Karaoke Forums

CroakDog, you're the only one to mention wireless mics in this thread.

Should I assume that everyone else is using corded mics?

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I use both -- wireless when I don't have a stage, wired when I do. But I don't do drunken gigs as a rule. Yet even sober people can drop a mic, I have dropped plenty myself.

At the one place I host that has alcohol, we have had a couple of drunks drop them, but we are a membership club. No one has thrown one -- that would be a banning offense.

I suspect I will lose an AKG WMS40 wireless eventually, but with two in once or twice-weekly use over a year, I haven't had one get damaged yet.

I got 3 Shure SM58's. One of them I have had since 1989 and the other 2 since the mid '90s. They have all been dropped, thrown, covered in beer/JD & Coke and even used as a weapon at various stages of their lives. They're a bit scratched now, but they all work perfectly well.

I see no good reason for using any other wired mic. I can't remember how much I paid for them, I don't think the price has changed much over the years but around £75 for 20 years (so far..) of top quality mic, is pretty damn cost effective if you ask me!

For solo performances i have a wired shure 58 on a mic stand. It's about 6 years old and has performed flawlessly, even after being dropped dozens of times.

For duets, 3s or 4s, I, like Croakdog, hand out 4 vocopro (which brand i used to despise) wireless mics. They were the only brand i found here with more than 2 in a system. They are very good, look and perform well, although distort at high levels.

sometimes we have up to 10 singers at a time on stage-... in which case i turn all the mics off... but nobody seems to notice. And i like that the vocos use AA batteries which are inexpensive at costco.

Well the mic in question was an EV 767. I only cut the guy off because he was singing with one mic and leaning on the other mic stand. I told him not to lean on the other mic stand cause it will knock the mic out. He did it anyway and *Boom* hit the floor. Maybe I should try the shure 58's. I have just always used EV.

Gulp. I just bought one of those. I think I will use it as a recording / practice mic then, and put the SM-58 that I use for that now out on the front line.

I have thought about buying a couple sets of those vocopro wireless mics. right now i have only the one wireless 58. ive sang on those vocopros many times , and HATE them, they usualy sound like crap, but i have never seen anyone who had a good mic also as an option. I kinda think most of the systems i was using were poor sounding to start with. it would be nice to be able to mount a reciever in my case and have less wires to run. replacing 2 of the 3 i usualy have wired would fix that tangled mess i get by half way through a night some times. I do have a tough time believing they are as durable as my 58s.

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the voices arent real, but they have some good ideas

I have a wireless Audio Technica 3000 series mic that I don't use anymore. It is an excellent mic, but it doesn't compare to the sound of my wired mics. I really don't have a need for a wireless mic with my setup. I just thought it might be fun for my patrons if they wanted to walk around. People would choose the wired mics over the wireless because they could hear the difference in sound and people who would use the wireless never left the stage. So for me wired mics are the way to go. It was an expensive lesson learned.

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I don't like the VocoPro either. Their latest one (the four-mic with silver windscreens) seems to be the best I have encountered. Which isn't saying much. But if you eq them like so many hosts do, with an 80Hz rolloff, they are *terrible* for my voice. I hate going to a rock-oriented show that doesn't take bass/baritone voices into account. I sound like crap, particularly when they use tons of effects.

I have so far had good luck with the AKG WMS40 based on a recommendation here. It sounds decent, has excellent battery life, and is surprisingly durable considering it's construction. I am still leery of how they would fare in a rowdy drunken show, but the hosts I have seen with them seem to be pretty happy.


They aren't.

I use 2 PGX series SM58 Wireless units for my show. At $399 each it's a bit of a gamble but they are extremely durable and yes I have had multiple drops but only dented windscreens.

My Thursday gig has some issues with limited space and foot traffic near the stage area (if you could call it that) wired mics are not an option as someone would end up getting hurt. Sounds strange but Swingcat knows what I'm talking about.

Prior to the Shures I replaced the cheaper mics way too often. Since using SM58's no problems at all.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

Shure has a good rep for repairs. Also, you can buy a new mic/transmtter for $210.00, I think.

Do they use the same windscreen as the regular SM58?

Yes the windscreen is the same on the wireless.

I guess I was just tired of dealing with inferior wireless microphones that did not measure up on quality and durability. Once I spent the extra $$ the problems stopped.

Many of the better singers appreciate the better quality, and the others could not tell the difference. When it comes to quality I'm not trying to please anyone except myself, as I know the difference.

Purchasing the Shure's was an experiment. I'm monitoring battery life and durability -vs- what I spent for the other models. I figured that I will see how they hold up over a 3 year period of time and then do my analogy. I'm thinking the Shure's will win out over the other brands in replacement and battery costs and the quality sound I get will be free...

So far the battery costs are much lower and I can get 3-4 gigs out of each set of batteries, and the AA's are cheaper than the 9V in cost.

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FlipSide Karaoke
Scott

I see both sides of this issue, and not even sure if I’m on the right side of it.

Years ago while providing karaoke for in-laws (outside at my house, a utility trailer dressed up as a stage)

and a brother-in-law was swinging the SM58 on the around on the cord like a helicopter (I didn’t think cutting him off would be appropriate)…

I went for an XM8500... then kept reaching and grabbed a Nady SP-9, and nobody knew the difference.

Needless to say, I went the cheap-mic route.

Oh, I always keep a windscreen on them, just for a little cushion if they’re dropped.

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Hate is like taking poison, hoping the other guy gets sick

I would hate singing at your show if you had one. I hate cheap mics with lots of handling noise, and I hate foam wind covers. I've had hosts tell me "state law requires..." which is utter BS.

You may think that people don't notice the difference, but some do. Subliminally if nothing else. You may not be able to describe quality, but a lot of people feel it when they see it. I get compliments on my sound all the time.

Those foam windscre are nothing but a breeding ground for germs. Actually FEEL how wet one is at the end of the night, I doubt any singer would sing with one again.

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I'm running two different brands of wireless mikes. One is a Samson Stage series 2, the other is a sennheiser freeport. I have had the freeport dropped on tile three times all accident and the last time was my fault as it rolled right off the table.
After the third time I thought it had broken because something was rattling around inside it. stopped using it for about three months and needed a mike for some reason and I hooked up the sennheiser and the rattle was gone. Go figure.
I got the sennheiser through Musician's Friends and the Samson from Ebay.
Interesting thing is the Samson's receiver is a stage series 5 receiver.

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The Line Array Experiment is over. Nothing to see here. Move along.

I’m sorry I came back and reread this.

Did you really think that was called for?

Did I say I was right and someone else was wrong?

I use XM8500s, and they’re fine, and fortunately for you, you don’t have to sing on my mics. And that’s okay with me, as well.

Peace.

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Hate is like taking poison, hoping the other guy gets sick

Thanks Karaokeguy for IDing the mic as an EV 767. This is a mic I have been considering purchasing. But maybe not now.

As for XM8500s, I sure wouldn't snub my nose if handed one at a show. There are far worse sounding vocal mics than these. I've used them in bands and currently have one onstage at my karaoke show as a third mic.

They're not really built like a Shure. I have had them fail before. But at $20 each who cares?

Never understood the thinking that if it's cheap then it's not that big of a deal if it gets dropped or broke. I have a friend of mine that uses cheap mics (says he pays $30 per) & says he loses one every few months. I asked him how many he's had to replace, he told me 5 over a couple years. That's $150 for the replacement of 1 mic several times over the course of a year or 2.

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Yup, I agree. I put out my Shure and Sennheiser mics as the vocal mics, and all that I need to worry about is replacing the windscreen when it gets *too* dented.