Headset Microphone

[GrantB]

Can anyone recommend a decent headset microphone to record vocals with in conjunction with my Genos 2.

I currently use a Shure MS58 which is good but a little awkward with the stand.

Cheers

Grant

[Chris79]

se 2300 is perfect for Genos !  friendly. Chris

[jdup]

I was also using an SM58 microphone with my Genos, but found that I was missing words when I turned my head slightly. So I switched to a headset SM35 XLR, and I have been very pleased. I keep the SM58 for guest singers.

Jim Duprey

[GrantB]

Hi Guys,

I've gone for the Shure SM35 XLR from Amazon USA as it is over £100 cheaper than buying from the UK.

Cheers

Grant

[BogdanH]

hi GrantB,
That's quite a price difference... Make sure that you purchased the headset which has XLR phantom power adapter included! -otherwise you cannot connect headset to keyboard.

Bogdan

[GrantB]

The Shure SM35 comes with RPM626 preamp which I understand to be the phantom power adaptor, so hope this is correct.

Grant

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[mikf]

Yes, the pre amp will supply the phantom power, but you still have to deal with the plug.
I am surprised that Amazon US would supply to the UK because apart from shipping cost, they have to deal with VAT and import requirements. Normally they redirect people with UK delivery addresses to the UK site.
I do agree though that the price difference UK to US on this model of mic is outrageous. No idea why it would be so different on this model. Normally Shure mics are available in the UK at almost the same price as in the USA, once you add in taxes. Did you shop around the UK for a better price ?
Mike

[overover]

The Shure SM35 comes with RPM626 preamp which I understand to be the phantom power adaptor, so hope this is correct.

Grant

Hi Grant,

Yes, the RPM626 phantom power adapter will work with the Shure SM35 and it's  4-pin "TQG" plug. The RPM400 adapter would also fit.

By the way, I recommend not plugging the phantom power adapter directly into the Genos MIC IN socket, but using a standard microphone cable (XLR female > XLR male) of any length in between. The RPM626 phantom power adapter can be attached to your belt using the integrated clip.


Best regards,
Chris

[GrantB]

Hi Guys,

Including shipping & taxes the total cost when converted for dollars (my cards does not charge for conversion) it was £129 0r $156 so it was a no brainer to get from the US. I did shop around the UK and the cheapest second hand price was over £150.

Thanks Chris for the advice about getting a mic XLR extension, will do.

Grant

[MarkF_48]

Hi Grant,
I did a search for the SM35 to learn a bit more about it and I happen to come across one of my favorite Youtube microphone reviewers that did a a review on the SM35. He usually does studio and live handheld mics, so this a little different for him, but should give you a good overview of the mic. After you've received and used the SM35 for a bit could you please come back to this thread and post your thoughts on how it works for you? I currently have a Shure dynamic mic headset mic I use playing guitar and the SM35 may be better soundwise.

https://youtu.be/Ell00RK5aA8

[BogdanH]

I like watching this guy reviews and I agree on what he says about SM35 -I don't own SM35, though.
I have AKG C550L (among others) which is quite similar to SM35, I think. The reason why I decided for AKG is, because I wear eyeglasses and the way AKG is attached on ears, makes it slightly more comfortable to wear -especially if combined with headphones.

Just short opinion about these types of microphones...
No matter what kind of microphone is used (dynamic or condenser) and no matter of specs (sensitivity, freq.response, etc.) they are basically meant for speech.
The thing is, microphone is very (too) close to the mouth, no matter how we position it. We can move it a bit away from mouth (on the side), but then we lose characteristics of our voice. In short, no matter what we do, it sounds like singing in a phone -because of proximity to the mouth.
It can be good enough for live performance, but I wouldn't use it for recording. For recording, singing into normal microphone at distance of about 20cm (8") always sounds much better.

Bogdan

[GrantB]

Hi Bogdan,

One final question regarding the plug to the Genos2 from the RPM626 phantom power adapter. Will the following be okay to use?

KASIMO 1M XLR Female to 6.35mm (1/4 inch) TRS Stereo Jack Lead Balanced Signal Interconnect Cable, XLR Female to Quarter inch Patch Cable for Microphones, Mixer, Audio Sound Consoles, Power Amplifier

Grant


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[BogdanH]

hi Grant,
Yes, this cable cable will definitely work on your Genos. * -incorrect for condenser microphone!

Maybe you should consider a cable with XLR connectors on both side:


-In this case the cable can also be used as extension (in case you'll need different length later). But if you prefer 1/4 jack to be used on Genos, then your choice is fine * -incorrect for condenser microphone!

* -see Chris's post below! ..sorry for confusion.

Bogdan

[overover]

... One final question regarding the plug to the Genos2 from the RPM626 phantom power adapter. Will the following be okay to use?

KASIMO 1M XLR Female to 6.35mm (1/4 inch) TRS Stereo Jack Lead Balanced Signal Interconnect Cable, XLR Female to Quarter inch Patch Cable for Microphones, Mixer, Audio Sound Consoles, Power Amplifier ...

Hi Grant,

No, you CANNOT use the cable you mentioned (XLR female to 1/4 inch TRS plug), because the Shure SM35 microphone requires phantom power and this is only available on the Genos2 Mic Combo jack (XLR/TRS) if an XLR plug is used.

So you absolutely have to use a "XLR female to XLR male" standard microphone cable, as mentioned above (see also the picture in Bogdan's latest post).

Please also see the instructions in the Genos2 Owner's Manual in the chapter "Connecting a Microphone" (from page 110), especially the instructions regarding "phantom power" and "condenser microphone".



Best regards,
Chris

[MarkF_48]

Hi Bogdan,

One final question regarding the plug to the Genos2 from the RPM626 phantom power adapter. Will the following be okay to use?

KASIMO 1M XLR Female to 6.35mm (1/4 inch) TRS Stereo Jack Lead Balanced Signal Interconnect Cable, XLR Female to Quarter inch Patch Cable for Microphones, Mixer, Audio Sound Consoles, Power Amplifier

Grant

Grant, I don't believe the XLR female to 1/4" TRS cable will work. The SM35 microphone cable has a TA4F connector which is typically used with one of Shure's BodyPack wireless transmitters. The BodyPack transmitters provide 5 vdc to the SM35 for it to function. The RPM626 is an inline preamplifier which adapts the TA4F connector to XLR and also enables the SM35 to be able to use 12 to 48 volts phantom power from the device it is plugged into. It would be very unusual for a 1/4" TRS jack to be able to provide phantom power and I don't think your GENOS 2 would do this. The XLR jack on the GENOS 2 would provide phantom and an XLR to XLR cable would be what you want.

[BogdanH]

Chris and Mark, thank you both for correcting me.

Bogdan

[GrantB]

Hi Guys,

Now I'm slightly confused, can you show me how XLR to XLR cable will fit into the mic connection on the Genos2. I have assumed that it must be quarter inch jack.

Am I right that this is an XLR to XLR cable?

I am a novice when it comes to mic and I have read the manual, thank you. So sorry for my confusion and I do appreciate all your help

Grant

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[MarkF_48]

The MIC input on the GENOS 2 is what is called a 'Combo' jack and it will accept either an XLR plug or a 1/4" plug (I tend to think the 1/4" jack is for a TS (tip-sleeve) plug and not a TRS (tip-ring-sleeve) plug, but someone may know otherwise). The three pins of the XLR plug will fit into the three detents around the center of the 1/4" hole when lined up correctly. Yes the image you've shown is an XLR to XLR cable
Note: there is a switch next to the combo jack to enable phantom power for the mic. Switch this to 'ON'

[GrantB]

Mark, got it now thank you so much.

Grant

[GrantB]

Review The Shure SM3 with RPM626 preamp

I have now had the chance to use the Shure SM35 headset mic along with the with RPM626 preamp which fits nicely into my shirt pocket along with a 2M XLR cable.

However, for people who use spectates the Shure SM35 is definitely not for you. I tried it several ways but it was impossible to get a decent and comfortable fit. Luckily for me I only need specs for distance and can read my music easily without them.

Comfort: Is also quite poor as both pads are rather flimsily and after an hour they became uncomfortable to wear as it is necessary to have a firm fit. So, I have glued a piece of felt over a piece of foam and they are now comfortable to wear. But really this should not have been necessary given the manufacturer and the price.

Quality: In my opinion is excellent when the microphone is in the correct position just at the side of the mouth. My voice is clear, no dropout, no breathing noise on recordings (apart when I did a test by taking in very deep breaths and exhaling them). Plus the sound of the keyboard or any other background noise is not heard when playing and recording either. I did another test with a radio playing quite loud behind me and the sounds was not picked up by the mic.

Conclusion: The pads let the Shure SM35 down and it takes some time arranging the headset on the head ensuring the microphone is in the correct position. I could not fault the overall quality and will continue to use it, but I may at some time look for a more comfortable headset mic in future.

Grant

[BogdanH]

hi Grant,
Thank you for reporting your impressions about SM35.

... but I may at some time look for a more comfortable headset mic in future.

-and that's the problem: how to know before buying?
It would be great if we could go into local store and compare wearing comfort of various headsets. And even then, there's also a question how comfortable certain headset will be after wearing for a bit longer period of time.

SM35 seems to be fine headset and I think you should just accept it as it is: perfect headset comfort doesn't exist.

Bogdan