After nearly 35 years in the audio biz (yeah, the beard's going grey), and after researching several articles on the topic, I can state with confidence that the best vocal microphone for church music applications is ... Whichever one makes the best match For a singer's voice—at that distance From the microphone, at that angle to the microphone, for that style of music, with that type of stage monitoring, and with that level and density of ambient stage sound. Oh, and choosing one that fits your budget also helps.
Sorry, no, there is no one-size-fits-all “industry standard.” granted, there is one type that works for a broad spectrum of applications and with most voices. But no single microphone is always the best, no matter what. So you have to weigh all the variables before you determine what vocal mics you'll want to have available, when to use them, and how to coax singers to use them properly. (The last part is often the hardest.) In this article we'll be concerned only with hand-held (or stand-mounted) microphones: headworns and lavalieres can do the job as well, but that topic deserves its own “how to” article.
PRIMER ON PATTERNS
Handheld vocal mics will have one of two basic polar patterns: cardioid or supercardioid/hypercardioid. I'm lumping the last two together here because, although technically different, they are functionally almost the same.
Cardioid microphones have a broad, heart-shaped pattern with the greatest rejection directly behind them. That means you can move to the side quite a bit without serious coloration, or change in the sound. It also means that, if you point the rear at the monitor wedge, you're less likely to get feedback.
The super/hypercardioid patterns have more rejection toward the side, but they also have a small “rear lobe” at 180 degrees. The result is more effective sensitivity directly toward the front, but with more attenuation and coloration when you move off to the sides. There's also a slightly increased chance of feedback if the rear of the mic is aimed directly down at the monitor.
So, what kind should you choose? My advice is—as much as possible—to have both types available. At our church, our main vocals mics are Shure SM58 cardioids and Sennheiser e845 supercardioids. I use The SM58 for singers who stay close to the mic but may wander to the side, or when two singers share the mic. But for a single “microphobic” singer who stays back from the mic, I prefer the e845. When running monitor wedges at a high level, I keep cardioids aimed more directly away from the wedge while keeping super/hypercardioids at more of a sideways angle.
So, with that in mind, let's look at the two basic element types: dynamic and condenser, both available with cardioid or super/hypercardioid patterns.
THE FOUNDATION: QUALITY DYNAMICS
For most churches, this dynamic mic will be the bedrock of worship vocals. Most of these will sound very good (but not exactly the same), and all will share common features such as a built-in windscreen to contain plosives (“p” pops), some capsule isolation to reduce a certain amount of handling noise, and a presence boost in the upper midrange to help vocals cut through the mix. Expect to pay $80 to $150 each to get the quality you want, but you'll get a mic that's rugged, good looking and pleasing to the ear. Just remember that some mics will sound better on some voices than others, so you have to shop around and keep auditioning.
A sampling of widely accepted mics in this category would include the aforementioned SM58 cardioid and e845 supercardioid, along with its cardioid sibling, the e835. Also well worth a close listen are the Audio-Technica ATM610 hypercardioid with extremely low handling noise, the Audix OM-2 hypercardioid with mid-boost for warmth, and the EV PL80 supercardioid, which is available in either black or a classic beige finish.
STEPPING UP: PREMIUM DYNAMICS
Moving above $150, we find dynamic mics with, generally speaking, a higher level of over-all performance along with optional features. Expect greater sensitivity (usually because of rare earth magnet structures), higher gain before feedback, extended high-frequency response, and lower handling noise. In this group we find the Shure Beta 58A supercardioid, the EV N/D 967, and the Audio-Technica AE4100 cardioid. Also notable are Beyerdynamic's hypercardioid M88TG, known for its lack of coloration and precise articulation, the Audix OM7 with its very tight hypercardioid pattern for off-axis noise rejection, and the Heil PR35 supercardioid with a three-position bass roll-off switch.
Speaking of switches, here I'll insert my sage advice on buying mics with switches of any kind, be it on/off, eq or multi- pattern: beware. As a general rule, I do not use any mics with on-off switches for worship music in the sanctuary. If somebody inadvertently switches off a mic during worship, you can only resort to wild gesticulations to get it back on. If the mic has eq or pattern switches, look for models that either have the switch recessed (perhaps requiring a screwdriver) or hidden away under the pop filter. Murphy 's law applies here. Any switch that can be inadvertently flipped will be. Remember, if somebody inserts a low-cut at the mic, you can't get your lows back at the console.
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?
I set $80 as a rough benchmark for a new dynamic mic worthy of worship duty. But what about all those dynamic mics priced at $50 and under— sometimes way under. Are they worth a try?
As your primary singing mics in worship, probably not. For occasional background use, or spoken word in utility applications, they can be a cost-effective alternative. But stick to quality brands, and don't push your luck too far.
I offer two illustrations from my experience. At my former church I purchased a pair of AKG D8000S mics on a Christmas, two-for-$50 special. They were kept in the fellowship hall and used mainly for spoken word. Occasionally somebody would sing through one, and the performance was easily adequate considering, to be honest, the limitations of the system we had in there. Both mics survived amateur handling and occasional drops for seven years, and both were working impeccably when I left.
On the other hand, when I arrived at my present church I inherited some “second- ary brand” (not mentioned elsewhere here) dynamics that somebody bought less than five years prior on a six-for-$100 deal. Three still sounded tolerable, one was dead (not sure why), and on two of them the response was waaaaay off. And they both rattled. I unscrewed the windscreens to find the capsules had come loose from their seats and were flopping around sideways.
You get what you pay for, and for $16.66 you can't expect to get much.
CONDENSERS: ADDING AIR
Thirty years ago, condenser microphones were rare in worship sound. Only a few mics suited to live vocal applications were available back then, and those were relatively expensive and required phantom power—something not available on all church mixers of that era.
Times have changed. Condenser mics for live vocals now are plentiful, rugged, and affordable. Compared to dynamic counterparts, condensers have greater sensitivity plus an extended and flatter high-frequency response, which results in vocals with more “air” and “breathiness.” Greater sensitivity also means condensers pick up sound from further away, which can be beneficial or problematic. For a softer-voiced singer who drifts back from the mic, a condenser is just what you need. But if the drums are right behind the mic, or a monitor wedge is up too high, you will get considerably more bleed into your vocal channel. However, with the trend toward in-ear monitoring and either electronic or isolated drums, condensers today are increasingly favored for principal vocalists.
QUALITY CONDENSERS
Quality condenser vocal mics are generally still more expensive than a dynamics, all else equal. True, you can get in the game at around $100 with Audio-Technica's cardioid AT2010, and holding under $200 are AKG's C5 and EV's supercardioid RE510. All of these are single-diaphragm designs with few bells and whistles, as is also the case with the well-known super-cardioid, Shure Beta 87, which anchors the upper end of this group at around $250.
PREMIUM CONDENSER
You should try to fit one of these into the budget and pray that your singers don't fight over it. Starting at around $300 and going up from there, this is the realm of studio condensers that have been rebuilt for on-stage duty—with lots of extra shock mount isolation. High-frequency transient response will be, in a word, breathtaking. A few (like Shure's KSM 9 and Sennheiser's e965) are dual-diaphragm designs that allow you to switch between cardioid and supercardioid pickup patterns. Other notable mics in this category are the classic AKG c535, which started the trend more than 30 years ago, and Neumann's KMS 105 supercardioid, which is visually indistinguishable from its KMS 104 cardioid cousin. A new entry in the upper reaches is the earthworks SR40V, with high-frequency response out to—gulp—40 kHz, according to the manufacturer. Dynamics just don't go there, and yes, that flatness does make a difference down where we can hear.
LISTEN AROUND
Most of the mics given as examples here are already well established in the worship sound market, and the manufacturers are known for good support. But I encourage you to broaden your horizons. Listen around as much as you can, because other makers offer excellent mics that might make a better match or give equivalent results for less money. Mic makers like Blue, Telefunken, and Rode—primarily known for their studio mics—have moved into the live sound arena with excellent products that have garnered positive reviews. Also, new products appear at every tradeshow, further expanding your options. So don't limit yourself to what I've named here.
A POSTSCRIPT ON WIRELESS
Wireless technology per se is outside the bounds of this article, but I will broach the question, “does a hard-wired mic sound better than a wireless one?” Some say yes, but in my experience the difference is marginal at best. At my former church I once A-B'd wired and wireless versions of the SM58, and yes I could hear a difference—although only definitively on good headphones. However, those wireless units were 1990's vintage technology. Doing the same with the newer Sennheiser systems at my current church, the wired and wireless versions of our e845 capsules are essentially dead-on identical.
And that reminds me that it's advisable to always match some of your wired handheld mics to your wireless capsules. Having a wired-wireless match is helpful if I have to set up a number of mixed vocal channels for a special event. That way, I don't have to re-eq for both the voice and the mic. So even though there are times when I might prefer another mic, I'll use the wired e845. Sigh. Yes, it would be nice if I could pop a SM58 capsule onto one of our Sennheiser wireless bodies, but no way, at least not with our mid-priced systems. Will there be total cross-compatibility in heaven?
And finally, a footnote on the personal experiences relayed above. Although I'm generally happy with the mics our church has available now, rarely a week goes by when I don't say to myself, “Boy, I sure would love to try a [microphone X, usually a more expensive model] on him/her.” It's a never-ending quest as we seek that perfect match of voice and microphone.
