Dear netters,

I would like to buy a vocal microphone to connect to my just ordered (not received yet) MOX6 to experiment with voice/music recording at home. Half an hour of web search pinpointed to Shure SM57, SM58 as highly appraised candidates. Referring to probably the most experienced users on such issues, I would like to ask this forum’s users for a suggestion, among the above two models or a third one. My budget is around 100 Euros, 150 max (current price of SM58 in Greece ~110 Euros).

Also, do you think I will need something like the following to increase gain?

http://www.shure.com/americas/products/accessories/microphones/microphone-problem-solvers/a85f-line-matching-transformer

Best Regards to all,

Vasilis Delis

You do not need any input transformer!

Simply get a cable that is XLR female to 1/4” male (TS).

SM58 is a classic - especially for vocals.

SM57 - also a classic - can be used for anything, including vocals.

You can’t go wrong with either of these mics.  I’ve got a couple of 58s that I’ve owned since the early 80s and although they’re a bit smelly now, they still work and sound great.

BM is right.  You don’t NEED an input transformer with these mics.  Just plug ‘em in.

I have a Shure SM58 that I connect to the MOX with a xlr to 1/4 TS cable that works fine. That being said, having the impedance matching xformer can solve a lot of problems that you may run into.

These mics put out a very small signal and when you unbalance the cable, you are grounding out 1/2 of the signal. So you lose half of the mics output from the start. Also balanced cables intrinsically reject noise that may be induced into the cable. Unbalancing the cable makes it easier for noise to be introduced into the wire. By having a xformer in line you can keep the mic cable balanced until it connects to the MOX.

I think getting a mixer with xlr inputs is also an important addition to your setup. That way you can run line level into the MOX. I use a mixer to input a mp3 player, the mox and a mic and ouput the mixer to headphones and a practice amp. With a mixer you can change configurations very easily.

Besides the two mics that you’ve listed, the new MP75 and MP70 mics from TC-Helicon are also excellent vocal mics. I’ve an MP75 that I purchased recently and it works very well with my XF - much better than the Sennheiser e845s that I was using thus far.

I’m no singer, but want to use the vocoder function in my recordings (MOX plus cubase 6.5.4). Thus far have just bought a very cheap headset mic (it works), but would appreciate some advice on a decent quality headset mic, and how best to set it up to use to best effect with the vocoder also . I have a Steinberg CI-1 us interface and also a small Behringer mixer with phantom power and xlr / line inputs. Is a condenser microphone a better choice than a dynamic mic?
mant thanks
David

Ideally I’d lie to combine headphones and mic - Yamaha have a CM500 available (?not in the UK though) - would these be any good?
thanks again

No, not appropriate.

Thanks for that - bit more searching suggests something like an audio-technica PRO8HEX would be a good choice, but lots of advice about compressing the signal before it passes thru the vocoder. Tyring to make sense of the manual, it doesn’t seem to be possible to apply the compression insertion effect before the signal hits the vocoder - am I reeading this correctly, or is it possibe?
thanks

JayBird70 - 18 January 2013 12:31 AM

These mics put out a very small signal and when you unbalance the cable, you are grounding out 1/2 of the signal. So you lose half of the mics output from the start.

Erm… No.

You’re just losing the reversed-polarity signal.  The output is the same.

Dynamic mics have a low output by nature.  That’s why “gain” controls exist.

If you want to get a dynamic mic, pretty much your best “mainstream” options are the SM57 and SM58 as ppl have said. remember these are the *same mic* just with a different wind shield.

If you want to use a condenser mic, you’ll need something that can provide phantom power (+48V). either use a cheap preamp, or a small mixer to do this, and run all your inputs into the mixer rather than directly into the mox, then the outputs of the mixer into the mox.

Andy is correct, dynamic mics have low output by design.

If you are just mucking around, pretty much any old mic is going to satify the job of getting your voice into the mox so you can play with the vocoder. you are modifying the sound so much anyway, that it doesnt really matter that much how good the original quality is.

If you are trying to actually record stuff (either for fun, or for ‘prosumer’ use) then id definently get at least an sm58/57, however if you want to get a better sound, the condenser route is really your only option.

Remember as i have pointed out in other threads, there is *no* way to get a balanced signal into the mox, however as long as you’re not getting ground loops, and not runnning cables that are miles long, it really doesn’t matter for practical purposes.

in short, if you get the sound you want, and it isnt covered in dodgy computer signal noises, then dont worry about it and just enjoy it!!!!

thanks for the advice - I have a 3 pair input Behringer mixer (with 2 XLR inputs and phantom power) in my setup routing x2 old sound modules (Korg 05/RW and SW1000XG) into the Mox6 AD inputs, so I think ultimately a condenser mic will be best. My current headset mic (cheap ‘singing machine’) works OK but seems a little quiet - would it be better to route this through the mixer as a mono input with gain controlled from the mixer, and then into the mox6 as a line input (without phantom power as its not a condenser mic)?

cheers

Is it true (as some fora suggest) that MP75 mic by TC-Helicon produces a better, crisper sound than SM58? Any personal experiences with this mic? Also, do you think that VoiceLive Play (entry level voice processor by TC-Helicon) would worth the price for home recording (compared to MOX’s vocoder functions)?

Thanx in advance,

Vasilis

delisvasilis - 19 January 2013 05:15 PM

Is it true (as some fora suggest) that MP75 mic by TC-Helicon produces a better, crisper sound than SM58? Any personal experiences with this mic?…

Hello delisvasilis, did you see the review above by VikasSharma?

CMAYHLE, yes, I read Vikas’ (who is a guru in this forum and I trust him) posting. It is just that www reviews on MP75 are scarce (I guess cause it’s a new product) compared to what you can find on SM58 that’s out there for many years. I just wanted a second opinion, especially in relation to the use of Voice Live Play.

Thank you (all in this forum, for the wonderful community and the knowledge you share).

Vasilis

I have an SM57. I tried the xlr connector to the mic and the 1/4” trs to MOXF. Doesn’t work for SM57 - simply not enough gain

SM57 specs say it is -56dB.

Got a Shure A85F Transformer - works perfectly.

Still have to turn on the mic setting for the A/D converter. Still have to turn the gain almost all the way up. But there is little noise - and the meter finally registers - nice clean sound.

Works great for recording and vocoder.