Sennheiser - e 945

I think you're alone dude: ) They seriously crank! I think the e835 beat SM58 for clarity hands down, and the e935/45 are easily superior to the beta 58a. The midrange complaint you refer to is less problematic in Sennys than Shures, IMHO. ☺️

The 945 is really nice and a singer I work with got it recommended to him as he has quite a deep voice and would have helped give him some top end clarity, the problem is that also boosts the cymbals which negates using that mic somewhat.

I prefer the e945 over the b58, especially for talking heads.

The e8xx are the budget range, you can't expect too much from them. There is a reason they are cheap. A better comparison would be the e9xx mics. I much prefer my e935s to the SM58.

The e8xx are the budget range, you can't expect too much from them. There is a reason they are cheap. A better comparison would be the e9xx mics. I much prefer my e935s to the SM58.

I absolutely LOVE my Sennheiser e945. Got it on Amazon for only $165 and it came with a XLR cable and mic stand.

I have the SM58 and it's OK but the audio will be thin. You would get better sound with an Audio Technica condenser mic. I did a blind test with the same vocals and the difference in quality was very clear. If you want something that doubles as a live stage mic like the SM58, the Sennheiser E945 sounded better than the SM58. I would personally try to spend 500 dollars and get a Neumann TLM or comparable. Something like that will sound really great. Don't really need to go into the thousands but spending a bit more will help.

I've got a few too many! (But remember that for Emma forever ago was recorded with just one sm57) I'm a Logic Pro X user, I have a couple of free plugins that I use frequently, including HELM by Matt Tytel, SurgeXT, Spitfire audio LABS, and the Klevgrand DAW casette. (The stock apple plugins are very good, especially the compressor.) I have plenty of paid plugins, too, but these free ones are really worth your attention For vox: I either use an electrovoice RE50N-db, a beyerdynamic m80, or a Sennheiser e945. I use the 945 for all demos because it's my stage mic and it helps me figure out how my vocal melody fits live. I use the RE50N-db mainly for backup vox or for a double. For electric guitar: I either use an sm57 or an E609 (or my at2040 if I need it to be audible but not sound great to thicken the mix.) For acoustic guitar: I use the RE50N-db near the 12th fret and an sm57 near the sound hole unless I'm going for a really dark sound, in which case, I put the RE50N-db near the body around 4 inches past the bridge and cut out the mid frequencies For bass amp (rock context, otherwise I just line it in): AT2040 For capturing samples, I either use an Sm57 or my field recorder

People hate when I say this, but every time I've put an SM58 on a stand next to something else, it's come out on the bottom. Every single time. In a world where the Sennheiser e945 exists, I honestly can't imagine why so many people keep using them. I don't even own one any more.

It's true, and I totally get why someone on a budget would go with the Shure, but I see big names on TV using the damn things and the only thing I can figure is that they're used to it and have never really tried anything else. Sometimes in live settings big artists will spec certain gear and that's the end point of the discussion. The M80 is a great mic and I even own one, but for whatever reason I've never done a side by side with the e945. Maybe I should. I will tell my Sennheiser story though: probably 10-12 years ago I was playing with my band at some lameass little club. Three of us sang (me being distant third of the three) and we all used 58s. One night I showed up with an e945, just to try it out. At our first break, all the wives and girlfriends wanted to know why I suddenly sounded so much better than the other guys. They didn't know Jack about mics or gear and didn't even know I'd changed anything, but in the house they could hear the difference. I was truly surprised; no one in the audience ever pays attention to or notices stuff like that. The next gig, the other two guys arrived with spouse-approved e945s, and that's what I and they have used ever since.

I've never felt the need to try a condenser on stage, and ribbons are so finicky (although I love them) about what preamp they're sent to I've never even thought to try one in a live setting. The 945 IS a dynamic, but it's a super-cardioid, so a little tighter pattern than a 58. If a true cardioid is preferred, the e935 is pretty similar. Though similarly numbered, the e835/e845 are a solid step down from the 900s, although not terrible.

Sennheiser e945 is now my live mic of choice. Not to say there aren't other good options, but that's the one I use.

Okay so there's a few things here. You can't block out sounds past a certain distance, it doesn't work like that. What you can do is get a less sensitive mic, or a directional mic, or a less sensitive directional mic. A Dynamic(less sensitive) Cardioid(directional) mic would generally be your best option. There are a variety of options at various pricepoints. I have a Sennheiser E945 I use for this. With a directional mic you'd want to orient it so the pickup pattern is pointed at you, and not at the noise source. In most cases the perfect position for such a mic is in front of your nose pointed at your mouth or at your chest The polar pattern will matter more than if it's dynamic or cardioid. Mics come in a variety of shapes. You have to decide if you want a handheld mic, possibly on a stand, or a headset, or a pencil mic on a stand, or something else. Proximity counts for a lot. If you have an e945 tickling your nose you can turn the gain way down, and due to proximity your voice wil be louder than someone talking at the same volume across the room. If you want to combine the two there are a variety of earmuff with headset mics on them. If you go to an industrial safety supply shop they usually have a few options. The Remote Audio HN-7506 is a pretty common option for loud jobs. [https://remoteaudio.com/products/hearing/high-noise-headset/](https://remoteaudio.com/products/hearing/high-noise-headset/) Or you can even buy the same kind of headsets used by pilots. They're just usually expensive and need adapters. Then the software you use will often have additional settings like a noise gate. This isn't magic, it basically just says "When the volume drops below this point reduce it to silence" and it basically just turns off your mic unless it hears something loud enough. But this really only works when the unwanted noise is quieter than your voice. Like if your voice is at -6dbfs and the unwanted noise is at -18dbfs.

I have lots of vocal mic options in my kit...most of the time I'll just throw all SM/Beta58 or SEv3/7 or E935/945 (yes, have all these options and more) across the stage for everyone. If we're talking one off show, there's not really time usually to dial in specific mic choices for each individual vocalist, it's usually more chosen for the type of music, stage/venue, and skill level I'm working with (an SEv7 in front of an inexperienced person is a pain compared to a an SM58 with it's wider pickup pattern for instance). If we're talking an artist that I would be frequently working with, there's usually time to try out a few options over the course of several shows and get a preference for them specifically. Only exception to this would be if it becomes very obvious very quickly that they'd sound best on something else, knowing what each mic typically brings to the sound.