Electro-voice ND767/A Dynamic Vocal Mic
Overall, I'll start by telling you that I tried 5 Mics before I settled on this one. I've been singing professionally for over 15 years and have performed in all types of places from small coffee shops to 3000 seat venues. I was using a Beta58 for most of my career up until now. I wanted a change and started looking to see what else is out there. I'm really glad I did because after I tested a bunch of other Mic's, the Beta58 came in dead last in sound quality. My favorite thing about the 767 is how it sounds "live" compared to everything else. It sounds very "present" verses the other Mic's sounding to polished and sterile. Non of the other Mic's have the 'life' the EV gives you. It's also very warm and rich and I could hear details in my voice I never heard before. Especially when singing soft passages of a song. Another characteristic where other Mic's fell short. If you have a strong voice (like I do), this is your Mic. If you have a thin, weak voice then I highly recommend the Heil PR35 which is also sold by Musicians Friend. The PR35 is the highest amount of gain I've ever heard, but doesn't have the warmth of the 767 which is the only reason I didn't go with the Heil PR35. However, if you're on a budget, the Heil PR35 will cost you more than double verses the 767. So if you want something inbetween, my 3rd favorite Mic is the Sennheiser 835. The best description for the 835 is that it's very, very smooth. To smooth for my tastes and that's another reason I picked the 767. In my humble opinion, you really can't go wrong with the 767 and it sounds far better than a Shure Beta58 which I'm mentioning because it's the most commonly used Mic.
Electro-voice ND767/A Dynamic Vocal Microphone |
My last bit of advice is to try 2 or 3 EV 767's at the same time. My ears are super picky and I could hear the slight variances between all 3 and then picked the one that sounded best to me.
The features of this Mic are pretty straightforward. Plug it in and start singing (or screaming if that's your thing). The only "feature" I can comment on is what EV calls VOB which increases bass as you get closer to the Mic. I like this feature but all Mics get bassier as you get closer to them.
The quality of if the Mic delivered by SETI Systems is acceptable. I hope it stays that way. It's my first EV Mic so I hope it lasts for years and years. It feels very solid in my hand and has excellent "handling noise".
The value of this Mic is exceptional. Out of everything else I tried, this gave me the most bang for my buck. Be a smart shopper and shop around. You may be surprised what prices you'll find on this Mic.
Do yourself a favor and pick up one of these babies. They are not only one of the best vocal mics you can buy, but also sound unbelievably similar to an Audix D6 and can handle high sound pressure levels.
Warning: while they can handle high SPL's, if you tend to beat the crap out of your bass drums (I mean REALLY crush the drum), I can't say with absolute certainty that this mic will not distort. However I tend to play really hard, and it has worked beautifully for me thus far. So, I would say this microphone should be more than fine for the vast majority of drummers. It can't be beat in it's price, and I really cannot say that this mike has any flaws at all, except for maybe an on/off switch? Who cares, nobody uses those anyway.
It comes quite close to perfection. Everyone but the most picky sound engineers or vocalists (and even those guys really) will find no microphone that they can say are better (although some may prefer another mic). Some may prefer other microphones to this one simply because of the way in which they prefer to mix. But in my humble opinion, this microphone simply outclasses every microphone I have ever heard in it's price range. It rivals and often surpasses MUCH more expensive microphones).
Electro-voice ND767/A Dynamic Vocal Microphone |
Even if you tend prefer another microphone (which is totally understandable if you just like the reputation of quality and durability for something like a Shure), you really should add one of these to your collection. While I have heard nothing about it's durability, I have used this mic for 7 years and have yet to have even a minor problem. The sound quality speaks for itself.
If you are looking for your first mike for either recording or live, you simply can't go wrong with this one. It is highly versatile, and is totally worth the extra few bucks over slightly cheaper mics. It can produce a high quality sound from virtually any instrument (from vocals/guitars to kick drums and basses). It absolutely demolishes Shure's similarly priced mikes at lower frequencies and I like it better for vocals, but Shure products are the standard for a reason.
Slightly more expensive than say a Shure SM58, but the price difference is negligible given this microphone's superior all-around versatility. I've never tried to hammer a stage together with one of these, but I would bet a lot of money that it could be done quite easily.