Audix - OM5

A hyper cardioid like an SE-Electronics V7 or Audix OM5 can help push the monitors louder before feedback.

when i even got noise thru my sm57 (voice actress, wouldnt sit for 5h in my closet for some reason) audix om5 came to the rescue: its kasicall deafnto everything more then 15cm away. put the stand on a fat padded carpet. try a foam mic screen or those foam cubes with one opening you can put the microphon IN! kiss the mic, lower gain.

another great mic that is clearer and even more feedback resistant is the audix om5. i wouldnt go usb mic. get some scarlett interface. then you could also use condenser mics for stereo recording guitars etc… lewitt lct 040 are grwat small condensers. almost up with my neumanns km… a great underrated large condenser mic is shure sm27, rugged designed for stage use, integrated pop protection. got mine used for 120. cheap china ribbons can je great with a cloudlifter…tbone rb700 fat warm deep…love it. and to throw in another polar pattern: its figure 8! recording from both back amd fromt and deaf at the sides. some might call it bidirectional.

I've been using an Audix om5 for years and years now and I prefer it to the sm58 club standard. IMHO it doesn't require you to swallow it and has slightly superior feedback rejection. I'm a beginner at anything but backup vocals and only a few solo performances other than open mics (where I usually do bring my own mic if able) so take my opinion as moderately informed at best :D

And not ones I normally recommend. 57 for cab micing, of course. Now the beta 57 was more my taste for vocals, but I also used it on snares. The 58 seemed to struggle with reproduction of my voice, but seemed to do ok with softer singers or female vox at times. Yes you can hammer nails with the 58, but my first om5 is 25+ years old, missing all the body paint, has been in front of ten people and ten thousand. Still works just fine

SE v7, Audix OM5, Sennheiser E935, AKG D7, there's so many great dynamics out there for a similar cheap price, and depending on your vocalist, one or the other will be a more ideal fit. They will stand a touring environment just like a 58 will, while giving better rejection, or simply better sound in general. The Audix i5 is also a pick over a 57 for me in some cases, sharper transient response and a bit more bite, does well on snare for some stuff.

Couldn't agree more! The thing I loved about the Sennheiser mics is that they sounded different than all those house 58's I usually got stuck with. You know, 5 vocal 58's all sound a bit different? Some were probably 15 years old. When all the other bands used those Shures the band I mixed used Sennheiser mics. The 58 has a presence peak that is higher than the Sennheiser ones. So when I switched out the mics, tweaked the house graphs, real 31 bands, a bit, my band's vocals cut thru a bit more. Remember getting the house guys, This is the Perfect Curve, for my wedges eq? Perfected over years by the guy who just kept pulling faders down? Couldn't feed back because there were 20 frequencies pulled down 8 db? Basically just turning the volume down? Yeah, being the engineer for opening or direct support back in the day could get rough. Did you ever use Audix mics? I bought 4 Om5's and 2 Om7's and just freaking loved them. The 5's almost had the same tone as a 58 but the pattern was tighter. After I switched out whomever 's 58's with my mics I had more headroom with no feedback. The guys who never came across the audix mics at the time couldn't believe it. Cheers

I think it's easy to get drawn into the condenser mic world when we're talking vocals. It looks fancy. But most of the rooms these mics perform in cost 5 times what the expensive mic cost, to begin with. The truth is, Prince recorded most of his vocals through an SM57 at the console. If you really want a world class condenser mic, the Shure KSM32 is pretty tough to beat. Especially at the price. Audix OM5(dynamic). Personally, I've been using the Audix OM5. It really doesn't care about the room too much, the price is in the $150 range. Audix have a number of mics in the OM range. There are plenty of comparisons on YouTube. Beyerdynamic M88TG(Dynamic). This mic has been on my list for a while. I have zero experience with it but, a good friend of mine travels the world with a band as a sound engineer & works in the studio with artists, said this has been used as a vocal mic recently. He couldn't say enough about it. you can ignore this if you have an ideal recording space. But, my experience with large diameter condensors is that your voice sits in a space that includes everything around it. Including reflections. They can be really sensitive. A good dynamic just takes whats near it. The key being, finding the mic that will return what you want to hear in your voice.

Audix OM5 is my mic of choice. The OM series has a few mics that may suit the needs of different voices. Headphones, mic reviews on YouTube. Everyone will suggest the SM58. That is a bit dated, for recording purposes. Still a good stage mic. But improvements have been made in the mic world. I just picked up an Audix OM3-XB on the cheap. This was one of the first mics made by Audix, decades ago. It was meant to be an upgrade to the SM58, back then. I've done some recording and live work with the OM5. I can't give it enough praise.

Audix OM5. For the price, you really can't go wrong. It's a great vocal mic. Blows the doors off an SM58.

At home a dynamic mic works best for me. Audix OM5 is my choice right now. I've also used an Electric Voice PL76. However, they are a bit obscure & problematic. & It's a condenser. More expensive choices are out there. M88 TG by Beyerdynamic is a great mic. I've used an MD421 but, it's a bit "poppy". Depends on what & how you are using it for. I love the old standards Shure SM57 & SM58 but they can be a bit flat sound for recording vocals.

You need an SM57 , an Audix OM5. You can do just about anything with that pair, vocals or single mic instrument. The next mic I'd consider is the MD421. It's the perfect compliment to the 57 on guitar cabs, records toms like nothing else & can really cover just about anything. Everyone gets the bug to get a large diameter condensor. They are amazing. Pretty useless unless you have a good space for them, though. Id wouldn't get too hung up on that, right away. But, keep your eyes open for a sure KSM32, on the used market. A great mic. Highly underrated

From what I read, Prince used an SM57 for 90% of his vocals, right at the console. That's a $100 mic. A condenser mic usually needs a treated room because you pick up everything. A good dynamic mic can be a great tool for vocals, if matched & used properly. Not saying an SM57 is going to work for everyone. There are a lot of great mics under $200. I really like the Audix OM5

Audix OM5 is a great mic for recording. You can also look at the OM6, OM7, depending on what you like. SM58 is a standard, but a little dated. It's a great live mic. Any interface could work. Check your computer OS for compatibility. Sony MDR 7506 are great headphones for production & mixing. $100.

I'll second the dynamic. A condenser mic really requires a good room with good acoustic treatment. I really like the Audix OM line of mics. For vocal recording I use an OM5. The OM6 & OM7 may also work, depending on the characteristics of your voice. SM57 & SM58 mics are also pretty standard mics to have around the studio, if you are needing old standby standards. Electro Voice also make the N/D series mics for various sources. Always solid.

Most of the options listed here, already, are passable but not great. I switched to an Audix OM5 & the results have been excellent. As good as my trusty old(problematic) PL76. B&H had a good price on the OM5 recently. Check there, first. I use mine for most vocal stuff now. From recording to rehearsal & live. There are some other great options, but you'll need a bigger budget for those. Such is the neverending "search for the Perfect Mic". Dilemma.... But, the OM5 has done great things for me.. having an arsenal of MD421's, SM57's & a couple OM5's. I feel like I could record just about anything. Maybe have a KSM32 for the perfect acoustic situation. Then We'll always have our Dream Mics, which are always hyped beyond their capabilities...

SM58 or An Audix OM5 for an untreated room. The OM5 is slightly higher end than the SM58, but with the same benefits of being a dynamic mic in an untreated space. Plus you get the versatility of also having a live microphone at your disposal if you ever need it.

Just a piece of advice regarding mics. Try to remember that each mic has a slightly different equivalent eq curve, and if you can find a mic that enhances your vocal in the right frequencies it can help a lot. I have about 30 different handheld dynamic mics in my inventory at the moment, and when anyone asks for a mic recommendation I invite them round to my studio, and record them singing into batches of 4 mics at a time. We then listen back and see which mic is most flattering to them without EQ. Polar patterns are also important when stage noise is an issue, and I usually suggest avoiding cardioid mics unless the singer is very powerful, or has to move a lot relative to the mic. Some of the winners that usually come out of the shootout are the Audix OM series, Sennheiser 935/945 (935 is my personal fav for mid priced dynamics, but that is based on my voice), Shure SM57 Beta, and an old EV ND357. I personally hate SM58s, and whenever someone goes "but you can bang a nail in with it and it still works", I ask why they don't use a hammer for nails, and a 935 for singing like a sensible person.