Here's a question from a visitor to the Audio Masterclass website...

My response...

I'm inclined to say that if the Shure SM58 is good enough for Bono and its predecessor good enough for Freddie Mercury, then it probably isn't the limiting factor in your work. That being said, useful budget vocal mics that have passed through here recently include the Golden Age Project TC1 and CAD M9.

You do need to be able to record vocals in an acoustically dry environment. Absence of reverberation is more important than an occasional car going past outside (for which you can retake). A dry vocal is much more flexible and amenable to processing than one that has room ambience embedded within it.

There are technological solutions that can help with noise. But you have to keep a sharp ear out for artefacts of the process. You wouldn't expect a £1000-a-day recording studio to use noise reduction. You would expect them to have excellent sound insulation.

If you can make a clean recording with your Shure SM58, then there is nothing holding you back from achieving the best professional standards in your work other than improving the level of your knowledge, skills and experience.

I hope this helps.

David Mellor
Course Director, Audio Masterclass