Which one is better: Shure SM58 or Sennheiser e-845?

[waybine]

Suggestions and remarks are welcome.

I was asked to replace and upgrade our church mics. So, i'm thinking of buying at least 6 units of brand new wired microphones for our back-up singers next month. Which one do you think would I recommend? Thanks!  

[Tarkuz Toccata]

Why do they want to replace and upgrade your church mics? What's wrong with your existing mics?  

[waybine]

Why do they want to replace and upgrade your church mics? What's wrong with your existing mics?  

'Coz they are old and rusty, and some are not functioning well. Any suggestion sir? Thanks

[KitC]

For me, SM-58, those things are virtually indestructible aside from being a staple in most sound systems however... our singer has a Senn E-855 that had very good response and sounded better for her compared to our SM-58s. During rehearsals in our studio, I prefer the sound of my voice thru my condenser instead of thru my SM-58.

Not all mics sound the same. Try to audition the mics, you will find that some voice qualities fit one model better than another.

[Tarkuz Toccata]

The big difference between Shure SM58 and Sennheiser e845 is their polar pattern -- SM58 is cardioid and e845 is supercardioid.

What is the difference between SuperCardioid and Cardioid and what do they mean?

The answer to this question can be found in the Shure online booklet "Microphone Techniques for Music - Sound Reinforcement" at:

http://www.shure.com/booklets/techpubs.html

See page 9.

USING DIRECTIONAL PATTERNS TO REJECT UNWANTED SOURCES

In sound reinforcement, microphones must often be located in positions where they may pick up unintended instrument or other sounds. Some examples are: individual drum mics picking up adjacent drums, vocal mics picking up overall stage noise, and vocal mics picking up monitor speakers. In each case there is a desired sound source and one or more undesired sound sources. Choosing the appropriate directional pattern can help to maximize the desired sound and minimize the undesired sound.

Although the direction for maximum pickup is usually obvious (on-axis) the direction for least pickup varies with microphone type. In particular, the cardioid is least sensitive at the rear (180 degrees off-axis) while the supercardioid types actually have some rear pickup. they are least sensitive at 125 degrees off-axis and 110 degrees off-axis respectively.

For example, when using floor monitors with vocal mics, the monitor should be aimed directly at the rear axis of a cardioid microphone for maximum gain-before-feedback. When using a supercardioid, however, the monitor should be positioned somewhat off to the side (55 degrees off the rear axis) for best results. Likewise, when using supercardioid or hypercardioid types on drum kits be aware of the rear pickup of these mics and angle them accordingly to avoid pickup of other drums or cymbals.



Monitor speaker placement for maximum rejection: cardioid and supercardioid

Hope this helps.  

[waybine]

Thanks for the insights guys!

[balta]

i suggest since u need them to be indestructble and something that would last the test of time and also do its work which should be over par, go get the sm 58's. But not those chinese fake ones! haha

But i dont really suggest the sm 58's for recording... but for live its all good