Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

Anybody have experience with a good headset mic?

Our bassist was using one but he went back to regular mic. He said it was annoying and we get pretty physical on stage.

A few years ago I ran sound around town and they always sounded kind of thin to me. Really had to boost them a lot.

They require batteries so its just one more thing to deal with. In your case doing acoustics I would think you would just want a decent stationary mic. The reason I say this is because you can do more dynamically with a stationary mic than you can with a headset. Say you have a song where you really push hard vocally, you will learn to back off the mic some, if you are singing real lightly you can get right on the mic, as you get closer to the mic the proximity effect comes into play boosting the bass, move away and its more trebly. With a headset you cant move in out or around the mic.

You are stuck with one basic mic sound. I have done a few acoustic shows at one time or another and you have to learn to use the mic to your advantage.

Good Luck and like always this is just my 2 cents which aint worth much these days.

A drummer I used to work with used one of those "Btittney Mikes" as I like to call them. They ARE annoying, esp if you wanna say something aside to someone on stage. You hafta remember - IT'S ALWAYS ON!!!! Every cough, every little eff-up is heard loud & clear. There's no dynamics. You can't back away from it to sing loud on those high notes.

If you can remember all that, & keep yourself under total control, they are okay, I guess. I prefer regular mics, myself.

Doesn't sound like a very good solution for a guy just starting out. Thanks for the input.

They suck.. badly. Get a Shure or Behringer (sp?) mic. That goes for recording vocals or possibly acoustic/unplugged recordings.

Man I never thought I'd see Shure and Behringer on the same page.
Everyone I have talked to about PA's mics n stuff say Behringer is like Radioshack junk. We used a Behringer PA for about a year. I had no complaints. Shure is often touted as the "best". Who knows?

Well, as far as mics go, I prefer those two. Behringer mixers are pretty good too, if you're into messing with effects and tones.

We use Shure SM 58s for vocals and SM 57s for micing guitar. Ive used Shures for years and think they are the live mic standard.

Every band I've ever worked in has used those Shure SM58's for vox & '57's for miking instruments.

Tried a Senheiser once, & they are very nice mics! I call 'em "Sensodines" & can't get anyone to use them. They are a bit more $.

I use a sennheiser cordless mic and headset and both our great.also using a digital reference cordless for my guitar.this gives you an added advantage of going out into the audiance.The batteries will cost you an arm and leg so make sure your using rechargeables and change them before every set.also be careful if you buy the cordless for the guitar im using a dr 3500 thats made just 4 guitar center .certain pickups on acoustic electrics,especially ovations have to have a special chord otherwise they cut out,the manufacturer doesnt tell you this but will give you the chord 4 free when you call them .Very important whatever brand you buy dont go cheap,this is one of those things that you get what you pay 4.the better brands will not lose the signal cause they always search 4 the strongest one .hope this helps

Nothing beats a Shure SM 58.

I have used a few different ones now and it seems like not many sound similar.

Headset mics are the same thing. I wouldn't buy one until I heard it first and I sincerely doubt it would be as good as the sm58.

Headset mics are workable and not necessarily as bad as described in the previous posts. They do need some extra attention, though. Be sure to use it in conjunction with a compressor/limiter/gate. With the right settings this will get back maybe 75% of the dynamics you lose with good mic technique. An equalizer, and a volume pedal, or kill/mute switch wouldn't hurt either.

Look at the Digitech Vx400 or 300 or other similar pedal for an all in one solution. They're really cheap on eBay. As for headset mics, I like the countryman brand, and shure's wcm.

As for handhelds, nothing is easier to control than a good old sm58. For very loud stages, though, I switch to a beta. The higher line Audix's are really good, too, but lack the warmth of the shures.

Headset mics are workable and not necessarily as bad as described in the previous posts. They do need some extra attention, though. Be sure to use it in conjunction with a compressor/limiter/gate. With the right settings this will get back maybe 75% of the dynamics you lose with good mic technique. An equalizer, and a volume pedal, or kill/mute switch wouldn't hurt either.

Look at the Digitech Vx400 or 300 or other similar pedal for an all in one solution. They're really cheap on eBay. As for headset mics, I like the countryman brand, and shure's wcm.

As for handhelds, nothing is easier to control than a good old sm58. For very loud stages, though, I switch to a beta. The higher line Audix's are really good, too, but lack the warmth of the shures.

I use one with my flute. It makes sense with an instrument that requires that the user has to be so close to the mic. I don't do an unusual amount of moving on stage but it would be a hindrance if I did move alot. If chordless headset mics existed, I would get one...does anyone know if cordless headset mics exist?

Yes, they do, Mary, but it escapes me at the moment what brands make them. i'd do a Google search if I needed one, cuz I know they're out there. You can bet that most mic co's make 'em, but check around for cost & quality

Man I never thought I'd see Shure and Behringer on the same page.
Everyone I have talked to about PA's mics n stuff say Behringer is like Radioshack junk. We used a Behringer PA for about a year. I had no complaints. Shure is often touted as the "best". Who knows?

Damn! George!,
I recently purchased a new and cheap Behringer rack mixer with an excellent built in FX unit.
So far so good, but time will tell if it holds up over the long haul.
I used two other Eurorack mixers in live performances and they did a good job too.
I believe that , being that the stuff is made in China by slaves, they have had some "Quality control issues". I believe Beringer is working to overcome these problems.
When Peavey first came on the market , they had quality issues as well, and they certainly worked them out. (Ol' Hartley utilized southern folks to make his stuff, but he eventually got them doin' good work!)
Howlin'