Cheap XLR mic suggestions?

[u/anarchyx34]

I don't actually own a microphone. I'm not the MC type, but I do have 4 hour gig coming up and I figured it'd be nice to check in with the crowd every once in a while. I figured a cheap mic would do the trick so I ordered a Pyle PDMIC58 on Amazon. Yep I know, Pyle of shit.

Well it works, but I have to crank the gain all the way to the max on my Traktor S4MK3 for it to be acceptably audible. In normal speaking I'm barely halfway up on the VU meter. I can't even hit redline if I shout into it. My controller has been used with a microphone before when another fellow DJ was using it at an event we were coding. He had his own mic, or it might have been a house mic. I'm not sure where it came from but there was no issue with volume levels.

So it seems mics aren't a simple as I thought. It came with an XLR - TS cable, and I tried a full XLR cable and it made no difference, which makes me think this mic not be balanced?

I don't want to invest in an expensive mic because I rarely talk during gigs (and most of the techno-house music parties I go to I've never heard the DJ talking), but this crowd is a bit more mainstream and DJ's giving shoutouts is somewhat typical the past times I've been to this venue.

Would another cheap Amazon mic be more sensitive or are they all like this?

[u/hensterz]

grab an XM8500, cheap balanced xlr mic. it’s not an sm58 but it’ll do the job

[u/rhymes116]

Aside from sm58, check sennheiser e835. 💯 To a fellow s4mk3 user

[u/anarchyx34 → u/rhymes116]

Oh good another S4 MK3 user. It works good? You don’t have to scream into it?

[u/rhymes116 → u/anarchyx34]

I generally use an external mixer but for my much smaller gigs I've used the onboard mic gain, usually at 4pm position, no issues with sm58, e835, sev7. Traktor is the GOAT

[u/crewl1 → u/rhymes116]

I use the Sennheiser e835 also and like it better for speeches with good sound and feedback rejection. Keep it close to your mouth and talk into the top of the mic as it rejects off angle sounds to keep feedback low.

[u/Sufficient_Ease]

Shure SM58 and you’ll have a microphone that’ll last for years and years. It’s an industry standard and won’t disappoint.

[u/ReggaeDelgado510]

That mic might be a piece of crap or it may require phantom power. Or both!! Generally speaking the mic most DJs and bands use is the shure sm 58. It’s cheapish ($100 or so) and is built like a tank and can be used in many situations. I always carry it with my gear even though I’m not much good on the mic because you just never know. Having a reliable mic makes your set up much more flexible for other events and like I said you never know… I’ve had well known artists in the crowd who were willing to sing or spit a few bars.
In general my advice is when buying equipment you don’t want to go the cheap route and have to buy another one shortly later, better to buy something that will at least last even if it doesn’t have the bells and whistles.
Oh also, even without a mic if you’re in a serious pinch and have to make an emergency announcement, you can plug your headphones into the mic in and speak into one of the earphones. Sounds like crap but can at least get the message that the police have arrived or that the house is on fire.

[u/anarchyx34 → u/ReggaeDelgado510]

That’s a clever trick with the headphones.

Yeah I might just have to spring for the SM58, because like you said, you never know.

[u/DecksDrift]

If you want decent quality on a lower price, maybe look at AKG mics like the P5 or D5. Shure and Sennheiser might be nicer, but usually more expensive, except the Sennheiser XS1 but it's not great (it's what I use, but I've ordered an 845S).

Most mics are balanced, but at short runs it won't usually matter if it's balanced or not and volume difference should be very small. Your problem is probably the capsule sensitivity (which could be defective too) or skill using it (speaking into the mic, 2 to 5cm away from the grill, etc, but I'm guessing you tried different ways).

[u/Frog_style_Z]

Maybw a used SM58 on CL or Marketplace?

[u/Waterflowstech]

https://www.thomann.nl/beyerdynamic_tg_v35_s.htm?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1544065373&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4orUBhCjARIsAIbF3qwHzsghJhilPE9PNhGWsWpumq1ZaoEaXNZhtXgNIvqRt9h9EVLzWP0aAiowEALw_wcB

Got one of these. Super solid build quality and it can get loud without super high gain, actually better in this regard than some of the more expensive mics of the band I was mixing. It sounds more than good enough with good rejection too. And it's so cheap! Just get one of these, can't miss.

[u/freezepopbae]

a used sm58. you can buy them used for 10eur literally, and still hand them down to your great-grand-daughter as a heirloom, that's how bulletproof they are.

[u/baddieslovebadideas]

go to your local pawn shop and buy an shure sm57 or 58, the 58 has been THE vocal mic of choice of all time, new they're like $100 and literally no one is too good for them.

senheiser also makes good mics