Shure sm58, Rode m1, Or Sennheiser e835

RedMosquito22

In the market for a new live mic any opinions. I have used the sm58 and of course really like it, just wondering if you had the option what you'd shoot for.

mccreadyisgod

I've worked with almost every vocal mic ever made, in lots of different situations, and all I can say is: it depends.

The SM58 is the world's go-to live mic. It's affordable, it's tough as shit, and it sounds really good. Warm, not too bright, sometimes a tad muddy, but easy to EQ. It can be used on almost any instrument in a pinch, not just vocals. And there are a few folks who use them to record vocals in the studio (I've done it).

I feel like the Senn e835 is a tad dead and muffled, compared to the 58. It's a good mic still, but you don't see them nearly as frequently as the 58 in the real world, and most guys I've run across who use them have Sennheiser endorsement deals. I can say that certain vocals seem to work better on an 835 than a 58; this seems to be true of deep male voices, and especially country singers, whose vocal presence is tuned a bit lower than most.

I don't have any experience with the Rode mic, although I've used some of their LDC mics live and in-studio.

As for further suggestions:

Shure Beta 58 or Beta 57. Good feedback rejection, great sibilance, a bit bright for some voices but really good for a vocal that needs to cut through the mix. For some folks, they lack warmth. I used to use a Beta 57 to sing through.

Sennheiser e845. It's basically Senn's attempt to make a Beta 58. I feel like it's not quite as bright, but still has good presence. A tad warmer, and again, good on male voices.

Audix OM5, OM6, OM7. OM5 is brighter and better on feedback. OM6 is warmer, a bit more feedback-prone, but sounds very natural. OM7 is *amazing*, almost no feedback trouble, very warm but can be very present as well. Takes a shit-tonne of gain, as there is no transformer in the mic, so you need a really good preamp on your mixer. You also need to be right on the mic; it's a lot harder to work an OM7 compared to almost any other mic. This is my current live mic.

I'd be happy to make a further recommendation, but I'd need to know if you have your own PA and engineer, or if you go from venue to venue and use their guy/gear. Also, style of music, vocal style, size of band, and how hard you hit the mic (volume). Budget spread on the mics I've mentioned is about $100 to $250 brand-new (you can find deals on used mics, of course), so if that does or doesn't work for you.