Vocal Mic

afarid

Do you think the Sm58 or the PG48 is good enough to record vocals.

evenflow

I've used the SM58 a few times, and it came out pretty good. I layered it on top of a Nady TCM1050 Tube Condenser Mic and the SM58 sounded more true to my natural voice. The other mic seemed to make the higher notes harsher.

harrisonmerwin

afarid wrote:

Do you think the Sm58 or the PG48 is good enough to record vocals.

PG48 ios a cheaper model of the 58, the 58 is a better buy for not too much more money. lets just say 9/10 dentists, oh sorry to much tv....9/10 bands probly have these nit here setup, the 58 means the year they were designed, they have been aroudn forever, they are durable, built right, and sound great, its an industry standard, same as the sm57 (instrument mic, has teh same qualities as the 58)

Harrison

ps: if you are in a tight financial situation, the lower series are good to, i have a few, they work just fine

mccreadyisgod

I wouldn't trust the PG48 to track vocals, but the SM58 is a pretty good vocal mic, especially for a gritty or throaty voice. You'd be surprised how many multi-million-dollar albums were recorded with a 58 on vocals.

That said, a large-diaphram condenser is the default mic type for recording voice. You can find some cheaper large-diaphram condensers that will do a good job for about the same price as a 58; that being said, you really can't use a large-diaphram condenser for live vocals, so if you want a mic to do double duty, go with the 58.

If you want to look at a cheaper large-diaphram condenser, I'd recommend the MXL V63 or the Audio/Technica 2020.

samquigley

Don't know if this is a good or bad thing but Bono still uses a 58 exclusively in the studio. Think he uses the Beta version, though. It has better feedback rejection which he needs because he sings in the control room in front of the monitors, as opposed to using headphones. It has basically the same frequency response as the SM58, though. I knew some of that crap I picked up in Audio Technology magazine would come in handy for someone one day.

Oh, same with Bjork. If that doesn't put you off buying one, nothing will.

Pearl Jam and toast

58 is a great mic,... it should do a more than staisfactory job.

enharmonic

More people track vocals with 57's and 58's than you might think.

The performance is more important than the gear...says a certified gear slut with an incurable fetish for esoteric hand-made stuff...lol.

You can get it done with a 58 if it suits your voice. Anyone who tells you otherwise is full of shit. Same goes for anyone who tells you that only a Neumann, Soundeluxe, Sony, MG, etc. can get the job done.

Good luck with your vocal tracks. It's the performance, not the gear...unless the gear can't perform.

afarid

yah I use the pG48 for vocals. But I agree it is the vocal performance and not the mic. I hated the condenser. I had such a hard time mixing my vocals because the higher notes were so painfully harsh even after coompressing them. I am going back to the 48