mic for close to 50 years now, try it if you don't like it, you can always go back to where you were.I like your style...
Tony Rome

SHURE SM58

Ok Donny, since I know that ONE of the 6 vocal demos utilizes the Shure SM58, how about picking which one it is. - Scott

Scott as you well know and this has been discussed before, a MIC is a very personal piece of gear that will sound diferent to each person using it due to everyones vocal tonality being different, plus our EQ's will effect the outcome considerably....I have used in the last 4 yrs a few different ones, Shure SM58, EV 767, Senn 855, Shure SM58 Beta........but for me I have returned to using the SM58 its a proven workhorse and for my vocals sounds exceptional every night without fail, A good Mic is not gonna make you sing better ;( ......but, If I had to guess listening to these samples I would have to say either #6 or #3 to be the a SM58.



[This message has been edited by Dnj (edited 11-13-2005).]

I cannot guess which mike is what mike but here are my votes about the recording.

2. too dark
4. canned sound
1 and 3 pretty good and close
6. very good but too polished
5. Wins, bright, clear and lives

By the way Wolf I think you have a very good voice and are an excellent singer.

Fred

My favourite would be #3. IMHO it has the highest resolution in the (important) mid-range.
Ok, it could sound more brilliantly, but this might be no problem with a little bit High-EQ.

#6 Would be my second place. Ok, better high-range than #3
but... you can't tweak the resolution with EQ, can you?

was listening via:
E-MU 0404
Creek 4330
Visaton Topas

Just my 2cents...
BTW, enjoyed very much your performance of the Scottyee-Song!!

-Sun



[This message has been edited by sunfactor (edited 11-13-2005).]

Wolf,

Please tell us what mics did you test and in which order?

Hi Wolf,
Interesting test and very subjective.
For me, the 3 best sounds are the 6, the 1 and the 5.
I don't like the 4.
Good luck
Stam

#6, then #5 for me. I like your voice and the song a lot.

------------------
Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

AND THE WINNER IS?????????????

Gary

------------------
Travlin' Easy

OK, thank you very much for your opinions. The six microphones in question were:

1) Shure SM58
2) AKG D3800M
3) Beyerdynamic Opus 69
4) AKG D3700M
5) AKG D880S
6) Sennheiser e945

Yes Scott, you actually picked out the Sennheiser out of all these - again. Also from what other listeners have told me, it seems that number six comes out the clear winner. The clarity, and the way it picks out those subtle nuances almost resembles a condenser mic. The Sennheiser is the most expensive out of this bunch at $200.

Seems the AKG's are too clogged up and somehow muffled for my already dark voice. My old D880S makes an exception to this - it usually came second right behind the Sennheiser. If I had no money to spend at all, I wouldn't even consider getting a new mic after hearing how well my old faithful AKG scores against these newer more expensive models.

Number three, the Beyerdynamic, seems to have also done well and I do quite like the clarity and resolution in the mid range. It's either that, or the Sennheiser.

I took the SM58 here also for reference. It's a good all-around average mic with no strong or weak points, that usually works for EVERYONE out of the box. If I threw a karaoke party, I would give 'em a load of SM58's.

So.. based on this it looks like I am going for the Sennheiser e945. It just seems to stand out of this bunch, at least for my voice. The proximity is there, the crispness and clarity is there, it's of very good solid build and sleek in design.

It's all good.

Great choice!

Gary

------------------
Travlin' Easy

Gar, do you think you could've picked out the Sennheiser using the Wolf's 'blind test'?
I really believe Heikki's blind test method was the most unbiased possible way for us to evaluate fairly. Though compressed audio (MP3) demos, they were nonetheless all recorded at the SAME MP3 compression level, so everything was EQUAL across the board.

Even if I had all 6 microphones in the room together to demo live myself, my evaluation would have been swayed by my own brand/model perceptions/misperceptions, because the it's usually clearly marked on the mic itself. In addition, the design (look & feel) of the mic can color our perception as well. Based only on what I personally perceived to be the best sounding, I've now decided it time to finally upgrade from my current dynamic mic (EV767) to the Sennheiser E945 too. Many thanks to Heikki 'theWolf' for taking the time to prepare the demos, and having us take part in this most revealing mic comparison demo test. - Scott

Has anybody here tried the Shure beta 58A?
It's supposed to be much better than SM58.

These are my choices. All of these microphones are requires phantom power but they sound awesome.

Shure Beta 87 (for female vocal)
Neumann KMS-105 (both male and female vocal)
AKG eb-535 (male vocal)
Blue 8-ball (classic look and blue technology)

Kevin

Hi Stam

I have been using an SM58A Beta for many years and also have a plain SM58 as a spare.

I wouldn't say the difference between them was huge. They both have a similar tonal character - slightly "nasal" - with the Beta version sounding a little colder and slightly more neutral. I actually think that the plain SM58 has a rather more pleasing warmer character than the Beta version.

Feedback rejection is very good on both, but they are a little different. The plain SM58 is a cardioid pattern (dead to sounds from the rear), whereas the Beta 58 is a hyper-cardioid (dead to sounds around 45 degrees from the rear, but will pick up some sound from the extreme rear). Which one gives you most gain before feedback will depend on how your gear is situated relative to the mic. The monitors, in particular, will make a big difference.

These two Shures are both bomb proof reliable, have good feedback rejection and are not overly sensitive to handling noise. In terms of sound quality, they have a rather uninteresting, somewhat "lighweight", clear, but "trouble-free" sound. A good vocalist will usually sound OK to excellent through either one, an average vocalist will sound at least tolerable.

Essentially, they both score well because of an absence of any significant minus points, rather than by being exceptionally good in any one area.

There are plenty of other mics out there that have a "nicer" sound, but many of them have problem areas in comparison to the SM series (may be too fragile, suffer from excessive breath, popping or handling noise, may not offer such good feedback rejection, etc). You need to try any possible choices in a gig situation - i.e. in a typical hall with the kit you intend to use them with, at a realistic volume.

My own opinion is that the "right" microphone for you is the one that brings out your particular voice quality to it's best advantage, and works well with the gear you intend to use it with.

If you sound good through either of the SM58s, you will find either is a safe buy. You won't be disappointed, and they will never let you down.

However, before doing so, try as many decent mics as you can lay your hands on. As well as the AKGs and Sennheisers that have been mentioned in this thread, I would suggest you also try Shure's own SM57 Beta (still has essentially the same sort of typical Shure sound character, but is subtly different, may suit you better or worse) plus have a look at some Beyers (excellent sound, but suffer from handling noise and can be a bit fragile), and some EV mics (suprisingly good, and suprisingly inexpensive).

All will sound different. One will suit you best.

[This message has been edited by MikeTV (edited 11-14-2005).]

This is pretty interesting Scott, as my choice still is number 5 as it does sound more lively to me.
There's a high chance that Heiki sung with more passion in his "old" mike.

To Heiki,
There's one missing in your choices which could be worthwhile looking at if not yet decided.

That's the ATM 41 .
They reissued this mike.
I use one since years and allthough I do have SM58 and Beyer I prefer the ATM.
Works best with my voice.
Is in the same price range as the SM58 and
rocksolid as well.

Fred

Scott,

I believe I would have picked up the improved quality, but most everyone else did so as well. I began with an SM-58, and at the time it was the best thing since peanut-butter & jelly when it came to handheld mics. But that was a long time ago. Since then I graduated through several different mics, including the Sennheiser E-855, which I place in the excellent category. However, I like the Samson Q-7 even more, and amazingly, the mic cost less than $100. Currently, I'm using a Crown CM-311-A headset mic, and for me, it's the best headset mic available. Not only does it provide me with the freedom of movement while performing, it also provides outstanding vocal quality. And, after decades of using a handheld mic, it only took a few hours to adjust my singing style to be comfortable with the headset.

Cheers,

Gary

------------------
Travlin' Easy

I knew that of course , but because you said you own(?), or are very familiar with the sound of the Sennheiser e855, of which you rated as your #2 personal favorite, I was willing to bet you would have been able to spot which 'one of the six' was the Sennheiser e945 (the overall winner). Even though the e855 & e945 are different models, I'm guessing that consecutive models of the same brand share a similar sound. - Scott