Is it time to step up the quality in your live mic locker? If you have the budget to invest in a great live microphone, then you’ll find no shortage of excellent options to choose from. There’s a whole world of upscale mics, from robust condensers to high-quality dynamics, that we can recommend. But if you’re totally stumped where to begin, this list of five personal favorites from the live sound techs here at Sweetwater is a great place to start.
Telefunken M80
It’s easy to assume that if you’ve tried one handheld vocal microphone, you’ve tried them all, but the Telefunken M80 will have you reevaluating that assumption in no time. This dynamic mic is tailored to bring out the best qualities in your voice, with a clear presence bump that cuts through the mix and a smooth contour that rolls off extreme highs and lows. It’s like having an experienced sound engineer inside your mic! And since the M80 comes in finishes ranging from wood grain to gold, you can get one that perfectly matches your style or even your wardrobe.
Beyerdynamic M 201 TG
While the M 201 TG looks like a condenser, it’s actually a small-diaphragm dynamic microphone with a pronounced hypercardioid polar pattern that makes it great for live use. A humbucking design and resistance to mic bleed allow this mic to fit into tight spaces and packed stages, but the truly remarkable thing about the M 201 TG is its somewhat dark sonic character due to its pronounced proximity effect. It’s an ideal snare and percussion mic, and if you’re miking something like trumpets, where you need the focus of a condenser but want to tame harsh upper mids, then the Beyerdynamic M 201 TG is an excellent pick.
RODE NT5 Matched Pair
It’s almost unfair how good RODE NT5 small-diaphragm condenser mics sound. The fact that you can pick up a pair for under $500 is nothing shy of ridiculous, yet you won’t be laughing when you put these mics on acoustic instruments such as guitar or drums. They’re so clear that you generally find NT5s in the studio, but their consistent cardioid pattern provides enough isolation that you can comfortably use these mics onstage — and we’re sure you’ll find plenty of uses for them!
Audix FP7 Drum Kit
There’s so much value packed into the Audix FP7 drum mic kit that it’s almost too good to believe. First up, this kit comes with everything you need to mic up a full 5-piece drum kit, including mics for a kick, a snare, three toms, and a pair of overheads. That said, you can easily put these mics to work on many other sources as well, such as cabinets, acoustic instruments, and all kinds of other sources, and you’ll get excellent sound. Whether you use them on drums or on everything else, you really can’t knock the bang for the buck the Audix FP7 packs.
Shure KSM8 Dualdyne
In what has to be one of the most innovative designs in dynamic mic history, Shure introduced the KSM8 Dualdyne earlier in 2016, and this excellent-sounding dual-diaphragm dynamic is already making waves. When we got to check it out here at Sweetwater, we were fascinated by the KSM8‘s virtually nonexistent proximity effect, which offers you a virtually identical frequency response whether you are “eating” the mic (working super close) or not. Got a singer who moves around a lot and likes to work the mic? This is the vocal microphone you need.
