Karaoke Forums

Just wodering what people prefer as a singer, wired or unwired mics.

Personally I prefer the wired mic because of the simple reason most wired mics not have an on/of switch that may have been changed by the previous singer.

I dont have to worry about it being on/off it is good to go at the start of my song.

I have been burned by off wireless mics a couple times at shows, and with a start that is"off" it can throw off the whole song.

I have been exposed to low quality mics that are both wired and unwired, and also good sounding mics of both classes.

I prefer a good sounding mic, wired or not, does not matter to me. As for the on/off switch, the first thing I do is check it. Solves any problem in that area.
As a host, I hand the mics to the singers and make sure it's on before I do.

P.S. I didn't vote because I have no preference and there was not that option listed.

Either - doesn't matter. Just don't want a crappy sounding mic or one with a lot of handling noise with either.

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A good quality mic, wired or unwired. I don't get ones with on/off switches because people like to turn them off before they sing...then we have to restart the song....so no switches on the wired or unwired. I used a cordless 58 with a switch but am very diligent (read: well practiced) at turning it off and on.

For me it's more a question if the mic has a mic stand or not. It's nice to be able to choose whether you want to hold the mic, or leave it in the stand. If you are at a new place and are shaking like a leaf on a tree, it is nice to be able to have the mic, be it wired or wireless, resting in the stand while you are singing.

In general, wired mics are better. I rarely see good wireless mics. I see lots of Vocopro, sad to say.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Wired mics generally sound better to me. Good wireless mics like SM58 or Beta 58 are expensive. Right now I use wired mics whenever I do my singing show. Some day I hope I can afford an SM58 or Beta58 wireless.

Assuming all else is equal (audio quality, pickup pattern, etc) as a singer I'd rather have a wireless. I hate dealing with the cord. I'm extremely happy with my Beta58 wireless and I wouldn't trade it for any wired mic (not for live performance anyway).

As far as the power on/off issue, a good host should be checking the mic before he/she starts the song. It's really easy on the Shures, they have a light on the receiver that indicates when the mic is turned on and other that indicates if signal is being received (go way to confirm that it isn't muted). Every so often I forget to check and have kicked myself on some occasion when the mic wasn't on (or unmuted). In those cases I usually stop the song, have them turn on the mic, then start the song over.

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DJ Tony
Let It Rip Karaoke

As a singer, I like wired because the mic is usually of higher quality. And I don't really like wireless any better presuming the cord is reasonable.

As a host, I like wired because it tethers the singer to the stage. I hate the sit-in-your-seat-and-sing dynamic, which is in my experience a much more likely outcome than walking around firing the crowd up. Also, it makes hosting a bit more carefree. I don't worry about where the mic is going.

Still, at my service club we let the camel get his nose in the tent flap and have nothing but wireless. Two AKG WMS-40 for general use where a drunk could get a hold of it, and two Shure SM58 for the host and anyone who cares and isn't drunk. We have had really good luck after we got rid of the cheap wireless that was sold to the club by an unscrupulous karaoke dealer from Cleveland -- two and a half years without losing a mic. We replaced one mic grille on a Shure, the AKG have been relatively indestructible.

Of course we don't have the unbridled drunks you see at some bars. While people do get drunk, they are not of the rowdy type and they almost never cause trouble or give the host a hard time. You can't get away with causing trouble at a fraternal organization in our area. It just isn't done.

But I will admit, the singers who don't really know or care how they sound really like the wireless. If given the choice, they will almost always choose it.

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[color=#ffff55]Mickey J.[/color]
Alas for those who never sing, but die with all their music in them.
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

I prefer wireless because I'm very wiggly and like to move around alot. I will take a wireless that doesn't sound as good over a wired just for the fun factor. But I'm not a "real" singer.

At our show we offer cheap wireless and a good corded. Everyone tried the corded at first but now only 2 singers prefer to use it.

As a stage manager running a cabaret show a few years ago, the first thing I learned was to put electrical tape over the on/off switch (in the "on" position, of course). Solves the problem.... haven't seen too many mics without a switch, even pro mics.

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Good music, good friends, howling good times!

I prefer wired mics. I spent a lot of money and time researching a good wireless mic and purchasing it. I used it a couple times and packed it away. The wired mics just have better sound quality. It actually was extremely noticable in my venue especially since I gave my patrons the choice of wired or not. Even though it was very expensive and not necessary to buy a wireless mic I thought it would be fun for the singers to use one. With the way my stage area is set up though there really isn't a need for one, so going with the one that has better sound quality just made sense. Plus the fact everyone picked the wired mic except ONE person.

I've never used mics with an on/off switch.

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[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

I hate wired mics I can't walk around the bar and sing. I use all high quality wireless Sennheiser G2 and Shure SLX 58s.

I won't go places that use wired mics once I find that out.

I'm not much of a singer but when I MC(away from my console), I prefer wireless for myself but not for my singers. My singers get a wired mic because I like to have them on a "leash". Many drunk bar patrons could careless about your nice highend wireless and will treat it like a redheaded stepchild. Wired mics are just more dependable under karaoke conditions. Anyways, I've had enough Rico Suaves disappear into the room with my nice wireless mic so having a wire on the thing keeps them on the stage.

Mojo

As a singer I want a decent mic, so I tend to prefer shows with wired. I offer my customers both, the non-wired mics have a terrible sound (in my opinion) and I would much rather just offer the SM58 and the audio technica I have. But on the rare occasion someone does take a wired mic and goes out into the audience it is wonderful, I occasionally ask one customer if they would like to sit at their table (she's in and out of hospitial alot) but she prefers to come up to the stage.

My biggest "bug bear" are the ones who insist on a non-wired and pull uneducated faces at the SM and then just stand.

At the front of my book I have an explanation of the microphones and what each offers, just to ensure the customers who can read have a choice.

Most karaoke shows have relatively "cheap" cordless mics so I prefer using a good wired mic instead. If the show only uses cheap cordless mics, it's not enough to get me to avoid the show but I'll usually ask the KJ if they have a corded mic to use. They usually look at me like I'm crazy for not wanting to use their top of the line VOCO PRO cordless mics. LOL

As a singer, I defintely prefer the wired. Between using both kinds, the wired have just been sounding better. Actually the best wireless I used was at a house karaoke party.
The other plus, I can't count how many times I've been in a middle of a song and the batteries start to crap out. Man that drives me nuts

The problem with this at my bar is you really can't walk around there isn't space for it. I've been to karaoke shows where it was kind of neat to be able to sing from your table, but at my venue it would be very difficult for me to get to the back tables or for them to get the mic back to me. It would eat up to much time.

Even with a wired mic you can walk around a bit. I actually don't see the problem with my venue because as far as you could walk with a wireless you could walk with a wired mic. If you wanted to sit you can sit at the front table and sing from there with a wired mic. I don't think just because a mic has a cord coming out of it it would detour someone from coming to my show. But that's my opinion.

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[shadow=pink][glow=deepskyblue]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
[updown]~*~ MONKEY BUSINESS KARAOKE~*~ [/shadow][/updown][/glow]

There is an even easier solution with Shures. When you first turn them on, hold down the power button for 10 seconds until the LED blinks rapidly. The mic is now locked on, and CAN'T be turned off/muted, unless of course someone holds the button for another 10 seconds (or pulls the batteries).

I didn't even know I could do this until a few weeks ago & haven't had someone mute or turn off the mic since. Amazing what you learn when you read the manual!

I am absolutely, positively sure that I sound great on either but I prefer the cordless mic's (all things being equal).

[Editor's note] Just trying to sound full of myself. How did I do?

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Kevin